kickstart lever splines worn (2015)

The splines on my kickstart lever seem to be worn and erratic there is a ridge of splines at the outside edge and then seems to be a slightly different set of splines inside. It will not slide onto the kickstart shaft. Can these be resurfaced or is the kickstart lever toast
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Thx
jack

Don't know what the mecanics with a complete workshop would do but I was advised to change both lever and shaft no problems since fits like a glove. Shaft came as a kitt with springs etc.

its too common an age old problem more or less delayed by various clamp and slip mods but kicker is toast wall decoration and new one should slip on nicely. Trying to recover to fit a tough one to get on or off will never be very stable and may bugger the shaft splines too. Shaft splines should still be good to go. Others can fill ya in on making it clamp on better but thinking to spot weld my plain jane Combat and forgetabout it till time to grind off a bit to remove again, always an again if running them enough.

my bike came w/ a very nice looking kick start lever, chrome was perfect, rubber looked new . . . after a few months the splines went to mush. Same description as yours the outsided looked fine, the inside (against the gear box) was "swirly" and splayed and . . . and then the bolt stopped "hanging onto" the threads in the "Pinch Joint". I would tighten the bolt and it would feel like it was good, then 1 or 2 kicks and the bolt would "jump threads" and the thing would be loose again. I suspect it was fairly new just from it's overall appearance.

Anyway, I "fretted" about the 2 different options ("price-points") I found. One cost "X" dollars, the other was 2 times "X". I ended up buying the 2 x "X" (which was an Andover-Norton lever). It clearly was better as far as the detail of the Spline and "Pinch" design AND I'm going to guess the base materials are not even close to being the same (don't have a technical specs on what the two metals were, so it's just my "wrench" telling me).

I'm a cheapskate, I would find a cheap Harley kickstart lever and mill the Norton kickstart shaft to fit.

Jean

Drummer99 said:

...there is a ridge of splines at the outside edge and then seems to be a slightly different set of splines inside. It will not slide onto the kickstart shaft.
jack

Click to expand...

Same with my stock lever. Pulled the lever at just over 9k miles for an outer cover seal replacement, and it didn't want to come off smoothly. Never mind trying to put it back on! Knowing it was the original lever, the splines were lightly massaged with a jeweler's file (I wanted to keep as much metal intact as possible). A large blade screwdriver was partially driven into the pinch bolt split to ease installation back onto the shaft, making sure the shaft was at least flush with the outside edge of the lever. We just passed 13k miles, and no sign of slop.
Some have suggested that one or two splines are filed away adjacent to the pinch bolt, with the hope that there'll be more room for the bolt to pull the whole affair tigher against the shaft. If mine gets to that point, that'll be tried next.

Nathan

Run the 4 inch grinder through the pinch joint to widen the gap and use a Grade 5 or 8 bolt and high tensile washer.
Keep it all tight from now on.
Ta.

needing said:

Run the 4 inch grinder through the pinch joint to widen the gap and use a Grade 5 or 8 bolt and high tensile washer.
Keep it all tight from now on.
Ta.

Click to expand...

This is what I did but as well I drilled the end of the kicker thread so a longer bolt can threat through and I also put a nut and spring washer on so that the kicker clamps better around the sharft, but a few years ago I went for a folding kick lever from RGM and have not had any more problems it seems the spline is a bit harder than a nomal kicker spline.

Ashley

Others can fill ya in on making it clamp on better but thinking to spot weld my plain jane Combat and forgetabout it till time to grind off a bit to remove again, always an again if running them enough.[/quote]


Steve, don't put no weld on it at all, many years ago back in the late 70s my kicker was loose and aways kept going loose after 2 kicks when retighten, my bike was at a bike shop getting a tune up and the owner decided to put a weld on the kicker to stop it from coming loose, I was a bit pissed off about what he done without asking me, a few weeks later my kick start shaft broke where the pin goes through that holds the pawl in place, the welding had weaken the shaft this happened over 35 years ago and at that time cost a bit for a new shaft and had to wait for a few weeks for a new one as there was no inter net in them days and that new shath is still in my gear box to this day.

Ashley

Another useful tip is to remove a couple splines on each side up from the clamp slot. This allows for a more uniform bind.

Some after market units or even OEM units would rip splines off the shaft due to undue isolated forces close to the slot/bolt area.

All these grind-and-grab fixes are fine, but temporary at best. Take off the inner and outer cover and replace the shaft and pawl (which will be the next thing to go anyway) and then fit a new, longer lever like on the Mk III. Putting on a big, chrome-peeling weld or grinding the shaft square and using a Hardley lever is just plain crude. Your bike deserves better.

Drummer99 said:

The splines on my kickstart lever seem to be worn and erratic there is a ridge of splines at the outside edge and then seems to be a slightly different set of splines inside. It will not slide onto the kickstart shaft. Can these be resurfaced or is the kickstart lever toast
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Thx
jack

Click to expand...

As already mentioned, an option is always 'buy new stuff' to answer most of the questions asked on this forum.
My temporary kickstart fix has been on my bike since the 1980s - even re-chromed it 2 years ago.
:lol: If everyone could please send their 'old' parts to me as I would like to build another bike. :lol: and save the world :lol:
Ta.

needing said:

Drummer99 said:

The splines on my kickstart lever seem to be worn and erratic there is a ridge of splines at the outside edge and then seems to be a slightly different set of splines inside. It will not slide onto the kickstart shaft. Can these be resurfaced or is the kickstart lever toast
Any thoughts would be appreciated
Thx
jack

Click to expand...

As already mentioned, an option is always 'buy new stuff' to answer most of the questions asked on this forum.
My temporary kickstart fix has been on my bike since the 1980s - even re-chromed it 2 years ago.
:lol: If everyone could please send their 'old' parts to me as I would like to build another bike. :lol: and save the world :lol:
Ta.

Click to expand...

I have some burnt pistons you can have. Been using them for ashtrays, but nobody smokes anymore. I think I tossed the worn-out rings. Sorry. Also have the rock-hard 25-year-old tires I just replaced.

Thanks Danno but no thanks! "...Also have the rock-hard 25-year-old tires I just replaced..." - don't get out much? Your bike deserves better!
:lol: <-
Ta

To hot weld or cold weld - is the question for me. About 15 yr ago I followed advice opening the gap 2-3x's, removed 3-4 slpines on either side, drilled hole through soft KS thread for a grade 8 bolt & nut I could really crank down on to close gap seeming fixed on shaft and got Peel & Trixie so sweet they'd start every time with just a step down on KS no fast-ha kicking loads needed and paying attention to preserve the splines - yet after a few dozen startes the KS would be loose and wearing splines to become a contest to remove again. Peel may get a RGM folder or one from Kenny NYC for ITT tranny but Trixie is a test for me to only order Norton p/n - so seriously thinking to spot weld a few places on the face of the seam - or grind all the spline off shaft and KS then drill through them both together and put a shear bolt-pin through like my boat props. KS, chains and tires are disposable wear items so best to have spares on hand eh. I don't think 3 spot welds will bother any things temper and its the same down side if replacing shaft from normal decay wear or grinding to free KS,

Before I learned my lession on KS I'd spent too much life time with jeweler craft files reforming deformed KS splines/valleys - never again thank you.

Assuming the splines are decent, I always use a grade 8 bolt, a two foot breaker bar and socket and tighten the hell out of it.
They never come loose. The chewed splines, in my experience, come from a lightly tightened assembly that works in use. On half of the Commandos I encounter, the kick start lever is loose on the shaft.

Stephen Hill

Danno said:

All these grind-and-grab fixes are fine, but temporary at best. Take off the inner and outer cover and replace the shaft and pawl (which will be the next thing to go anyway) and then fit a new, longer lever like on the Mk III. Putting on a big, chrome-peeling weld or grinding the shaft square and using a Hardley lever is just plain crude. Your bike deserves better.

Click to expand...

It should be concidered that some after market kickstart levers need splines remove near the clamp and should not be concidered as a quick fix but a long term solution and a deterent to premature failure.
Anyone getting a new lever should ceck that there is space on either side of the slot and when looking at it head on, the spline will startr at about 4 and 8 oclock.
This is another one of those issues that slide under the radar and fall through the cracks.

Stephen Hill said:

Assuming the splines are decent, I always use a grade 8 bolt, a two foot breaker bar and socket and tighten the hell out of it.
They never come loose. The chewed splines, in my experience, come from a lightly tightened assembly that works in use. On half of the Commandos I encounter, the kick start lever is loose on the shaft.

Stephen Hill

Click to expand...

AMEN.

pete.v said:

Danno said:

All these grind-and-grab fixes are fine, but temporary at best. Take off the inner and outer cover and replace the shaft and pawl (which will be the next thing to go anyway) and then fit a new, longer lever like on the Mk III. Putting on a big, chrome-peeling weld or grinding the shaft square and using a Hardley lever is just plain crude. Your bike deserves better.

Click to expand...

It should be concidered that some after market kickstart levers need splines remove near the clamp and should not be concidered as a quick fix but a long term solution and a deterent to premature failure.
Anyone getting a new lever should ceck that there is space on either side of the slot and when looking at it head on, the spline will startr at about 4 and 8 oclock.
This is another one of those issues that slide under the radar and fall through the cracks.

Click to expand...

I don't consider an engineered upgrade in the same thought quick-fix kluge jobs. Had Norton done all the updates and re-engineering accomplished by dedicated owners and backyard shops, they wouldn't have gone out-of-business in the first place. Hell, they didn't even include vernier isolastics until near the end and they were original design.

ugh no matter how good a product Brit Industry could of produced they would still of gone out of business because there was a MUCH bigger-meaner plot by the City of London bankster to take down British manufacturing in favor of other nations with better pay back and control. If this seems like I am being foolish then best you keep a poor opinion of me than carry the permanent depression of more factual history awareness. Some foks will get good life out of KS and gear box etc d/t luck of the draw on parts > so will think poorly of those with a feather in their know it all attitude cap about who not so lucky. The end of ks shaft is ugly unfinished so when Trixie back oil tight one her 1st celebration rides will be straight to muffler shop to fix KS on good as can be.