Jun 24
Kickstarting a Royal Enfield with Hands
(download)
A slight detour from the Ladakh ride triplog…
I was getting my Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark serviced the other day and while chatting I mentioned my doubt about the older cast iron engines - that they take a lot of power to start. Never having tried one of those bikes, I believed what people riding the bikes had been telling - that they are not easy to start.
This guy grinned and demonstrated something I had not seen before: he decompressed the engine and instead of using his foot, with larger muscles to kickstart the bike, he used his hand. A nice way to demonstrate how easily one can start a well maintained engine. I asked for a re-run so I could make a quick video and share it. Here it is.Comments (6)
Jun 24, 2010
Jayaram said...
This is amazing man... so this means the bull is the easiest bike to start :)
Jun 24, 2010
nikhilkardale said...
Never thought I would see that! And the ease with which he was doing that, it seems that he has started an Enfield this way before. Also, a testament to bikes themselves!
Jun 24, 2010
David said...
Never try this. Even a perfectly adjusted motorcycle will kick back once in a great while. It is painful to your foot. Imagine what it would do to your wrist. The trick in starting the Enfield is often not power but distance: kick all the way through, don't ease off the kick as you approach the end of the motion. Happy riding.
Jun 24, 2010
Suyi said...
whoa.. :O
Jul 30, 2010
Kunal said...
Dude, it's not difficult to start a standard cast-iron engine RE with a kick. It's all a matter of time and adjusting with your bike's sensitive kick. Then it's all downhill from there - simble!
Jul 30, 2010
Harshad Sharma said...
Kunal: thanks for stopping by and commenting. You've nailed it, that's exactly what the guy in the video told me… it's not difficult, just know the timing.
