Why was kick start eliminated?

Why was kick start eliminated by yamaha?
Curious because my 81 doesnt have it and it seems to come in handy on these bikes!

81 xj

thanks

 

To the best of my knowledge, from the small bit of information i've been able to find on this particular topic, Yamaha seems to have nixed the kick-starter to try to help save weight on these bikes. I'm with you .... I'd love to have one :-/

Don't forget to add the details of your bike to your sig!

 

When that happened a Yamaha dealer colleague theorized that you're right about saving weight, and that it also saved costs, and the mfr. was making a big sales point of Electric starting as so much better than kick. So they decided eliminating the kick starter entirely was a good marketing move.

Can't swear that's true, just a dealer's opinions I heard at the time. I'm with y'all: I'd like to have the option.

 

I too would like to have a backup way to start my bike (besides a hill). But I can't imagine it being all that easy to kick start a 750.

 

I'm with all of you's on the kick starter idea.
Just today, I was commenting to my gal about having a kick starter on the bike, She asks "Why the hell would you want one of those anyways"?
So I had to explain (real slow) on just why they were a good idea. I grew up with kick starters on my bikes and I just got used to the idea of swinging my leg over the seat and kicking the engine to life. Life was so much easier back then, and I miss that.
Just as so many of us would like to simplify the electrical system on our bikes and get rid of all the crap we don't need (connectors and relays, etc.)
It is better to have just what you need and if things would go wrong, you know right away where to look for the problem. Simple.
I miss the days when you could tune an engine by ear and set the points with a matchbook cover. I miss my kick starter too.

 

I gotta say, the all time best reason for a kick starter:
You just look so cool doing it!

You come walking out of the cafe, flick your butt away (directly into an approved receptacle), toss your empty coffee cup over your shoulder (and right into the recycle bin), swing your leg over, stand for a moment and then BaROOM!!! Coolest guy on the block rides off into the sunset.

oh yeah.

-c

 

a friend of mine had a yamaha 500 single lunger (xs i think?) that was a kick start...

i NEVER got it started. ever...

give me the electric start everytime (it starts). you can keep it when it wont!

ive push started my bike more than i like to admit and its hard to push it down the block to get it started...

 

Riding British bikes, I got used to the idea of swinging my leg over and kicking the engine to start it... and kicking... and kicking... and sweating... and cursing Lucas... and cursing Whitworth... and on and on.

Don't think I looked as cool as you did, though I guess my heatstroke may have made me look like I'd been on a sunny beach.

 

This is my first bike without a kick start... I was looking for it

 

I would rather have an electric start as well, but back then. whenever a bike was released with a kick AND an electric start, the motorcycle press used to slate it, saying that obviously the manufacturer didn't have enough confidence in the electric boot.

 

gcrick,
I hear ya there. I noticed the old Triumphs and Harleys were a different story when it came to kick starting. I thought about that issue right after I posted my last statement too. I'm sure those riders were more than happy to see the electric starter come on those bikes!
I noticed some of the bigger bikes came with an automatic compression release built into the engine to make it easier on the kick starter and the riders leg.

 

If I remember rightly, Honda were the first to do away with kick starters. The early Goldwings had an "emergency" starter which lived under the false tank cover, and was very difficult to use. After about 2 years, even this vanished.

Whilst I too would like to have a kickstarter on the XJ900 (and, Thefox, it wouldn't be hard to kick over. It's the size of individual cylinders x compression ratio that determines that. Starting a 900 should be no harder than a 250 single) we should remember that having one adds more than just the weight of the lever, provides a convenient escape route for oil, and is something else to wipe off in even a low speed crash.

In the past though, kickstarters performed the useful job of stopping motorcyclists from wearing flared jeans. Anybody else ever get one stuck up their trouser leg?

 

Oh ya, that bring back some memories now. I can't remember how many times I swung my leg over the seat and stuck the kickstrarter up my pant leg!! I think that's when I quit wearing bellbottoms. They would flap in the wind too much anyways. PD