Kick starter hard to push down

[steadyrider]

I have just re built the top end of my 1958 16MS after a circlip came out of one end of the gudgeon pin and put a lovely scrape down the barrel. I'll add at this point that I'm a youngster (at 54) and new to bike mechanics - my local section (North East) have helped me immensely. The engine came out and the case split and cleaned of swarf. I left the gearbox in throughout this process but the primary chain and clutch basket were removed.

The bike was put back together (after some issues with the head were rectified) and the engine runs fine.

I do however have a problem with the kickstart - there is plenty of compression. The engine kicks over fine with the decompression lever pulled in, the kickstarter springs back. When I let out the decompression lever - sometimes I have a normal action - ie reaches compression, goes over and the kick start returns..........but other times the kick start is hard to push down all the way from top to bottom like something is binding.

A club member inferred this may be the kickstart ratchet ?

[Andy G]

And if it is "binding", does using the deco lever mid stroke immediately release the resistance?

[Yves.Astein]

If the Kickstarter gets stuck at the verry top and you cant kick it down, the fault is very likely, a worn out gear tooth of the kickstarterlever. You can cure this problem by grinding of the first tooth that grabs into its counter gear when the kickstarter is at the very top. There are plenty of teeth left for the kickstarter to work fine.

If I remember right this is also explained in the gear box part of the manual. Or maybe in the overhauling article found in the Jampot Download area…. That Article might also inspire some more solutions, if the above does not apply.

Cheers Yves