Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

Hi,
I have a 1976 Cr 250 Elsinore. My kickstart was not engaging on inspection I found the "Pawl" to be broken. I have replaced damaged part but is still slipping and wondering why. I'm not sure if im missing any components or if something else could damaged or worn.

Any help would be appreciated Pictures etc.

Many thanks
Tom Quenault

Does the kickstarter rotate down normally and then return to the resting position by itself? Or does it stay down? Was the circular pawl spring replaced too? Do you hear any whirring/clicking noises coming from the kickstarter area with the motor running?

The pawl is a short, thick piece of hardened steel. It seems to me that anything that managed to break it would also have sustained some damage itself (shaft, pinion detents, etc.)

Ray

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'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric

Hi,

Yes kickstart rotates down and returns as normal.
I have only replaced the pawl not the retaining spring, Is this something I should do?
There appears to be no damage to the other components but was wondering if the Pinion could be worn, it looks okay but have nothing to compare it to.

I cant hear any obscure noises while bike is running.

I have not had the bike long so not sure what's been fiddled with in the past.

Thanks for your reply

Tom,

Tom,

Long story short - you should inspect everything in there ASAP. If it were me I would probably have replaced the spring and pawl together. Once on my MR I replaced just the pawl spring.

You're probably aware of all this already, but anyway... the engagement section of your kickstarter uses a spring-loaded pawl to engage detents inside the pinion ring gear when the kickstarter lever is moved away from the rest position, allowing crank rotation via the primary drive. When it returns to rest, a small rod in the RH case lifts the pawl away from the pinion, allowing it to freewheel while the motor's running.

If the spring is weak or bent, the pawl may not engage the detents firmly and slip. If enough slippage occurs over a sufficient period of time, the detents can wear, and then even a new pawl and spring can result in slippage.

My experience has been that kickstarters tend to be treated as zero-maintenance items, even though they're not. Since the bike's history is a question mark, I think it's a good idea to examine all the kickstart-shaft components carefully with a magnifying glass, especially the pinion detents.

Ray

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'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric

Thanks Ray I shall do just that.
Do you know where I could get my hands on parts?

Many thanks

Tom,

Tom,

PM sent.

Ray

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'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric