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KIck starterS....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
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A

Anonymous

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Hey guys,
This may be a silly question, but when did suzuki stop putting kick starts on the bikes? I have a 1980 GS550 and it's electric only, I guess thats my only real pet peave with the bike. Don't suppose a kicker could be retro-fit, could it :?: :P
 
Re: KIck starterS....

1979 was the last year for kickstart. No, its really not practical to retrofit a kickstart to a later model.

Earl


zaboz said:
Hey guys,
This may be a silly question, but when did suzuki stop putting kick starts on the bikes? I have a 1980 GS550 and it's electric only, I guess thats my only real pet peave with the bike. Don't suppose a kicker could be retro-fit, could it :?: :P
Click to expand...
 
I had a 1979 GS850G for a couple of years. It was the only GS I've owned with a kickstart. I probably used the kickstart twice in the time I had it. It has very little leverage, the crank moves only a fraction of a revolution, and it's just plain dumb. I'm glad Suzuki removed it from the 850 the following year. I've had an 80 GS850, two 82's, and now my 1100GK. None of these have a kickstarter, and I never missed it.

Why do you need a kickstart? For the same reason one needs a handcrank for a car. It's silly, and totally unnecessary. If the bike is roadworthy, if the electrics are functioning properly, then you need a kickstarter like a hole in the head.

Nick
 
Could be Handy

Could be Handy

Hey Nick,

These old bikes don't always stay road-worthy and the electrics don't always function properly. For that reason, a kick starter might come in handy......of course, it wouldn't come in nearly as handy as a steep hill!!! :D
 
These old bikes don't always stay road-worthy and the electrics don't always function properly. For that reason, a kick starter might come in handy......

Nonsense. All our bikes are old. Even my 1984 GK is 19 years old. If the electrics are old, one replaces the wires, connections, etc., with quality components. Age is no excuse for failure to keep a bike in tiptop mechanical and electrical shape.

Our obligation as GS owners is to stay right on top of these old bikes and continue maintaining them in top shape, and riding them to our hearts' content.

Nick
 
Hey how do you keep it in tip top shape when it is always on its side in the driveway??
 
You keep it in top shape by:
1. Getting it back into perfect shape in the first place.
2. Maintaining it religiously.
3. Riding the hell out of it.

One of the worst enemies of our beloved bikes is being neglected -- not ridden and not maintained.
 
Nick Diaz said:
You keep it in top shape by:
1. Getting it back into perfect shape in the first place.
2. Maintaining it religiously.
3. Riding the hell out of it.

One of the worst enemies of our beloved bikes is being neglected -- not ridden and not maintained.
Click to expand...

I've presently got three bikes, but the (non-shaft) GS is the main one. I put between 12 - 15,000 on it a year, stay on top of the maintenance and listen to my (very good) mechanic. And of course give him a lot of money.

I haven't been on the bike now for over two hours, but last I knew it was running sweet.

I agree - I'd almost rather buy a GS with 60K that was somewhat regularly ridden (or owned by Hap) than a 20-year old bike with 15K.
 
ccammers said:
Hey how do you keep it in tip top shape when it is always on its side in the driveway??
Click to expand...
Firt i would like to say GO BURY YOURSELF UNDER A SNOW BANK 8O :D
I wasnt talking about the engine guards and foot pegs :lol:
BUT i spend many hours a year touching up electrical connections. I also made new battery, starter motor and solenoids cables. I even got the job done with a bit of coaching from JB. I have done the same to my 1980 yammy and found many horribly rusty connections and cables.
Its cheap insurance. I almost replaced the battery because of dirty connections on the starter button
 
Beating a dead horse....

Beating a dead horse....

Things don't always wear out when it's convenient and mechanical things break, even if you do the best you possibly can to prevent it. Batteries are precarious and problems occur. If you're out on the road and your engine won't turn over.......you'd have to be a half-wit not to at least WISH you had a kick starter (and understand how it might be helpful). I haven't recently had the need for one but I'm realistic enough to at least understand how it might come in handy. :roll:
 
I agree, trying to push start a GS400 is a pain in the but if it has saddlebags and camping gear on it. Actually, jumping on top of her without falling over is the hard part...
 
Fine, chuckycheese. Good luck putting a kickstarter on your bike.

Not once in 17 years of GS ownership has a bike of mine ever refused to start at the first push of a button. Dumb luck perhaps, but I doubt it.

Nick
 
I guess I better buy a car with a handcrank in case I leave my lights on and run down the battery..... :twisted:
 
I agree with Chucky. Not that I'd worry too much having a bike without a kick starter, but since I have one I wouldn't hesitate to use it if for instance I noticed my battery not charging some distance from home. I'm all for maintaining my bike to the best of my ability, there will always be unforseen failures an any mechanical device, it's a fact of life. Just ask NASA, and no one is more on top of their stuff than them. And however Suzuki designed the kick starter on my bike, it will start it up on the first kick.
 
This is getting out of hand!! I never said a word about putting a kick starter on my bike....only that it might come in handy. Understanding the difference should be fairly easy. As far as a crank starter on your car....you'd never be able to turn it. (If you still wish it had one....there's no harm in that!!) Analagies are good...but they've gotta' work.
 
Don't suppose a kicker could be retro-fit, could it

This is a direct quote, Chuckycheese, from your initial post. Pardon me (us) if I (we) misinterpreted your statement (question).
:wink:
Nick
 
What you man WE paleface. Thats what it sounded like to me also. I thought it was a ligitimate consideration for smaller sized engines because my yammy 650 still has a properly sized kick starter on it. I think it was the last year they put them on this bike.1980 I WOULD FALL ON MY BUT FOR SURE IF I TRIED TO USE IT. 8O
 
My Ural has both electric start and a kick, I always use the kick start as it provides excellent input as to the state of engine tune,if it doesn't start on the first or at the most, 2nd kick, it's time for a valve adjustment, plus I feel more of a connection to my machine, kind of a Zen thing I guess (if you don't start I'll kick you again!!!....)
 
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