So now I feel like an idiot.  I did the tear down to fix the dreaded head plug leak plus I took off the left sidecover to clean out metal shards (don't ask) and put it back on with a new gasket without touching anything else.  The entire time, the bike has been on a battery tender.  The day has finally come and it feels like Christmas.  I take the bike off the stand, after putting oil back in of course, swing my leg over triumphantly, pull the clutch, and push the starter button.  "Click, Click Click, click". Great...... I smell heat, but no engine turn over, no labored/dying battery sound, nothing.  The only thing that got hot was the cable that leads to the starter.  I'm dumbfounded and frustrated.  Here I thought I was so awesome and " look what I did all by myself   " but nope.  The Savage sat quietly laughing at my futile attempts to bring her back to life .  Mocking my lack of knowledge of repairs.  I thought to myself that its so simple, I was careful, I read a lot, I stayed neat, and I had no extra parts.  Everything went back together so smoothly.  Where did I go wrong?  

Any thoughts on what I should check before throwing my hands in the air and taking it in?

Steve.

I think you may be on to something!  The starter is not engaging and getting bound up, hence the clicking and the wire getting hot..........HOWEVER, the cause of this confuses me because I never removed the gears, washers or anything else from under the cover (that I know of or saw).  I unbolted it, wiped it out, visually inspected everything inside, scraped off the old gasket, put the new one back on, and slid the cover back on.  I believe that all washers and everything else stayed put when I removed the cover.  I also kept it covered with an old rag to keep anything from getting inside and did not work above the cover to keep loose parts from falling in as well.

Sliding the cover back on was extremely difficult but I don't think I disturbed anything.

I'd love to hear what others think about this because now that you mention it, it makes perfect sense that this is the cause, but now to figure out why before destroying a $20 gasket (which, since it was just installed, probably won't be an issue), and draining a fresh oil change.

You are FAR FROM the first to get bit there..I know that doesn't fix it, but don't feel stupid. No extra parts,,,HA! I've done that before too. I have been known to lose one,tho,,,

When you pull the cover off, the washer falls off....and you most likely placed it on the wrong shaft.  It seems logical that each shaft would have a washer - but the front idle gear gets both washers and the rear one doesn't get any.

You can try putting the bike in gear and see if the engine will turn over when you push the bike forward, or remove the threaded cap on the left side cover and see if you can turn the engine over with a wrench.  If the engine turns over....then you have confirmed the problem is with the starter gears being bound up.

The problem comes from the fact that there is no room on the rear shaft for a washer.....so if you put one there the gear gets smashed between the center case and case cover when you tighten the cover screws.  The gear no longer has any clearance and is not free to move.....it is clamped tight!

Just wanted to update and take the time to thank all who replied to this post.  The short, I did it!!  Of course you were all correct.  And a hearty thanks for that!

The long..... The washer must have been misplaced.  Since the engine hadn't run, the gasket hadn't time to bond, so was rescued.  The fresh oil was drained out into a clean unused container and saved as well......


THE ONLY SETBACK..... My own stupidity for not double checking.  When sealing up the head cover, I used a tightening pattern I found on the leaky head cover link and torqued up to about 5 Ft lbs.  Well, stupid me, forgot to double check ALL bolts.  Took it for a frigid, 20 degrees temp, loop around the street and back, parked it, looked down, and it was pissing oil.  Oil was EVERYWHERE!  I panicked of course.  But common sense took over, I wiped off as much as I could and found the source.  Apparently, I missed TWO bolts!  I prayed that I didn't blow out the RTV as well.  Spent an hour wiping off as much oil I as could and tore down to access the bolts.  This time, I circled the head cover, knowing that I had already torqued them all down, and found the two brought them up to torque and reassembled.  

Apparently, I blew through a half quart of oil!!!  Everything is back together and running smoothly, but I am still finding oil dripping out of places I didn't know existed.  Its getting less for certain, but I still have a slight shadow of doubt that everything is good and am remaining positive that I fixed the initial problem without creating others.  I plan on taking lots of short rides over the next few weeks, weather allowing, to make sure its good before tearing the bike apart again and modifying it.  At least I know how to fix it now.


Lesson learned:  Even if you think you tightened all bolts, go back and check again, and maybe again for good measure.

Also, always consult the forum.  

hell, i once trashed a motor in a car by forgetting to add oil after an oil change (my only excuse is the driver was in my ear the whole time I was working on it, and I was doing brakes as well as changing oil)
Didn't get fired, but did replace the motor on my own dime
live and learn. now when I change oil, i pull the dipstick halfway out, so it's like a sign saying 'check the oil,dumbass'
I also don't work on cars for a living anymore either

Hello! I have the same problem. My bike suddenly will not start. Click, click click, click.. I dont think I placed the washer on the wrong shaft, because I had no problems with the bike last summer (after overhauling/changing torque limiter). Is there some electrical components I should check?