Who remebers kick starts??

[Legolas]

Originally posted by Ixion.
Full drill for those too young to have done it

Retard ignition
Tickle the carb
Free the clutch
Stand on kickstart lever and take it down until it hits compression.
Let kickstart come back up to top
Lift exhaust valve
Take kickstart through one complete stroke with valve open
Allow kickstart to come back up
Kick start **HARD** . With **ALL** your weight on the lever (one foot on kick start other off the ground, kicking with all the strength of your back and leg. And whatever you do don't let the bike fall over at this point because you have no foot on the ground, so you ahve to balance it)
Absorb impact when kickstart hits compresion (like kicking a brick wall)
Repeat until it starts
*REMEMBER TO ADVANCE THE IGNITION*

Yep. remember the ritual well.
I had a 1954 Matchless long stroke single. If you didn't follow the above procedure, you could be limping for days.

[Sniper]

I still have a kick start. great little CG125

[Wolf]

Most my bikes have had kick starters and a couple had both kick and electric - and usually the battery was knackered so I'd be starting it with the kick anyway. Only the Zundapp, the LS400 and the '82 GSX250 were electric start only.

I like the idea of having the kick start for emergency use. There's something kinda "classic" about kicking down on the lever and having the engine roar into life (or at least cough explosively and fire you over the handlebars).

[ManDownUnder]

yes it is,seen it done with a Z1000 Kawasaki,I think the Z1R came with a kickstart lever under the seat for emergency use.

I saw something like that too... this guy, seriously not much biger than a jockey, was on a BIG lime green kwaka, gently kicking it over... till the thing was just past TDC (or wherever it is easiest to kick it from), and gave it a go.

It'd get 3/4 of the way through the kick, kick back and throw him back in the air cursing and swearing about his sore leg...

... then he'd give it another go... and another and another... took him 5 or 6 to get it firing and his leg must have been bloody sore - it was rough watching it - I'd hate to have been doing it!

Brave man...

And now my 900 starts with the mere push of a button. Hell - my two year old daughter does it (with great delight I might add)
MDU

[250learna]

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.

i have a 20hores johnson outboard from the 70s... and its ok to start when its freshly servicerd, but it can do some demage every now and then when its playing up... not to mention the other passengers squased in on the 12footer also get a piece of the action...in the gut,ribs or face

[gav]

Yeah, had my share of kick start bikes, Z1, RZ350, NS400R, DR600, heap of XR's, worst one XR350RE

[Sensei]

Had my 560 kitted TT500 with Ported SR500 head , White Bro race Cam < flat slide carby on Avgas 56hp in town one day
came out of shop jumped on & went to start it Decom lever etc Stood straight up & let her have it got half way down then she stopped dead . Kick start fired back up faster than it went down . Punched a hole right through my brand new Redband Gummboot through a Norswear sock & tore a 50 cent round by about 2mmm thick piece of skin off the bottom of my foot as it pushed my kneee up underneath the handle bar bending it up on a 45 deg angle . Needless to say I did not start the bike again Phoned mate to bring my ute down & pick me & the bike up . Found out the Timing had slipped while riding into town & was near full advanaced when I started it . Limpped for about 2month's .
SENSEI

[NordieBoy]

2 weeks with the Nordie (11:1 compression 560cc single) with only a kicker and you learn the technique.
Then when you finally get the handlebar mounted decompression lever working it is a piece of the proverbial.
Never had it kick back ever and I've started it barefoot.
Crash start without the decomp - No way - Maybe with a couple of mates but it'll lock up in any gear.

XR250 - Think about pushing the kicker down and it starts

The other Nordie only has a button and you're stuffed if the battery goes flat.

[MadDuck]

OMG yes I remember the kick starts. Showing my age now. We managed big calf muscles and lots of bad language in those ole days

Advantage was push starts in the cold

[SPman]

The Duc GT750 - piece of piss - Hop on, tickle the Amals (mine had amals) , one kick and away she would go, almost without fail. The worst was probably the CB250RS, but still no probs and all the two stroke multis.....as long as the plugs were ok, never a hassle. - just kept away from old english crap!

[Ms Piggy]

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

Ditto!!

[Al]

Yeah, still remember them quite fondly...
Had a XT500, NO decompression lever, bitch of a thing to start if you're not used to it. Threw a mate of mine off (landed flat on his arse)
[/IMG]

[scumdog]

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

Used up quite a bit of sweat and ended up with an arm like Popeyes from crank starting a '49 V8 pick-up truck I had.

[Aiolos]

http://www.legit.dk/

Anyone else notice that the bear is being lazy?

[Sutage]

Yep. Separates the men from the boys.

Full drill for those too young to have done it

Retard ignition
Tickle the carb
Free the clutch
Stand on kickstart lever and take it down until it hits compression.
Let kickstart come back up to top
Lift exhaust valve
Take kickstart through one complete stroke with valve open
Allow kickstart to come back up
Kick start **HARD** . With **ALL** your weight on the lever (one foot on kick start other off the ground, kicking with all the strength of your back and leg. And whatever you do don't let the bike fall over at this point because you have no foot on the ground, so you ahve to balance it)
Absorb impact when kickstart hits compresion (like kicking a brick wall)
Repeat until it starts
*REMEMBER TO ADVANCE THE IGNITION*

Bah. Electric starts, just push a wussy button. Wusses. See what you miss out on nowadays. Bet half of you don't even understand half the above process. (PT). Though the guys with big trailies I guess still have to do the full drill

Yeah, I've still got a kick start bike.

Then remmeber to move your leg cuz those things bounce back real hard