I'm thinking maybe you didn't have the pin on the gear I the seven o clock position when you reinstalled the kicker cover.

 

When you fix your bike and immediately you have a new problem check the part you fixed.

 

I wish I had a bike with a four speed kicker.

 

The old 4 speed kicker. Fun when it's runs, not so much when it doesn't. BUT! Before I pulled the kicker cover like gliden suggested (which was my first thought) I went to the bar and had a drink, then it hit me. The reason I was getting clutch tension back while it was running AND the kicker didn't engage was because of the clutch hub nut (the backwards threaded guy) on the mainshaft. So once I fired the engine up it'd tighten, but wasn't tight enough to grab the mainshaft/kicker when shut off. Opened the derby, pulled adjusting screw and whatnot and sure as **** that bastard was half way out! Lock tight applied and retorqued. Tomorrow I test ride.

Many lessons learned on this journey which started out as a "simple" belt change.

 

I love my four speed kicker ,Omaha . Everything has problems now and then, it saved me a few times when having solenoid problems, now that mine is leak-free and rebuilt, I enjoy it even more. But you have a right for your opinion.

Jward,hopefully that was all it was,better than removing the kicker again. Hope all goes well with test ride and kicking her over.

 

All is not fixed! Test was good until I pulled back into the garage. Kicker engages for about 3 kicks then there's no resistance and clutch is out of whack again. Start the bike with electric start and clutch comes back. Shut it off and kicker is good for another 3 kicks then both problems return. I'm running out of things to check.

 

What locktight did you use on the clutch hub nut??
The book calls for 2 drops of red but I use a hell of a lot more than that.

 

did you remove the derby cover to see if anything came loose again? Also,When facing the primary, all turns counterclockwise, reason for reverse thread for clutch, however, when kicking over the bike you are kicking clockwise(when still facing primary) . So the three kicks are loosening up something somehow. Never heard of this problem before. I'm thinking the problem is under the kicker cover, something loose, worn out or maybe even assembled incorrectly.
I've never put locktite on my clutch hub nut ,has never come loose. Every time I've removed it, I replace the key for the tapered shaft with locktite there, torque to 100 ft lbs. I have a Barnett clutch basket and not concerned with splitting it in half like the Oem may if over torqued. Which is why you never use an impact gun to tighten it.
Post in the shovel forum where people have more experience with kicker, John knows a lot about them, he can help I'm sure. I'm curious as hell and wish I could pin point it for you. Keep us posted.

 

Alright, I'm headed back into the garage to figure this thing out. Hadn't had time to work on her lately. I used a LOT of locktight when I installed that clutch hub nut. And when the problem reoccurred I thought that was the reason, but it's still torqued down. So I'm headed to the kicker cover to investigate.

 

I looked in the derby a few times and saw nothing loose. As far as the woodruff key, could that be the cause? I think if it wasn't in place the tranny wouldn't move at all, the mainshaft wouldn't even move. Isn't that right?