SR 400 retro

[Burns]

I weighed about 120 lbs when I rode those things.  I didn't even try to kick them over the top of a compression stroke.  I'd put the bike in second and rock it backwards till the wheel stopped.  That put the piston on the top of the power stroke. A firm prod would spin it from there.
Once to prime (switch off) then the quest for fire began - switch-on, tickle the carb, (choke as temperature and experienced dictated) then give it a stab.  If Lucas was in a good mood that stab would wake up the motor and the neighborhood.  If not it was a good time to talk about Dick Mann or High School football.

This technique also saves you the pain of a "reverse power stroke" which is what you get when one of those things fired with the piston on the wrong side of TDC. 

[ribbert]

I weighed about 120 lbs when I rode those things.  I didn't even try to kick them over the top of a compression stroke.  I'd put the bike in second and rock it backwards till the wheel stopped.  That put the piston on the top of the power stroke. A firm prod would spin it from there.
Once to prime (switch off) then the quest for fire began - switch-on, tickle the carb, (choke as temperature and experienced dictated) then give it a stab.  If Lucas was in a good mood that stab would wake up the motor and the neighborhood.  If not it was a good time to talk about Dick Mann or High School football.

This technique also saves you the pain of a "reverse power stroke" which is what you get when one of those things fired with the piston on the wrong side of TDC.  

....keeping the knee slightly bent.

The technique if you stall one in heavy traffic is to jump off the bike, turn around to face the oncoming vehicles so you jump out of the way if need be and so only your bike gets run over, pray you don't get cleaned up and when a big enough gap appears push it to the side of the road and start the procedure Burns described. Although in your haste you'll probably muck it up and wish there was someone around to talk high school football with while contemplating upgrading to something with electric start, having just escaped being run over on a dead bike in the middle of the road.

As I said previously, electric start is one of the best improvements to bikes in the last 100 years.

Noel

[ddlewis]

I can't stop looking at reviews and pics of this bike.. so cool!  Like the idea of the kick start, less weight and complication. the FI probably makes it a reliable one-kicker which I could live with.  And I do love thumpers. 

but this is just too much money for what it is.. at least a grand too expensive new.  Also compared to the big dual-sports available that are more powerful, less/same weight, equally road capable plus offroad ability, with electric starts AND less expensive.. how can you justify that price on the SR?  You just gotta really want it.. I expect it will be a one and done model year with new 2014 still on the floor in two years.  Now that said, if one were to turn up cheap in a year or three and catch me with some extra cash, I could see having it.

[ribbert]

......Like the idea of the kick start, less weight and complication. the FI probably makes it a reliable one-kicker which I could live with. 

Haha, in your dreams! Read the thread. I can tell you for a fact (experience) that kick starts give more problems than starter motors.

I understand the appeal and the nod to yesteryear about kicking a big single thumper to life manually but in the real world the novelty would last couple of days. Like swinging the prop on a plane, a bit of fun the first few times then it just becomes a regular PIA.

Noel

[ddlewis]

Haha, in your dreams! Read the thread. I can tell you for a fact (experience) that kick starts give more problems than starter motors.

I understand the appeal and the nod to yesteryear about kicking a big single thumper to life manually but in the real world the novelty would last couple of days. Like swinging the prop on a plane, a bit of fun the first few times then it just becomes a regular PIA.

Noel

A "fact" straight from your rear end..    In my experience - never had a kick start fail.. fail to start, yes.  lever fall off and go MIA in the woods, yes  but not break.  Starter motors, not often but once in a while, break.  They're more complicated, its inevitable.

I'm not as far removed from the reality of kick starters as most, having owned a string of XR-R converted dual sports.  Most recently an 03 XR400R until 2011.  So I know all about dripping sweat and stomping on a kick lever.  I still have a little 4t dirtbike with kicker in the garage right now. (ridiculously easy to start too)

Usually (9/10) my bikes will start cold in two, warm in one.  but sometimes 3 and sometimes 5+..  sometimes they're too hot to start, sometimes they flood out.  I agree, you don't want to deal with that nonsense on a quick trip to the store for a loaf of bread.  But I've put up with it before and I would do it for the SR.  Like I said, betting the fuel pump/FI system makes it way more reliable 1 kick.

[rktmanfj]

......Like the idea of the kick start, less weight and complication. the FI probably makes it a reliable one-kicker which I could live with. 

Haha, in your dreams! Read the thread. I can tell you for a fact (experience) that kick starts give more problems than starter motors.

I understand the appeal and the nod to yesteryear about kicking a big single thumper to life manually but in the real world the novelty would last couple of days. Like swinging the prop on a plane, a bit of fun the first few times then it just becomes a regular PIA.

Noel

Just because some people can't figure out the drill for kick starting a particular bike doesn't mean that it can't be done.

In my experience, all of my kickstart only bike bikes (TL250, XT500, H2) were pretty reliable starters, once I learned what they required.  No, not as easy-peasy as thumbing a button each time, but it was pretty gratifying to be able to do it consistently.
I've not been able to keep the XT350 going long enough to figure it out...   

[mz_rider]

......Like the idea of the kick start, less weight and complication. the FI probably makes it a reliable one-kicker which I could live with. 

Haha, in your dreams! Read the thread. I can tell you for a fact (experience) that kick starts give more problems than starter motors.

I understand the appeal and the nod to yesteryear about kicking a big single thumper to life manually but in the real world the novelty would last couple of days. Like swinging the prop on a plane, a bit of fun the first few times then it just becomes a regular PIA.

Noel

I rode a friend's Kawasaki W650 recently. It has a kick start (as well as electric, of course) and I kicked it into life first time with surprisingly little effort.

[The General]

......Like the idea of the kick start, less weight and complication. the FI probably makes it a reliable one-kicker which I could live with. 

Haha, in your dreams! Read the thread. I can tell you for a fact (experience) that kick starts give more problems than starter motors.

I understand the appeal and the nod to yesteryear about kicking a big single thumper to life manually but in the real world the novelty would last couple of days. Like swinging the prop on a plane, a bit of fun the first few times then it just becomes a regular PIA.

Noel

This is weird. In Aus many are more expensive second hand than New! It has a top speed of only 120kmh. (according to this review http://www.bikepoint.com.au/content/reviews/road/yamaha/sr400/first-ride-2014-yamaha-sr400-44505). Note: the reviewer is very happy that it only takes 5 kicks to get it going thanks to the new age of fuel injection.

Yet the proven DR650 is the same price new and I can sit on mine 130 to 150kmh all day fully loaded with camping gear. (Dirt power slides?....no prob.)
It`s not a nod to yesterday at all....just moves my head alternatively left and right in ever diminishing movements!

[ddlewis]

...This is weird. In Aus many are more expensive second hand than New! It has a top speed of only 120kmh. (according to this review http://www.bikepoint.com.au/content/reviews/road/yamaha/sr400/first-ride-2014-yamaha-sr400-44505). Note: the reviewer is very happy that it only takes 5 kicks to get it going thanks to the new age of fuel injection.

Yet the proven DR650 is the same price new and I can sit on mine 130 to 150kmh all day fully loaded with camping gear. (Dirt power slides?....no prob.)
It`s not a nod to yesterday at all....just moves my head alternatively left and right in ever diminishing movements!

Well it is a ribbert-style FACT that the DR650 is the greatest motorcycle ever conceived of..    Seriously, I aggree.  How could you buy an SR4 with a cheaper/better in every quantifiable measure DR650 sitting beside it on the sales floor for LESS.  Like I said.. you just gotta really want it.  and i kinda do.

[The General]

...This is weird. In Aus many are more expensive second hand than New! It has a top speed of only 120kmh. (according to this review http://www.bikepoint.com.au/content/reviews/road/yamaha/sr400/first-ride-2014-yamaha-sr400-44505). Note: the reviewer is very happy that it only takes 5 kicks to get it going thanks to the new age of fuel injection.

Yet the proven DR650 is the same price new and I can sit on mine 130 to 150kmh all day fully loaded with camping gear. (Dirt power slides?....no prob.)
It`s not a nod to yesterday at all....just moves my head alternatively left and right in ever diminishing movements!

Well it is a ribbert-style FACT that the DR650 is the greatest motorcycle ever conceived of..    Seriously, I aggree.  How could you buy an SR4 with a cheaper/better in every quantifiable measure DR650 sitting beside it on the sales floor for LESS.  Like I said.. you just gotta really want it.  and i kinda do.

haha, I hear ya.....hmmmmm, hardly have ta change gears on the DR and don`t need the rear brakes much....a set of clip ons and placing my feet on the pillion foot pegs would be cool for the Mapleton Muster! (Might have ta practice the traditional Latte U turn me thinks). 

[Burns]

modern ignitions and fuel systems take a lot of the drama out of kick starting. My last xs650 was kick only ( I got rid of the battery when I put in an RD350 based permanent magnet charging system).  It had the Pamco (Hall effect) points eliminator which allowed much hotter coils.  Of course it is a twin, but it would fire on 1 easy prod hot or cold almost every time.

I have seen stripped splines on kick-shafts, so, yes they do break.

For me it is a weight question, if you are getting as light as possible losing the battery and starter motor has merit. But Yam pigged up that 400 anyway.

[Bones]

There's no fun in kick starting bikes, especially when their having a bad day and your running late for work.  My little Suzuki 2 stroke normally takes 1 to 5 kicks to start, but there's days when it could take 20 kicks. It's a lot easier pushing a button swearing than kicking your guts out swearing when they won't cooperate. In saying that though, all bikes should be fitted with both, I think from memory it was the XS1100 that came with an accessory kick start lever that was stashed on the bike somewhere and fitted in case of a flat battery to start.

[The General]

There's no fun in kick starting bikes, especially when their having a bad day and your running late for work.  My little Suzuki 2 stroke normally takes 1 to 5 kicks to start, but there's days when it could take 20 kicks. It's a lot easier pushing a button swearing than kicking your guts out swearing when they won't cooperate. In saying that though, all bikes should be fitted with both, I think from memory it was the XS1100 that came with an accessory kick start lever that was stashed on the bike somewhere and fitted in case of a flat battery to start.

Yep, I got one on mine. (Bit rusty though.).   I keep it with my Recue kit. (Racq details, puncture repair kit, basic tools & a six pak) 

[ribbert]

Haha, in your dreams! Read the thread. I can tell you for a fact (experience) that kick starts give more problems than starter motors.

I understand the appeal and the nod to yesteryear about kicking a big single thumper to life manually but in the real world the novelty would last couple of days. Like swinging the prop on a plane, a bit of fun the first few times then it just becomes a regular PIA.

Noel

A "fact" straight from your rear end..

It may be, but that is a rear end that has hovered puckered and poised over literally thousands of bike seats while kick starting them.

Noel

[ribbert]

The term "kick start" isn't really accurate in most cases. You kick start small capacity bikes and plunge start big ones. Only small capacity bikes can be started with the downward force of your leg only, bigger ones requiring the extra thrust of body weight. Depending where the piston is, you can stand with all you weight on a kick start lever and it won't move.

Someone suggested they should still have both, this makes no more sense than including crank handles with new cars. Modern bikes have electrical and fuelling systems that make them very reliable and flat batteries should no more of an occurrence than they are in a car.

Some of you may remember a few small capacity 2 strokes (may have even been a Yamaha) that used what was referred to as a "reverse alternator" to start the bike. Using the alternator as a starter motor. It was weird, because there was no sound. You pushed the button and the motor just started turning. I believe this technology is becoming popular again although I know little about its current use.


Who needs either:

Pull Start Volkswagen with strap on pulley


Noel