1975 T500 sticking kick start

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Exnatalia
On the street
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon May 07, 2018 6:02 am
Country: USA
Suzuki 2-Strokes: T500

1975 T500 sticking kick start

Post by Exnatalia »

Recently acguired a 75 T500 that the previous owner had done some restoration including pulling engine apart . Two issues
Kickstart won’t spring back completely to upright position once depressed - any suggestions?
Second, is that has a hell Of a ring rattle In left cylinder. PO says all looked good when he reassembled engine. Have tested up and down driveway and bike pulls
Well - again any suggestions?

Thanks
sportston
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Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 12:04 pm
Country: England, UK
Suzuki 2-Strokes: FZ50, GP100, RG125 Gamma, GT380, Bandit 1200S

Re: 1975 T500 sticking kick start

Post by sportston »

Probably he put it back together wrong and didn't pre-tension the kickstart shaft fully. Other possibility is broken spring or spring incorrectly installed. I think on the T500 you can take the side cover off to get to the mechanism for pre-tensioning purposes.

As for the ringing noise you describe....Perhaps something is loose? Take engine side covers off and check all nuts, screws, plates and bolts are tight. Possible causes;
maybe he missed installing a thrust washer on the clutch assembly
forgot to torque clutch shaft nut.
forgot to tighten and bend tab on primary drive gear nut on crankshaft
various other possibilities

Hard to tell without hearing the noise. But often ignoring an unpleasant noise can lead to serious damage, so don't ignore it.
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dorT500
To the on ramp
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Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2017 12:01 pm
Country: USA
Suzuki 2-Strokes: '75 T500M since '93 Ridden it over 100,000 mi
Location: Galveston County, Tx.

Re: 1975 T500 sticking kick start

Post by dorT500 »

If that was the way it was when the bike was turned over to you and didn't just happen sometime afterward then I am also thinking the kickstart shaft was not fully wound before installing the stop bolt. Just like a person should run through all the gears of the transmission before buttoning up the engine, so should they confirm that the kickstart assembly is as it should be.

While the stop bolt is accessible after removing the clutch cover, I'm pretty sure you would not be able to complete the wind without pressing the ratchet pawl down to clear the ratchet gear (splitting crankcase needed) as I describe below. I'm thinking you would just loose what little you have now.

Return spring broken or its anchor ends out of place?.... Thin wall of pocket for spring end broken out during crankcase assembly?..............

Though the kickstart spring did break several years ago on my T500, unlike what yours is doing, my kickstart lever/shaft would not return at all. If memory serves me correctly, it was the end of the spring that goes through the shaft itself but I can see it happening on either end or even damage

If it comes down to you having to split the cases, go ahead and install a new kickstart pawl, pin and spring. More 'meat' in this pawl/ratchet gear assembly, the better. That way you will know for sure you have brand new one in there.

There are two ways to pre-wind the kickstart shaft....both maybe a little hard to describe. The way I do it just takes seconds after shaft is installed.

(1) Stop bolt out or at least backed out enough to allow the stopper on the gear end of shaft to clear as it comes around.

(2) Install kickstart assembly making sure end caps are lined up with locator dowell pins and ALL THE WAY DOWN....double check. Tighten shaft clamp down.

(3) With lower crankcase on bench, kickstart lever overhanging bench..... wind the kickstart shaft around with the lever....it's going to stop before you finish the full wind. At this point you just press the pawl down with a small screwdriver or pick (you clear the ratchet gear by doing this) and that will allow you to bring the stopper on around and past the stop bolt....hold...now go ahead and run the stop bolt in all the way....you can now release the shaft and TIGHTEN the stop bolt. Re-position the kickstart lever on the shaft splines as needed.

I'm pretty sure I have not missed any steps but it has been a long time since I did it last and I'm old. :roll:

On the bad noise coming from a cylinder after somebody just 'rebuilt' the engine.......as you already know, if a hard seize occurred suddenly while riding, that could be very dangerous.
As far as the cause of the noise....... speculation is all I or anyone else could offer at this point. :|

Damn shame about the problems you are having with your new purchase. :(

Good Luck

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Exnatalia
On the street
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon May 07, 2018 6:02 am
Country: USA
Suzuki 2-Strokes: T500

Re: 1975 T500 sticking kick start

Post by Exnatalia »

Thanks for the resposes, i am going to go ahead and drop the engine and sort out starter and check the crank and pistons etc. i have a complete 71 engine i just picked up so will fit that and see if it has any issues. In mean time have a 1970 that is in daily use!

Love these old suzuki’s, rode one as a student all over southern Africa and it never missed a beat! Now enjoy the country lanes of the Northern Neck of Virginia!
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