kickstart

[inxs]

Model differences

- early..XS1,B and some F had a 26 tooth gear and smaller ended shaft..


early shaft

later shaft

25T gear

- XS1, B also used a thrust bearing between the seal and the spring guide instead of a washer and had no circlip on the shaft to hold the mechanism in place
- here in europe there were also 3 different kickstart levers and relevant bosses..see below

Fitting the mechanism

- …easier with 3 hands or 2 people

One way

- fit shaft spigot into the case

- mount the kickstart lever

- rotate the kick clip into the shaft …don’t slide it in, you will remove the prestressing and you wont be able to successfully get it back

- hook the spiral spring nose over the case anchor point

- push on the shaft and rotate the kickstart lever to tension the spiral spring

- when you reach the point where the kick stop finds its place-KLICK-and the shaft will go fully into position

Another way

...hattip stefan

- fit the kickstarter, complete with kick clip, in the full kick position, return spiral spring is "at rest"..(pic 1)

- tie a cable tie to the spring hook and rotate clockwise to tension

- holding the tension, pull the shaft slightly out of the housing without scratching the gasket surface to get the spring hook over the anchor point…keep inward pressure on the complete mechanism so it doesn’t fly apart.. (pic 2)...make sure the stop is to the left of the moulding at 01.00

- fit the hook over the anchor point and push mechanism into place.. (pic 3)

How does it work?

- The gear, early 26 Teeth-later 25 Teeth, which meshes into the gearbox gear, moves along the kickstart shaft on a tight spiral spline…the kick clip prevents the gear from rotating…when the kickstart lever is depressed, the gear slides along the shaft as the shaft rotates, meshes into the gearbox gear and "voila"


kick clip

mechanism

- The kickstart stop prevents the shaft from continuing and must be so positioned that the shaft is to the left of a moulding in the case and can rotate about 90° counterclockwise…when the stop is on the wrong side you cant move the kickstart...you can see the moulding in this pic under the spring hook



Common problems

- there are several common problems experienced with the kickstart, all manifest themselves with a non-returning kick mechanism or with no kick pressure

- broken hook on the spiral spring, either end…replace...in this pic you can see both ends



- broken spiral spring anchor point…file broken base flat, centrepunch, drill 6mm hole about 35mm deep, tap a thread into it, insert and loctite a 50mm bolt-the spring can now hook over this...here you can see the hook fitted over the anchor



- worn or broken kick clip-these don’t successfully retension and need to be replaced…usually this causes you to kick through with no pressure…when removing or replacing this clip, don’t pull it out or push it into the groove or you will lose the pretension…come in from the side, locate one side then the other..here clip fitted



- clip and starter holders found in sump...make sure they are properly fitted



Ball bearing stuck

Not much you can do here except use a lathe...

- turn the boss until its cylindrical ( - 0,5mm).

- open the lever hole (+0,5mm)

- fabricate a Steel or Bronze bush with ~1mm walls, press over the boss and bore the bearing hole



There are, i think, 3 different kickstart levers…

- the straight version, commonly found on american models and early XS1-XS2..when turned in it’s vertical and could theoretically be relocated on the spline so that it sits in front of the sidecover instead of the right hand carb


you see these too


- the early european version from TXA-XSE, heavier than the later version, has a slight angle half way between the boss and the kick rubber..it must sit so the rubber is parallel to the right hand carb or it contacts the sidecover



- more or less the same as #2 except it’s thinner and lighter, from XS-SE 79 on… when folded in the rubber is inclined toward the right hand carb holder

- the 18mm boss repair kit for the 79 and earlier



- the 15mm boss repair kit for 80 on





- the SR500 kickstart also fits the XS spline, and is shorter-about 2cm, and much more angled-gives better clearance for aftermarket pipes and rear sets etc





- you can shorten the originals if you wish, better to remove a section as high as possible, bore both faces min 25mm and press fit a hard material (C60, C45)…shieldgas weld and smooth so that there is no notch effect

- there are shorter yamaha kickstarters available...1JN-15610-00…length-175mm cf original-210mm

- removing the kickstart altogether?



Parts list

[Travis]

Outstanding!

[inxs]

- here are parts diagrams and parts number lists for the relevant models...

[pumps]

Thank you!

[inxs]

- ingo had a problem...believed he could defy newton...the results,

- broken spring boss



- bent spring hook





- the solution..new kickstarter mechanism, 6mm x 25mm screw, 12mm x 6mm hole, loctite...screw threaded at least 8mm deep in loctite

[LifeSTAR]

I replaced the kick clip and am still having the same spongy pedal issue, the gears all looked fine, what else could it be?

Adjust the clutch maybe?

[pumps]

At one point I after I had adjusted my valves it seemed like the bike had no compression when I kicked it. After much handwringing on 650rider a member suggested it and I realized it was because the clutch was not hooking up to the motor cold. Some adjustment fixed that issue.

[pyrocentric]

I put one of the clutch pushrods in backwards(actually, the 1978 parts diagram on biker.net is wrong) after my last rebuild. Anyway, the little tapered end of the short clutch pushrod goes in the clutch cable mechanism. If it's not the tapered end, it holds the clutch out slightly causing it to slip and the kick starter to fail as well.

[LifeSTAR]

after all that engine work all i needed to do was adjust the clutch a bit at the lever. at least i know my kick clip is new lol

[pumps]

Ah well at least it is fixed. I noticed last night that my newly rebuilt caliper on the front has been leaking I THINK at the banjo bolt or the speed bleeder and ruined the new paint I put on it. So I'll have to tear it down AGAIN.

[LifeSTAR]

thats my next project, braided rear brake line should be here today, need to rebuild the rear caliper, cant seem to get it off though