After 25 years of kickstart ironhead Sportsters - A guy is bound to injure his kicker knee eventually. I initially injured my knee kicking the '52K in Kansas City in early May. I was very careful to get it healed or I wasn't going to Sturgis on a kickstart panhead (which don't kick too bad) but anyway. I re-injured my knee on this bike on Aug. 12th . . . and I've been doing my own therapy - and it's feeling better again. The last few days I fixed (and tightened) up the kick start mechanism on this thing . . . and started the bike this morning for the ride the work day. I replaced the clutch fibers with new
Raybestos Dry Plates, and my new kicker gear has a nice tight spacer & bushing - honed to perfection.
I don't have an electric start motorcycle - but I can see the writing on the wall telling me I will need one someday. A new motorcycle does nothing for me - so, the only motorcycle I will ever be able to own that's cool enough for my vintage ego is the
1965 FLH "Electrica-Glide." Until I get the one I want, I'll just start learning to kick with my Left Leg . . .
Getting old, No way around it, but what about a '67-70 XLH?
ReplyDeleteI'm still a fan of kickers and by no means a kid but, most of my friends are older and have praising electric starters for years. As one put it, "nobody expects you to hand crank cars anymore".
I bought my '65 not because I wanted a '65, but only because I wanted a Panhead and that's what was available at the time. Now that I'm closing in on 60, it was probably a good thing to have done.
Maybe a 67-70 left case 1/2 !?!?
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