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kick start conversion for newer sporties?

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tech
34K views 27 replies 20 participants last post by  Blip48 
#1 ·
this may be a little OT, I'm not sure how year-strict you guys are, just let me know...

I'm looking for a kickstart conversion for my 07 sportster, I feel like a fink everytime I press the electric start. I cant seem to find any for newer sportsters. Anyone know where I can get one?
thanks
 
#3 ·
Thanks, I tried the search box but didnt find anything that new. I guess I'll have to live with it for now. Has anyone on here made there own?
 
#14 ·
Ok you talked me out of it. I know kicking bikes can be a pain in the ass, I've done my fair share of it. Thanks for the replies.

i got a broken knee right now from kicking my sporty. ask me if i want a push button.

forget a kicker, go ride your damn bike.
28,000 miles in 3 years isnt too bad
 
#7 ·
Yea, there is something to the old joke about "You can tell Sportster riders by their limp."
If you ride a kick start Sporty, you need to keep the kicker in good shape.
Larry T
 
#12 ·
Kickstarting ANY bike when it's got a wild hair up it's ass and is in no mood to fire only looks cool to guys who've never had to deal with that bullshit on a regular basis.
Have the shitty kicker gears on an ironhead slip on you when your mind is on something else (read: knee is hyper-extended) and all of the fun of kicking that IH over is washed away and drowned out by the screaming as your knee pops out of joint. :D :D :D
 
#13 ·
In order to convert your 07 to a kick start, you need a 2000-03 cam cover so you can use a kick option DYNA ingnition, then cut off the sporty trans and put a big twin trans behind it, then you will be able to kick start it.

Yeah, lost of monney and time, but it is possible....Roach.
 
#17 ·
The older ones have a reputation for the kicker gears ratcheting and the kick arm freefalling through. It travels in an arc (I guess all kickers do) and if you lock your knee while you're kicking, it tries to fold your knee backwards. Not fun.That being said, if your kicker gears, bushings, and spring are all in good shape, it doesn't happen very often.
Then all you have to worry about is the engine kicking back.
You didn't lock your knee again did you?
Larry T
 
#20 ·
You didn't lock your knee again did you?
Larry T
If you're reffering to me, then yes, i did.

I think about it everytime I've kicked since the first time it happened, and just a week prior to this last incident I thought, hmm, she sure has been treating me good lately. Then AHHHHHHH!

After 3 weeks of wating for the swelling to go away, I finally decided to go the doctor. Fractured tibia, a leg brace hinged at the knee, and crutches for the last 6 weeks. I can finally start limping around now. Yippee.
 
#21 ·
It all in the timing. Yeah, gears miss from time to time, but a correctly timed(for kickstarting) motor is not all that hard to start. If it starts easy, then, you don't have to kick as hard. Been riding the old 900's since the 70's, and still have a few, and they are all kickstart. Never overextended my knee, although, I have slipped a few times and slapped my calf a few times.
 
#24 ·
Don't get it it's 2010 fer fucks sake what's wrong with a button??--ya want something with a kicker on it buy a dirt bike er some old iron--shit i had shovels and iron heads back when that didn't have kickers and if the starters failed i push started em
 
#27 ·
Up until a few years ago, I used to kick over my '74 IH on a regular basis, mostly due to the stock Hitachi piece-of-shit starter not being worth it's weight in yen.
But after the kicker gears started wearing, and in turn, busting my calf and ankle more than a few times, I decided that riding on a regular basis and walking WITHOUT a limp was the way to go.
I've been up on two wheels for 30-plus years, and I'd like to put in at least TWICE as many more before checking out.
I installed a Tech Cycle starter on the old heartbreaker and never looked back.
Everyone's got their priorities, and those are mine.
 
#28 ·
Problem: don't want to look uncool starting your bike.

Solution: find an old kick starter lever, shaft and return spring. It can come from any bike. Weld a piece of piping on the frame for the shaft to fit through. Then small plate right under the kick starter. Re route your wiring so that one lead from the starter button is on the back side of the kick lever and the other on that plate. Make it so they contact each other when the lever comes down. Now put on a biltwell or brixton hat, turn your bike on and kick your new kick starter lever holding it down untill the bike runs. Now you look cool and no one has to know.
 
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