Kickstarter does not disengage!

Hi Kz Riders

Wonder if anyone has ever had a problem with a kickstarter that does not disengage. So if you push the kickstart down it feels as if the engine has no compression. So I started the bike with the starter button, and I could hear that the sound comming from the engine is the same sound it makes if you kickstart it and keep your foot down too long. Any ideas?

I will appreciate any suggestions. This is really such cool and wonderful and very helpful website. Thank you

Regards
Doc

Broken spring?
Steve

Steve

Thanks for the reply, i will take it of tomorrow and have a look if the spring might have broken. Will post my findings.

Thank you

Regards

Broken, weak or improperly installed (no tension) kick starter return spring will cause the clicking. The kickstart must return fully to the stop. Even a little slop will cause the clicking. The spring can be serviced thru the kickstarter shaft cover. You'll need a good pair of needle nose pliers to tension and insert the spring tang in the shaft.
The feeling as if there's no compression when kicking could be a more serious issue. The e-starter engages the flywheel. The kick starter engages the clutch basket. The kickstarter uses "ramped" shaft splines to engage/disengage from the clutch basket teeth. Hopefully correcting the return spring issue to full return will solve the problem. Otherwise you'll have to split the cases to get at the kickstarter engagement gear.

When checking the spring, remove the plastic insert. Make sure the rear spring tang is in the small hole towards the front between the case halves. It will go into other holes near the top, but not provide enough tension for a full return. With the shaft rotated fully clockwise, you should still have to tension (rotation) the spring some to align the front spring tang with the shaft's hole.

If the clutch isn't fully engaged, it will feel like it has low compression.
Steve

MDZ1

Thank you so much for the information, it will really help when I start working on her. You have just saved me a lot of google searches. This really is a wonderful site and everyone is so helpful.

Thank you for the time you took to explain this to me in such detail, I have limmited knowledge on 4 cylinder motorcycles, and have only recently decided to buy and save some of the awsome Z1's.

Regards
Doc

Hi Gents

Well I think I found the problem. Just to tell you about the bike, its a 1980 z1000 Mk2 that I recently purchased at auction. The bike rode well, except the clutch was fairly tight. There was also a small rattle that came from the sprocket. So this morning I took off the sprocket cover(where the clutch cable runs into) and I found the push rod seems to be modified, there is no ball bearing, It seems that the previous owner modified the push rod as the oil seal is a 7X18X6mm and the bottom part of the push rod is 8mm. He the must have grinded the front bit of the push rod to fit the hole that runs into the engine(gearbox). I really need to get hold of a owner service manual. So now I need to establish what size the original push rod is or did they use a different part where the rod runs through to the clutch. Please see pictures. Any advice will be welcomed. Oh yes, sorry when I went round to the other side to look at the kick starter it was sorted. In Should have studies mechanical and not accounting. :blush:

Sorry having trouble posting pics must try lower resolution.
Regards
Doc

Hi

I also took of the clutch cover and everything there looks fine. I took the opportunity to also take off the kick starter cover to see if everything there looks good and I can see what you meant.

Regards
Doc

The push rod has a ball bearing inside the clutch hub. The rod is adjusted by the screw in the cover.
Steve

Steve

Thank you, since I found that its not the kickstart, I looked at another topic " clutch slipping " I think patton explained in detail about the settings and the gap it needs. Thx Steve you always there to help. I appreciate.

Regards