How To Use The Kick Starter

[rvtechA1]

My 75 Springs back to the top with no problem.
and it will kick the crap out of you if engine is slightly out of time.

[octane]

No Spring, Or Kick Back, You Should Have To Lift It Back Up, Thats Normal...

Sorry, but no.

I should kick right back by itself,
and it does indeed have a spring which will do the job:

[RebelRouser]

Ok Well None Of Mine Have Sprung Back Up, Old And Tired...

So I Did Not Know And Admit It 8)

[doncoyote11]

Sounds like this winter I will have to see if mine can be greased up.

[lcallison]

I have used mine on my 76 a good bit, especially when the starter was giving me problems. It worked very well.

[Duq]

Used the kick starter on mine for a while when the battery was bad. And yes, it came back up no problem.
I always thought the name 'kick' starter a bit strange though. It's not like the old single cylinder bikes where you turn the crank into the compression, then stamp on the thing and pray it won't kick back. This is more like you're pumping up an airbed. You just kick the bejaysus out of it for a while to get the crank up to speed and at some point it'll start.

One day I went out with a friend to a meeting of his club. His bike is an Enfield Bullet. Of course showing up on a Goldwing, even if it was a naked GL1000, got me a fair share of funny looks.
Nothing compared to the looks when after the coffee break I took out the kick starter and kicked the bike into life. Accepted as proper biker on the spot.

However great my 1200 standard is, it's a shame it has no kick....

Ronald

[skylane5sp]

It's not getting the crank up to speed, it's working the mechanical fuel pump enough to get some pressure in the carbs. An electric fuel pump makes kick starting a whole lot easier.

Dave
'76 in lots of pieces...

[jodysue@verizon.net]

The kick start has been a blessing with all my old wings. I pulled up along-side two county cops headed to work and they were on two fine looking dresser wings. We pulled into a lot and started talking about my bike not having nothing on it and I said I got one thing you don't got is a kick start. They looked all over the thing and laughed and said ok wheres it at, and I dropped the tank cover and there it was. They took it and said where do you put it? Got a kick out of those two. If you see one at a swap meet grab it cause its rare. Later.Jody

[Sergeant K]

Will my '78 start with the kick starter?

It has it on there, but I don't beleive that it came with a lever originally. I do't see why I can't get a lever and kick it off.

WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY?

[Frenchy]

Will my '78 start with the kick starter?

It has it on there, but I don't beleive that it came with a lever originally. I do't see why I can't get a lever and kick it off.

WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY?

You shouldn't have one........ The 77 was the last year with the kick starter... Are you saying that your motor has one, or there is a lever with your bike? If there's one on your motor, then either you have an earlier motor, or someone has done a little work to the rear end of you motor... The motor ID # should start with GL1E-4xxxxx. The -4 indicates the fourth year of the gl1000.

[Whiskerfish]

78 should not have a kick starter unless the engine has been changed out with an earlier model or modified quite a bit. Might want to check out the engine serial # to Figure out what is going on?? All 78 Engines should start with GL1E-4_ _ _ _ _ _

But anyway if there is one there then yes you should be able to use it.

[Whiskerfish]

Frenchy you type too fast!!!

[Sergeant K]

Well HOLY CRAP! My engine is out of 76. I have never paid anttention to the numbers before. Guess I should have. Now I am going to have to look at the heads. I know the carbs are off of a 1978. Maybe not mine though.

Jeez... YALL HAVE REALLY OPENED A CAN OF WORMS NOW, OR DID I OPEN IT?

[Sergeant K]

I always wondered why the darn thing ran so good.

[hoganJr]

my '77 did not have one on it when I bought her. When my sprague clutch saga began I thought I'd better get one. bought one on ebay for $25. I've used it to start the bike once to see if I could do it. She started on the first kick (I'd just shut her off after a ride). I used it to turn the engine to adjust the valves and anticipate using it turn the engine to line stuff up when I replace the head gaskets. I have to push down really hard and it breaks loose all of the sudden and sounds like something is breaking every time I do. If I keep it from springing all the way back up it pushes easy and turns the motor. If I let it go all the way back up it's really hard to push down again. Does this indicate a problem that I should fix?