Ah yes. Sorry mate, but it happened to one of ours a while back. Your explanation of the symptoms should have rung a bell. We had the bolt that holds the alternator on, come adrift. Started with 'slow starting' issue, then became a 'starter not engaging' issue. Chewed up the end of the crank, but was just about salvageable. If it's properly chewed, you maybe looking at a new crank (or secondhand engine). It's only happened with these Spanish-made piece-of-crap Suzuki's. Jap-built bikes had no such problem. Hope it's all ok, and repairable... :-/
