[MickM]

"Are you saying you need to push on the actual starter it's self to get the bike to start?"

If so then you may also have a ground problem.
You should not be able to move the starter at all.
If you can then that is wrong.

I would remove and inspect it.
Then clean everything and tighten it down.

Mick M.

[rcoulter]

alright that makes sense, i'll give that a shot. thanks guys

[rcoulter]

the other day my bike wouldn't even think about starting, no matter how hard and how tight i held the starter motor in. i thought maybe it was the battery, so i jumped it but the starter motor only made a pathetic effort to even try to turn. so i replaced the starter today, no more clicking, no more problems. starts up immediately. thank you for all your help!