Eliminating the Kickstart

[Frank Castle]

can i drive a scooter without a kickstart??, i hardly ever use it...i was taking off the cvt cover just to check which drive belt model i had and my kick start got out of alignment so i was thinking of just taking it off. My gasket also came apart so now i gotta buy a new gasket >:(

[carasdad]

can i drive a scooter without a kickstart??, i hardly ever use it...i was taking off the cvt cover just to check which drive belt model i had and my kick start got out of alignment so i was thinking of just taking it off. My gasket also came apart so now i gotta buy a new gasket >:(
You can..but why? One day when your Battery is dead..you are gonna wish you had it. Getting it realigned is simple. You take the cover off..lift up on the Idle Gear..rotate the the kicker shaft an inch or two and realign the gears. In regards to needing a new cover gasket. I don't think I know anyone on any of these Scooter forums that replaces them when they tear etc. The CVT area is not fluid filled and does not even need a gasket. Anyway..pull the cover..tinker with your kicker gear and idle gear to align them..it's lots easier than you think..and having a kick start as a back up..sure beats the hell outta walking home..or worse yet pushing the Scoot home when a dead battery occurs..:ugh:
Glenn

[inuyasha]

Hi
Glenn is 100 % correct and i would follow his advice
Take care and ride safely
Yours Hank

[Frank Castle]

You can..but why? One day when your Battery is dead..you are gonna wish you had it. <snip>

you are right, forget about the gasket, im gonna be putting back the kick start soon and i found out what belt model my scoot has its a: bando 835 20 30, it was in good condition also, messed up my kickstart for being curious :hmm:

[Rhompin45]

Ya I don't have a kick starter on mine. I used to use mine quite abit but it broke so I removed it. There is no real benifit to it gone. I found a new on for around 40$ I am thinking about getting a new one.

[carasdad]

you are right, forget about the gasket, im gonna be putting back the kick start soon and i found out what belt model my scoot has its a: bando 835 20 30, it was in good condition also, messed up my kickstart for being curious :hmm:
Untrue my friend..you have messed up nothing. You have just learned how your Scooter works. Anything learned is not a loss...anything not learned IS a loss.. So take that Chippewa proverb..and know you did well..
Glenn..AKA.. Yayiima benatigee
:tup:

[larrball]

So True and the fact you checked your belt, say's alot.

With a 50 cc scoot it's a bad day if a belt breaks, with a bigger scoot puchin or calling a friend with a pick-up truck to get you back is a REALLY BAD DAY!

[larrball]

So True and the fact you checked your belt, say's alot.

With a 50 cc scoot it's a bad day if a belt breaks, with a bigger scoot puchin or calling a friend with a pick-up truck to get you back is a REALLY BAD DAY!

>:(

[Frank Castle]

Untrue my friend..you have messed up nothing. You have just learned how your Scooter works. Anything learned is not a loss...anything not learned IS a loss.. So take that Chippewa proverb..and know you did well..
Glenn..AKA.. Yayiima benatigee
:tup:

thanks glenn, you the man

So True and the fact you checked your belt, say's alot.

With a 50 cc scoot it's a bad day if a belt breaks, with a bigger scoot puchin or calling a friend with a pick-up truck to get you back is a REALLY BAD DAY!

thanks, just trying to be preventive

[cheapeto]

The one item I really dont like about my BR is not having a kick start. I'd love to add one, as I know one day, I'll turn that key and silence will greet me 200 miles from home.
My 150 I never use the key, 1 kick and she's running.

[epyon96r]

I took mine off and did not need it, but really, I should have left in on just in case.

[gitsum]

I use my kick start to rotate the engine to TDC when adjusting the valves.

[carasdad]

The problem people have with kick starters is that if they battery goes low or the scoot won't crank after a few minutes...they use the kicker as a "STOMP" Starter.. If it won't fire up cranking it..it won't fire up by stomping it either..>D Even Yamaha..Honda and other Japanese made bikes..will shear the kicker off if stomped on to hard and too often.. They are a BACKUP means of starting...not a primary means.. But even if they were a primary means..folks would continue to jump 3-4 feet up in the air..before coming down on the kick lever to start it...:hmm: These are 50-150cc bikes..not 1,200cc 1963 Harley Davidsons..:lmao:
Glenn

[Frank Castle]

The problem people have with kick starters is that if they battery goes low or the scoot won't crank after a few minutes...they use the kicker as a "STOMP" Starter.. If it won't fire up cranking it..it won't fire up by stomping it either..>D Even Yamaha..Honda and other Japanese made bikes..will shear the kicker off if stomped on to hard and too often.. They are a BACKUP means of starting...not a primary means.. But even if they were a primary means..folks would continue to jump 3-4 feet up in the air..before coming down on the kick lever to start it...:hmm: These are 50-150cc bikes..not 1,200cc 1963 Harley Davidsons..:lmao:
Glenn

hey glen, whats the correct way to kick start a scoot, i dont know if mine cameout from when i took off the cvt cover or it came undone before that when i started it one day with the kick start? :hmm:

[Rhompin45]

To kick start it you have to find the compression stroke. To do this put your foot on the kick starter and somewhat lightly push down until it becomes harder. Then release to the top of the kick postion and stomp down. How hard varies on the motor and how much compression it has. These scoots don't require very much. But if you were to step on someone's foot it would still hurt

[carasdad]

To kick start it you have to find the compression stroke. To do this put your foot on the kick starter and somewhat lightly push down until it becomes harder. Then release to the top of the kick postion and stomp down. How hard varies on the motor and how much compression it has. These scoots don't require very much. But if you were to step on someone's foot it would still hurt

As he said! Also..wanna make it easier and also be able to get to the compression stroke better? Take off the kicker lever..then re-intall it at about 2:00 O'Clock vice parallel to the ground as they come from the factory.. Works like a charm..AND it will also keep them from bottoming out and breaking the CVT cover or ruining the kicker gears inside..:tup: Remember it is just a good firm stepping down on it..not a Flying Ninja jump and stomp..as I see so many folks do.. Looks like they are trying to kill Rats on the Sidewalk instead of starting their Scoot..:lmao:

[Rhompin45]

Haha I could just imagine people jumping through the air to kick start one.

[scooter]

I recently took my cover off to put a gates belt on. My first scoot and I've never been in one. I also got my kickstart misaligned because I used it as a crutch to hold the crankshaft so I could loosen the sheeve nut. Bad bad bad idea. Anyway in about 10 minutes of toying I got it back in alignment but the spring kept kicking out just enough where my cover wouldn't go back on. So I put discovered I could put the cover back on with the kick start shaft poked through just enough to get the lever back on. I was able to put a little pressure on the lever to align everything so the pin would go in the hole on the cover. Hope this makes sense and helps. I also broke some cooling fins with my method. But I call that "stage 1 weight reduction". : /

[Rhompin45]

I know exactly what you mean. Mine broke a fin off but the but still didn't come off. Needless to say mine was in 4 pieces before I stoped and nut was still attached. I got a new one from scrappy dog scooter. (20 something bucks) and a 50$ electric impact wrench from harbor freight. And bam done 2 seconds later nut was off. Well worth it. I'm sure I will eventually need it again...

[scooter]

Yeah, impacts are nice. I just have this crazy notion of doing things without technology. I feel the need to engineer ways around it. It takes me 3 times as long sometimes but when I get it done my beer tastes so much better. I used a spanner wrench with a piece of 12 gauge steel I cut into a strip and bent into a circle. I bent the strip of steel so it would slide in the inside of the fins. I tightened my spanner wrench onto that and put a 12" cheater on it. I held that while I used my 1/2 ratchet to get the nut off. Didn't cost me any money, take about 3 times as long, and my impact was sitting right there in the bottom drawer of my Snap-On box. Goofy, but when I got it done I watched the sunset with my faithful dog and my Dos Equis and had a feeling of awesomeness because I didn't run my power bill up starting the compressor. And my granddad, the rigger of the planet and my absolute hero, was watching me from upstairs smiling up a storm. I'm the only one in the family other than him to join the military. He served in WWII and Korea, I went to Kuwait for my very first deployment in 1997 when we bombed Afghanistan. He learned how to use email just so he could let me know he loved me every day and ask me about what I was doing. He died then I did 3 more tours between Iraq and Afghanistan. So yeah, it was worth it. You didn't need to know all of that but I'm just explaining why I attempt to engineer the things I do and make it harder on myself. It's a tribute actually. HAHAHA.