Forum

[Chug666]

Hi all,

Sorry to bombard the board with speculative questions about bikes I don't own... The most recent one to catch my eye is an 09 EFI, which seems to be the only year it was missing the kickstart. Could this cause any problems? The romantic in me likes the idea of having the option or a kickstart but its not a deal beaker as long as the electric bits are reliable enough without the mechanical fallback.

As per previous posts, any views would be very welcome. This is a really helpful forum and thank you to anyone who has contributed- one day I might even end up buying a bike!!!

[sofiaspin]

They all have kick starts as far as I'm aware perhaps the owner removed it (easy). Just pull the trigger and stop agitating you will have a ball.

[Gwilly]

I think the classic C5 had no kickstart in that year. Thing is the sprag is more reliable, and is easier to replace than the older models..

Pays and takes yer choice i reckon.. Personally i like the kickstart as backup..

[CGT 535]

Chug


I have a 09 Electra EFI without a kickstart - no real problems with it so far! However, I'd much rather it had the kickstart but I understand it's quite a lot of work/cost to fit one.

[Gwilly]

[PeteF]

Strange. I know of two of the first year imports. A Classic without KS and an Electra with KS. I thought all Electras had them.
The models without KS had the boss on the engine case but was just blank (not blanked off - just never machined) so I suppose a KS could be fitted. You would need to replace (or machine) the case and add some bits inside.

[Rattlebattle]

As has been said, the early ones had no kickstart but can be converted. Personally I'd go for a kickstart one. You can use it to free the clutch (I need to as the bike is not in daily use) and for turning the crankshaft for maintenance etc. Also, I find that kick starting from cold is a good way to determine the current state of engine tune. Mine always starts on the button from cold but won't start on the kickstart from cold unless the spark plug is not fouled. See thread on rich running. It always starts first kick when everything is ok. All in all I'd have a kick starter version, the later the better. Just my tuppence worth.