push starting

there's a trick to doing it, for the old and gimpy, yes I'm talking about myself.
set it up just like you normally start 'cept put the kick stand up, put in 1st
others will say 2nd or 3rd, I say 1st cause when it kicks over it's going to sputter and die if you take the clutch back in.  This way you can leave the clutch in till it runs right.

So, clutch in, stand up, kill switch on, 1st gear, and you're standing beside it.
Now run like heck, don't forget the bike    
jump on and push the starter button and immediately let out the clutch.
as soon as the clutch goes out, it'll lock out the starter so don't worry about letting go of the starter button.  it'll chug chug thump... thump thump thump...

you might want to have it in prime to make sure the bowl is full.

Alternate to pushing the starter button is to rotate the engine to the exhaust stroke.
put it in the big gear, bump it forward until you can rotate the decomp lever by hand.  then it's in the exhaust stroke.  don't forget to put it back into 1st.

DON'T PUSH THE BIKE BACKWARD!!!
This engages the starter clutch, on pre90's bikes this will bust out the starter gear bosses.  On a post90 bike you will hear a twang instead, that's the torque limiter doing its job.

Thanks, Versy. I needed to know this last summer, but now that I know it I'm hopeful I'll remember it for the next time I need it. The range of information I'm now capable of mis-filing is alarming, but at least I qualify for a variety of discounts...

Just had to do this Saturday...and didn't read this first.  Found that it pushes easier in neutral...then just before popping the clutch, I dropped it into first.  No starter button needed....

Pine wrote on 07/25/12 at 12:21:50:


If your battery is dead, push starting won't work, you gotta have 10v it fire sparky!  And if that's all you got, don't push the button, use the alternate method.

You can do it in third gear without using the starter or jumping on the bike.  It is easier to get the engine to turn over from a higher gear. 1st and 2nd will more likely caude the rear wheel to lock.