Advice and ideas needed... Kickshaft problem?

I was riding the Red River enduro last Sunday, and DNF'd due to a mechanical problem.

What happened: Slow speed crash on a technical uphill, with bike going down on right side...not a bad crash overall but it did land after falling on the downhill side.

Symptoms: Bike won't start. Kickstart is locked and e-start just bumps against a "lock" and quits. Was running fine prior to this. I kickstarted it prior to starting the event, and restarted at least twice with e-start prior to the crash. No signs of undue stress to the motor, clutch, etc. Decomp lever moves just fine. Shifter seems fine, as I can move into and out of neutral without difficulty. Bike rolls just fine in neutral or in gear (see clutch info next.)

History: Rekluse clutch installed by a mechanically gifted friend who has done installations on several KTM's and a Husky. We did run into a problem that resulted in the above symptoms, but opened her back up and realigned (whatever the right term is...I'm not a mechanic) the shaft. This was about 20 hours of operation ago, and the bike and clutch had performed flawlessly up until now.

Help needed: In addition to an open-ended appeal for suggestions about the problem and/or fix, if it could be the starter shaft, can someone explain how that could have happened under the circumstances described?

One other tidbit: The bike is still under warranty, assuming the Rekluse clutch doesn't affect the warranty. However, my closest dealer and the one from which I purchased the bike is 400 miles away. Warranty repair is an option, but a straightforward diagnosis and repair by a local trusted mechanic are preferrable to me.

Thanks in advance.

Pull the spark plug out and see if the cylinder is hydro locked with motor oil. If the bike was upside down for any length of time this may be the issue. Also pull the air filter and have a look for oil in the air box an intake track.

That's about all I can come up with for that particular circumstance. It is also the "best case scenario".

berger said:

Pull the spark plug out and see if the cylinder is hydro locked with motor oil. If the bike was upside down for any length of time this may be the issue. Also pull the air filter and have a look for oil in the air box an intake track.

That's about all I can come up with for that particular circumstance. It is also the "best case scenario".

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Thanks for the advice. I very much doubt that an oil hydro lock is the problem, because the bike was in a "wheels high" position for less than two minutes. Plus, it feels like it comes up to a hard and specific mechanical stop.

Still, I appreciate the suggestion because it's a simple thing to check and I didn't think of it yet.

I think I would pull the cover off and check to see if anything slipped out of adjustment. Check and make sure everything is tight and in the right place. I had a part get loose on my bike and it made the bike extremely hard to kick over. More than likely it is something loose or out of adjustment around the kickstarter shaft. Do a search, it might give you some ideas. Hope this helps.

Thanks Bill. I have done a search and checked the doc, which is the only reason I thought to check the decomp lever. I'm going to open it up, but I was looking for some insight about some things to look for. BTW, the bike isn't hard to kick...it simply won't kick at all, and the same with the e-start. Thanks for the help though...your experience will be in my mind as I search here and elsewhere on the web, as well as within the belly of the beast.

Check and see if you find a service manual that shows the kickstart mech. I don`t know if they changed much or not. The decompression finger can interfer but what happened to me was the sledge worked loose. The spring could have lodged between gear teeth or gears jamed. If you have had the cover off before it should not be that hard a job. Take your time and don`t forget the tiny spring. Hope this helps.

Hey Satex
I would think, from the problem you state. The gear on page
E9, gear labeled 5 would be the problem. Possibly a broken tooth
on that gear laying sideways causing it to lock? Site unseen that
would be my bet.
Earl

Earl, I think you may be right about where the problem, but I hope you're not right about exactly what the problem is. However, a broken tooth on that gear makes more sense than what I've figured so far.

I can't seem to copy and paste that image from the repair manual, but I went exactly to the right page, so thanks! I think it's time to open her up.

my money is on the gear moving and the spring hook wedging.

get that cover off and stop gassing. roll yer sleeves up and get on with it yer great.....

oh and good luck!

regards

Taffy

Taffy said:

my money is on the gear moving and the spring hook wedging.

get that cover off and stop gassing. roll yer sleeves up and get on with it yer great.....

oh and good luck!

regards

Taffy

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When I'm in the mood for verbal abuse, I usually just talk to my wife. :twisted: However, your point is well taken. I just got home from work and have turned on the air conditioner in my garage, and in a few minutes I'll make my way out there to face the beast like a man....a man who doesn't like working in a hot garage.

Thanks for the help guys!

berger said:

Pull the spark plug out and see if the cylinder is hydro locked with motor oil. If the bike was upside down for any length of time this may be the issue. Also pull the air filter and have a look for oil in the air box an intake track.

That's about all I can come up with for that particular circumstance. It is also the "best case scenario".

Click to expand...

Dumb guy award goes to me and the smart guy award goes to Berger. I did NOT do the easy stuff first because I was sure it was something else. After lots of farting around, pulling the clutch, etc, I realized it was seriously hydrolocked with oil.

I owe Berger. Just do yourself a favor and don't ask me to pay it back with mechanical advice for you.