Startng techniques?

Side stand, center stand, straddle?
I have been starting on the center stand. Whats the best, easiest way?
I have a new engine and the thing is pretty tight.
I dont want to wipe out the center stand or drop the bike?

There is no best way as all depends on mood phase of the Commando and health state of the starter. Its not that good to risk straining stands but plenty of folks can kick on the stands w/o really bothering their mounts, much. A real man with hi enough crotch- like most I ever seen and women too- straddle at balance point, tickle if cold start closed throttle or no tickle closed throttle is run a within a few hours, key on, bring to TDC resistance then just step on it with some follow though force to simply turn on at idle though may have to blip throttle to avoid a stall with cold. If that don't do it tickle again and crack throttle, if they don't do it go WOT and step on it - if that don't do it then stop and go through check list of key or fuel taps, if that don't do it then you got a piss poor pilot and kicker mechanism beater Commando that gives Brit Iron a bad name and decide if you are really up to owning a Norton Commando like I do too dam often and long. A fully fettered Cod rider can yell out at big gatherings with all eye always on any-every Cdo anyway - HEY Ya Know What Thumb Commensors or know for - - - then step on to turn on at idle then yell
LOWERING ONES IQ! then nail it out of there on the obvious superior flavored craft.

Center stand for me. I'm on the right side of Norton and use my almost 61 year old right leg. Lucky me it fires up on first kick for a point system. Straddle only if Norton spits & motor stops at a intersection which doesn't occur much.

Most owners seem to agree that if you kickstart on side stand it will fail one day an you will end up on the floor in a heap.

Too bad we can't put a pull cord on em. By far the worse kicker ever was swoshdave that kicked for over 5 min past painful to watch but finally got it going...
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ando+start

Definatly not side stand. Straddle is easy as but I'm 40. I do have the back of an 80 year ldo but straddle is very easy. Counterbalance with your left hand on the bars pushing down slightly, hop up in the air then down on the kicker.

travelerjerry said:

Center stand for me. I'm on the right side of Norton and use my almost 61 year old right leg. Lucky me it fires up on first kick for a point system. Straddle only if Norton spits & motor stops at a intersection which doesn't occur much.

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That's the way I do it. Never fails, but only first kick if started regularly. The 850 starts firs t time by tickling and flooding both carbs, no throttle and away we go keeping the revs up fro 1/2 minute or so. I have no chokes on that one. The 750 is similar except it like about 1/8 throttle. I have choke on this one but never use it. BTW my right leg is going to be 63 next month.

How funny this thread strikes me in this day and age. If you have finesse enough its possible to kick with side stand out but by golly better not actually apply any load that gives any leverage spring back or that side stand's pivot days or tube twist are numbered. If the Cdo is in proper tune ya don't actually have to kick but just 'purposely' step/press down and should be running before foot hits bottom. In shooting school ya supposed to learn both hands and eyes in case of disabling injury, so same with me after THE Gravel taught me another hard one. I'd love to see a rally start contest with various limbs disabled by splints so can't bend or put any load on em. I still have not found a way to hold kick rubber on when wet but ain't tried many yet.

It seems to me personally that new or perfect carbs are the key to easy starting (that will start a storm of replies).
I got my bike from a friend an he never could kick it up so I stood for 30 years. The Boyer is the first type with screw connection on pick up plate not crimped ones the coils to are original but with new carbs on it starts first time. Even with carb setting an ignition timing not set it still started first time.
So if you really struggle to get it going check the condition of the carbs they work will but wear quickly then starting becomes an issue.

hobot said:

How funny this thread strikes me in this day and age. If you have finesse enough its possible to kick with side stand out but by golly better not actually apply any load that gives any leverage spring back or that side stand's pivot days or tube twist are numbered. If the Cdo is in proper tune ya don't actually have to kick but just 'purposely' step/press down and should be running before foot hits bottom. In shooting school ya supposed to learn both hands and eyes in case of disabling injury, so same with me after THE Gravel taught me another hard one. I'd love to see a rally start contest with various limbs disabled by splints so can't bend or put any load on em. I still have not found a way to hold kick rubber on when wet but ain't tried many yet.

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"press down" and have it fire up, i wish... Nobody has mentioned JimC's ability to hand crank/start a cycle that he had a video on ....

Obviously a bike can start with a press/push start (as seen) if all the stars are aligned. For me neither of my bikes will press/push start and no where near it, to the point the i can stand on the kick starter with my 95Kg's and even with a little pursuasion it hard to get the lever to move.. They both need deliberate centre stand fully focused kicks (no more than 2 luckily) so that make me wonder whether i should crank the KS lever anti clockwise (as per photo) 30-40 degrees so that the action of kicking starts at 9.30-10 oclock instead of the current 11-11.30 oclock point...

I fixed both levers in this position, purely to have the clamp point horizontal and looks..

Im not complaining cos both are "easy starters", but it would sure be nice to be able push/press start with no stand/s when needed. (and to show off :lol: :lol: :lol: )

Important to leave the throttle closed or nearly closed when starting. This creates more vacuum to pull gas through the idle circuit on the carbs. If you look closely at an Amal the two little feed holes from the idle circuit are in board of the slides.

Yep normal is just a step down on or arm shove so any thing else is merely common. Jim Comstock is a football tackle size guy with low-is non Combat compression on a well worn engine not a skinny dude like me with brand new Combat ring sealing. Dozen tales of hand starting a Cdo in proper tune. BFD.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmM5emTXK-g[/video]

Good and easy staring bike are nothing new...in the summer of 70 I often showed guys that I, a 165 lb guy, could hand start my 70 commando. Within the last 3-4 years at a NENO christmas party I started my friends MKIII by hand, and NO that's not by pushing the E-Start with my thumb. OK i'm 185 lbs now but 63 years old and a touch of arthritis.
I'm a lot better mechanic too, than when I was 19 YO. :mrgreen:

IMO if you need more than 2 kicks, call and schedule repair work.

Have seen many people press the ticklers rapidly, crack the throttle continuously, and drop kick the kick lever. None of that helps you get a bike to start

Normal procedure is to press and hold the ticklers and count (not rapid pulsing of them), then (if on an amal) find the right point on the throttle for starting (close to closed or closed in most cases) and hold the throttle fixed. Then you give it a solid smooth push of the kickstart (not a jab) and follow through all the way to the end to disengage.

I wouldn't be kicking a bike over on it's sidestand, only on the center stand or while on the bike.

Like the enricher cicuit on Miki carbs the Amals have similar in the pilot circuit so best to leave throttle closed on first step though then crack on second then stop and figure out what's wrong after that before 3rd step on. The Amal pilot mix chamber fills up before fuel drips out btw. Its an art to tickle just short of drooling.

Steve , not surprized you hand start ! Look at the damage to your pants the kickers done! :lol:

hobot said:

Yep normal is just a step down on or arm shove so any thing else is merely common. Jim Comstock is a football tackle size guy with low-is non Combat compression on a well worn engine not a skinny dude like me with brand new Combat ring sealing. Dozen tales of hand starting a Cdo in proper tune. BFD.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmM5emTXK-g[/video]

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Hi,
starting the cold engine has never been a problem for me. It works always on the 1st or 2nd kick. But starting after standing still of the warm engine for a hour can be a bit tricky. The procedure then depends on the temperature and how long it has been standing. When it's hot outside I try first to start without preparing anything. If it won't start I try with tickling a bit. Often 2nd kick works, but sometimes I need 3 kicks.
What is your approach with half warm engine ?

Ralf

Mike

You have received the best of advice from some of the most experienced commando men on this forum, but unfortunately when you stop at a deserted seaside cafe for a bottle of lipsmackinthru etc. you hear the rumble of fifty brightly colored sports bikes , Cbr' s ,Gxr's and the like , with numbers on the side like 1300, 1000 and even 2.3. You are alone, no one can help you.
Not true there is someone that can make youre 750 fire into life.



Just sell your soul to the devil . Job done!

auldblue said:

Mike

You have received the best of advice from some of the most experienced commando men on this forum, but unfortunately when you stop at a deserted seaside cafe for a bottle of lipsmackinthru etc. you hear the rumble of fifty brightly colored sports bikes , Cbr' s ,Gxr's and the like , with numbers on the side like 1300, 1000 and even 2.3. You are alone, no one can help you.
Not true there is someone that can make youre 750 fire into life.

Just sell your soul to the devil . Job done!

Click to expand...

If you don't want to sell your soul you could just get an Alton Ekit I can recommend them.

What a bunch of girls, centre, side stands, just man up and use no stands, just sit over the bike give it one big powerfull kick and it should fire right up, thats if you got everything set right, when I brought my Norton when I was a skinny young 17 year old I was always told to never kick the Norton on the stands, learn how to kick them, well I have been doing it for 39 years now and still kick it the way I was told to do, when my Norton has been run for the day it always kick starts wilth just a lazy kick no full swing and it still starts first kick and yet none of my friends can kick my bike over, they give up after about 5 kicks, I just kick it and goes bang everytime and fancy paying over $2,500 for a E/S, be better spending that money on performance parts, or spend the money on fixing your bike so it starts first kick easy every time.

A friend of mine his daughter owns and rides a 74 850, she is just a tad over 5', slim build and she has no troubles at all kicking her Norton over, I watch her and she does it the way it is surpose to be started and she don't use her stands at all, but her bike runs great and everthing is set right and the good thing is she always listens to what I tell her when I give her advice or help to keep running perfect at all times, the day I can't kick my Norton is the day they put me in a wooden box.

Ashley