Kickstart troubles Suzuki RM125

[crispy]

After putting the engine back together after rebuilding it i've noticed the kick start lever doesn't spring back up to where it should. I didn't have the mechanism that sits in the engine apart while the engine was stripped, however according to the service manual there are two marks that have to line up. Can i just have the engine running and just simply turn the kick start shaft to tension the spring? Is there an easy fix or do i have to remove the cover

[F5 Dave]

Well quite a hard read with no spaces

erm I lost track, but RM125s have been in production over 30 years. Either way the only fix is to pop the side cover off, which is easy but you'll have to drain the oil and water presuming it is post 1981, which odds are. . .


I've re-read the above post & I can't make out when & what happened causing the issue, so I won't guess.

[crispy]

So i changed the post to shorten the story. I was hoping to just turn the shaft anti-clockwise with the engine running (saw it turn clockwise i think when the kick-start lever bolt snapped off while test riding it up the drive) Was hoping there'd be an easy fix without pulling the casing off. If i have to do this is there a certain way to put tension on the spring??
There are two marks , one on the shaft and the kick lever that have to line up apparently but i never saw these while reassembling

[F5 Dave]

So it was working before? Or someone was playing with it & you bought it as was perhaps? Or perhaps the spring is snapped? Less likely.

Either way if the spring is ok then it does need quite a twist around to put it under pressure, take it apart & try the different options & you'll find it is possible to twist the retaining section of the spring into the case with pliers & stuff the assembly back in without it exploding apart.

That will provide spring tension on the lever even when it is fully up. There is no way to do it externally, no matter how hard you wish engine running or not.

Hard to explain but play around with it & it will make sense.