Back when I was 16, I had a 47 knuckle. Later it was a 52 panhead chopper. Might have weighed 140 at the time. A real biker knows kicking won't hurt you, even if you forgot to retard it . It's all technique. Most people don't understand that the ratchet disengages at the end of the travel and even if it does kick backwards your leg will not come into play since there is no mechanical connection at that point. What really hurts is when the ratchet lets go part way into it The big bad harley image has turned kick starting into something only super humans can do,with all this broken leg crap and flying over the bars, when in reality the average wimp can do it. All the modern riders really missed out on a truely motorcycle experience.
Ron

 

Kicked my uncles 96" Shovel over. He said I could ride it if I got it started. Never rode the damn thing. 4speed tranny. Thing that pissed me off is his 120lb girlfriend could kick it over. It's all about technic. I guess I don't have any.

 

Boy that brings back a memory I hadn't though of in years! When I was about 14, a neighbors boyfriend had a new '57 sportster. I kept bugging him to let me ride it (my only experience was my Schwin/Whizzer chopper) & he finally gave me the "If you can start it, you can ride it" deal. Both he & my old man cracked up over that as I hussled my 120 pound self out the door. I'd watched him start it many times and took a minute to check out the controls then first kick & it started. Give the guy credit, he came out, hopped on the back & said "let's go sport". 'course that menat 1st gear around the block but it was enough to cement my lifelong love of Harleys.

 

I kicked a '35 VLD 74 CI flat head
I kicked a '47 FLH 74 CI Knucklehead
I kicked a '56 KH 55 CI flat head Sportster
Several other 74s

 

When I had my 1974 Sporty, I had to learn to kick with either leg because it always seemed that one of my knees was aching from this very thing.

 

[quote=5speedblu;4254007]1. Has anyone ever kicked started a Harley?

2. If so what size?

Biggest I ever kicked over was a 103" Shovelhead.

3. Could it hurt you & why?

Sometimes they will kick back and whack you in the instep. Most likely cause of Sportster knee is worn ratcheting gears slipping. Hyperextension of the knee. Ask me how I know.


5. If I kicked an Evo what year was it?
'84 or '85
6. How many gears does a kicker tranny have? and what years?
3, 3 w/reverse, 4, 4 w/reverse.
7. What is the difference of metal a Pan’s heads made from & Knuck’s heads made from?
Pans are alloy. Knucks are iron.

8. Witch is stronger?
Stronger? Panheads, especially big bearing versions are infinitely better than Knuckleheads for a lot of reasons.

9. How many FORWARD gears does a tranny have with reverse?
3 or 4 I think the new ones have 6 with an e;ectric reverse, but I'm not sure.

10. What model has reverse?
Servicar, triglide, and anything else with a sidecar/servicar trans.

11.0Does it matter what side you plug your spark wires into the coil?
No(??) One end to the coil, one end to the plug, not sure what you are asking. If you are custom making wires it doesn't matter which end gets which plug.

12. Did you know you have spark wires?
Yes

13.0Have you ever owned a bike that takes 50w oil?
Yes. Straight weight can be used in anything pre-nylon breather gear. I like 70W aircraft oil in the summer.

14.0What is the difference between straight weight oil like 50w or 20w50?
The multiweight has chain polymers that unroll as the oil gets hot giving the viscosity of a higher viscosity base weight.


15. If you are traveling down a dead end road for the 1st time and have to take a left 5 miles before the road ends how long do you have to travel before you turn?

16. Other than the road ending and a cliff in front of you,
“theoretically speaking” is there ever a time when you should jump off your bike or “lay it down” instead of using emergency maneuvers to avoid a crash?
No.

 

Is the answer 24?

 

Actually they don't always. Gold, silver and other precious metals are usually sold by the Troy ounce. Most everything else (including water) by avoirdupois. Troy ounce is 31.1 grams, AVDP ounce is 28.4 grams.

 

My first bike was a 51 panhead chopper when I was 19. I probably weighed 165 then. No way could it or would it break your leg. If it kicked back it would just rather quickly lift your leg back up but it didn't hurt at all. The worse thing, like others have said is if the kicker didn't catch and you gave it the usual good kick and it bottomed out and hyperextended your knee.

 

My stroked Shovel, son-of-a-motherless goat tossed me over the bars a couple times. I got "smart" and got the electric starter working for the first time in what must have been ten years and caught the damned thing on fire.

Also had an Ironhead Sportster....strangely I never got my knees with it, I hosed my ankle a couple times (was used to kicking an old Husky 500cc dirtbike) THAT thing kicked.