Starter issues GPz1100?

[DaveGPz]

This morning the GPz wouldn't start - hit the button = brief (1/2 second) mechanical clatter followed by a short lived (but nasty) whine. It didn't sound like a flat battery (new battery 3 months ago); no solenoid click or chatter, just this metal clash (sounded like jammed gears) and the whine. I'm at the bottom of a steep hill, so bump-starting wasn't high on my list. After tapping the starter button 5 or 6 times she started to turn over, then started like a dream.

This is pretty much the same engine mechanically as a ZZR1100. Could this be starter gears clashing/binding? The noise was definitely coming from the right hand side of the engine. Any experience or hints?

I ride to work at least 5 days a week, and this hasn't happened before... but it really wasn't a nice noise!