Vincent 1000 hand start

Meh, offset cylinders. Plus the kickstarter might have a better ratio than the Norton. :)
 
True but I can stand for ages on the Vincent kickstart at compression whereas the 850 Norton won't hold me up. Will try the Norton one day, but with Boyer I doubt it will fire up this way.
The point/coil ignition on this Vincent make it very easy to start.

You are a hard man to impress!

Glen
 
Impressive Glen ! My Commando KS lever can hold me up for as long as I care to stand on it ..... and yet not hard to start
 
My 850 Commando won't hold, but it is the longer MK3 lever plus I'm fairly heavy these days.
It holds for a second or two then rolls thru.
Tests excellent on leakdown though.

Glen
 
Impressed, never seen that before. I thought a lot of replacing the Comet with a twin. Until I got an opportunity to ride one. Found the only difference was what happened when turning the twist grip. After the ride I tried to start it. Couldn't move the kick start. Gave up the idea to get one. Now satisfied with having the second best touring bike from that era. One which I can easily start.
What centre stand do you have?
 
Impressed, never seen that before. I thought a lot of replacing the Comet with a twin. Until I got an opportunity to ride one. Found the only difference was what happened when turning the twist grip. After the ride I tried to start it. Couldn't move the kick start. Gave up the idea to get one. Now satisfied with having the second best touring bike from that era. One which I can easily start.
What centre stand do you have?

Though starting my twin has gotten easier over the years, it has never been "easy" to start. Coil ignition was a vast improvement over the Lucas mag. About to change that too..... Never hand startable, tho!

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Russ
998cc
 
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My Shadowised Rapide (sold some years ago) had a François Grosset ign system, with a Honda dual outlet coil, fitted by Patrick Godet. If it didn’t start first kick I immediately started wondering what I’d done wrong (fuel, ignition, etc). And that was with 8:1cr and mk11 cams too. I never tried it by hand though...!
 
Easily, in fact all you need is a thumb, to press the little starter button !

Otherwise, nofuckinchance. Vin twins are normally 7(ish) to 1 CR, 500cc per pot, and have very effective valve lifters / decompressors. Get it all right, and they ain’t so hard to start.

Godet 1330 engines can be up to 10:1CR for road use depending on customer request, 665cc per pot, and do not have any valve lifters or decompressors (the e-start just doesn’t need any), and don’t even have kick start levers fitted !!
 
The bike in the vid is 8 to one and 998 cc
I did manage to hand start the 9 to 1 998 cc bike as well.

On the big capacity Vincents, I can barely kick over my 1360. It's about 11 to one. It does have large overlap hi lift cams which should bleed off some compression at kickover.
The big squish bands seem to negate that effect!

Glen
 
That’s not taking the piss. Taking the piss is, when departing from a bike meeting, an onlooker says: “it’s not got a kick start, how do you start it”?

And replying with: “it’s a push start”.

Then, after they’ve gotten all excited, and got their phone ready to video this theatrical event, add: “yeah... it‘s a push start... I just push this little red button and it starts...”!
 
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Glen, you're my hero. I turn the engine on my Norvin by hand but I've not tried to start it.
After a lesson from me, a scrawny little 12 year old boy started my Norvin on the second kick. That little boy was very proud of himself.
Charlie
 
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