I find it difficult to believe that whether or not you break your leg is a craps shoot each time you kick-start your bike. I have only kick-started by bike once the first time I started it up after purchasing it. I stopped using the kick-starter after hearing horror stories about people busting their legs on them or being thrown over the handlebars. I need my legs in good working order in order to remain in the military. Is there perhaps a correct way to kickstart the bike in which many are neglecting to de and injuring themselves, or am I simply playing Russian Roulete when I have to use the kick-starter?

 

Larry,

It's not a crap shoot if you do it right. You have to be careful to make sure your foot is firmly on the kick pedal. I use to kickstart my 59 pan all the time. It was kick only. Here was my method. The difference was that I had a compression release on my left grip.

Make sure you have a strong kickstand
Place your left knee on the seat from the right side
Leaving the ignition off do a couple of easy slow kicks to prime it
If you need to choke it now
Firmly plant your foot on the pedal and kick solid. You will have both feet off the ground with your weight on you left knee.
Depending on how well your bike is tuned you should have pretty good luck with this method.

I've seen kickstands break before so it's important to make sure the kickstand is planted firmly.

Terry

 

Bike should be on the stand when kicking it over. There are two basic methods, with variations; one (my preference) you straddle the bike and kick with your right leg. The other, you stand on the right side, place your left knee on the seat and kick with your right leg. A variation on this is standing on the right side and kicking with your left leg.

Now for the fun part!
Kick starting procedure: This is a general guide because every bike is a bit different. But I used this procedure on several Sporties and on my ‘78 FLH, too. This is a cold start procedure. Ignition off. Gas off. Choke off. Don’t touch throttle. Kick through easily 2 times. Choke on. Gas on. Ignition on. Throttle all the way open, then back off to the ¼ open position. Kick smartly through. Do not move the throttle while kicking through.

If the kick starter clutch & dogs are in good shape, it won't ratchet through and give you the "Sportster knee." When they wear out, it'll start slipping. You'll usually notice it when you do your 2 easy clearing kicks. keep the baby tuned up & it'll start pretty easily.

'Coursae, you could always do the Bronson thing....

 

Terry's advice is the way I used to start my 1955 Panhead chopper.
The only thing I could add is to make sure you don't leave your sunglasses on the seat before starting the bike. I busted quite a few sets of good glasses kneeling on them because I forgot they were on the seat. LOL

 

lol...dem old pans are easier to kick over than an XLCH but the procedure is about the same.
I always did the straddle the bike style myself but to each his own.
Much depends on tuning and carb type.
If you have a more modern carb like a CV or S&S E you can prime with a couple pumps of the carb and just one kick.
Then key on and kick to life (maybe)
If she's running rich however this will flood her it out but I suspect your's is not.
Sportster kickstarters are often worn in the bushings and ratchet assembly so make sure it engages correctly ,if not rebuild the kicker gear.
I rode an XLCH kick only bike for years and it will always be a chalange to start IMO.
You ought to try one with 12to1 compression and an 86" kit lol.
[8D]

[IMG]local://upfiles/2665/874B5F7289DD41AF934F45A50075D2E1.jpg[/IMG]

 

No thanks on the 12:1 LOL. Thanks all, I kinda suspected there was a proper method. So rebuilding the kickstart gear will prevent it from slipping on you and hyperextending your knee. But what about them "Kicking Back" and throwing you over the handle bars. I am rather light weight so I suspect I could be launched pretty far. How do you keep that from happening? Is there another maitenance item that should be checked that could prevent this?

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: SKJOLD

No thanks on the 12:1 LOL. Thanks all, I kinda suspected there was a proper method. So rebuilding the kickstart gear will prevent it from slipping on you and hyperextending your knee. But what about them "Kicking Back" and throwing you over the handle bars. I am rather light weight so I suspect I could be launched pretty far. How do you keep that from happening? Is there another maitenance item that should be checked that could prevent this?

Keep it in tune! I'd **** can the points and get electronic ignition.
Don't lock your knee in case it does kick back and rest assured it will from time to time

 

Already upgraded to electronic ignition so I guess that is half the battle.

[quote]ORIGINAL: Y2K

 

This always worked for me....

First and foremost, make sure the bike is tuned perfectly! Having the timing right is the most important thing! If it's kicking back, then the timing is off, there's too much gas in the combustion chamber, or you are starting the kick on the wrong stroke.

If the engine is cold, open the fuel, prime the carb (or twist the throttle a couple times if you have an accel pump), then kick it over a few times with the ignition off. Kick it until you are on the compression stroke. You should be able to feel increase in compression. You can easily find out what stroke you are on by opening the pushrod covers and "test kicking" it. When the valves are all closed (pushrods in down position), and you feel compression, then you are on the right stroke. After doing that a few times, you can get used to the "feel" of it.

The pedal should be just slightly past the top of it's travel. Oh yeah, as was mentioned earlier, you need to make sure the gears are in good shape and the shaft is shimmed properly, or it'll slip and you'll need a new knee after a while! A worn bushing in the sprocket cover or loose cover bolts will cause binding, too.

Then turn on your ignition and let er fly. If everything is tuned correctly (ignition and carb), then it should fire right up on the first kick.

If the engine is warm, then you do everything the same except priming the carb. First try it without doing that, then if it doesn't start, twist the throttle ONCE and try it again.

Have fun! Kickers are a good thing to have! I wish the new bikes had them. Beats the heck out of push starting them!

By the way, thanks for serving our country! Been there, done that. I just retired from the Air Force in 2000. Keep up the good work!

 

Ah the memories. I would venture to guess they are different. My ’58 had a manually adjustable distributor. The same as mentioned above, I had to kick it through to the compression stroke, make sure the kicker engaged, and stomp on it as hard as I could. The comments on being “thrown over the bars” were a result of forgetting to retard the timing before you kick it. The plug would ignite slightly before TDC, and that 60 HP would be thrown right back at ya. It hurts. I jammed my ankle a couple times. As the bike warmed up, you could slowly advance the timing. That motor pulled a four speed tranny and second gear was a tall one. I agree that it would probable smoke a new 1200.