GS1000/1100 - No kick start?

[Pendulum]

The GS line never came with a kick start on the 1k plus bikes, did they? I love kick start bikes (haven't used my starter more than a handful of times) and I want a big engine for my next project. I've been eyeing a Kawi KZ1000 but I'd like to "keep it in the family" lol

[sedelen]

I thought I'd miss my kick starter when I got my '78 GS1000E. I didn't think it was worth the 7.5lbs it shaved from the weight. All my other bikes had kick starters. But it was a very long time on the 1000 before I had a need for one, when my battery died. That's when I learned out of necessity how to push start one. I tried it in first gear, the tire just skidded when I popped the clutch, so I put it in 2nd and off I went, started right up. That was the only time I needed it, replaced battery immediately.

[Big T]

The GS line never came with a kick start on the 1k plus bikes, did they?

Nope, the GS 1000 was the first production bike to come without a kick starter

The 79 850 is the last of the big kick start bikes

[SoyBoySigh]

BUMP!

Hmmm - Yanno, methinks this whole easy push-start thing could spell the way to a "PUSH-start only" build. Could be a decent way to keep the race-spec mods out on the public roads, hey? Guess you'd want some type of removable side-stand, mounting poked into a hollow rear axle or some such nonsense? That or a paddock stand bolted to the sidewalk everywhere you'd ever think of parkinng - (Ought to be legislated, imho!) Just the kinda thing I'd do or would've done if I were a younger guy without back problems (walked with a cane since 26yrs old, probably DUE to this kinda behaviour) and let's say I had gotten into the Superbikes BEFORE I got hurt good & proper (as opposed to at least 2-3 serious episodes per year) I did the kickstart only thing on my little '82 Honda C70 Passport scoot', and fell in love with the weight savings, all the more obvious on such a lightweight bike.

Sometimes I wish to hell my "CB900K0 Bol Bomber" had a kicker. And the long-term plan for my daughter's "KZ440LOL" project, is the kicker-only KZ400S bottom end with a bigger-bore KZ440 500cc top end. I mean, IF you're gonna rebuild it, might as well rebuild it. I figure it's gotta be warranted on a smaller bike where it's all that much easier to kick over.

Damn though - Let's say you'd DONE all of the OTHER mods requisite to a track-bike, wherein the kicker-only battery-eliminator type of weight shaving mods

(((Which is hardly sensible TODAY, when batteries hardly weigh what they once did. And you can do a battery-ONLY, total-loss ignition system, and shed all o' them pounds off your CRANK where it really MATTERS, and even if you wanted a PERIOD-CORRECT AESTHETIC, well you could simply wrap up the modern anti-gravity style Lithium battery in the empty case of a SCOOTER'S compact battery)))

Well, ANYWAY, let's say you'd built a proper track-bike version of a period-correct style GS1000, probably 1200cc's-ish, hot 4-into-2-into-1 exhaust, hot carbs, hot ignition, etc etc -

Could you even kick that thing OVER???

Made all the more difficult if you'd rebuilt the chassis & running-gear to a lightweight standard, and the engine itself were the only remaining item of appreciable mass on the whole assembly such that there's nothing holding the thing down to the tarmac anymore other than stickier tires.

You'd jump up & throw all of your weight onto that shaft, and the damn thing would simply flip onto it's side underneath you....


-Sigh.

[Big T]

Paging Greg T - aren't yours electric start?

[Redman]

79 models were the last with kick start... and the last to have headlight switch.

80 and after did not have kickstart and did not have headlight swtich (so if battery low, could not turn off the headlight to help).

.

[Redman]

Hey... this tread is 5 years old.....


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[Redman]

I suspect BOT.

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[JJ]

I have never missed kick-starting...