Can someone explain to me the theory of operation of a recoil starter.

 

The recoil starter is a cord you pull, just like a lawnmower......or the older Honda 90's.

With the autoclutch machines, push starting works best with two people. Put it in one of the higher gears (3rd), and have someone hold the shifter up. When you are up to speed, they let go of the shifter and it goes into gear. If you are by yourself it is more difficult. I would just use a piece of cord to hold the shift lever up while pushing.

 

The recoil starter isn't a bad job to install yourself if you use a 10mm 1/4" drive universal socket .. There is a special tool to install the crank seal but it can be easilly installed without it .. The kit comes with a new rear sub-wiring harness , relay & condensor...

Has your dealer explained to you how to use the recoil starter if the battery is extremely low ..?.. If not then you should ask him because there is an updated page that should be replaced in the owners manual and I know for a fact that most dealers aren't telling/explaining the proper procedure to the customer which includes removing the reverse light bulb from the dash which is NOT an easy job in itself LOL ... Better yet get your dealer to show you how to remove the bulb (BUT NOT ON YOUR BIKE) and make sure it's not a warm showroom bike get a bike that's been outdoors ..

And if your in southern Cali. or somewhere else warm then come here to my part of Canada and take the bulb out the weather's been between -15 & -23 not counting the windchill ..

 

Hey, I'm originally from Canada, and lived in Minnesota and Alaska for a while, so I know about cold weather! And....here in Calif. we have lots of very high mountains where it is extremely cold and can get 50-100 feet of snow, so don't make the mistake of thinking we just ride around in the desert (desert can get darn cold too!).

The one place I would want a recoil starter is in the mud. If you stalled it in the mud and can't get a tow or push it out, what are you going to do?

But, take care of your battery and it should take care of you.....

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: HondaMechanic

The recoil starter isn't a bad job to install yourself if you use a 10mm 1/4" drive universal socket .. There is a special tool to install the crank seal but it can be easilly installed without it .. The kit comes with a new rear sub-wiring harness , relay & condensor...



Has your dealer explained to you how to use the recoil starter if the battery is extremely low ..?.. If not then you should ask him because there is an updated page that should be replaced in the owners manual and I know for a fact that most dealers aren't telling/explaining the proper procedure to the customer which includes removing the reverse light bulb from the dash which is NOT an easy job in itself LOL ... Better yet get your dealer to show you how to remove the bulb (BUT NOT ON YOUR BIKE) and make sure it's not a warm showroom bike get a bike that's been outdoors ..



And if your in southern Cali. or somewhere else warm then come here to my part of Canada and take the bulb out the weather's been between -15 & -23 not counting the windchill ..</end quote></div>

Thanks for your reply. Yes I looked at installation directions and it did not look too bad at all. I think the dealership was trying to intimidate me because they said that unless I was "extremely mechanically inclined" than the job would be a "nightmare". I took this to mean that I basically had to be a mechanic. I was told that the crank seal is very difficult to install and if done incorrectly could ruin the engine.
The info on taking out the reverse indicator light is illustrated in the instruction booklet......but I will go back to dealer and have them demonstrate procedure.
I am 50-50 on whether to do the job since I do not intend on doing any heavy mudding and I was also told that mud and water can get in the system via the recoil and royally screw things up.