Thanks for saving mine and others countless hours of frustration Mike . I know thousands give you a heartfelt thanks for your time . Many more people should watch your videos , because this is gold if you’re willing to apply yourself. Shovels are the new money marker .
Never knew how simple kickstarters were internally. I tried assembling one several years back, but i didn't have the wherewithal to get it right. I eventually had a mechanic install it for me. Coming along great on that project of yours. Can't wait to see it all together. Great video. Thanks for your input and these videos. I think they're Great! Louis
Amazing, the average biker kicks down on that genius piece of enginering without the slightest ingling of whats going on under that cover .that includes me. I just finished wayching part 2. beautiful !!!!! Thank you. Always look forward to the next. thanks MIKE.
Thanks Mike 👍 I will be pulling my kicker assembly off my 1985 4 speed Softail standard , I am hearing a ratchet sound while the motor is running and it stops the noise when clutch is pull in. Also have a 59 FL that I will be rebuilding. Your video’s have saved me a lot of grief & Time 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸👊. Once again thank you Sir for sharing your knowledge on old Harley’s.
Great video! About 27 years ago, I ordered a kit to add a kickstarter for a soft tail for a friend of mine. You bring back a lot of memories! Getting ready to ride the Trail of Tears tomorrow. Looking forward to your next video.
Glad to see this video come up, picking up a ratchet top from an FLH I'll have to add a kicker to. Thanks Mike! If I ever make it out west I'd like to say hello. But for now, hello from Chicago!
Hello Mike, I have contemplated installing a KICK-STARTER on my 1985 FXRP 5-Speed for some time Hopefully this VIDEO will be at least a little SIMILAR to what I encounter on my early EVO Transmission install As always - Thank YOU for the Instruction COOP .........................................................
It is similar, but, different. Clearance issues, etc. Not eactly a "walk in the park," but manageable. Remember, 5 speeds didn't ever come with kickstarters, so, expect some changes to be necessary.
Good evening Mr Pacific. First things, I hope you, friends and of course Sonia are doing well with all the fires and my prayers go out to all of you. I’ve never built a Kickstarter before but hopefully someday I’ll be able to incorporate it on a Shovelhead build. Well Mike, I think you’re cooler than the other side of the pillow so please take care of yourself, we look forward to seeing you.
as you mentioned on the kick shaft bushing hole were it cracks a friend of mine had to repair mine and he machined around the bushing hole after he welded it and he machined and place a steel sleeve round it so it would not crack again he also done this on his sportster
Thank you for this! My 68 shovel kicker is starting to grind but stops if i hold the pedal up. Ive been just bungee cording it up just to get through this riding season.
Salvatore: Sounds like your starter clutch bushing is bad. Was on the way to Yellowstone back in '79 and had to attach/detach a bungie cord on my 58 everytime I started it but made it there and back home.
@@stanfischer6175 Thanks, yeah i figure ill be tearing her down a bit once the weather really starts to get bad here in Western Ny. I might try and get a fresh coat of paint on the tins too. Bike was rebuilt in 99. My dad bought it in 78 and ive been riding her the past 5 years. 🤘
Just did my kick starter, my key way was shredded inbetween those two gears, jesus what a pain that was. My claw puller had so much torque on it my little bearing in my main shaft almost turned into a flat washer.
We forget. This stuff lives an incredibly long life. Then, we get to repair, replace things and go ride some more. Yah, it's a pain sometimes. But when it fires up again, ready to go, all is forgiven.
Mike, I need to find parts for a 79 shovel and a 56 four speed transmission? Looking for bushings, bearings, lip seals, gaskets, and also mikuni carburetor float, seats, and jets. Really like your work! Can’t tell you how much your helping me!
Mike, I finally got my 1974 Superglide on the road. It was the last year you could get one with a kicker only. The electric start was a $290 option. That was about 10% of the purchase price. So I figured I could do a hell of alot of kicking for that kind of money. Now 45 years later it's the main thing that keeps me off of it. DO you know of anyone who makes an electric start add on kit or do you know exactly what parts I need to add it to my baby. The only addon I can find is the Spyke Stealth and they don't make one for shovel heads. I started going to swap meets looking for parts, but I don't really know what all I need. Great channel.
About 50 years ago a friend had a Harley with a Panhead engine. It had that bicycle pedal style kick starter. It only had the center stud left. One day while starting the bike, he forgot to retard the spark.When he kicked down the pedal, it kicked back and ripped open the inside of his leg. Put him in a cast for many months.
Thank You Mike. I had to replace a kicker cover on A 1982 FLT . The Harley book doesn't even show a kicker. You make everything look easy. I tried to contact you but seems your web site is down. I have a EVO question for you.
Mike, watching you assemble those kick starter parts without assembly lube or such, is hard to understand. Maybe you're doing it for demonstration purposes, which is OK. You got a Sunnen hone machine, pretty nice. I look forward to each new video about the build. Your doing a fine job.
Always watch your videos. How about a little Pacifc Mike background. Always been Curious. What was year Harley career. How'd you get into it and where did you work during career. Assuming your retired.. keep it up. We love it. Don't forget the story behind the nickname
Hello there, I really enjoy this channel and you have really helped me while I'm restoring my father's old shovelhead chopper. One question: A kickstarter like that in good condition, can it still slip? Or is that a sign of old gears? My kickstarter is slipping from time to time and I've busted my knee as an result. Any idea of the reason for it to do that? Best regards from Sweden.
Takes quite a bit of wear to make them slip. Maybe it's the clutch slipping. Those starter parts aren't that terribly expensive. Remove the derby and watch the clutch as you kick it over. (This will take two people, one to kick and one to watch)
Hey Mike was wondering why you left out the 13/32 thrust washer that goes under the release finger? Did I miss something or did you just forget, or is there a reason you omitted it on purpose?
Hi Mike. I e been watching your videos for awhile now and have learned a ton from you. It always helps to watch you do it before I go wrench myself. One question though. I just rebuilt the kicker cover w the drag kit. The directions say that the chamfer of the washer faces the spring. It appears you put it on w the chamfer facing the kicker cover. Which one is correct? Thanks Mike.
Interesting. I don't think it would cause a major problem, but I called drag and the said the chamfer should face the spring. I just want to make sure I don't assemble it incorrectly and mess it up. Thanks Mike, love your videos and appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I'm building a 70's shovel and making sure I build and rebuild everything to make sure it will last. Thanks again Mike, you rule.
Hey Mike, I just got my kicker cover setup for my Electric start only '76 FLH.... how do I ream the bronze bushings for the kicker shaft if there is a rubber steal in the middle?
Take the rubber seal out. Buy a new one and put it back in. The original seal is a "flat" o-ring. I really don't know what else to call it. Any shop that doesn't have it, should be able to get it for you. I believe "Genuine James" makes it. Sorry if they make you buy a bag of ten. If it's new, you should be able to reuse the seal that's in there. Carefully remove it with a skinny screwdriver or blunt pick. It will pop right back in again. The easiest way to ream that pair of bushings is to take it to a machine shop that can hone it for you. Shouldn't cost much, just a quickie job on a hone. I'll demonstrate a hone on rocker arms in the next video.
Thanx Mike, I guess it was a silly question, but I’d never seen a kicker cover before and didn’t know the anatomy of the thing. I was going to use the wheel cylinder hone on a drill to size both the push rod shaft and kicker shaft, just like you did in your video... thanx for the info! YOU ROCK!!
Hey Mike I have a taper shaft shovelhead ratchet top and my kicker arm engages the engine way at the top, what did I do wrong? It's almost impossible to kick over this way
The gear can be attached to the kicker shaft in 4 different positions. Install it so that you'll need to hold the kicker arm part way d down in order to install the assembly. Watch again as I do it.
Besides on a video I dont know where to post but im wondering with all the fires out there if your in a safe place. Would hate to hear of anything happening to you or those pretty machines you have. Be safe brother...✌
Hey mike, I need a shovel head expert and I think it’s you. My dad watches your video on the transmission. I got a 78 shovel head that needs jugs and slugs. When my dad bought it, he said it was an 80 ci, but when I looked up the part number, it said it was a 74 ci. I’ve also seen an 80 ci with the same part number. Can you give me any advice?
Check your service manual and go through the vin number. It should tell you easier than disassembling the motor. It will tell you what each letter or number means.
mike, are you sure that you assamble the starter gear on this video on the right position? if you look to the position here and the position on the second video the starter gear is 90 degrees twistet
It's closed now I don't remember exactly the movements I made, but you need to hold the arm in the proper position, so the gear is against its stop during the installation of the cover.
Go to our RU-vid home page by typing in "Pacific Mike." Then click on "Playlists." There's quite a bit on Evos. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the Motor Assembly.
I’ve seen motorcycles with both electric and kick start, and was considering that for my ‘71 Electra Glide. How difficult would this be and would what your showing us help in that conversion? Funny I was looking for a new post from you and wouldn’t you know got that notification bout an hour ago. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge and experience with the backyard crew.
When one thinks of all the poundage, yon lever's built to send, a biker on a pivot, blunt forces round the bend. A circular rack of teeth away, see leverage off the scale, to spin a shaft & force some draft, from pistons as they sail. And once the beastie bursts to life . . . or lobs you on the bars, you'll understand why normal folk, have 'starters' IN their cars. (Though, I do hear kickstarting a miss-timed smallblock without an open sunroof is not for the fainthearted. Stay safe : )
Cheers Mike, my pleasure; truth is, I just make it up as I go along, no skills etc. Thinks: Have you ever given any thought to .22 nail-gun blanks & a Coffman like cartridge starter? (I figure a 'fire selector' switch on the tank would look pretty cool too.) eg. 1 round when warm, 2 rounds when cold & a 3 round burst for frosty flatheads. What could possibly go wrong? : )
