850 engine

[Robu]

found for sale 79 GS850G without a kick start engine numbers are 125924 is this a 79 engine ?

[BassCliff]

Mr. Robu,

It may have been manufactured in '79 for the '80 model year. My 1980 GS850GT does not have a kick start. The (American) 1979 model was the only year to have a kick start. The European models continued to have kick starts for a few years.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Robu]

Mr. Robu,

It may have been manufactured in '79 for the '80 model year. My 1980 GS850GT does not have a kick start. The (American) 1979 model was the only year to have a kick start. The European models continued to have kick starts for a few years.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

it could be but all 79s I have looked at had kick start and for me it seems like a good thing to have I know the 80 model year and up did not .

[Grandpa]

And the more recent GS bikes did not have a kickstarter because such contraption is not needed on a bike that is maintained properly.

I'm glad my GK does not have a kickstarter. I love pressing the little black button and hearing the mighty engine spring to life.

I had a 79 GS850G many years ago. It had a kickstarter, which I used maybe once in the 2 years I owned it. It really does not work very well. Plus, some of us old fogeys are too old to engage in such kicking nonsense anyway...:-D

[49er]

And the more recent GS bikes did not have a kickstarter because such contraption is not needed on a bike that is maintained properly.

I'm glad my GK does not have a kickstarter. I love pressing the little black button and hearing the mighty engine spring to life.

I had a 79 GS850G many years ago. It had a kickstarter, which I used maybe once in the 2 years I owned it. It really does not work very well. Plus, some of us old fogeys are too old to engage in such kicking nonsense anyway...:-D

Yeah, if you keep them well maintained they start real easy on the kick starter, for young or old! I must admit to pushing the button 99% of the time. The kick starter is ideal for positioning TDC when timing the cams, setting up the points and impressing the ladies. With a little more CR, they start even better on the kick starter.

[Grandpa]

Yeah, if you keep them well maintained they start real easy on the kick starter, for young or old! I must admit to pushing the button 99% of the time. The kick starter is ideal for positioning TDC when timing the cams, setting up the points and impressing the ladies. With a little more CR, they start even better on the kick starter.

Points! What the heck are points?!?!

Impressing the ladies. BS. Not at my age. If anyone isn't impressed by the stylish manner in which I push my little black button on the right handlebar, too bad.

Timing the cams? Why should I ever want to do that? They're timed already, at the factory.

"They start real easy on the kick starter..." BS also. If the kickstarter is so easy to use, then why do you push the button 99% of the time?

"Start even better on the kick starter". More BS. Starting is a binary operation; bike either starts instantly or it doesn't -- good or evil, hot or cold, black or white. How can one start be better than the other? A well-maintained bike like my '84 GK starts; it doesn't start well or poorly -- it just starts.

The proponents of kickstarting on this forum amuse the heck out of me.

[49er]

Points! What the heck are points?!?!

Impressing the ladies. BS. Not at my age. If anyone isn't impressed by the stylish manner in which I push my little black button on the right handlebar, too bad.

Timing the cams? Why should I ever want to do that? They're timed already, at the factory.

"They start real easy on the kick starter..." BS also. If the kickstarter is so easy to use, then why do you push the button 99% of the time?

"Start even better on the kick starter". More BS. Starting is a binary operation; bike either starts instantly or it doesn't -- good or evil, hot or cold, black or white. How can one start be better than the other? A well-maintained bike like my '84 GK starts; it doesn't start well or poorly -- it just starts.

The proponents of kickstarting on this forum amuse the heck out of me.

With all that BS on your boots, I'm not surprised that you've stopped trying to impress the ladies.
You're right. With such a relatively short stroke, the 850 isn't as easy to kick start as a parallel twin (Triumph) of around the same era.
That button will let you down one day. Will it be a push start, or a park up? I'll punt on the park up.

[Grandpa]

With all that BS on your boots, I'm not surprised that you've stopped trying to impress the ladies.
You're right. With such a relatively short stroke, the 850 isn't as easy to kick start as a parallel twin (Triumph) of around the same era.
That button will let you down one day. Will it be a push start, or a park up? I'll punt on the park up.

The button will not let me down. Never has, and most probably never will. Nothing is perfect, of course, but good, solid maintenance will increase the probability of success so that one won't have to worry about items failing.

I know that's wishful thinking on your part -- that the button will fail me some day. If it does, I'll let you know so you can gloat. :-D

All my BS has done for me is give me 21 wonderful years and 300,000 miles of practically trouble-free GS riding. \\/

[Nessism]

As a side note...I have two different 550's, one of which has a kick starter and VM carbs. Sorry to say it but both of these items earn "character points" in my heart due to their link to the past. And the kick start has come in handy for turning the engine over for valve adjustments and the like. Good stuff for sure in my book since I'm into GS bikes for their "classic" style. If I wanted a bike to flog day in and day out I'd get something newer like gulp, a late model Katana. GS bikes to me are about enjoying the mechanical interaction with the hardware and a kickstarter only enhances that.

[49er]

As a side note...I have two different 550's, one of which has a kick starter and VM carbs. Sorry to say it but both of these items earn "character points" in my heart due to their link to the past. And the kick start has come in handy for turning the engine over for valve adjustments and the like. Good stuff for sure in my book since I'm into GS bikes for their "classic" style. If I wanted a bike to flog day in and day out I'd get something newer like gulp, a late model Katana. GS bikes to me are about enjoying the mechanical interaction with the hardware and a kickstarter only enhances that.

Beautifully put. And I won't gloat when Grandpa's button doesn't respond. On the bike, that is!

[Grandpa]

Well, I see our differences, Nessism. You're into GS bikes to commune spiritually with the bike and worship its kickstarter and other such anachronisms.

I, on the other hand, am into GS bikes to ride the hell out of them.

I now understand the difference. Thanks for your explanation. :-D

[Grandpa]

Beautifully put. And I won't gloat when Grandpa's button doesn't respond. On the bike, that is!

Not "when", 49er. The wording should be, "...in the highly unlikely event that..."

And I don't believe you; you will gloat, in that highly unlikely event.

:-D

[49er]

Not "when", 49er. The wording should be, "...in the highly unlikely event that..."

And I don't believe you; you will gloat, in that highly unlikely event.

:-D

I won't gloat and you're never gonna tell me anyway! \\/

Oh those nostalgia years, when the only option was to kick start or push your bike when you had an almost flat battery, closed up points or forgot to switch the petcock off reserve.