Still Kickin at 70

It's OK to spend money on these high priced ES kits if you have the money to do so, but I am not that rich, and $5000+cash would be better spent of things we do need to just live in our high cost of living these days, but if I did have the spare cash I be buying Jim's motor bits for my Norton, the ES kits would still be in the not needed upgrades.
I do have money I could spend on an ES but really I have a good easy kick over Norton and the money is best used for other things as no longer working and the money kept for more important things in life, I can still kick and ride, in fact my right leg is in good shape and kicking the Norton over is good exercise, been kicking it for all the Norton's life I got it down pat.
But kicking an old British bike these days is a lost art and a old mate of mine said to me one night over a few beers, we should arrange a KS only bike rally and had a bit of a giggle, it might be a small rally, we might be the only ones there LOL.
As well my Norton has a anti theft device, it's called a kick start lol.

Ashley
 
Some people seem to try too hard when they think something might be difficult.. Even many school teachers operate on supposition and speculation. If you keep pressure on the kick-start lever, you cannot get bitten. Do it slow.
In the 1960s motorcycles changed. In early days single cylinder motorcycles were often 500cc with high compression and an advance lever on the handle bars. After about 1970, those types of bike were not so common. Commandos are not nasty. Try kickstarting a 1950s 500cc Velocette
 
acotrel said:
Some people seem to try too hard when they think something might be difficult.. Even many school teachers operate on supposition and speculation. If you keep pressure on the kick-start lever, you cannot get bitten. Do it slow.
In the 1960s motorcycles changed. In early days single cylinder motorcycles were often 500cc with high compression and an advance lever on the handle bars. After about 1970, those types of bike were not so common. Commandos are not nasty. Try kickstarting a 1950s 500cc Velocette
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Whilst I don’t disagree in principle with your premise…

I am intrigued … when was the last time you kick started a motorcycle ??
 
acotrel said:
Some people seem to try too hard when they think something might be difficult.. Even many school teachers operate on supposition and speculation. If you keep pressure on the kick-start lever, you cannot get bitten. Do it slow.
In the 1960s motorcycles changed. In early days single cylinder motorcycles were often 500cc with high compression and an advance lever on the handle bars. After about 1970, those types of bike were not so common. Commandos are not nasty. Try kickstarting a 1950s 500cc Velocette
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Al try kicking over a BSA b50 with an extremely light crankshaft and 10-1 compression and total seal piston rings
You won't be doing it without a decompression lever believe me
 
baz said:
Al try kicking over a BSA b50 with an extremely light crankshaft and 10-1 compression and total seal piston rings
You won't be doing it without a decompression lever believe me
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I had a 441 victor with no decompression lever and the clutch would slip on kick-over. No I didn't fix it as it slipped at no other time.

Our club has field events that once included a kick start contest, i.e. how many times could you kickstart your bike in one minute. It had to run at least a couple of strokes as witnessed by the judge for each contestant.

Well, one year Al (R.I.P.), the previous year's winner on his A10 BSA was well on the way to winning again when there was an audible "snap" from his right leg and he collapsed on the ground in agony as the judge caught the bike before it toppled over on him. He had snapped the main tendon on one of the quads in his leg. He healed and kept riding the A10. Died of something else decades later.
 
Thomasa said:
I had a 441 victor with no decompression lever and the clutch would slip on kick-over. No I didn't fix it as it slipped at no other time.

Our club has field events that once included a kick start contest, i.e. how many times could you kickstart your bike in one minute. It had to run at least a couple of strokes as witnessed by the judge for each contestant.

Well, one year Al (R.I.P.), the previous year's winner on his A10 BSA was well on the way to winning again when there was an audible "snap" from his right leg and he collapsed on the ground in agony as the judge caught the bike before it toppled over on him. He had snapped the main tendon on one of the quads in his leg. He healed and kept riding the A10. Died of something else decades later.
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Still Kickin at 70


I'm aware....
 
Thomasa said:
I had a 441 victor with no decompression lever and the clutch would slip on kick-over. No I didn't fix it as it slipped at no other time.

Our club has field events that once included a kick start contest, i.e. how many times could you kickstart your bike in one minute. It had to run at least a couple of strokes as witnessed by the judge for each contestant.

Well, one year Al (R.I.P.), the previous year's winner on his A10 BSA was well on the way to winning again when there was an audible "snap" from his right leg and he collapsed on the ground in agony as the judge caught the bike before it toppled over on him. He had snapped the main tendon on one of the quads in his leg. He healed and kept riding the A10. Died of something else decades later.
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The 441 has lower compression
Less cc
But above all it has a heavier crankshaft 👍
 
If I kickstart a bike which has high comp. I usually stand on the lever unitil a lot of the pressure has leaked away, then shove the piston past TDC, from a point at which it is well up the bore. If you simply start kicking quickly, you are more likely to get bitten when the piston bounces back. The plug fires at 30 deg. BTDC. If you slow right down before you reach that point, then just give a strong push over the top, the bike will usually start easily. If you bounce the piston off compression, that is when you will usually get bit.
When you run and bump-start a bike , it is normal to pull the bike back off compression first and use flywheel inertia to start it. That is different from kick-starting.
Kick-starting a bike which has a magneto is different to kick-starting a bike which has coil ignition. A magneto needs flywheel motion to get a spark. With coil ignition, the trigger gives the spark, the motor does not need to be turning over to generate the charge in the coil.
It pays to think about what you are doing.
 
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I usually stand on the lever unitil a lot of the pressure has leaked away,
Al
You stood on nothing in the last 15 years.... you bridge troll!
 
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acotrel said:
With coil ignition, the trigger gives the spark, the motor does not need to be turning over to generate the charge in the coil.
It pays to think about what you are doing.
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It also pays to think about the nonsense you are typing.....

The motor does need to turn over to generate a charge to the coil...... how else would the ignition know when to trigger the spark if not by the engine turning ???
 
acotrel said:
If I kickstart a bike which has high comp. I usually stand on the lever unitil a lot of the pressure has leaked away, then shove the piston past TDC, from a point at which it is well up the bore.
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concours said:
View attachment 113867

I'm aware....
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I was down at Road Atlanta watching the races years ago. There was a guy next to our hangout with a 441 Victor. I knew that trying to start that bike could really bite as I had seen a guy take a good shot to his knee previously.
The bike was new to this rider and he would stand on the K start lever as high up as he could and really come down with all his weight to push it through. I was still considering saying something when he went flying straight out over the handlebars.
He spent the rest of the weekend limping around and never went near that bike again. He was supposed to ride it home but was still complaining about the tingling in his hands from the ride down.
No clue as to what he ended up doing. The 441 Victor was not a user friendly machine, ungodly loud too.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: baz
My brother drag raced a 441 Victor with his 1967 Cortina GT. The Cortina won!
It was close though.
I remember thinking " What's the point of riding a motorcycle if a Cortina GT is faster?"
The Cortina had estart plus it was better for finding & keeping girlfriends :)
They tend to lose interest in motorcycling during inclement weather.

Glen
 
Lineslinger said:
I was down at Road Atlanta watching the races years ago. There was a guy next to our hangout with a 441 Victor. I knew that trying to start that bike could really bite as I had seen a guy take a good shot to his knee previously.
The bike was new to this rider and he would stand on the K start lever as high up as he could and really come down with all his weight to push it through. I was still considering saying something when he went flying straight out over the handlebars.
He spent the rest of the weekend limping around and never went near that bike again. He was supposed to ride it home but was still complaining about the tingling in his hands from the ride down.
No clue as to what he ended up doing. The 441 Victor was not a user friendly machine, ungodly loud too.
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He opened the throttle kicking like you would a twin no doubt 🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
Almost 71 Still kicking !!!! Your right about 441 bastards to start. Walked around for a week when one bite me, my foot was black and blue and I was wearing a heavy boot!
 
Once the Victor was running it was a lot of fun. The guy I sold it to weighed about 250 lbs and would get it up on the back wheel like a stunt rider.

I thrashed it about in the dirt and mud till it was no longer yellow. It was lots lighter and quicker on a rough trail than the G80cs but a lot harder to start, though I eventually got the hang of it. Idle mixture screw adjustment was critical I found.
 
Lineslinger said:
The guy was completely airborne and landed on a lawn chair. I had a snoot full of beer and almost laughed out loud.
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My B44 launched me once
I'd advanced the Boyer a little
I was kicking it over astride the bike in a 3ft wide alleyway
It wouldn't fire or do anything
Then I made the mistake of opening the throttle to try and clear it
The f##ker kicked me back like I don't know what
I had proper boots on but the bruise on my foot was unreal
It was black underneath and mauve each side
I hobbled for a few days after that
 
Dave Swanson said:
70 isn't that ancient, but I feel lucky to still have a body sound enough to kick my Commando. Right hip replacement 3 years ago and a triple bypass 2 years ago. Feeling great and hope to keep kicking for awhile yet.

This picture was taken last night while I was in the act.

View attachment 113768
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I, too, am 70, but all my robot parts led me to purchase a 75 mk3 e-start.
 
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