1987 Honda XR600R Kick Starting

[rummy]

Please tell this 62 year old that there is a electric starter fix for my tired right leg?

[Hollerhead]

Nothing bolt on but it can be done.  Lots (and lots) of work though.  New cases (or a good machinist to modify yours), all the starter gears and such, additional wiring/new alternator, etc., etc.  You're basically building a more powerful L.  

In my opinion, you'd be far better off to retire that bike and get a 650L.  You could probably (likely) buy the L for less than the cost of converting the R.  

Unfortunately, if you do go with an L, you would definitely miss the performance. The L needs some serious help to come close to the performance of the R. 

[JoeRC51]

Higher compression and a lightened flywheel and the ''L'' is there.

[DPete]

I thought I was the only old dude around here, Hey I'm younger than you, 62 next month

[Rx7man]

If they're tuned right and you have the "trick", it doesn't take more than one kick, and not a heck of a kick at that.
Here's starting my 500 on a cold fall morning.. BAREFOOT

 

[ScottRNelson]

16 hours ago, rummy said:

Please tell this 62 year old that there is a electric starter fix for my tired right leg?

I'm in a similar age bracket and I specifically bought the XR650L instead of the R model because I've already spent way too many years with kick-start bikes and I know that four-strokes can sometimes be real buggers to start.  I have a higher compression piston in mine and it makes a significant difference in power.  If I wanted more than that, I would buy a KTM.

Quit wasting time with the wrong bike and get the one you need.

[JoeRC51]

15 hours ago, Rx7man said:

If they're tuned right and you have the "trick", it doesn't take more than one kick, and not a heck of a kick at that.
Here's starting my 500 on a cold fall morning.. BAREFOOT

 

?  That thing's got no compression.  ? You'd probably scare yourself , IF you could still start it , if you did a top end job on it. 

[Diamond-Dave]

5 minutes ago, JoeRC51 said:

?  That thing's got no compression.  ? You'd probably scare yourself , IF you could still start it , if you did a top end job on it. 

Agreed...(he probably was using the compression release to prime and set the TDC though but still barefooted??) my 600R at TDC I can stand on it with both feet and that thing will not budge, I weigh in at 190lbs. But that said you crest TDC just a bit and typically fires up on 1st or 2nd kick. You have to know these machines. 

[Rx7man]

Oh it has great compression, yes, I was on the decomp when I was kicking it over to prime some fuel into it, go just past TDC on the power stroke, then give it the "starting" kick.  NEVER apply throttle while starting!
I can stand on that kickstarter, and if I'm dumb enough to open the throttle, there just ain't no way, no how you're getting it crank over! ?

[rummy]

Thanks everyone for helping me out, but I still have questions:

Do you put choke on half position, full choke, or no choke?

Decompression lever is hooked to clutch handle, so "yes" I have it pulled in.

Top dead center and a little past and then give it it's kick start.

Am I missing anything in the sequence?

My failed starts were all with choke in either half / full / and giving quarter turn on gas.

Thanks,

 

Rummy

[ScottRNelson]

7 minutes ago, rummy said:

Do you put choke on half position, full choke, or no choke?

The choke position depends on how the bike is tuned, but usually you want full choke to start a cold engine.  That's how my XR650L wants it.  Once mine has run for even 30 seconds it doesn't need the choke anymore.  But if I somehow kill the engine after less than 10 seconds, it still wants choke to start.

That's something you'll have to learn with your particular bike, but go full choke until you have a reason to do it differently.

[Rx7man]

2 hours ago, rummy said:

Thanks everyone for helping me out, but I still have questions:

Do you put choke on half position, full choke, or no choke?

Decompression lever is hooked to clutch handle, so "yes" I have it pulled in.

Top dead center and a little past and then give it it's kick start.

Am I missing anything in the sequence?

My failed starts were all with choke in either half / full / and giving quarter turn on gas.

Thanks,

 

Rummy

NO THROTTLE!  The "choke" isn't a choke flap, it's just an additional enrichment, and will be inoperative if you open the throttle.

Kick it through with the decomp a few times and the choke on, I hate the automatic decomp, so I usually remove the cable, then put it just past TDC and give it a kick.. It works on my bikes very well, it's VERY rare it doesn't fire on the first kick unless it's below freezing.. See my previous vid.