Hitchcocks Forum

Got my 500 ES Classic back on the road after 2 years and I`m loving it. Problem is I`ve lost the knack of kick starting it. Before, when it had points you turned it over `till the ammeter moved to zero then kicked. Now I have fitted the Boyer electronic conversion every time I turn it over the ammeter goes to zero?

Is this right or have I got a wire crossed somewhere. It`s not a major problem as the electric boot is working, for now, but I want to master the kick starting before the ES packs up.

Same procedure as kick starting the current EFI model
Once the piston has passed TDC on the compression stroke you're good to go for a one kick start

Can you try it with someone else's? .... so you can HEAR the right noise the engine makes when it is in the right place. (I have practised NOT looking at the ammeter on mine, getting it to what I think IS the right place to start on the decompressor and then checking the ammeter's in the right spot.) This IS Easy with a bit of practice.

Good luck, Chris

Hi Ivor----- recently I bought a Bullet '65 which also has been fitted with electronic ignition in the past and it also does what you are describing....And for a while my ghast was flabbered !!....I suspect that the ignition unit fires at just before TDC on both the Compression Stroke ( ie when the old points opened and the Ammeter went to zero )----AND the Exhaust Stroke...This is known as the "Wasted Spark" idea and is quite popular on Jap. parallel twins eg}--- My 1963 (I'll just repeat that )---- my 1963 Honda CB160 was so fitted...For the twins it means just 1 set of points and 1 coil with a double HT lead outlet is needed...........But I digress..The old method that you mentioned was never correct in the first place...What you really needed was the piston in the same place ( ie}--at the top of a stroke ) but on the INDUCTION stroke not the power stroke..or 360 degrees further on...This now means that when you depress the kickstarter the crank has only to rotate ONCE before the piston arrives at TDC Compression stroke, fueled-up and with lots of flywheel inertia to take it past ignition point and then start-up....The old idea would require your kickstarting boot to provide the crank with TWO revolutions before arriving at the same start-up point along with the appropriate loss of flywheel inertia...For a cold start, having primed the carb using 3 turns of the crank with the choke lever depressed. ...I now release the choke--get the piston onto compression, then using the de-compressor I turn the engine over just that bit more to get the piston on the Induction stroke..then depress the kickstarter "with extreme prejudice" !! OK, it's a matter of "guesstimation" to a certain degree but once you've got the idea it works a treat !!

Well those last few contributions got me thinking ( but don't tell er indoors !!) so I've been down to The Red Baron in the garage and had a more informed look at things.....It's fitted with a Boyer Bransden Micro Mk1V unit and I've now noticed that the Ammeter needle swings to the -ve and after a second or so goes back to zero when starting..........must be because it's an inductive trigger with two magnetic heads NOT physical points that are either open or shut...CHRIS, I took onboard your comment and tried this following method}---- Ignoring the Ammeter altogether I depressed the choke lever, operated the De-compressor and gave 3 turns of the engine.....I lifted the choke lever and brought the piston up to TDC on compression by "Feel" through my boot.......Now, opening the De-Com. I slowly depressed the kickstarter and simultaneously looked for that second blip on the ammeter... It didn't take much but once seen it just took a goodly prod with the size 9 and she fired up !!............I then repeated this 6 to 8 times and she fired-up on every one !!...........Points people wont get that 2nd blip but will have to guesstimate as mentioned previously......IVOR, does that help any ??

Never look at the ampmeter, From cold I'l prime the motor with a couple of swings withe key off, them key on push k/s to compression, using the decompressor ease over TDC & a long heavy swing on the k/s usually gets the desired result

.. and maybe listen for a sort of whooosh sound that I obviously don't know how to spell. It'll tell you where you are in the process.

Thanks guys. Good advice from all. I will try it out tomorrow when I head off to Kempton.

------and I bet it'll be fine !!