Kick start question

FlickeredOne wrote:

It also helps if you can hold the bike level while kick-starting the bike. This prevents the right two cylinders from starving while loading the left two cylinders. Thus making it easier to start...cold starts can be tricky to begin with until you learn the "sequence" of your own bike. Happy Riding"

Not trying to be a dick here, but you understand that this is a common misconception right? All the carbs are on the same angle and all the levels will be the same. Just because one is higher than the other doesn't mean it will receive less fuel.

TerryK wrote:

Not trying to be a dick here, but you understand that this is a common misconception right? All the carbs are on the same angle and all the levels will be the same. Just because one is higher than the other doesn't mean it will receive less fuel.

Gravity does come into play if the bike has been on the side stand for a while. You see it when you clean the carbs after a long time sitting.

On my 77 650B it is a bitch to start sometimes with the starter but starts on the first kick most of the time. Keep it in neutral when kicking and turn your headlight off if possible to put more juice to your ignition.

On my 77 650B it is a bitch to start sometimes with the starter but starts on the first kick most of the time. Keep it in neutral when kicking and turn your headlight off if possible to put more juice to your ignition.



Do you have 12 volts to the coils? Roy

roy-b-boy-b wrote:

On my 77 650B it is a bitch to start sometimes with the starter but starts on the first kick most of the time. Keep it in neutral when kicking and turn your headlight off if possible to put more juice to your ignition.



Do you have 12 volts to the coils? Roy

To be honest I never checked the voltage. It still has points and I cut my teeth with the kicking routine (Two rolls on the throttle, soft kick till the compression comes up, and then a strong kick) When my 900 was finished I pretty much parked the 650. I will start a 650 project before long to get her back to her glory days.

Thanks for clarifying that for me Kawickrice... as a man of shorter stature, I have to use the side stand for the riding season so it sits on the side stand for about 8 months out of the year. Thanks again, happy riding!

In the real world it should not matter if the bike is upright or on the sidestand, but with these old bikes the carbs will sometimes leak or something out of adjustment can make matters worse than should be. You will get the feel of what works for your bike.

TerryK wrote:

FlickeredOne wrote:

It also helps if you can hold the bike level while kick-starting the bike. This prevents the right two cylinders from starving while loading the left two cylinders. Thus making it easier to start...cold starts can be tricky to begin with until you learn the "sequence" of your own bike. Happy Riding"

Not trying to be a dick here, but you understand that this is a common misconception right? All the carbs are on the same angle and all the levels will be the same. Just because one is higher than the other doesn't mean it will receive less fuel.

Hi Terry,

I'm with you to a point. Given that all the parts are in top shape you should be able to kick a four cylinder Kaw at most any angle. Because as you say: "All the carbs are on the same angle and all the levels will be the same." That's as far as kick staring is concerned. There's a larger issue that probably contributes to the misconception you referred to. That is what happens when a bike is stored on the side stand for extended periods of time. In this case the left carbs tend to dribble more, possible because they experience more head than the right side carbs. While I do not believe that fuel can flow from one bowl to another, I do know that the fuel in the system, above the float valves, usually ends up in the lowest carbs. I've hardly ever seen a bike that's prone to flooding where the left side carbs aren't more a problem than the right side carbs. My 85 Voyager has fifteen more pounds of compression in the left two cylinders than the other four. Why? Because the left injectors dribble fuel more than the right side injectors while the bike is on the side stand. I believe that this has lead to more carbon buildup in #'s 1 and 2 than the higher cylinders and that buildup is why I have 159 and 160 pounds in those two verses 140 to 145 in the other four.

Whenever I'm fighting a too rich mixture problem I've learned to always store the bike on the center stand, at least till I've grocked the problem.

Probably splittin hairs.

Bill