How much resistance is your Kickstarter supposed to have?

[ThisGuy]

When I rest my foot on my kickstarter, it easily goes down all the way with a little resistance. Not like when you hold the clutch but a little bit more. It still allows the bike to kick over. Can this cause your bike not to start?

 

[liljohn_92]

Have you reset your valve clearances yet, As they can cause low compression/backfiring/not starting issues which is what your experiencing, So reset them before messing with the carby otherwise you could just be making the problem worse by playing with carb settings

 

[ThisGuy]

Have you reset your valve clearances yet, As they can cause low compression/backfiring/not starting issues which is what your experiencing, So reset them before messing with the carby otherwise you could just be making the problem worse by playing with carb settings

Wow, I never thought letting a bike sit for 2 months without starting it could cause this. All I need now is feeler gauges. Thank you

 

[RangaBlitzFanga]

unless your valves have broken off there shouldn't be that little resistance

i've heard of but never experienced a stuck ring which seems more plausible
Either way your compression is rooted right now. Not sure what size engine you have but on a 250cc 4t you should be able to stand almost completely on the kick starter and it'll stay there briefly. If I just start kicking at either of mine they won't budge past TDC, need to push it just past then slam a bit of weight onto it, I weigh about 90kg

Note: i've actually bent my kickstarter back a bit :alc:

 

[ThisGuy]

unless your valves have broken off there shouldn't be that little resistance

i've heard of but never experienced a stuck ring which seems more plausible
Either way your compression is rooted right now. Not sure what size engine you have but on a 250cc 4t you should be able to stand almost completely on the kick starter and it'll stay there briefly. If I just start kicking at either of mine they won't budge past TDC, need to push it just past then slam a bit of weight onto it, I weigh about 90kg

Note: i've actually bent my kickstarter back a bit :alc:

I have a 125cc engine the brand is SSR

 

[motovert24]

Not enough compression. Do your valve clearances

 

[RangaBlitzFanga]

if its valve clearances i'll eat my shoes. Never seen a bike that low on compression from valves out of spec (for them to be open that much they'd be hitting the piston something shocking) but by all means give it a go

 

[ThisGuy]

if its valve clearances i'll eat my shoes. Never seen a bike that low on compression from valves out of spec (for them to be open that much they'd be hitting the piston something shocking) but by all means give it a go

Well my by words i probably made it seem exaggerated but its hard to explain how something feels when it's all opinion based. But I will check my valves, give me about a week or 2, I need money to buy the feeler gauges lol

 

[zwebx]

if its valve clearances i'll eat my shoes. Never seen a bike that low on compression from valves out of spec (for them to be open that much they'd be hitting the piston something shocking) but by all means give it a go

im thinking that also, i think its a lifan 125 and i think it can only be kicked with the clutch out so maybe his clutch is not adjusted....

 

[ThisGuy]

im thinking that also, i think its a lifan 125 and i think it can only be kicked with the clutch out so maybe his clutch is not adjusted....

I have an SSR engine and its no clutch to start

 

[beginnerMX]

Had same problem with my bikei could kick start it with my hand, adjusted valve clearances and all the compression came back felt brand new after it.

 

[ThisGuy]

Had same problem with my bikei could kick start it with my hand, adjusted valve clearances and all the compression came back felt brand new after it.

This gave me hope lol but do you know what you set your valves to?

 

[beginnerMX]

Im not 100% but i think i did, Inlet .003" Exhaust .005" and did em both tight enough to just get the feeler gauges out with some force, Good Luck.

Edit: Like to add when i found my bike with weak compression it was after a crash and the bike then sitting for 1 month (due to injury) but redoing clearances fixed it. :thumbup:

 

[gordesky1]

Did you try loosen the clutch tension by the clutch lever? Mine felt like it had no compression one day, And it was driving me nuts, Than found out the clutch was too tight and it was engaging, And my lifan 125 is the one that wont start with the clutch pulled in.

 

[ThisGuy]

Did you try loosen the clutch tension by the clutch lever? Mine felt like it had no compression one day, And it was driving me nuts, Than found out the clutch was too tight and it was engaging, And my lifan 125 is the one that wont start with the clutch pulled in.

My bike won't start either if the clutch is engaged but the bike still starts but it is just super easy to start it. I can start it with my hand. I'm not sure if its still the clutch because it still starts

 

[Liveto_ride]

darn bikes and their problems!

 

[rotn50]

My bike won't start either if the clutch is engaged but the bike still starts but it is just super easy to start it. I can start it with my hand. I'm not sure if its still the clutch because it still starts

Still sounds like low compression lad. You got bad luck with your bikes buddy.

 

[ThisGuy]

Still sounds like low compression lad. You got bad luck with your bikes buddy.

Lol I really do, but its my first bike and I really want to see myself working with motorcycles in my future(im 15) and I use this bike pretty much as a learners bike to learn how to fix problems. So when I ride, I ride SO crazy...I crash a lot but not on purpose, just from doing stupid things lol

Im happy to know its compression and not valve seats or whatever lol...I just cleaned my carb with cleaner and its sparkling, I just can't start it because I have no money for gas and my parents wont pay for it :flipa:. Can I still tune my carb with low compression? Can I have my bike on its stand while I adjust pilot and main jet sizes even with low compression or would the compression throw it off?

Also what are the symptoms of low compression? Does your bike bog out easily when you give it throttle?

 

[beginnerMX]

dam hard times eh? you only need $1 fuel to start it lol.