Author Topic: Kickstarting advice  (Read 25642 times)

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Tiny Tim

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Reply #45 on: August 14, 2008, 10:26:43 am
Note to all:

The ammeter trick does not work with electronic ignitions on Electras.

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TT
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Kiwichick

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Reply #46 on: August 19, 2008, 07:36:58 pm
Amazing, to think I wrote that initial email, asking how to kickstart - now it is second nature to me!  The only time I use the electric start is - yep, like others of you, when I stall at lights!

I remember the problem with the kickstarting - everyone told me to slowly kick down until I reached compression, then nudge her through, either with or without decomp lever.  But what did 'compresison' feel like?  The whole damned stroke felt lumpy and stiff to me.  It seemed like there were at least two spots in the cycle that felt stiff - how could I know which was the decompression one?

But it didn't take long to just get the feel of her, to see that I can't nudge her through the stiff decompression spot the way I can through the other stiff spot (the exhaust stroke, I guess).  Now the rest of the kick stroke feels very smooth and clean, I can't really understand how it wasn't immediately obvious to me before!

And I almost never have to kick more then once.  If she doesn't start first time, I just put the side stand up and try again!!

Mind you, I almost only kick start her form the centre stand.  I dream of sitting astride her and starting her up - I did it once, and it felt mighy fine - but risky!


Cheers from very rainy and chilly New Zealnd
Biddy


Chuck D

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Reply #47 on: August 19, 2008, 10:17:36 pm
Amazing, to think I wrote that initial email, asking how to kickstart - now it is second nature to me!  The only time I use the electric start is - yep, like others of you, when I stall at lights!

I remember the problem with the kickstarting - everyone told me to slowly kick down until I reached compression, then nudge her through, either with or without decomp lever.  But what did 'compresison' feel like?  The whole damned stroke felt lumpy and stiff to me.  It seemed like there were at least two spots in the cycle that felt stiff - how could I know which was the decompression one?

But it didn't take long to just get the feel of her, to see that I can't nudge her through the stiff decompression spot the way I can through the other stiff spot (the exhaust stroke, I guess).  Now the rest of the kick stroke feels very smooth and clean, I can't really understand how it wasn't immediately obvious to me before!

And I almost never have to kick more then once.  If she doesn't start first time, I just put the side stand up and try again!!

Mind you, I almost only kick start her form the centre stand.  I dream of sitting astride her and starting her up - I did it once, and it felt mighy fine - but risky!


Cheers from very rainy and chilly New Zealnd
Biddy

Yeah, It's funny how it all seems second nature NOW, but 4000 thousand miles and 4 and a half months ago it was anything but for me too. Once the kickstart lever even fell off while I was uselessly flailing away at it as if to put an exclamation point on how stupid I felt. But "B Fee" is a patient lover and she nursed me along in my awkward adolescence. I remember Foggy once remarking on how at around 2000 miles all of the new bike weirdness starts falling away; how it becomes a different bike from the one you started with. Very true. But it's hard to tell how much of it is the bike coming to meet me or vice versa.  Cheers from hot and humid Brooklyn.  Chuck.
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Chuck D

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Reply #48 on: August 19, 2008, 10:19:27 pm
And I still haven't figured out how this " insert quote" thing works. >:(
Ace "Fireball"#10 (Beefy the Bullet to her friends.)
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2017 Triumph T120


PhilJ

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Reply #49 on: August 20, 2008, 12:41:25 am
And I still haven't figured out how this " insert quote" thing works. >:(

Above you quoted sentence the is the first quote. When your quoted sentence ends, on the line just under it is the end quote. Go down about two lines and start your reply.
Now if this just works for me!! ;)



fun2drum

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Reply #50 on: August 23, 2008, 12:34:04 pm
When I first bought mine it had a bad electric start relay.  My dealer told me about it before I bought it and fixed it in a few days, but until then if I wanted to ride I had to learn to kick it.   I'm convinced I would never have learned to kick start the thing if I hadn't been without the elecric start in the beginning  :-[
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Thumper

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Reply #51 on: August 23, 2008, 03:54:53 pm
And sometimes we like to put the quotes right in the middle...

And I still haven't figured out how this " insert quote" thing works. >:(


...like this!


Tassos

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Reply #52 on: August 28, 2008, 11:11:20 am
Somehow I need more help....

When I step on the kickstart, it's really hard, I have to put my whole weight on it to get it to move half-way, after this difficult first stage it's really easy...

on the other hand at some point i just stepped on it without any pressure and it did work like a dream...

????


fun2drum

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Reply #53 on: August 28, 2008, 12:23:20 pm
Somehow I need more help....

When I step on the kickstart, it's really hard, I have to put my whole weight on it to get it to move half-way, after this difficult first stage it's really easy...

on the other hand at some point i just stepped on it without any pressure and it did work like a dream...

????

Try this... it works for me EVERY time...

Don't forget to turn on the key, pull out the choke, and make sure the side kick stand isn't  down.  That side kick stand embarrassed me to death in front of a bunch of people because I left it down and tried to show them how easily it starts.  :-[
 
Anyway,
That initial hard-to-move-the-kickstart stage is easily remedied by just holding down the decomp button while releasing the kick lever and slowly but firmly kicking down again.  That second time will release the compression and let you follow through.  Once you're able to follow through with a SLOW kick, then, without releasing the decomp button, follow through with 2 more SLOW kicks.  Don't release the decomp button until you've allowed the kick lever to return fully upright.  Now it's ready to kick.  Once you've released the decomp button, give a solid kick that follows through completely. 

The bike should start easily without any kickback. 
The Family Fleet:
2008 Royal Enfield Electra
2002 Buell Blast
1973 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible
...and a couple of boring and more practicle family vehicles that I won't mention here.


Karl Fenn

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Reply #54 on: February 28, 2021, 12:54:43 am
You really need accurate TDC to get this right, accurate TDC is also essential to the running of the engine and engine stresses.


Adrian II

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Reply #55 on: February 28, 2021, 12:09:24 pm
Karl, did you notice the previous post on the thread was exactly twelve and a half years ago?  That's 1/8 of a century. ;D

A.
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Bullet Whisperer

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Reply #56 on: February 28, 2021, 03:10:00 pm
Oh well, I hadn't made this video twelve and a half years ago, so here you go  ;)
 B.W.
 https://youtu.be/axOs4qRkob8