Another kick start thread

[BlasterEaten250]

I am getting really sick of having electrical issues so I am seriously considering converting to a kick start. After reading a few threads this is what I have gathered so far...

1. Need to use xr400 flywheel

2. Need to cut off starter motor and fill the hole by welding a piece of aluminum to it.

3. Need to use xr400 clutch assembly.

4. Need year 2000 kickstart assembly (shaft, bushing etc.)

Now, for the questions... I never really found an answer as to what clutch cover should be used. will a stock xr cover work as long as I use the xr clutch assembly? Or will the clutch rub against the cover?

Also, I'm not really familiar with how headlights work that run off the engine (batteryless) Do I need an xr stator or what?

I'm not super concerned about running the brake lever under the foot peg, it looks pretty simple. It seems, however, that I will have to figure out a way to lower my stock foot peg height. Any suggestions for that are welcome.

[01boneless]

oohhhh i subscribed i love the kickstart ex's :devil:

[dustin_j]

I have not done the conversion, just read all I could find about it. This is just off memory so others can correct any errors. I think you can leave your flywheel, and even the starter in place to fill the hole if you want. The main things you need are the xr clutch cover, kickstart shaft from xr (is 2000 the year they made it thicker?), and the clutch gear. If you use the whole xr clutch, you lose a plate and a fiber, but it'd bolt together and go. It seems like you could make a different quick change cover, or a spacer plate, to allow you to use the EX clutch. Several on here have done the swap, so they can give you better answers. It would be neat to see pictures and a list if you did this.

[BlasterEaten250]

So you are saying use the xr400 clutch cover and space the quick change cover out? This sounds like it would work, but unless I found some really thick gasket I'm not sure how I would do that. Any suggestions on how to make a spacer?

I think in one of the threads the guy used an xr400 Hinson cover and it worked, but I don't really want to spend that much.

It looks like the stators are very similar but they are different part numbers. I wonder if I could just use my stock stator with an xr wire harness for my lights.

[dustin_j]

Yeah the spacer wouldn't exactly be a trivial thing to make; just if you had access to shop equipment at school or something. If I remember right, the Hinson is just an XR side cover with a deeper quick change.

I'd recommend doing some searches on thumpertalk. Guys on there want E-start on their XRs (ironic huh), and that may answer some of your stator difference questions.

[BlasterEaten250]

Well I'm glad I'm not going from kick to electric because that seems much harder and more expensive to do :p

I wonder if I could find a Hinson quick change cover, and mount it on a stock xr side case. I'd probably be looking forever for a used one but it would be the cheapest way in the end.

BTW, I've been looking at part fiches and it seems the xr and ex have the same number of plates and fibers, I'm trying to figure out if I need a new basket and such.

According to this guy, all the stock ex parts work with an xr cover.
http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4109035#post4109035

[1krazyquadridr]

Bear with me, because it has been a few years since I did the swap. You do not need the XR flywheel, but for weight savings you can unbolt the one way clutch from the EX flywheel. I have a Hinson clutch basket and side case assembly. When I was doing the research, if I remember correctly Hinson just used a stock XR side case and put their clutch cover on it. I even have a Sparks 8 plate clutch on mine with no problem with interference. I did have to bolt the XR geared assembly to the back of the Hinson clutch basket however, because it has the additional gear on the back of it for the kick start. Then you will also need the kick start shaft and associated springs/bushings, etc. The only other thing should be the idler gear and bushing that meshes between the kick start shaft and the gear on the back of the clutch basket. I think that covers it. Good Luck

[BlasterEaten250]

Thanks for the info, so I can use the basket I have right now if I have the xr gears on the back? Did you have any alignment issues between the clutch puller and the clutch when you put the xr side cover on? Oh, and what did you do as far as your footpegs? I wish I could find a used Hinson quick change cover but I've had no luck so far.

[1krazyquadridr]

I did't have any alignment issues with the clutch arm, but I bought the whole Hinson setup used on ebay, so I'm not sure which arm it is. I've attached a few pictures of the parts I used. I also built my own pro peg mounts similar to the ones used on 250r's. I basically used the middle of the tubing to run the rear mounting bolt through. This dropped the foot pegs enough to clear the kick starter, and added a little leg room too.
<a href="http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/krazyquadridr/?action=view&amp;current=DSC01378.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/krazyquadridr/DSC01378.jpg" border="0" alt="Kick Start Parts"></a>
<a href="http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/krazyquadridr/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_9864.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/krazyquadridr/IMG_9864.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/krazyquadridr/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_9865.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i6/krazyquadridr/IMG_9865.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[djwilliams0822]

When you put the kick start on it can you leave the electric start?

[BlasterEaten250]

Thanks for the pictures, that really helps out a lot. This really does not seem all that hard to do. I am going to start on it as soon as I can find a Hinson cover. I'm going to part search tonight and figure out how much this is going to cost me in the end. Oh, and one last question. What did you do as far as the wiring? Are you running an xr400 wiring harness? I think I'm going to run an xr stator so I can still run my lights without a battery.

[1krazyquadridr]

I decided to keep my electric start until I got everything figured out, and got lazy and never got around to removing it, so yes you can have both at the same time. The wiring issue however should be as simple as simplifying the EX harness by removing the all the electric start components, I don't think you need a XR stator. The stator will still need a voltage regulator, but instead of charging the battery the output from the regulator would run power to the lights and the coil. I'll dig up some wiring schematics and verify though. In doing my initial research I talked with Steve the original kick start guy at length, and he basically told me he was able to even remove the CDI box too, and only had one wire that ran to the coil and that was it. But he didn't have lights or accessories either.

[BlasterEaten250]

I just want to let you guys know that I haven't forgotton about this thread, I'm just hunting for a used Hinson cover so that I can actually get started with it. Nothing will begin until I find that cover because it will be the hardest by far to find.