You can lay the bike on its side to allow removal of the clutch cover without losing the oil. This is what will allow you to install the kick start lever on the shaft without any pre-wind on the kick start return spring. AND not having any pre-wind tension on the spring is what allows you to 1) make sure that the spring cup is properly seated in the recess in the side of the case and 2) see whether or not you have the kick start lever slid on the shaft far enough. (Don't forget that a small mirror and a good flashlight will let you see things you can't get your head and eye lined up on.)
When the kick start lever is "on" far enough . . . the pinch bolt will slide in to place and you ought to be able to get several turns of the tightening done by hand (which gives you good "feel" for answering the question, "Does this bolt feel like it is properly threading in?"
Once the lever is on and the pinch bolt tightened, swing the lever around in the normal "kick" direction and block it to stay there while you re-install the clutch cover. You WILL have to use some heavy grease to hold the clutch pressure piece in its bore in the cover while the re-installation of the clutch cover is being done.
Ed
PS: It would be handy to have a Workshop Manual.
Victor Ed as always nailed it!!
I do not like the looks of the allen head bolt in your photo. It looks like the threads are stripped out. Let me know please if it is now stripped and if so I will send another on Monday no charge.
Paul
Paul. Please don't worry about the bolt. I can get one locally in a pack of 3 for less than it will cost you to ship a bolt to me! I appreciate the effort on your part, but it was my fault to begin with so I don't want you worrying about it! Hopefully, I ill have it all done today! ; D Victor
Ed. It will probably just be easier to drain and pull at this point. The lower frame causes some interference with tightening the bolt when the motor is in the frame and even when I move the lever down to see the hole for the bolt, I can't see inside the hole!
Another thing making it difficult is the splines on the old lever seem to have caused the spacing of the splines on the kickshaft to be a bit tighter. The lever doesn't slip on easily. There was so much resistance trying to put it on I had to use a ball peen hammer. Even a rubber mallot wouldn't push the kickstart splines over the kickshaft.
I'll give your approach a try, but I'm betting I have to pull the motor out of the frame yet again! Soon...very soon....
; D Victor
The splined assembly should not exactly fall freely over the splined shaft, but on the other hand, it should not take a steel hammer. Sounds like the lever assembly needs to be spread gently at the interface. The coupler is split in line with the shaft to offer some give when assembling. That gap can be adjusted to some degree by prying the gap apart, like spreading the ears on a battery connection on a car to get the clamp off the terminal. It should only take a small amount of spread, not a whole lot of force. A large screw driver or pry tool may do the trick, but go slowly so as not to fracture the metal. I think it would be hard to break this thing, but better to go a little at a time. Once the gap is spread slightly, the whole thing should slip together with a push.Then you can line up the bolt slot without a lot of trouble. You may even have to hold the gap spread a bit with a tool while installing the lever.
I have installed kick levers without taking off the cover, just be being physical with the spring, but it ain't easy and the spring tit is always cocked a bit making it hard to get it to go in the hole. Best way by far is to take the side cover off, install the lever over the spring without any tension, and then wind it backwards as had been suggested above until it is beyond the at-rest position, hold in place, reinstall cover and so on.
I have the same 97/98 lever on a model 03 engine and an 02 engine, and in both cases the bolt did not line up with the groove in the shaft. I got mine to work by grinding a bit of the splines off toward the outside so that the bolt would pass through freely. (I also had to grind about 1/8 " from the top of the foot peg gusset to give the knuckle enough clearance on my 03 and 02 frames).
The kick start shaft on the 02/03/99 models has a different part number(994711) than the one used on the 94/95/97/98 models (944711 ) so there must be some difference in the two shafts. I don't know if they are interchangeable, but if they are, maybe your's got swapped at some point.
Taking the clutch cover off to change the lever, makes this job so easy it will seem like cheating. Also, you will save time and grief, and the neighborhood kids won't learn any colorful new language.
I hope you get it figured out soon so that you can go ridding.
AZ Shorty. The lever won't go on the shaft with the bolt in place. It doesn't clear the forward splines. The previous one was the same way and I'm sure this issue is why he stripped both the bolt and the splines inside the kickstart. I just need to be able to see inside the bolt hole, which I can not do with the motor in the frame. I'm sure once I have the motor out of the frame, I can attach it, get it tightened down properly and put the whole thing back in again.
Today I am going riding. Taking my VL1500 out for a ride! It's warmed up enough to start road riding again and it hasn't snowed since Wednesday! Going to do about a 200 mile ride. I'll get back to the Hodaka on Tuesday, when I will have a full day to work on it! ; D Victor
Well. SUCCESS!!! I did what Tom said about grinding down the recess in the shaft to allow the bolt to pass through and screw into the other side of the shaft. I used a small rat tail rounded file and worked slowly so as not to grind away any more than I needed. The bolt went on & tightened down! I finished reassembly today, and plan on starting her up after I get some lunch & then tackle fine tuning the carb! Thanks to everyone, Ed, Paul, Tom, AZShorty and whoever else gave me advise on this to be successful! ; D Victor
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Last edited by viclioce on Fri Mar 27, 2015 11:03 am, edited 2 times in total.
Oh and who ever wanted my old model 97 kickstart lever with the stripped splines is welcome to it now! Email me your address at [email protected] and I will send it to you.
Also, I have the other kickstart lever which I pictured earlier in this thread. It's a good kickstart with a brand new rubber on the foot rest. If anyone wants it, you can have it for shipping. I don't mind paying it forward so to speak. For all the help I have gotten here, I would like to see someone who needs it get it! Let me know at the same email address posted! Happy Days everyone! ; D Victor
