Dare I remove the kickstart?

acotrel said:

You would have to be unlucky to find yourself on a pier with a bike which would not start. You usually only have to run three steps.

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Err..... in England it's a 200 yards at a time then a 15minute break that goes on forever

trident sam said:

Err..... in England it's a 200 yards at a time then a 15minute break that goes on forever

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Yeah, there were times going to the S. Island earlier this year with @ntst8 when he had his Alton and I had my RGM that I was wishing for a CNW starter...

Some interesting replies, I went to the Bol D’or in 1999 on my fully loaded Honda Blackbird and the battery failed - the symptoms seemed to indicate it was the starter motor. All lights worked but the starter just clicked. I had to bump start it each time until we returned home. I was soon adept enough to paddle it away 2 up. The one occasion I couldn’t switch off the motor in blistering heat was when we were held up going up a steep hill.

Landspeedracer said:

Some interesting replies, I went to the Bol D’or in 1999 on my fully loaded Honda Blackbird and the battery failed - the symptoms seemed to indicate it was the starter motor. All lights worked but the starter just clicked. I had to bump start it each time until we returned home. I was soon adept enough to paddle it away 2 up. The one occasion I couldn’t switch off the motor in blistering heat was when we were held up going up a steep hill.

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A mate of mine used to do the same thing on a z1000j
He could just a couple of steps and away it would go
I don't think you'd be doing that on a commando though

Errrrr.

Am I the only one that fitted a starter simply because all the things I could once do e.g. kick start, bump start, I can't do anymore?

All this talk of bump starts.

Last time I did that it took me, 67 and two plus 70 year olds to start my Commando.

:-((

Mart UK said:

But I sit at least 4" back on my roadster seat, nestling back into the step up for the pillion. Do you need to do the same on an interstate seat, or are your crown jewels against the tank?

I'll find out in July, as I have a used interstate tank and seat I'm going to try, as I'm determined to do a tour on my Commando next year.

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No - I don't get my kicks that way!
Seriously though, I found having my feet that bit further back much more suitable for riding (I nearly said "comfortable" but that's not quite it)
The commonly available rearsets (8 1/2" back) I found to be too much, for me at least.
The other bonus is that 4" doesn't interfere with the usability of the passenger pegs.

It’s done, who needs extra horsepower when you can lighten it so much so quickly

no kick start for me, no shaft either, it rubbed on my Hyde rear set plate.( you have to modify the trans to accept a bearing to replace the kick start shaft.)

jimbo said:

no kick start for me, no shaft either, it rubbed on my Hyde rear set plate.( you have to modify the trans to accept a bearing to replace the kick start shaft.)

View attachment 80484

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Now that is cool
Proper working bike as well !!

Hi,
A mate has an odd ball V twin bike from the late eighties called a Suzuki 750 Intrude, not much interest on this forum
No kick start. Interestingly there is no way I can push start it (without a significant downhill. In first gear it simply locks the back wheel. In a higher gear it will fire once but can’t get over the second compression to keep going. It is certainly not a highly tuned bike.
I have not had cause to push my 850 but is does seem to have a very high first gear. I thought it might just lock the back wheel
al

Alan L said:

Hi,
A mate has an odd ball V twin bike from the late eighties called a Suzuki 750 Intrude, not much interest on this forum
No kick start. Interestingly there is no way I can push start it (without a significant downhill. In first gear it simply locks the back wheel. In a higher gear it will fire once but can’t get over the second compression to keep going. It is certainly not a highly tuned bike.
I have not had cause to push my 850 but is does seem to have a very high first gear. I thought it might just lock the back wheel
al

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I sent a couple of those to the UK in the early 90s. God-awful.

johnm said:

Errrrr.

Am I the only one that fitted a starter simply because all the things I could once do e.g. kick start, bump start, I can't do anymore?

All this talk of bump starts.

Last time I did that it took me, 67 and two plus 70 year olds to start my Commando.

:-((

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All this talk about bump starting from a bunch of people who can barely kickstart the bike.

Maybe Matt & Paul should consider selling a stowable easily attachable emergency kickstart as an option with their kits.

I agree with Dave... I'm not trying that bump crap again... Did a Barely passable job of it in my 20's, so at 68 I just don't believe it would have gotten easier or myself more proficient. Thank the Lord for a good tune and sound kicker. You never know when 'lectric' stuff could fail, but guaranteed it shall be at the most inopportune time.
Had 2 scoots with no kicker and both have stuck me at a bad time, but the ones with a kicker eventually got me home. They may be fugly and a nuisance...... But always turn that flywheel whilst no old man looking the fool trying to shove-start a 400+# machine, uphill sometimes, holding up traffic in the middle of the road with a half crippled worn out body.

Praise be the kicker in times of necessity. I'm done.

Remove the kickstart? Think of the loss of the Snorton Norton gnarly hairy chested manly man factor!
In the words of Kurtz in Apocalypse Now:

Landspeedracer said:

I’m trying to remember which of the big 4 Jap bikes kept a kickstarter inside the toolbox because the world hadn’t accepted an electric starter as a must have.

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Gold wing stored it inside the dummy tank

Bump start for me on the Norton was usually in 4th gear. 3rd worked OK but anything lower just locked the rear wheel. Same was true with two guys push starting a manual tranny car - 4th gear worked best. Car in neutral, guy in the back pushing and the driver pushing on the windshield pillar/jump in, engage clutch, put in 4th/let out clutch! Worked every time! Much easier on the bike!

Back in 79 a low life stole my seat and kicker off my Norton and in them days getting parts from OS was a nightmare and took over 4 months to get a new replacement kicker, but being young and my Norton was the only transport I had I got good at bump starting my Norton and being skinny built I found very quickly that bump starting in 4th was the most easier to fire up with just a short push and once the clutch was released it fired up but you had to be quick on the clutch lever.
I like my push button starts on my modern Triumphs as well my dirt bike but there is something about a old bike with a kicker, and the people who still have to kick to light the motor up, how well the bike is tuned, one kick to start, then there are the ones who know how to kick their bike to life without much effort, we are a dying breed the ones who still kick and the best thing about being able to kick start your bike is if parked anywhere you draw a crowd just to watch you fire it up or listening to the light whispers of "wonder how many kicks will it take" and the surprised look on their faces when it fires up on the first kick and with my Norton that's every time and after 46 years of kick starting my Norton I think I got it down pat.
As I have said us kickers are a dying breed.

Ashley

Now that's what I call a kicker, long, sleek and tucks away, with the Joe Hunt maggie and longer swing makes it so easy to kick start, well for me anyway.

Ashley