Peter_the_blacksmith wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:

Yup, that is a fact, no kick start. Kick start and magneto is the only dependable bike as far as I am concerned. I already had a new Boyer Branson electronic ingition on the Triumph chopper burn up in 2000 miles. Couldn't sell it last year for that reason. Putting a good old dependable Joe Hunt mag in it before I sell it, just so the new owner won't come back. The bike has so much compression with the big bore kit on it that I can put my full 150lbs on the kicker and it won't roll over with out jumping on it. Now that is a real mans bike. I'll take that over a "pus-y" button every time. I had a electric start on my 1955 Farmall A tractor. Battery went dead(6volt) threw it away and pulled the starter. Made up a plate to bolt on where the starter was, to keep dirt out, and been using the crank start for 12 years. Starts every time. One primer crank, next crank she purrs. Simple is always better, unless your lazy.   Hutch

Peter_the_blacksmith wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:

Ahh, I see.  Nevermind.

vroom1776 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:


for $2k I'll tell you a rumor...

And if I was lead engineer on this bike, I'd kicked some Jr's arse from contents to index.

Savage_Rob wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:
 
The 500cc 2005 Royal Enfield Bullet thumper starts right up with the Kicker. I save the battery for the lights. It has a manual decomp and if you know how to start a big single, you won't have a problem. You can set on the seat and make it look like starting a 50cc. Just got to know how to do it. Don't get me wrong, I have had kick back ankle more times than I care to count, but that is how I learned the trick. Fortunately I have always wore engineer boots or harness boots. Tennis shoes are the dumbest things anyone  can wear on a bike. The only thing worse are the idiots I see with sandals and flip flops. Wait till they meet MR. Road Rash. They will learn or quit riding.   Hutch

Guess I might as well give the secret away. Singles are the easiest, no matter how big. Twins are another story. Some are worse than others. A big single will start like a 50cc if you leave the ignition off, use decomp and roll motor to the EXHAUST stroke, piston coming up, if you have a free flow exhaust you will hear the motor make a long HUFF sound letting the air out the pipe. Just as it quits, you turn ignition on, ratchet kick start back up to the top. Now when you kick, the piston is going down and the intake valve opens to let fuel in on the down stroke, hardley any effort to kick, piston is going down. By the time you get to the bottom of the kick the weight of crank and counterweight takes over to complete the compression stroke and ignition. No kick back, no effort. Real simple when you think about it. Just have to know how a motor works and use IT to do all the work. Most twins are a 50-50 deal. You might get a sore ankle and you might not. Nortons were the worst because they fired way before TDC. Built motored Triumphs were the next worse like the one I just built. Harleys will put you on top of the bars because of the long stroke if they kick back. It is just part of riding a bikers bike.    Hutch

Manual decomp makes the difference. Most Triumphs didn't have it. My 67 Royal Enfield 750cc In terceptor doesn't have one, but so far hasn't bit me. The 69 Triumph chopper I built to the gills just loves to let you know who is boss. Last summer the thing put me on a cane for 3 days. Had to have a buddy start it for me so I could go home from his house. The second kick back was the end of walking normal for 3 days. That is the second reason it is getting a magneto. First dependability, second manual retard for easy starting. If I could figure out how to do it, I would have a kicker and a Joe Hunt mag on the Savage in a heart beat. Along with the chain conversion I already did, I would go across country with out any worries. Every wire on the bike could burn up and you could still get home. No lights, but the bike would start(kick) and run with the magneto. Simple but dependable, like bikes should be.

Hutch

vroom1776 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:

I wish I could say me!!!!   Hutch

Got a question, if the battery were to low to enable the starter to work, would the decomp selenoid still work, or would you be trying to push start a FULL compression Savage ?? Since I only weigh 150 and usualy have to put a bike in 3rd gear to start by pushing, you see my reason for concern.. If I had the money I would do like Vroom said, I would get an engineering company to make one. You could make your investment back selling the conversion, 2k sounds a little steep to me,unless you want to make your money back by selling ONE. Just wondering about the low/dead battery thing. Anyone had the "luck" to have an answer for that?   Well I guess the grass is dry enough, so it's time to get the crank out and start the Farmall " Super A" and "get 'er done."  I'll be back in about 4 hours, even with the 5 foot deck it is a long job. About $100 a month to mow your lawn, just in gas, what a bunch of ----------------------            Hutch