hey i just picked up a 79 80in shovel, kicker only and its a 1 kicker cold and about 20 kicks warm shouldnt it start right up warm i ve got the points right on .018, brand new 5ohm coil, new plugs, 8.8mm wires,points,condensor, the only thing i havent had time to check was the timing.also the ignition plate is rotated pretty far forward, any ideas how to git this thing to start every time reliably

 

Hello,

Starting a hot bike proves to be a bitch, I know. The thing is that every bike has a different methode of starting when hot. I do a full throttle and kick it. This works fine for me, on the other hand it might be in your case that you have to give it half throttle and a kick. This is all just a matter of trial and error.
You know for every person looking when you kickstart your bike you have to add one more to the number of kicks ;-)).

Just try and see what works for you.

 

Ignition timing is critical on these engines. I would take the points plate out and check the advance weights and springs. If they are worn, replace them. If they are in good shape, clean and lube them. I set the timing manually with an OHM meter for initial start-up. After it is running, I use a light.

 

Agreed. Static timing will only get you in the ballpark. Dynamic timing with a timing light is mor accurate and is more critical, especially for kickstarting.

While you're at it, I would also check carburation andlifter adjustments. And run a compression test when the bike's cold and when it's hot to see if there's any differences. I had a generator shovel with a Morris magneto setup that had always started on one kick (after loading up firstwith the kicker) when she was cold. But once she'd warmed up, I would get a helluva workout on my right leg! Found out later that once warmed up, she wouldlose compression. After a solid motor rebuilt, she was back to her usualsingle kick start up self - coldor warm.


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yea i got it figured out, i advanced it the amount of a pencil line and now one kick cold or warm. who d have thought so little would affect so much. but yea im still gonna do the timing this winter when i rip er all down thanks for the help

 

Just my .02 I noticed that there was no mention of carb. Priming cold IGNITION OFF was one half turn of my throttle and one prime kick with choke fully pulled. When warm slight pull of throttle and pinky finger high on choke with ingnition on. Took two days of foundling bike, but eventually got bike to start consitantly on one kick after priming. Depending on the prime setting in your carb (How Much it squirts when throttle pulled) Every bike is different. Just try different things until you find the one that gets it. Have fun.