12 year old daughter starts her dad's shovelhead...

[RugerHound]

I cringe when I see stuff like this. Watch her 2nd attempt where she just stands on it and it falls through... Those are the ankle-busters. About 45 years ago one of the members of the MC caved in and let his wife start his bike. She did almost exactly what this little girl did and it threw her. Broke her ankle in 3 places, so it was a long ride for her back to civilization and medical care!

But bless her heart, she got it! Cute video...

https://youtu.be/Dh0OLiNeJyI

 

[Cholo]

I still have a shovelhead I bought new in March of '80. I added a kick start. I was in perfect shape and it would have given me a heart attack trying to start it. I know people who have had their legs broken trying to kick start those old beasts.

 

[tinman]

That ain't funny......I've seen grown men do that little "hesitation" move that the little girl did and get thrown all the way up on the bars...... :x

 

[gtxmonte]

She did fine.............seemed to have the "feel" of when to kick it. My Harley is easier to kick over than my vintage TT500 Honda dirt bike. That thing will hurt you, if you don't manipulate the compression release "just right"

 

[eveled]

When I was in my late teens, I answered an add for a shovel head for sale. Made an appointment to see it. When I got there the guy had basically arranged an auction. He had ten people show up all at the same time, without telling any of us.

No way I was going to buy from him after that little stunt. It was amusing to watch the other nine guys all take a turn at trying to kick start the shovel head. They never did get it running, before I left.

 

[Mega Twin]

The secret on the old Harleys starting,is to have the timing and carburetion right..
Most of them are over carbed,and that can get ya hurt.With the carb set up right,that little girl would have started it on the second kick.

 

[wwb]

She did fine.............seemed to have the "feel" of when to kick it. My Harley is easier to kick over than my vintage TT500 Honda dirt bike. That thing will hurt you, if you don't manipulate the compression release "just right"

Yup.... many years ago, I had a BSA 441 Victor; one of the early ones WITHOUT a compression release.

 

[graygun]

I had a Mark 10 Mercury and sometimes the piston would go the wrong way from tdc and smash my hand into the steel cowl. Those old 4 and 6 cylinder Mercs had pull starters as back-ups. I bet there were a few heart attacks out on the water.

My 175 Kawasaki trail was not a killer.

 

[RugerHound]

She did fine.............seemed to have the "feel" of when to kick it. My Harley is easier to kick over than my vintage TT500 Honda dirt bike. That thing will hurt you, if you don't manipulate the compression release "just right"

Yup.... many years ago, I had a BSA 441 Victor; one of the early ones WITHOUT a compression release.

One of my old ridin' buddies (and later president of Exile MC in Maine) had a 441 Victor back 46 years ago. That thing was an animal!

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yep, learned that on my XLCH. Ya gotta kick clear thru it. That little hesitation just before the bottom of the stroke can getcha, bigtime. Ow.

:lol: :shock: :lol:

 

[Bull Barrel]

Uh...the TT500 is a YAMAHA. A friend bought one new in 77.
We used to start it with our hands. We used to be people they couldn't kick start it but we could hand start it. Never lost. Easy to start if you go through the drill properly.
A cantankerous Honda 250 Elsinore almost took my foot off once.

 

[gtxmonte]

Uh...the TT500 is a YAMAHA. A friend bought one new in 77.
We used to start it with our hands. We used to be people they couldn't kick start it but we could hand start it. Never lost. Easy to start if you go through the drill properly.
A cantankerous Honda 250 Elsinore almost took my foot off once.

You are correct, in the Honda being an XR. I had it and the Yamaha at the same time...........still have the 81 model XR. The TT is gone. Have several vintage dirt bikes, just got my letters wrong........LOL!!! Rode the XR yesterday as a matter of fact. When I haven't been on it in a while, I forget how fast it can hurt an old guy like me............LOL!!! I try and ride like I did when I was a teenager and that I am definitely NOT

 

[Bull Barrel]

I know what ya mean. The older I get the faster I was.
That old TT was wicked quick. Won many a stoplight race.

 

[opos]

My "other hobby" after guns has been restoring antique "hit and miss" flywheel engines and equipment from the turn of the century...most came with a crank...the folks that know hang the crank on the wall and never touch it...I watch folks trying to teach their teen age kids (and younger) to crank one of those beasts....lots of arms that point the wrong way from a nasty backfire if the spark is advanced...that shovelhead has all the same "moves"..hope that girl never gets hurt.

Here's a couple of guys hand cranking an old Case tractor that are going to need major medical attention soon

https://youtu.be/h1WTIyYe7QM

 

[mjpchief]

I had a '75 TT500. Bought it in a box from a guy that flat tracked it. The most fun bike I ever owned. What ever direction you wanted to go just point the front wheel that way and crank the throttle and that's where you went. Never found a hill it wouldn't climb. One of the best flat trackers I ever owned.

Only problem I ever had with it was every once in a while it would have a spell where it didn't want to start. If I tried to kick it during one of these spells it would just kick me back. If I tried to bump start it my skinny little butt (at that time, but I could do it now) wasn't heavy enough. It would just slide the back wheel til it stopped. Wish I had it back now.

 

[Colonialgirl]

Laughing;
Never had a motorcycle, BUT my 36 foot ketch had a 22 HP Faryman two cylinder diesel that I use to hand Crank. Yeah it had an electric starter, I just never hooked it up.

Open the fuel line from the tank, sit on the edge of galley deck (yeah, the engine was UNDER the galley), feet dangling into the bilge, Hold the Compression release open with one hand and rotate the craank and as you came up over Top dead center, let go of the compression release. If you were lucky you got a couple of COUGHS out of the engine and then it would gradually gain RPMs; If you WEREN'T lucky, it would kick back and a big puff of smelly exhaust would come out of the intake (cough, cough, cough).
Running it reminded you of the Fishing boat engines in the old WW2 movies where they were sneaking fliers back to England from France or Holland (PUTT PUTT PUTT PUTT) it DID swing a nice big prop though that sure moved that ketch along at 5-6 knots.

 

[Big Rack]

I own a 60 FLH pan shovel have owned it for 34 years after busting the kicker arm then the shaft I fixed it a Andrews B grind cam now kicks real easy amazing what duration and overlap can do!

 

[Galaxiedan]

Had a poor running XR600R that was a nightmare to start. Tried to start it once with tennis shoes. Just about put the kickstarter through my foot. Glad I sold it