Starter having pinion-rotation-restricting member for use in automotive vehicle

A pinion gear (5) of a starter (1) is engaged with a ring gear (R) of an internal combustion engine by restricting rotation of the pinion gear while driving a motor (2) at a low speed. After the engagement is established, the motor is driven at a full speed by supplying a full current, thereby cranking up the engine. A crank bar (7) for transferring movement of a plunger (14) in a magnetic switch (3) to a pinion-rotation-restricting member (6) is divided into two or three portions. After the divided portions are assembled to the starter, they are connected together to form a solid piece. In this manner, a process of assembling the crank bar (7) into the starter (1) is simplified.