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Which do you prefer?

Left-Side
4 (33.3%)
Right-Side
6 (50%)
Pull-Cord
0 (0%)
Electric Start
1 (8.3%)
Clutch + Down-Hill
1 (8.3%)

Total Members Voted: 12

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Author Topic: Kickstarters: Left or Right?  (Read 13390 times)

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Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2010, 01:23:37 PM »
That would mess me up pretty bad.  I already have enough trouble with the 120 and the way it shifts.  It was made before there was that big agreement about the shifting order.  So instead of 1-N-2-3-4, it goes 4-3-2-1-N-4-3-2-1-N-4-3-2-1-N etc.  You can shift directly from neutral into fourth, and fourth into neutral.  And, to shift up, you push the shifter down, hence the reverse ordering above.  It's really nice when you're banging through the gears, 'cause you can just stomp your foot a couple of times rather than trying to thread it in there.  But, on a hill it's just vicious.  You keep thinking, "Am I in first?  I don't want to check, because if I am, I'll go to neutral and just stop."  And when you're on a fast road, you think, "Am I in fourth?  Let's try another gear." WIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG "Okay, there's neutral, so I was in fourth!"  The only think it's really good for is compression-starting the bike at 45mph.  Oh, you'll impress the hell out of people with that one.
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Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline riffraff

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2010, 02:07:35 PM »
One time when I was young I was riding a friends Bultaco (R/H shift), flying down a straight away and up pops the 90 degree flat turn, I stomped and the shifter with my right foot and was dancing on the brake with my left foot trying to downshift... blasted straight off the edge of the trail through the orchard  :o
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Offline riffraff

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2010, 02:09:40 PM »
Oh yeah, we're talking around '74 or so Bultaco 350 Alpine I think.
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Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2010, 02:23:01 PM »
I had no idea they were backwards as late as that.
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Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline riffraff

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2010, 02:32:17 PM »
Bike may have been slightly earlier year but was definitely a early 70's vintage, oh and it was actually an Alpina,
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Offline SachsGS

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #20 on: May 09, 2010, 02:44:41 PM »
When we were kids my dad would drag home every old bike under the sun and we would fix it and ride it.At one point we had a Ossa, Ducati, Bridgestone ,Bultaco and a Sachs. Some shifted up, some down, some on the right and some on the left. After a while we could move from bike to bike without a problem, roaring around the neighbourhood.
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Offline opfermanmotors

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #21 on: May 12, 2010, 12:23:07 AM »
I have a very strange kicker set up on one of my bikes.  I cut the center cases and I mounted the kicker in the MIDDLE of the engine.  Yes, this is a middle kicker, that way lefties and righties cannot complain.  It is a bit hard to get your foot between the carb, the gas tank, the monoshock and the frame but its doable.  Every once in a while you brake your ankle when it you get a kick back and your foot is lodged between the monoshock and the frame. 

A lot of people I talked to actually prefered it because it makes them feel like Jackie Chan.  When the big bore is cold you can actually get in a few push ups while attempting to kick it over as the side ways superman is one of the easier positions to be in while using the middle kick.  One of the guys I know was a quite a whimp and he takes off the carb, then kicks the bike over and puts the carb back on.  He's got thick thighs I guess.

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Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #22 on: May 12, 2010, 12:16:29 PM »
Actually, that sounds like a good idea.  Make the starter such that it can fold out either way, so that it's exactly like a right-side kick, or a left-side.  It'd be a hell of an engineering pain, but I think it might be possible.  Way too much trouble than it's worth, but possible.
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Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline SachsGS

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #23 on: May 12, 2010, 05:24:56 PM »
The old BMW boxers had a kickstart that pivoted out of the side of the motor.
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Offline maicoman009

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #24 on: May 22, 2010, 11:40:44 AM »
It does'nt really matter too much to me as long as the bike starts but if I have to pick left or right side I'll have to go with left side like those good ol' German bikes use to have!However I don't think I'll be disconnecting the E-start on my KTM anytime soon either!!! ;)
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Offline riffraff

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #25 on: May 22, 2010, 12:23:09 PM »
Don't forget the awesome Swedish bikes with the L/H kick starter ;D and I found out the '75 Alpina could be changed from L/H shift to R/H shift  ???

"Like the rest of the 1975 Bultacos, the Alpina now comes standard with a left-foot shift and right-side braking, but. . .the design of the rear hub and the continuation of the shifter shaft through both sides of the engine will allow anyone who prefers it the old way the option of making an easy switch back. That's neat."
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Offline JETZcorp

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #26 on: May 22, 2010, 04:07:59 PM »
Man, the clever engineering solutions they come up with these days... no wait, that's not right.

Man, the clever engineering solutions they came up with those days!  There, that's better.
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Is this Maico a 440 or only a 400?  Well in all the confusion, I forgot myself.
But considering this is a 1978 Magnum, the best-handling bike in the world, you have to ask yourself one question.
Do you feel lucky, punk?

Offline riffraff

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Re: Kickstarters: Left or Right?
« Reply #27 on: May 22, 2010, 04:26:33 PM »
Then again, my 1972 Yamaha 125 AT2 had the obligatory Japanese R/H kick starter but it also had an electric starter. This is what it looked like before I turned it into an off-roader


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aaahhhhh yes, I remember the good old days
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