I remember reading somewhere that fuel injected engines are not so easy to kick-start. Any truth in that, or is that just an old wives tale?
I think that there are not many FI engines with kick-start.
But I hear that the UCE has auto-decompression built in which should help kick-starting immensely. I wonder how long it will be until RE removes the kick-starter? Moder bikes certainly don't need it. Last time I was at Vince's shop in Olympia he used the electric start on the Electra after my test ride.
Harley's last kick-starting bike was in 1985 (the Wide-Glide, IIRC).
The day they remove the kick starter, will be the day that I never consider buying another RE. Except for older used ones.
Bikes without a kick starter are a blight on humanity.
The worst bikes I've ever owned were electric-start-only.
I'll NEVER own another electric-start-only bike.
They are nothing but problems.
My BMW left me on the roadside more times than I can count, because of it's electric-start-only configuration.
My Laverda forced me to use jumper cables to my car EVERY TIME I wanted to cold-start it, and if I went anywhere I had to leave before the bike got cold or else it wouldn't start.
The first few years of RE electric starters were filled with examples of broken sprag gears, to the extent that some people removed the ES option and converted to KS-only.
After 40 years of motorcycling, there's only one feature that I will never again have on any bike I buy, and that's an electric starter.
It's the worst idea, EVER.
No need to have it, adds ALOT of extra cost to the price, produces maintenance and repair nightmares with HUGE repair bills, and leaves you stranded regularly.