SuzukiSavage.com - Kicking over a big thumper

vroom1776 Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 2110 Gender:	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #15 - 12/21/05 at 08:00:14 I'm gonna have to learn the kickstart tricks... got a 1975 rd 350 in the garage that still needs some love... no electric starter... breaks my heart
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Digger

Serious Thumper
2005 No Login

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Ya gotta be tough to
ride singles!

Posts: 1604
Colorado Springs, CO
Gender: male

Re: Kicking over a big thumper
Reply #16 - 12/21/05 at 08:34:10

I wish street bikes still had kick-starters (along w/ electric starters).

My first two big street bikes were 750cc triples (a '75 Suzuki GT750 and a '77 Yamaha XS750D). Even though they had electric starters, I'd always kick-start them.

If either of these bikes took more than two kicks to start, hot or cold, it meant I needed to do a tune-up (three sets of points Sad

).

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Digger
2001, Metallic Glacial Blue, Raptor Petcock, Verslavy (first hole) (otherwise, mechanically, the bike is stock), 13,xxx miles
I don't own a cage.
www.astronautbiker.com

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bentwheel Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Ride free, citizen Posts: 658 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada Gender:	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #17 - 12/21/05 at 08:44:52 Digger wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12: I wish street bikes still had kick-starters (along w/ electric starters). Yeah, I agree Digger. When I had a Honda 750 Four, I routinely kick started it in a crowd. It was surprisingly easy to start.
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jimbrough

Ex Member

Re: Kicking over a big thumper
Reply #18 - 12/21/05 at 09:15:58

Paladin. wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

That can happen with little singles too. We dug my uncle's RV125 out of the shed where it had sat for a year or so. Kick. Kick. Kick. Kick. Push up and down the street. Kick. Kick. I go in the house for a drink, Wendy asks, "Did you remember to turn on the gas?" "What do you think we are, stupid?" Go back out. Bike starts in aq short while. Go back in the house. Wendy has the class to not smirk.

I love it when they DON'T smirk!

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savage777 Ex Member	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #19 - 12/21/05 at 10:32:39 dad used to have an old NORTON and that thing was like kickin over a Buick
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SeeAPierce

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2005 No Login

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Posts: 282
California
Gender: male

Re: Kicking over a big thumper
Reply #20 - 12/21/05 at 11:01:43

Given my 'druthers I'd take both...after right knee surgery last year there are days when I just wouldn't be able to get my old 2 stroke 250 kicked over much less this big street single. BUT when I've got enough ibuprophen in my system and want to feel cool (I never look all that cool, but I like to feel it every now and then), I'd love to be able to start it up with a big kick.

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'06 S40 green: sporty muff & 10 degree adapter 155 main jet, 1/2 white spacer, open filter, bar end turn signals

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XxQualitySealxX Ex Member	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #21 - 12/21/05 at 11:33:09 My father used to own a Yamaha XT 650 enduro that was kick only. It had an automatic compression release but the trick was to let the kick come all the way back up to resting before kicking it again... when I forgot to do that a few times I thought my leg would snap.
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Ed L. Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline "We All go a Little Crazy Sometimes" Norman Bates Posts: 2808 Sunny Florida Gender:	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #22 - 12/21/05 at 14:11:59 Once you learn the procedure it is a breeze, it's the learning that can be painful .
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Trippah

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I ride, therefore I
am.

Posts: 2517
central Mass
Gender: male

Re: Kicking over a big thumper
Reply #23 - 12/21/05 at 16:40:35

As I approach 60, I find kick starting my butt in the mornng about all I'm up for. I remember stalling a bike near Fenway Park in the middle of a major intersection-Oh joy, kickstarting in front of a crowd--most of who would just as soon run you over Cheesy

. I thank heavens for the button. Now, can we just up the temp a little before the battery discharges..

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penguinsscareme YaBB Newbies 2005 No Login Offline In the words of Socrates: I drank WHAT? Posts: 25 New Hampshire Gender:	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #24 - 12/24/05 at 10:48:41 SavagePielk wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12: there actually is a kickstartkit available for Savage but it's $2500... Available from where? No, I don't have 2500 to drop on a kicker, but I'm curious enough to want to see how it's set up.
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Boxer

Ex Member

Re: Kicking over a big thumper
Reply #25 - 12/26/05 at 09:11:37

In 1976 I owned a used ('73) Harley Superglide (1200 twin) that had no electric starter. It wasn't really that hard to start. I just had to stand up on the kicker and come down pretty hard and firm. It usually started on the first kick.

I wouldn't imagine the thumper would be too difficult. I wish all bikes had backup kick starters.

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Kaishaku Junior Member 2005 No Login Offline Posts: 68	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #26 - 12/26/05 at 10:27:25 Anyone have a kick-start bike near Orlando? It's now a life goal that I kick start a bike.
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barb36jack31

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2005 No Login

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I love YaBB 1G -
SP1!

Posts: 173
Heathrow, FL
Gender: male

Re: Kicking over a big thumper
Reply #27 - 12/29/05 at 19:01:51

As a young sailor in the early 50's,I had a number of four stroke singles whiile stationed in southern Cal. Great bikes but each had its own starting drill....Retard the spark, pull in on the compression release and roll her over to tdc. Heave up and come down on the kick-starter with all youv'e got and Follow Through!... There would than be a moment of truth. Either the bike would go THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, or you would do the fastest one-legged deep knee bend in history! This was no time to be cautious. Any half-way approach would get the H... kicked out of you. Once you got the hang of it, there was no sweat. The old 500cc thumpers would start on the first kick as a rule.

I have never fallen out of love with the big singles and my recent ownership of a Suzuki GN 400, Honda NX650, Honda GB 500, Suzuki DR 650, Kawasaki KLR 650, and now my Suzuki S-40 have attested to this. My old bikes of my youth, a Norton ES2 500, Ariel Red Hunter 500, and a BSA Gold Star 500 TT were wonderful, but the newer ones are a lot more civilized.

Sorry for the long dissertation, but this link regarding starting the big singles just brought back so many memories.

Ride safe and have a Happy New Year.

Jack H.

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05 S40 , air needle adjustment, white spacer, 152.5 main jet, K&N filter, SuperTrapp muffler, Progressive shocks , sissy bar off

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sluggo Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline big singles lead, twins follow the pack Posts: 4744 moses lake washington Gender:	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #28 - 12/29/05 at 19:07:33 so ya got a gn400 x or t. i had a t that i rode for 98,000 miles. killed the engine but still got lots of good parts. gimme a shout if ya need anything.
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PerrydaSavage Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Riding "The Rock"! Posts: 3522 Republic of Newfoundland Gender:	Re: Kicking over a big thumper Reply #29 - 12/30/05 at 04:42:27 Jack ... you once owned a Honda GB500?? Wow, please tell us about it! The GB is one of my all-time fave Bikes ... but sadly they were never available in Canada ...
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