Just about all modern starters in the automotive world today are fitted with planetary gears. Also the reverse motor for Tri Glide has planetary gear system. As a matter of fact, to get the output shaft to turn slow enough, the 83388-09R has 2 sets of planetary gears. This is a good thing because this design also gives the unit plenty of torque to carry the load without drawing a lot of amps.
This he planetary gear set is one of the most efficient power management systems ever invented, and it’s practicality everywhere in the mechanical world from electric drills and screwdrivers to automotive automatic transmissions. There is one main gear in the middle, attached to the armature shaft, aptly named the “sun” gear, as is anatomically solar system correct. The two or three gears which travel around the sun gear of course are called the planet gears. The outer normally stationary gear that the planet gears mesh into is called the radius gear.