Kick starter

[dave bushell]

At what point should the kick starter engage? 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, 11 o’clock?
Dave

[Deleted User]

mine engages where it feels like it , about 10 o’clock

[dave bushell]

Thanks for your response Barrie.
Dave

[Deleted User]

@Barrie wrote:

mine engages where it feels like it , about 10 o’clock

since your Question I have been making a mental note ,seems to be quite random due to the teeth on the pawl but seems to fall into the 9.30 10 o’ clock.
It’s not a particularly good position to kick from but I suppose I’ve been spoilt by Japanese and Harley davidson kick start mechanisms in the past

[dave bushell]

Mine was engaging at 9 O’clock, and as you say, not a very good position to engage. I removed the pawl and found that it had been ground down sometime in the past. I have replaced the pawl with a new one that I had in my spares stock, and the kick-start now engages at 10 O’clock plus. Much better!
Dave

[Deleted User]

I think I will have a look at mine then, it sounds like a vast improvement

[scott596]

Hi Dave it all depends on where the ratchet wheel stops when you stop the engine if your kickstart lever doesn`t engage untill the 9 o`clock position then move the lever down half an inch and then let the lever come up again and see if the pawl drops into the next tooth on the ratchet wheel at a higher position, you might also find that the kickstart boss has started to move round anti clockwise ever so slightly. Alan Noakes. scottworkshop@hotmail.co.uk

[lewis onions]

I have this frustrating problem with the kick starter on my Clubman Special which will not engage at best until about the 9.00 position. Consequently only one or two kicks from many are sufficient to spin the engine sufficiently. Inspection suggests that the boss could do with moving clockwise to allow the pawl to engage earlier. Is it the case that the boss can only be adjusted by removing the front cover of the gearbox? If so any pitfalls to avoid?

[dave bushell]

I have checked out several gearbox end covers and kickstart bosses and there are quite a few differences! I have two that have a strap across the top three gearbox studs/bolts with a tang that engages with the kickstart boss and prevents the boss from rotating, plus the strap has the kickstart stop. I have two where the boss is retained in position by a screw, and one with no evidence of any positional fixing.
The pawl cut out in the bosses appear to vary considerably, ranging from starting at the 10 O’clock position to one that starts at just past the 12 O’clock position. So the point at which the pawl, and thus the kickstart engages will vary considerably.
As I stated in my earlier post, the reason my Prototype Clubman Scott kickstart didn’t engage until the 9 O’clock position was down to the pawl having broken in the past and re ground. It was nearly a 1/4″ shorter than the new one. With a new pawl it now engages at the 10 O’clock position. I am tempted to either rotate the boss or increase the slot slightly to allow the kickstart to engage at the 11 O’clock position for better engine rotation.
And yes Alan, I had used your ” trick” of slightly rotating the kickstart, but it didn’t improve things very much.
Dave.

[Deleted User]

I don’t prfess to know why mine does not have this problem.
My kick start engages every time at between 10 and 11 o’clock.

A new pawl to the original factory drawing will not – in fact it might engage at about 9 o’clock but will slip more often than not even then.

I had a box of bits supplied with the bike with various odds and ends and among these bits were two, probably home made, pawls.
In desperation I tried one of these and it seems to have cured all the issues at once – happy days…

I attach a picture of a standard pawl ( yes its now on its way back to you Eddie- had not forgotten) and the not well made, but succesful home made one.
I did clean up the tip and ensured it fully engaged with the gear.

Someone might be able to use that information.

S

[dave bushell]

The position of where the pawl slot begins controls the point at which has the pawl engages, the solid part of the boss disengages the pawl when the kickstart returns to the home position. It therefore means that a shortened pawl,ie. a reground/broken pawl, means that the kickstarter has to be rotated farther before the pawl will engage with ratchet.
Dave

[Deleted User]

so the answer is to grind out a small amount of the lead face off of the slot in the boss which controls the engagement of the pawl,
replacing or rebuilding of the pawl, also the inner profile of it can be ground back to advance engagement

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