kick start for 1982 xj650?

does anyone know if it Is possible to install a kick start for my 1982 xj650. if so how do i go about it and what is it going to set the bank back?

 

No, it's not worth your time.

 

Yikes! good luck turning that motor with your foot.. grin

Rob

 

I don't think a kick start is possible for these bikes. Wouldn't it have to be on the left side then?! Sounds like too much work to me, like crankcase work that I surely don't wanna mess with.

 

4 cyl bikes are easy to kick over - I remember kicking over my older brothers' Z900 when I was 12 :lol:

Now kicking over my XT500 single can be a tough job at times 8O

 

(In thick Russian accent' ) Whooo strong like bull....

LOL Rob

 

(shrugging)Why?.............would you want one?

 

I'm bump starting mine at the moment ... wo0t!

 

I used to start my 78 KZ650 with my hand.

I can't imagine how it could be much harder than that.

 

I think this is what you're wanting to do?

http://youtu.be/k2N5lkXgeh0

 

Early Xs1100 have kick starts so can not be that hard to kick over a big 4.
Al

 

It probably is possible but it would probably cost more than the bike to have it built. But thats just my opinion I could be wrong. I do not think you will find any parts to accomplish this on shelf. You would have to design them your self and modifie the crap out of that thing. I have yet to see an xj converted to a kick start.

 

How different are the XS650 from the XJ650...

cause this is a kickstart on an XS > youtu.be/k2N5lkXgeh0

 

I used to put my mini in 4th gear, pull the clutch, and scoot around kicking it.

+1 Hasersys , get the guts from another bike and "blend" them into the XJ motor, maybe fab a side cover, lots of welding and milling.

 

Spoken like a "younger person" who doesn't remember when ALL bikes were kick...not bustin your chops, just an observation. There is something to be said for strapping on your helmet, checking to be sure it's in neutral, turning the key and kicking your bike to life. Nearly all of my bikes have kickers, except the Vstrom and my 650 turbo....and I wish both of them did too.

Back in the day it was a sign that you knew how to maintain your machine when you could start it with just one kick. Regardless of what you may have heard, almost every engine was easy to kick. Some of the big, high compression singles and twins had to be slowly brought around to the compression stroke first but even some of them had compression releases. Believe it or not, one of the hardest to kick is my H2's. Being two strokes, the secendary compression is very low compared to a four strokes primary, you can even rotate the kicker with your arm....but the angle is such that some guys actually stood next to their bikes to start them!

Plunking into your seat and pushing a button just isn't the same, nor does it bring the same satisfaction.

jeff

 

How different are the XS650 from the XJ650...

There is a big difference between XS650 and XJ650; the Xs is a twin, SOHC, non YICS, tappets, points and a lot more. All so all the cosmetic and slight time differences, basically a completely different bike from the XJ.

 

Jeff,you hit it exactly! Put the kickstart on my sporty first year I bought it. About the same as how many people can drive a stick these days.

 

Personaly I would like to see a xj with a kick start. If it were easy I would have done it a long time ago.

 

I personally think that ALL bikes should at least have the capability of being converted. But that is just me.

 

I always considered it a "theft deterrent" on my Norton. (Kick-start only.) Because if you don't know what you're doing, you could kick it ALL DAY until blue in the face, and not get it lit.

Know the bike, and it lights first kick. (Which it still does, BTW.)

It would work on an XJ. Properly tuned, they'll light off with about a half a "crank." More like "cran-vroom." But no, there's no easy way to do it because of how the engine drives the trans. It would take major re-engineering.

 

So my question is could you possibly rip apart the starter clutch and rig a makeshift kick through that?

 

nice thought but the kicker wouldn't spin the motor far enough because it's setup for a fast starter motor with less power. the engine just won't move far enough with the rotation you could get from a kicker. even on a bike that starts with a tap of the button, the starter still spins at least 10 or 20 times

 

What you want is an XS650, or an XS850. Both have kickers. The XS1100 has a backup kicker.

 

Fascinating. I would say though, buy a bike with one on allready

 

My '79 GS850 had a kickstart (but the engine in at the moment is an '80, sans KS), so when I rebuild an engine to go into that, I'll be incorporating the '79 kicker, as it's just a casing with hole and the necessary shaft and gears, easily fitted to later engines. Once or twice I had to use it, and the bike started very easily indeed.

Now, in the far distant recesses of memory, I heard years ago that bikes sold in the Australian market had to be fitted with a kicker as backup. That requirement was dropped sometime in the late 70s or early 80s. That might all be nonsense of course, and possibly either memory playing tricks or a mis-heard story (or just someone else's bullshit). My point of mentioning this, is if it's true (and applied to some market, even if it wasn't Australia) then the XJ series might have been fitted with a kicker somewhere for a couple of years.

 

There is absolutely no provision in the XJ castings for a kickstarter.
The XS series of triples and fours did have kickstarters, and the castings didn't change even after the kickstarters were dropped. That mght be what you are thinking of.

 

No way you’re putting a kickstart on that bike easily. Enough time and money anything is possible. I understand the appeal, my KZ750 twin has a kick and even though the starter works fine I love kicking it over.

 

Seems I recall a heavily modified Xj that had a kicker added to it and was in one of our topics a few years back. It was an expensive project,iirc