back-up kick start

[One_Bad_400]

i'm having major problems with my electric start on my 400EX, and i don't want to take it to the shop, cause they said it would take them at least a month to get to it:eek:

does anybody make a back up kick start for the 400EX?

[Castor-426ex]

its expensive and a big job, but ive heard of people using the side case from the xr400 dirtbike..its the same motor....but I dont know any specifics

[VegasEx'r]

What kind of problems are you having w/ the electric start?

[One_Bad_400]

VEGAS: it works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't, it's like i have a short or something, i've checked all the wires and they are are plugged in, but, sometimes when it doesn't work, if i knock on the left rear fender a few times(directly about battery and electronics) it will work, i've been having this problem for a LONG time(pretty much since i got the quad) i've bought a few different batteries, cause at first i thought that might be the problem, but it wasn't

Castor: could i keep my electric start if i did that, cause it does work sometimes, so i don't want to have to kick it ALL the time, but that would be a lot easier then roll-starting it:rolleyes:

I had a problem like this, it was a poor ground to the frame from battery. I ran a new ground cable directly to the starter mount bolt. Not sure if this is your problem or not but one thing I did notice when I would get it to start is when I was idling in neutral the green light would flicker.

[400exbat]

I have the exact same problem with mine. sometimes it starts great and other times when I hit the start button the green light turns off , I hear a click, then nothing. If I give the little round thing in front of the battery a whack it seems to work. I have been assuming it was a short somewhere but I havnt been able to figure out where. VERY friggin annoying!

[One_Bad_400]

the symptoms both of ya'll are explaining are EXACTLY what mine is doing, i'm not a real good electronics guy, but my dad is, so i'll tell him what you said, Fast&Furious, and see if he can fix it, thanx for the help

i'm still curious about my other question, could i put the kick start on and keep the electric, just incase something happens in the middle of a trail??

[phatswinn]

i had the same problem , then i bought a new battery

if you had a kickstart you would be kicking right through your fenders cause they go backwards on a bike

[PsychoDave]

in a pinch you can take off your fender, kick start it up and put the fender back on...:eek:

[tayz34]

i want a kick starter too because i'd like to loose alot of the added wight with the starter and battery and stuff. i could pull start it at first and then kick it once it was warm. mabey you guys are like not all the way in nutral or somthing so it wont start all the time. next time try pulling the cluch. just an idea i've never had the problum.

i dont think u will be kicking through the fender would you i thoght 4 strokes kicked forward and 2 strokes kicked back am i worng or is it quads kick forwards bikes kick barwards?
killer

[phatswinn]

answer B, but the old suzukis kicked out to the right

[trx400ex]

No, there is no rule to follow, Rs kick forward, and shees kick back,, there both quads eh?

hey guys on my 86 trx250r the wire to the key came loose. i could be ridin and the thing shut off. it took me a long time to realize what was wrong. i cant remember which wire it was but it would short or ground to the frame. and im NOT saying it had an electric start but the 86 r did have a key.

[RideRed04]

The main problem is the actual kick starter. It wont clear the frame, so you need a custom one made.

[Jay300ex]

what are you guys talking about kicking forward? hehe, my dad's xr400 kicks backwards, and the kickstart is on the right ( like most bikes ). Problem i would see about putting a kickstart on the 400ex would be that the flywheel / starter is on the left, is that where you would put it? heh.. that would be weird.


Jay

[dhines]

Hey guys,

The problems you are describing are almost certainly due to a loose positive battery lead. It is a very common problem and has happened to me 3 or 4 times. Simply slide your battery out of the box and tighten up the brass bolt on the battery and everything will be fine.

Dennis

[muff]

Originally posted by 400exbat
I have the exact same problem with mine. sometimes it starts great and other times when I hit the start button the green light turns off , I hear a click, then nothing. If I give the little round thing in front of the battery a whack it seems to work. I have been assuming it was a short somewhere but I havnt been able to figure out where. VERY friggin annoying!

mine was doin the same exact thing, its the starter selinoid i think, but anyway the wires are loose if it does that, just make sure all of your connections back there are tight and that should fix it

[One_Bad_400]

Originally posted by dhines
Hey guys,

The problems you are describing are almost certainly due to a loose positive battery lead. It is a very common problem and has happened to me 3 or 4 times. Simply slide your battery out of the box and tighten up the brass bolt on the battery and everything will be fine.

Dennis

i've already checked all that, i think what Fast&Furious said is my problem, i will try fixing it soon next time it screws up and tell ya'll if that was the problem or not

also the ground cable on mine wasnt just loose at the frame, but was making poor contact in the eyelet where the wire is crimped and soldered. If everything is tight then make sure none of the cable ends (pos and neg) are loose in these mount eyes.

[tayz34]

i got an old dirt bike i got for free. it doesent start. i dont see a kill switch. it is a kick starter. there is a spark when i kick it over. since there is a spark does that mean that the whole ignition is fine and dont need to worry about that being the problum why it isent starting or could it still be the problum with a wire touching the frame and grounding it out. thanks for the help
Mac-t

[Jay300ex]

might want to check the plug still, if its new then it should be fine, but if its fouled or something, it will spark fine outside the cylinder but inside of it the compression makes it so it does not spark at all. something like that i think anyways. hehe


Jay