How Does Motorcycle Kick Start Work?

Undoubtedly, the motorbike kick is a vital component that you can’t ignore. Now the question is, how does the motorcycle kick start work?  

When you kickstart your motorbike, the crankshaft rotates the piston against the piston head, which causes friction, and this causes ignition. 

But what is a motorcycle kickstart, some parts of a kick start, and how does a motorcycle kickstart work? 

No worries! In this post, we’ve covered all your questions in brief. 

How Does the Motorcycle Kick Start Work? 

The working of motorbike kick start is not so complex. The motorbike kickstart comes with a shaft that is directly connected to the piston. And when you kick start the motorbike, you push the piston against the piston head. 

These small reaction buildups too much pressure and friction between petrol and air. During this moment, a tiny ignition spark is also facilitated by your ignition tube. 

This ignition causes fuel and air burning and directly drives the expansion of the mixture, and this cycle continues. 

The ignition between the mixture causes the piston to move and helps the cycle continue until you manually switch off the ignition through the key. 

Why Kick Start is Good for Your Motorbike? 

Did you know that kick start is good for your motorbike’s overall health? 

It’s even more true if you’re living in a cold climate since the cold environment makes your motorbike cool, which isn’t suitable for your motorbike engine. 

It’s because if you press self-start after a cold night, then your starter motor has to work extra to start your motorbike, which isn’t suitable for your motorbike engine in the long run. 

On the other hand, kick-start creates heat due to friction which doesn’t exert too much load on the motorbike engine. And that’s why we always recommend that you choose to kick-start in the morning after a cold night. 

The cool motorbike battery makes the situation even worse and may cause temporary battery damage, which would cost you hundreds of bucks in the longer run. 

Long story short, it always focuses on starting a motorbike through kick-start if you’re living in a cold climate. 

But fortunately enough, nowadays, many motorbikes are coming with a kick-start-less mechanism that gives you the independence to start a motorbike with a button. 

Still, if you have a standard motorbike that has a kick start, then you should focus on kick-starting when starting your motorbike in the morning. 

Is it Necessary to Kick Start Your Motorbike? 

No, it’s not necessary to kick-start your motorbike. Try to understand one thing: kick start can only protect your motorbike engine from unfortunate circumstances. 

As mentioned above, kick-start makes your motorbike engine a bit heated, which protects your motorbike engine and battery in the long run. 

Even now, manufacturers are now focusing on making motorbikes without a kick-start mechanism. Such a motorbike comes with igneous motorbike batteries and improved design motorbike batteries.  

The igneous motorbike batteries and improved design motorbike batteries protect the motorbike engine in the long run and save your hundred of bucks. 

What to Do if Your Motorcycle Kick Start Not Working?

What to Do if Your Motorbike kick-Start Not Working?Replace the faulty alternator if your technical recommendation. Clean the blocked exhaust carefully. Revive your dead batteries.

No worries! There are some solutions which you can do with your motorbike to start your motorbike again. 

Faulty Alternator: 

Faulty alternators could be the main reason why your motorbike isn’t starting. We recommend a check by a well-skilled technician before making any major decision. 

You can buy a new alternator, or you can use your motorbike warranty to get a new alternator at a lower price. 

Blocked Exhaust: 

Cleaning blocked exhaust is the only solution to re-run your motorcycle. Warning: this work can be a little messy, and we recommend wearing a proper suit before doing such an activity. 

You can use a stiff bristle brush to clean the outer layer of exhaust, and after that, you can use a degreaser to get rid of dust and grease. After that, don’t forget to clean the exhaust with spray water, and after that, we recommend letting the exhaust dry under the sun. Make sure that no drop of water and degreaser is left in the exhaust. 

Dead Battery: 

As mentioned above, a dead battery could be the main reason why your motorbike kick-starts are not working. You can revive your motorcycle battery by using Epsom salt. 

You’ve to make an Epsom solution in water. To make an Epsom solution, we recommend adding 0.5 pounds of Epsom salt to the water. You can fasten the mixing process by heating the solution to nearly 100 degrees Celsius (212 F) and adding them to the batteries once it’s cooled.

After adding an Epsom solution, don’t forget to give a little shake to your motorcycle battery. We recommend using a slow charger connected at the terminal of your battery. And let the batteries charge overnight and reinstall it once it’s fully charged. 

Do Kick Start Requires Batteries? 

Yes, motorbikes with kick starts require batteries to start, but motorbikes such as dirt bikes don’t require batteries for kick-starting the motorbike. 

Most dirt comes with a capacitor discharge ignition (CDI); the CDI in a motorbike helps create a spark in the spark plug if you ever kick start your dirt bike. 

Kick Start VS Self Start? 

Most beginners have the same question: which one is good, kick start or self start. Both systems have their pros and cons, and it’s up to you which one you think is best for you. 

Kick- Start: 

Kick start is a relatively old technique that still comes in various motorbikes out there. The kick-start motorbike has some pros like this system is quite simple and easy to understand. 

Also, a kick-start motorbike is much more effective than a self-start, which protects your motorbike engine from any damage. 

Additionally, the kick start doesn’t require any starter and a small battery in most motorbikes. 

However, the kick start system in motorbikes is not so user-friendly and may require additional repair if something is wrong with the kick start system. 

Self Start: 

Self-start or electric start is a relatively new technology that manufacturers rolled out in mid-2005. 

The self-start is user friendly than the kick start, which is much more effective than the kick start but only if it comes with modern technology. However, in the electric start or self-start, you may require replacement parts if something happens wrong. 

The biggest con of self-start is that it is hard to replace any faulty motorbike self-start and requires a technician.

Anyway, an electric start is there for you to make your life easy, but still, you should understand that you shouldn’t use self-start first in the morning after cold nights. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Final Verdict: 

How does the motorcycle kick start work?  When you kickstart your motorbike, the crankshaft rotates the piston against the piston head, which causes friction, and this causes ignition. 

Try to understand one thing: if you’re living in a cold climate, the cold environment will make your motorbike cool, which isn’t good for your engine. 

And in this situation, pressing self-start won’t be good for your motorbike engine. 

It’s because if you press self-start after a cold night, then your starter motor has to work extra to start your motorbike, which isn’t good for your motorbike engine in the long run.