Let us now praise kickstarters

[sagerat]

I was at work late tonight and come out to my snow-flecked Ural about 7:15p.  All geared up, I pull on the enricheners (chokes to the rest of the world) and hit the starter button.  I am rewarded with the sound of "rrrrrrrrrr, clank, rrrr, clank."  Silence.  Uh, this is not good.  Let's try that again. A slightly slower "rrrrrrrr, clank, rrrrrr, clank" results.  

Hmm, the switch for my heated grips is in the on position from this morning's ride. This Is Not A Good Thing.

So with crossed fingers I swing my left leg over and have at the kick starter.  One adrenaline-powered kick and the joyful sound of Russian power fills the parking lot.  I kept that Ural idling at high RPM's for several minutes to make sure it wasn't going to die.  Then I put my gloves on and rode home through the occasional snowflake singing the praises of kick starters in my helmet while never shifting into fourth.  Spin that engine up in third to recharge the battery.

Got in the garage and did the old shut it off and restart it with the electric start and the Ural fired right back up.  Hope to take my Russian Iron out this wknd for a long run at highway speeds to make sure the battery  is recharged.

Russian bike is winter strong, hoo-rah

[Mr.Black]

 

This bike is on my ever growing list of desired machines.

[mustang28027]

My old Honda CM400 had an electric and kick start. It got so cold one morning it would not start  with the battery. Two  kicks and it reved to life. I miss that old bike. It never let me down.

[mjrfd99]

Real men still kickstart    

[county]

I kicked on my Trident one cold morning for so long that when it started I had to go back inside and rest before riding...fuck a kick starter...

[axelwik]

I really like the magic button on modern bikes. I had a first generation Goldwing with an "emergency" kick start lever hidden under the right tank fairing. Pretty useless since it was a whole lot easier to push-start that beast if the battery died.

[McRider]

Let us now praise riders smart enough to wire their heated grips up to a switched circuit.  

[PatM]

AH fond memories! As a kid I spent lots of time (hours?) watching my neighbour kickstarting his BSA.  

[sagerat]

Let us now praise riders smart enough to wire their heated grips up to a switched circuit.  

 

Painfully true.  I am, however, Mr. Ten Thumbs when it comes to mechanics and even worse when it comes to electronics.

One of my Ural buddies sent me an e-mail saying given the frozen weather I should've said all "hail" kickstarters.  

[Flyer]

 

This bike is on my ever growing list of desired machines.

+Many

As a scrawny 15 year old, I managed to kick start a custom chopper for my first "scary ride".
At the time, I'd have kept kicking until my nuts almost fell off, for the chance.
Starter buttons just aren't as cool.  

[Papa Lazarou]

 

This bike is on my ever growing list of desired machines.

I've had five. Never paid more than £25 for one-but times change. They are a complete hoot.

[McRider]

On the plus side, the demise of the kickstarter has been responsible for the huge increase in women riders and old men like me.  On the negative side it has been responsible for bikes that are way to big and powerful.  

[DredheadV2.0]

In my neglectful, drug-addled 20s I left my GS850 sitting on a slab of concrete in back of my apartment for a winter, uncovered and unprotected.  Winterized?  Ha.  Remembered I had a bike at some point when the thawin' times returned.  It had been a snowy winter and the snowdrift that had covered my bike (thus helping me forget I had it) was only partially melted.  Took me a few hours to get the bike into the open.  Electric start was not happening, but choke+about a minute of kicking and it fired right up.

Though I am not likely to forget I have a bike anymore, I am still completely capable of leaving the keys in the ignition and the lights on.  A kickstart would be lovely.  I miss having it.

[BRPtourer]

I have an old GT550 two-stroke triple I ride a lot. It has both kick and electric start and due to the battery being so small, starting with the button is iffy when it is cold. It starts so easy with a push on the kicker I almost always start it that way. One day last summer I was running some errands around town and the kick lever broke as I was going to start it for home. I fiddled around a while trying to figure how I was going to start it because I didn't want to push it out of the drive on to the busy 4 lane highway to start it in case it didn't catch at first.
Then I remembered I had a magic button! I was so used to kicking I had forgotten about the electric start!!!  

[Mr.Black]

No one has mentioned the simple fact that kick starting your bike just plain looks really cool. Chicks dig guys that kick start their bikes.

Being a former HD rider that had no choice but to kick start, I know a thing or two about a thing or two.

[hazra]

I know a few guys with permanent limps from starting poorly tuned shovelheads.  My first few bikes had kickstarters, some have had both... but as reliability has improved, they're just not very necessary any more.  I guess I'm just not that nostalgic about things like magnetos, kick starters, 6 volt "charging" systems, points, carbs... at least, not on a bike I depend on.  Roadside assistance has effectively replaced the kick starter for me!

[FJR1300]

[mjrfd99]

I know a few guys with permanent limps from starting poorly tuned shovelheads.  My first few bikes had kickstarters, some have had both... but as reliability has improved, they're just not very necessary any more.  I guess I'm just not that nostalgic about things like magnetos, kick starters, 6 volt "charging" systems, points, carbs... at least, not on a bike I depend on.  Roadside assistance has effectively replaced the kick starter for me!

My buddy Chet got thrown by a big inch sporty but didn't let go of the handlebars and pulled the bike over on top of himself.
We were laughing so hard we couldn't pick the bike off of him.

[MidLifeMike]

I need more practice. My XS750 is the other way around. It needs to be in good tune and warm already before I get any action from the kickstart. It has still been handy, like after a long ride where the fog lights actually kill the battery after two hours. Doing a quick stop at the 7-11 for a drink, the battery is shot but the kicker got it going in one stroke.

The other issue was with no good battery to be found, I kick started it for a while, got a good idle to where I could push in the choke... shut if off while I go back in the house to pack because up to that point I wasn't even sure I was able to go.
Come back out, mount the soft bags, hop on..... bags are blocking my boot from stroking the kick starter - DOH!!!

Back in the day a neighbour was chopping a BSA 650 in our basement and managed to drive his head into a floor rafter when the pig kicked back. He showed me the scar on his calf where one of those things got him a previous time.

[bomber]

I once kicked my  BSA 441 so many times, if I'd put it in gear, I woulda gotten to work  .. . . .

Though I DO miss kickstarts, I'm not sure my knees do . . . .

[slvrsprint]

Back in the 70's, I used to ride my CJ360 to work most days.  OWhen leaving work on the nicest days, I would see a co-worker in the parking lot kicking his HD.  I would take my time tying on my lunch pail and putting on my helmet.  He would still be kicking when the weight of my boot would fire up my Honda.  I'd nod and ride off.  Somewhere on the 20 mile ride home, he would fly by me too cool to wave.  

Every bike I've owned since has had the magic button.  I've jumped or bump started a few times, but never missed the kick.

[atadaskew]

I kick start my PX all the time.

Really easy when cold.  Or hot.
But when cool..  I then push the e start.

[SoCalFJR]

Anybody that wants a kick start has simply never owned a Honda XL600...........the most cursed beast in the world to start........

[greasemonkey79]

I have vivid memories of the sole of my foot being so sore it hurt to walk from trying to kick start the POS dirtbikes we had when we were younger.
I don't miss kickstarters one bit.
The nastalgic side of me would like an old bike with a kicker but the non-braindead side of me loves that magic button.

My heated grips are wired to a switched circuit so my battery is never dead from forgetting to turn them off.    

[sagerat]

True, on a cold day the Ural can warm me twice.  With the oil thickened, it can take 4-8 kicks before the engine lights.  And if it's still being stubborn, I hit the magic button.

But on average, I use the kickstarter about 95% of the time to start the bike.  

[Redfox]

EEEK!  
  I had a Matchless single without a real air filter. I do not miss  Amal carbs, ticklers, ammeters, compression releases, oil tank caps, or kick starters one bit at all!

[hazra]

I have vivid memories of the sole of my foot being so sore it hurt to walk from trying to kick start the POS dirtbikes we had when we were younger.

I remember breaking a boot sole in half on an old CR once.  Not fun!

[mjrfd99]

Anybody that wants a kick start has simply never owned a Honda XL600...........the most cursed beast in the world to start........

Absofrickenloutely.  One of the few I don't miss.

[bubba zanetti]

1991 DR 650 ... ouch.  

[black hills]

Anybody that wants a kick start has simply never owned a Honda XL600...........the most cursed beast in the world to start........

I din't think my '84 XL600 was as bad as my '87 XR600, but maybe my memory was just bad?? the KTM 300 kicks really easy

[Kneescrubber]

I can't believe you guys are such pussies to use a kickstart. The true manly way to start a motorcycle is to push it.

[atadaskew]

I can't believe you guys are such pussies to use a kickstart. The true manly way to start a motorcycle is to push it.

Wuss.

I just put the bike in gear, pick up the back end with my left hand, and spin the tyre with my right hand.

[Kneescrubber]

Well that would work too. But I'd be afraid of getting my fingers caught in the chain.

[hazra]

A REAL biker would simply spin the output shaft with his teeth, then jump the chain back on with two fingers.  In gear. Without spilling his beer or knocking his girlfriend off the pillion.

 

[siclmn]

I will never forget how my 250 Yahama would kick back and rap my heel so hard I think it still hurts. And this was the early 80's.