Hey, batrider. Tell us some stories about kicking that Matchless over with less than perfect technique, the rideless days related to it and the days spent limping afterwords.

Velocette owners may have the award won for the kick starter ratio problem. Very hard to start unless kick starter--piston and the planet Venus are in perfect alignment.
Have to agree there on the statement that may not be a great idea to continue jumping on the kick starter if engine refuses to start after 2nd or 3rd attempt. Best to stop and do some quick checks to see if there's a glitch someplace---like kill switch --choke---battery condition--old fuel---etc. etc. MPO

Velocette owners may have the award won for the kick starter ratio problem.

OK then will add Velocette to Shragthrope models, but at least its only one lung to kick over the top.

Its tricky to figure out why a Cdo won't start right off, I've had most a year now to get familiar with Trixie Combat, even a video of hand starting but she's let me down and wore me down last 3 times I thought weather fair enough to ride. Got spark, got fuel got compression, nothing altered since last nice cold day starts 10 days ago. Even new plugs just in case. ugh. I can see the kick lever beginning to get loose on splines and we know what that leads to next.

Buy new shaft and have stress riser relieved and then sent for cryo tempering is what I'm doing on my special.

Mine too..

pvisseriii wrote:Hey, batrider. Tell us some stories about kicking that Matchless over with less than perfect technique, the rideless days related to it and the days spent limping afterwords.

OK well of course I do have a story... When I built my first Matchless ('66 G80CS) it came in 6 boxes so I had no idea what it would be like. It was all nicely painted and beautiful looking when I tried starting it for the first time. Before this I had only read about starting a big single. Anyway - first kick - the bike surprised me and somehow I got way off balance. We fell over on the concrete floor of the garage with a crash and the headlight ears got bent etc. I'm glad my wife wasn't around to see it. So I'd have to say it was a learned technique. I was used to the Norton but the single would put a black and blue mark on the bottom of my foot. Lesson learned - if your bike has a mag get the armature rewound and capacitor replaced! It did start on the second kick though!

I never saw a kickstart shaft break like that though and 3 of my bikes have the AMC box.

Well, Steve I never try to kick it right through TDC, I always put some weight on it until it's just over TDC, then a long smooth stroke with everything I've got including weight.

Dave
69S

after studying the parts, it looks like "bottoming out" wasn't the problem.. (never is... is it? ) as there are no witness marks whatsoever on the stopper boss or shaft shoulder. Also, by the time the kicker is at 6:00 position, the riders transferred energy is vertical, while the kicker arm is moving horizontally. Much less torque generated. Must be the kickback, or, after watching mankind interact with machinery for decades, I am inclined to think it's the savage beast who never knew the correct way to engage a starter (kick OR pull) before launching all his bulk on it, ESPECIALLY if the starting isn't going well.

Who has run one knowingly with a crack? for any length of time? any images of TIG welded repairs?

concours wrote:after studying the parts, it looks like "bottoming out" wasn't the problem.. (never is... is it? ) as there are no witness marks whatsoever on the stopper boss or shaft shoulder. Also, by the time the kicker is at 6:00 position, the riders transferred energy is vertical, while the kicker arm is moving horizontally. Much less torque generated. Must be the kickback, or, after watching mankind interact with machinery for decades, I am inclined to think it's the savage beast who never knew the correct way to engage a starter (kick OR pull) before launching all his bulk on it, ESPECIALLY if the starting isn't going well.

Who has run one knowingly with a crack? for any length of time? any images of TIG welded repairs?

It may bottom out if the kick starter lever was positioned to far forward in the attempt to get more spin on the kick over ???? Longer travel and then the bump stop would make contact--maybe--?

Looks like it's got over 180 degrees of movement.. more than plenty.

Nortons require full body weight applied and often with some downward momentum to boot, main thing that could damage is slamming down w/o the slack taken up by engaged ratchet against most resistance so no impact shock just pure torque thrust. A good sealed Combat will hardly let ya cross TDC until bored waiting on bleed down or a gung ho heave ho. I'm tickled to finally clear karmic block that no amount of prior kicking most of two months worked but surely aged the kicker mechanism. Ms Peel's new shaft looks like polished nickle plated bright steel alloy, not dull or dark with machining marks as some appear to be. What's up with that? I usually shop Baxter's Cycles so likely its source. Its a photogenic beauty if I ever snap shot it.

About the choices in replacement shafts... another post in the "wanted" section raises a question about the quality of the aftermarket part. Can anyone else chime in with some observations?

"by KSUWildcatFan » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:25 pm

Those kick start shafts are a pain in the ass to find in GOOD, used condition without damage. I bought an aftermarket one (crap), two used ones (both crap), and finally gave up and bought a NOS one from Walridge. Do yourself a favor, save yourself the trouble, and just pay for a NOS part.

I obtained a nice used one but I believe it's from an Atlas or something (different spring hole location). It's in my spares bin for "just in case".

Best of luck to you!

-Jordan"

concours wrote:About the choices in replacement shafts... another post in the "wanted" section raises a question about the quality of the aftermarket part. Can anyone else chime in with some observations?

"by KSUWildcatFan » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:25 pm

Those kick start shafts are a pain in the ass to find in GOOD, used condition without damage. I bought an aftermarket one (crap), two used ones (both crap), and finally gave up and bought a NOS one from Walridge. Do yourself a favor, save yourself the trouble, and just pay for a NOS part.

I obtained a nice used one but I believe it's from an Atlas or something (different spring hole location). It's in my spares bin for "just in case".

Best of luck to you!

-Jordan"

New from Old Britts is around $200. I wonder if Jordan got a non-Andover one?

swooshdave wrote:

concours wrote:About the choices in replacement shafts... another post in the "wanted" section raises a question about the quality of the aftermarket part. Can anyone else chime in with some observations?

"by KSUWildcatFan » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:25 pm

Those kick start shafts are a pain in the ass to find in GOOD, used condition without damage. I bought an aftermarket one (crap), two used ones (both crap), and finally gave up and bought a NOS one from Walridge. Do yourself a favor, save yourself the trouble, and just pay for a NOS part.

I obtained a nice used one but I believe it's from an Atlas or something (different spring hole location). It's in my spares bin for "just in case".

Best of luck to you!

-Jordan"

New from Old Britts is around $200. I wonder if Jordan got a non-Andover one?

Sounds like he EVENTUALLY got the NOS item, but before that the "aftermarket (crap)" is what I'm curious about... was it half price? Too shitty to work? Ill fitting? Made of cheddar cheese?

Gents,
I cracked one and bought a replacement that included the bronze bush. Broke right away.

The shafts are supposed to be case hardened like a lock shackle, but if the wall thickness is too thin, they are brittle and break. The original design had a big top-hat shaped bush, and the shaft wall was thick where the bush stepped down. All our gears and transmission shafts are case hardened, which is supposed to mean tough core, and hard brittle case. Manufacturing to spec on a complicated part like this one ain't what it used to be.

If the bush is already pressed in, send it back. The bush dimensions are in the factory manual, and it ought to look like a top hat with no lid.

If you weld (heat) the shaft you'll lose the case hardening, and then you'll have a mild-steel, dead soft shaft.

I just got a used one... no telling how many more kick cycles in it before it fails, lol, but it passed visual, dimensional and LP inspection. In to service it goes!





and SNOWBALL!