Kick starting an FE400 - technique?

Hey rmgcook,

it's a good idea to put your bike type & year in your "nik" as I think Taffy calls it. We all know what your on then without asking every time you post.

Check out the "Owners Doc" on the left & see if there's anything in there to help first. If DCR can start it over & over again it ain't broke. It makes for a bigger kick if you lean the bars against a wall till you get the technique right. From cold I normally give a half squirt on the throttle to prime the carby (with the choke on), then not again until it starts. I've got a button though...wouldn't swap it for the world.

Good luck :wink:

Hi, know the feeling but if the bike is set up ok then it really is technique..Type "Chestnut" in the UHE search facility & one of my (& many other similar) threads will come up...2 pages of "that old kick start chestnut".

It took me 6 months to get the technicque right (old berg owners can't understand this issue) but once you've found TDC and gone JUST past, it's so easy. To find TDC with auto de comp, just keep gently pressing down on the lever until you feel most resistance. You'll get a feel for it in the end.

PS Having said all that I snapped my KS shaft a couple of weeks ago...it's not the force of the kick it's the fluid movement from the right place...Good luck.

Smug B***sds aren't they. Still, we'll be there one day. PS I still have to lean mine up against a wall or post to guarantee a first time start (be careful - thats probably how I fractured my KS shaft - too much force) - moved onto standing on a kerb or brick, and now I know it's technique I'm developing the sitting down route (difficult for a short a**s like me).

Since your bike is apparently an electric start model (FE400e), what happens when the e-start button is activated?

How is the leg

I think everyone who can kick a berg first or second kick has had to go through this learning curve so don't be disheartened. My 650 kicks second kick every time sometimes even first from cold, even though its got a good lecky boot i still kick her because it puts less strain on the battery, so FWIW heres my tuppence worth

First you need clean plug , clean fuel so if you don't use yer bike for more than a couple of weeks drain the carb bowl , also keep a check on valve clearance, every oil change i do mine and it don't take that long after a few goes

Now to kick her.... NO throttle, choke on (make sure you pull out the cold start NOT the HOT start button if its a FCR (not sure with dellortoS )) ...... now to find that elusive TDC , slowly turn engine with kicker until you feel a resistance, (from what ive found the auto de-comp don't operate at slow revs, so your compression approaching TDC will be quite substantial, or a lot, now at this point you will need to use the manual de-comp. Thats the small lever near the clutch , The clutch is the.........only kidding. .Heres were ya need to be gentle turning just past and ONLY !! just past TDC ...So its up to the resistance , de-comp in and then a bit further ...KINELL its like jackanory ... NOW is the time to pray offer a young virgin for sacrifice :shock: or wotever Remember no gas just let go with one full-swing of kick ..as mentioned B4 , its not about power its a full fluid movement (feel that at this point i should say always wear boots and read the label)

Now if at this point you hear a weird kinda strange rumble don't get to concerned thats the sweet sound off a Berg 8) 8)



Best of British

A useful technique is to put the bike on the stand, climb on and stand up, balancing so not to put too much weight on the stand. You can then kick the bike over like you would if it was Lent against a wall. Very useful when out on a trail and there's nothing to lean against.

I bet this will piss you off :lol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mc7lWONGHM

Sounds like your on your way now. If you charge your battery & it starts to need kicking again after a while you may need a new battery. Otherwise just enjoy the ride brother. :wink:

Have you thrown in the towel? as it looks like your bike on E-Bay

At least yer pikeybay add sounds honest .....Is their not a manual de-comp on the fe 400 then? I just presumed they were on all Bergs

new2it said:

At least yer pikeybay add sounds honest .....Is their not a manual de-comp on the fe 400 then? I just presumed they were on all Bergs

Click to expand...

I haven't got one?