Who remebers kick starts??

[Motu]

Kinda embarassing that I've just got an electric start small 2 stroke single,but it only just adds to the fun...

Ixion's ritual was a part of my life for many years - standing astride a big single or twin,the leap into the air,balancing while you put everything you had into one leg and also mastering the end of swing...the whole thing was satisfying.As a little guy trying to start big singles reluctant to start I developed a method where I'd stand beside the bike,put my left hand under the rear guard and pull myself down....I think I've got the weight problem solved now.... I could start my B31 with Goldy cams,high comp piston and big carb with just my hand.I still like to stand beside the bike to kickstart....and yeah,I've still got kickstart bikes.

[Skyryder]

Yeah, I reckon a 1000 cc four would only be like a 500 twin, and they were easy enough. And the original CB750 four was a cinch to kickstart, didn't even need the technique, just bang it down.

Pisses me off actually that they don't put kickstarts on now. I hate being reliant on the electric starter. Crank handles on cars, too

I had a Tiger 100, usualy no problem to start. Don't realy miss the kick start at my age, but hey there was something about kickstarting a bike. It just seemed a macho thing at the time. Looked good when the troops started up together too.

Skyryder

[Ixion]

bloody sr250 and it's dodgy battery that doesn't work in the damn cold, it sucks push starting a bike at 6:30 in the morning!!! might get a new battery for it one of these days, it's got a hole for a kickstarter, just no peg thing to actually kick on

SR250 should be child's play .250 cc single is it not ?. I usually bump start my SRX250 , because it's fun!

Remember, you don't **push** start them, you **bump** start them.If you try to push it you'll just wear yourself out.

Ignition on, any carby stuff you need to do, into first gear, clutch engaged, pull the bike **backwards** until you hit compression (this is real important), now clutch disengaged (still in first), push it foward until you hit a fast walking pace, now a big high jump onto the seat so you come down on it with a bang, sitting sidesaddle, and *exactly* as your bum sits the saddle, drop the clutch real fast. Start every time if you got the carby set right.Open the throttle and get up to about 15 - 20 kph.Then up on the peg (you're still sidesaddle remember) and swing over to sit astride, and off you go . Dead easy.

It was a bit easier with a rigid rear end because you got the full effect of hitting the saddle.

[Motu]

Crank handles on cars, too

I remember the trick to stating a Mini was to jack up one side,put it in gear and spin the wheel that was off the ground.

You'd think one of the hardest bikes to start would be a speedway bike - a 500cc single with 15:1 compression running on alcohol - but I've seen them started by just pulling the rear wheel by hand...easy.

[Oscar]

Have been known to kick start the LC4 (left hand side too) - easy.

Got a TT500 in the shed - if you canae kick it, it dosenae go...

[loosebruce]

REMEMBER THEM??? Ive still got one...

Yeah me too, but i haven't kicked mine yet coz it doesn't start!! Soon...........

[FROSTY:Me]

ahh -"Thjose were the days my freind -we thought theyd never end -We'd jump and dance -forever and a day---yea when the friggin kickstarter kicked us back -i the shins.

[Oscar]

ahh -"Thjose were the days my freind -we thought theyd never end -We'd jump and dance -forever and a day---yea when the friggin kickstarter kicked us back -i the shins.

I still have a big divot in my calf muscle from a YZ465...

[Big Dave]

I still have a big divot in my calf muscle from a YZ465...

i have other mates who gladly show thier kick starter scars too - I never had one bite me - looks like it hurt tho

[Stevo]

Do bikes not have kickstarts?

[250learna]

my m8 has a fxr 150 i think its a 2001model and it has both electric and kick start, if you turn it on using electric and then it switches off coz no choke, then you gota kick start. And for some reason it hapened all the time .
I liked it, untill the f#%$er riped my shoe.
Dont buy shoes from #1 Shoewarehouse if you are planing to kickstart a bike :eyepoke:

[StoneChucker]

My FIRST experience of a kick-start was back in SA. The person I was staying with housed the neighbours bike in the garage for a few days. NO idea what it was, since I had no clue back then (dirt bike cross motard maybe). I spent ages fiddling with levers and buttons trying to get the thing started, and finally with one mighty kick it turned over for a minute or two...

Then in NZ, while I was on my learners I test rode an 04 GSX250 which has electric and kick start. Had a go at kick-starting it - pretty easy I'm thinking, when compared to what I've been reading on here. Honestly, I prefer electric start as I'm sure you all do too (honestly)

There's the anoying thing about a kick-start only bike that won't start... The longer you try, the more tired you get thus the less likely you are to get the thing going!

[scumdog]

I remember the angst of kickstarting an AG100 farmbike where the swivelling footpeg thingee on the top of the kickstart lever had long since disappeared...

And the Jawas where the kickstart was also the gear lever - and you had to bend down, push the lever in, lift it up and then kick - and if your foot slipped off you had to repeat the above effort all over again!! argh!!

[Motu]

Pity the motorcycle mechanics of the 70s,hard starting was a common complaint,they'd be kicking all day.Same with lawnmowers,chainsaws and other equipment - I've spent a lot of my time working on that stuff,chainsaws are particualy trying if you have one that's hard to start.Same too with outboards,small ones are pull start,and when you get up to around 40hp they get nasty - I've seen mechanics break their hands/wrists on big outboards.

[Fryin Finn]

2 of my current bikes have kick start. The WR450 is a piece of piss with the automatic decomp on the cam. The SRX requires a routine but often starts 1st kick. My old XR650 got very tiring when you stalled it. But the worst bike was my First bike The Yamaha 360 RT3. It kicked back and was nasty with it. The very first day it bit back and split my heel. My boot quickly filled with blood. One bloke had the same bike and it kicked back, smashing his thigh under the handlebars and breaking his leg. I was scared of that bike and crash started wherever I could. My brothers DT250 kicked back and the kick start punctured his calf. More blood.