Thread: kick starter

Just got finished (at least I thought I was finished) rebuilding a 1970 ct70 that I found in a junk pile 10 years ago. Had a problem keeping it going, and after numberous kick starts, I finally stripped the splines.
After reading a few stories of similiar situations, I guess my options are to take the entire engine apart (not my first choice), or welding it on. Does anybody have ANY other options? If it is welded on, it seems it would damage the seal, and I hate to take the engine apart (since I usually make things worse when I try and fix them).
Help!!!!

There are no other options unless you just want to push start it. Either weld it on or take the engine apart. It sounds like you may not want to try the second option. A mechanic will probably charge you 250 t0 300 bucks to replace it and thats only if they know what they are doing or even want to tackle it. It may be cheaper to just get a different bottom end with good shifter and kickstarter splines. I guess it ultimately comes down to you and how much you want to spend. No one ever said this little hobby was cheap. This job can be done but it does take patience, a few special tools, and a good shop manual. Good luck on whatever you decide.

Drill a hole through both the kicker and the shaft, take your time and make sure it is straight, and pin it with high grade bolt. Cheap easy fix I would think. Maybe I am missing something.

What part of the country are you in?? If you are close to Michigan I will help you put a new one in for $75.00 + parts.

I'm in California, but thanks for the offer!

That is exactly what I was thinking. Hopefully I can get a drill through it!

Just make sure you drill the hole in the shifter first, then put it on the shaft and use that drilled hole as a guide.

Ian

I was just over at a black-smith's shop, and he said there was NO way to drill through the hardened steel of the shaft. I'm going to try another shifter, and if that doesn't work I guess it's time to spot weld it. Thanks for all your comments.

I think it can be drilled but it takes a special bit. Shops usually wont attempt such a "jury rig" repair since they dont want to be liable if it fails or something gets broken in the attempt.


My old beater bike had the kick start welded several times and it never held for very long. I believe it is that the two different types of metal there just dont hold together well when welded. Another thing is the heat from welding melted the oil seal on the shaft and the motor leaked oil all the time afterwards.

I had the exact same problem. My engine ran well, so I wasn't ready to tear it apart until I could afford to. I used a 1/8" Carbide drill to drill through both the kickstart lever and shaft. (I made several attempts with a HSS drill but the kickstart arm and shaft are pretty hard). Run your drill slow and use oil to lube the bit. Once through I drove a 1/8" roll pin through. When it comes time to replace the assembly, I can simply drive the pin out with a punch.

To date, this fix has worked