Author Topic: Kick Start / Exhaust Foul  (Read 548 times)

Online BagONails

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Kick Start / Exhaust Foul
« on: 26.05. 2021 15:08 »
Hi fellas, I hate stuff on bikes not lining up or being off centre and I can't be alone in that can I? *eek*

In my case the RH exhaust was mounted on the inside of the pillion rest mounting and this put the exhaust so out of position that it was laughable really. I set about refitting it only to find the reason being that the kick start hits the silencer when the exhaust is correctly positioned.  Mr Chater Lea mentioned that he thought the kickstart might be the wrong one and the exhausts are in very good nick so I decided to have a go at reshaping the kick start lever. *work*
(Sorry, I must try not to over emoji)

The lever is a pretty heavy forging but I reckoned it was probably reasonably ductile having inadvertantly bent and reshaped a few levers over the years...rather than heat it up and completely ruin the chrome I thought I'd have a go at tweaking it cold. My measurements told me I needed at least 16mm to clear the silencer plus a bit more for safety also on full swing even if I miss the silencer the lever then tries to hit the pipe nearer the axle.  I made a quick sketch with lines to denote the original form as a reference then set about clamping it in this very handy bender. Clearly the lever would need to be overbent at the axle end and then bent back at the foot rest end to square it up.  I had to take a bit of a thumbsuck and trust my eye for things as there was no way to know how far I had gone during the bending itself without removing the part and checking it against my pattern.

In the end it went surprisingly easily and as you can see I now have the exhaust in a much more symmetrical location and the lever is about 8mm clear, a bit more bent and slightly shorter.  This has made the kicking effort required slightly higher but my bike is on standard compression so it is still easy to start. The higher gearing may even benefit me from a slightly increased flywheel speed maybe. (hey you gotta look on the bright side)

The chrome has not escaped entirely as it doesn't take stretching very well so on the inside of the main bend it has flaked off but a bit of clear lacquer will keep this intact for now and if it is the final solution then I might get the lever replated at some point.

Pretty happy with the final result in the end. Now I just need to attend to the rear mudguard being wonky and the indicators at odd heights and the seat canted at a jaunty angle etc.etc.....the list keeps growing!
Ian
59 GF A10
67 Spitfire under resto
2013 kwaka W800 Desert Sled (ex write off)

Nil Desperandum

Online muskrat

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Re: Kick Start / Exhaust Foul
« Reply #1 on: 26.05. 2021 20:59 »
G'day Ian.
Well done mate. That's a handy bender.
I too hate seeing things un-symetrical.
Cheers
'51 A7 plunger, '57 A7SS racer now a A10CR, '78 XT500, '83 CB1100F, 88 HD FXST, 2000 CBR929RR ex Honda Australia Superbike .
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Online BagONails

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Re: Kick Start / Exhaust Foul
« Reply #2 on: 26.05. 2021 23:42 »
G'day Ian.
Well done mate. That's a handy bender.
I too hate seeing things un-symetrical.
Cheers

It certainly is Musky, we have an even bigger one but for some reason its never been bolted down!
The handle on this one is about 1200mm long and I only had to gently lean back on it so nice and controlled.

Yes it's important to maintain a tidy rear end at all times I find.
Ian
59 GF A10
67 Spitfire under resto
2013 kwaka W800 Desert Sled (ex write off)

Nil Desperandum

Online Rex

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Re: Kick Start / Exhaust Foul
« Reply #3 on: 27.05. 2021 08:22 »
Only takes the bike to fall over once to push the k/s lever inwards.
I bent mine back using a small hydraulic press. Didn't take much at all, as being original BSA it was malleable enough to bend. I expect the modern Taiwan replacement would have cracked though.