When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
if you're twisting the throttle when warm you might be flooding it. after a few kicks try it with throttle wide open to get more air in there. oh, and when warm, no primer kicks either.
Hello old chap, from a couple of counties away. I bought a new shovel back in the 1970s. Harleys were more rare than hen's teeth over here at the time. That was much the same when attempting to start from warm, not helped by passers by being unable to resist the temptation of twisting the twist-grip. I couldn't predict what condition the bike was in when returning to it, so routinely swung the starter over a couple of times, throttle wide open. That was the only way I could be confident of a dependable starting procedure when warm, which saw me through several years of ownership.
Kick start bikes varies of course, and the number of kicks depends on the number of people watching. :-)
If your bike starts cold with only two twists, then I think a luke warm start, you don't need to twist the throttle at all. All done with choke off. a) I would not twist throttle, 1 kick prime, and 1 kick start. b) If that doesn't work, twist throttle once, hold throttle wide open, and kick prime twice to clear cylinder, then kick start. c) if that didn't work, hold throttle wide open and prime kick twice to clear, then slight open of the throttle and kick through.
If all else fails, use use your kick start thumb. LOL
Step 1: Always remember to park at the top of a hill.
Step 2 is easy.
Before I built my project bike, my only experience kicking bikes was with easy-starting two strokes. Nothing to those things.
My Sporty can be temperamental, and warm (not hot) starts are the hardest. Nothing improved my success rate more than spending some time slowly advancing the motor with the kick lever and feeling the different spots on the motor. It goes easy, then offers some resistance, but there is one spot where it offers more resistance than the others. That's the one. Once I learned the feel of that one spot, life got a lot better.
On mine, it's easy to get the bike too rich on a warm start. No choke, and I don't twist the throttle first either. Also, instead of putting my right hand on the grip, I hold on up by the base of the brake lever. I was finding that I was involuntarily giving it some throttle when I was kicking it.
The way I look at things, every kick is a learning exercise. The bike should start, right? If it doesn't, why not? Eventually, with enough time and practice, you'll train yourself to be more reliable.
Kick start bikes varies of course, and the number of kicks depends on the number of people watching. :-)
If your bike starts cold with only two twists, then I think a luke warm start, you don't need to twist the throttle at all. All done with choke off. a) I would not twist throttle, 1 kick prime, and 1 kick start. b) If that doesn't work, twist throttle once, hold throttle wide open, and kick prime twice to clear cylinder, then kick start. c) if that didn't work, hold throttle wide open and prime kick twice to clear, then slight open of the throttle and kick through.
If all else fails, use use your kick start thumb. LOL
so if I get it wrong or it doesn’t start, if I kick it with throttle open it’s like a default setting?
Yes, so when the bike is "flooded," that's how you clear it out. Key off, throttle wide open, and then several kicks to clear the fuel/air mixture out of combustion chamber.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.