kick starter slip...

[stainlesscycle]

so i try not to stab the starter, but it's just starting to slip by on starts. when i load it up it's fine and solid, and when i do a regular start it's fine. race start this weekend and it didn't engage, had to double kick, and ended up last into the woods, very frustrating..........i'm going to tear it apart, but is the wear part usually the pinion gear, or is it the pinion gear spring that goes bad?

 

[skid jackson]

I just did this on my 11 250 I just replaced the spring but I'd get all three parts if yours is an 07 .... and don't for get to put the washer on the kick starter shaft before you tighten the last bolt on the side case cover and notice a washer in the corner of the parts bin ....

 

[GMP]

You will need all three at this point. My '07 did the same thing. Mark told me that some springs were weak, causing the ratchet not to be forced together completely, and therefore the teeth get worn. Its surprising that the bad parts look almost like the new parts, doesn't take much edge off the teeth to cause a problem. FWIW I don't ever slap kick it even on HS starts. I have the lever out with my boot on it and all the play taken up at the last warning before the flag.

 

[Jkosmo]

You will need all three at this point. My '07 did the same thing. Mark told me that some springs were weak, causing the ratchet not to be forced together completely, and therefore the teeth get worn. Its surprising that the bad parts look almost like the new parts, doesn't take much edge off the teeth to cause a problem. FWIW I don't ever slap kick it even on HS starts. I have the lever out with my boot on it and all the play taken up at the last warning before the flag.

After you replaced all three components did the kick starter grab at the top of its stroke? My bike starts to grab bout 1/3 or so into its stroke, is this usually caused by the weak springs? I think I'll just order all the pieces and tear it apart one of these weekends...

 

[stainlesscycle]

FWIW I don't ever slap kick it even on HS starts. I have the lever out with my boot on it and all the play taken up at the last warning before the flag.

i try to set it up the same..i press it through past tdc, and get ready to kick. usually the kicker starts dropping from the weight of my boot and i have to re-ratchet it up a bit. i try to wait until past '10 seconds' to load it up, but sometimes it just doesn't work that way

my 00 and 99 didn't have this issue...

 

[GMP]

On my '07 bike I have no trouble standing there on one foot and not moving the starter too soon, '12 may be a different story because of the added height. We'll see at the first HS next month with it, maybe I'll be borrowing my kids start stand. The problem is related to QC of the parts in question, design has not changed in years. If the parts start out good they don't fail, unless your a real kickstarter abuser (slap kicker), but that will hurt any bike. Mark told me awhile ago if you swap the spring at the first sign of trouble you should be fine, wait and the gears get damaged.

Jkosmo, with good parts it operates normally if assembled correctly. The failure mode is that you feel the ratchet partially engage but then it slips under load of compression and grabs the next index of teeth. If nothing happens until 1/3 of the stroke thats another issue, usually a reassembly problem though.

 

[Jkosmo]

Thanks for the info Glenn. I guess I'll pull it apart and see whats going on before I order the parts.

 

[gasser]

On my '07 bike I have no trouble standing there on one foot and not moving the starter too soon, '12 may be a different story because of the added height. We'll see at the first HS next month with it, maybe I'll be borrowing my kids start stand. The problem is related to QC of the parts in question, design has not changed in years. If the parts start out good they don't fail, unless your a real kickstarter abuser (slap kicker), but that will hurt any bike. Mark told me awhile ago if you swap the spring at the first sign of trouble you should be fine, wait and the gears get damaged.

For a temporary fix until you get a replacement spring you can stretch your weak spring out to gain more tension.

 

[stainlesscycle]

For a temporary fix until you get a replacement spring you can stretch your weak spring out to gain more tension.

heh, already did that this morning. works fine. there was some wear on the teeth of the ratchet pinion (the one that slides). i'll order the 2 gears later (it may be a long while.....)

 

[LAWMAN]

I had to replace all this on my '07 also.