Has anyone experienced a crack in the kickstart shaft right below the pawl? This very narrow part of the shaft takes a major amount of pressure when in use. Both of the shafts in my MK 111 are cracked; one p.o. tried to weld over the crack but this solution failed.
Before ordering replacement parts, I would like to know if there has been any changes made to the design or is this a problem area that will need remedial work/part replacement every so often at $150 to $200 per time?

Thanks,

Tom

ctsbc wrote:Has anyone experienced a crack in the kickstart shaft right below the pawl? ... . I would like to know if there has been any changes made to the design ..

Yes , and not that I know of ..

ludwig wrote:

ctsbc wrote:Has anyone experienced a crack in the kickstart shaft right below the pawl? ... . I would like to know if there has been any changes made to the design ..

Yes , and not that I know of ..

Absolutely. It doesn't seem to be a constant problem though.

ctsbc wrote:Has anyone experienced a crack in the kickstart shaft right below the pawl?

Have a MKII 850 with the same problem. Never seen the problem on 750's.
I was hoping they fixed it on the MKIII. I guess not

I have had this area crack as well in the past. After looking closely at several---with a magnifying glass---you can see why. The machining process left a stress riser there at the edge---should have been a nice radius not a sharp 90'.
i think the damage occurs more easily if the bushings are worn and the kick starter is forced through to the stop too many times--too agressively. Just something else to check when the box is opened---poor design maybe from the start.

Aw some compression releases should get more life out the cracked ones.

Of the five stubs I have on hand only one has a hairline crack perhaps 1 mm long on the inner face of the knuckle. I'm not sure that would be an operational problem since the load during kick-starting would be well behind, on the pawl pin


Tim Kraakevik
kraakevik@voyager.net

Thanks for the comments--looks like a design flaw that I will have to manage. Would like to know how to get the compression releases that Hobot recommends.

I would think if your going to try to weld that you should grind out a V first. I wouldn't know but they may not like the heat.

ctsbc wrote:Thanks for the comments--looks like a design flaw that I will have to manage. Would like to know how to get the compression releases that Hobot recommends.

Stand on the lever until it goes over compression, you can feel it.

Dave
69S

kraakevik wrote:...the load during kick-starting would be well behind, on the pawl pin ..

Sorry , but this is not correct .
Take a closer look and you'll see that the pin doesn't take the load .
It wouldn't last very long if it did ..

Does it look like this? If so no difference on the '75 Estart either.Did mine last year.

I believe cracked units like this come from improper technique. Jabbing at the kicker like a 2 stroke and the like. Kickback can also be a factor but I think one is more prone to cause such failures than the other.

If these bikes don't start in a few kicks or 6, stop and assess. Kicking and kicking and kicking ala SD is asking for.....well....a cracked kickshaft, blown splines and busted pawls. Patience and common sence will keep things like this from happening.

But, it's easier to blame bad part than bad practices.

Bite the bullet and buy the new parts and think about technique.

My 2 cents. She prefers a gentle yet firm touch.

pvisseriii wrote:I believe cracked units like this come from improper technique. Jabbing at the kicker like a 2 stroke and the like. Kickback can also be a factor but I think one is more prone to cause such failures than the other.

If these bikes don't start in a few kicks or 6, stop and assess. Kicking and kicking and kicking ala SD is asking for.....well....a cracked kickshaft, blown splines and busted pawls. Patience and common sence will keep things like this from happening.

But, it's easier to blame bad part than bad practices.

Bite the bullet and buy the new parts and think about technique.

My 2 cents. She prefers a gentle yet firm touch.

+ 1 .

A fine example of bad kicking technique ( apart from the fact that the bike should be stradled and on its wheels.. ) can be seen at the very end of the ' magneto reinfocement' video , at 9.35 .
The man releases the pressure on the kick for a fraction of a sec. and then hits the mechanism with a bang :

I get so annoyed by the reflex for some to always blame technique, and certainly bad technique to Kick off on center or side stand, but jeeze louise, you got to put as much umph down on it as takes to break over TDC and with cold parts and cold oil and cold fuel that can take one's body mass to shove down, ugh. Ideally Cdo's will start just stepping down on first time ever time and I've had enough intervals long enough to expect that or stop and check key or fuel or wires, but also had plugs fail or sediment in pilot jet or water in gas and temp changes that only enough kicking in combos of fuel or not got her going when away form home and shed.

Cdo's have the worse kicker leverage ratio of about any bike ever sold but for
some Spargthrops and 22.5 to 28 cubic inches per jug of fairly high CR with little cam over lap to bleed off at TDC so an innate weakness with stress riser machining at fault way way more that caveman owners, excepting swooshdave's marathon display that in the long winded end worked out as intended. Put this part on radioactive component list, ie: some will fission no matter what, this one seems to have half life of 60 yrs though. Same goes for the kicker splines with kicker side half life about 10 yr in the ones passed down to me.