I just acquired a bunch of kickstart parts from a 1989 Dominator because I want to be able to kickstart my XR650L. the trouble is, I didn't get to take the parts of the Dommie - they just arrived in the post. does anyone have any exploded diagrams of this kickstart setup that they could share with me before I strip my XR400 for inspiration? thanks in advance
Rich

Rich,
I had a look through my photocopied dommie manual, and there is a section on the kickstart. However the diagram is rather basic, but you might find it useful. I won't be able to scan it in for a couple of days as i'm heading out for the weekend. If you want it, let me know and i can email it later or something.

Best of luck
rob

thanks for the offer of piccies, Rob. I'm getting there ... I got the Clymer manual for the XR600 (rather than butcher my long-suffering XR400) and am now trying to source a few more parts before fitting my box of goodies. it LOOKS like it should go on just fine, but you never know till you're done!
Rich

ok then. If you do want any pics later on just post another message and i'll sort them out. Have fun
-rob

fiddle-sticks! just been trying to fit the parts and have realised I'm going to have to remove and modify/replace the gearbox countershaft. this job has therefore just gone from reasonable to serious hassle. not sure if I'll bother to do the work: it depends what the countershaft and all the gaskets cost as it'll be a complete engine rebuild at 10,000km. still, it'll give a chance to check all is well before I set off.

first kick! it started first kick! and it doesn't need a decompressor.

the countershaft, gaskets, machining and other "consumables" must have cost £400, but it was actually quite fun! all the kick-start parts came from the '89 Dominator and that gives rise to an unexpected problem: the internal spline of the front sprocket has 6 teeth and may be hard to find so I bought 4 ... well, I am going away for 2 years! if replacing the countershaft (£140) is impractical, I'm confident it can be machined to suit and if anyone wants a low-mileage 2002 one to modify, I can tell you what needs doing, but didn't realise it was doable before I ordered the replacement.

the rest of the engine was in tip-top condition except for a 1mm crust of carbon on the piston and a glazed piston and bore which may explain the oil burn.

in reality, it would probably have been cheaper and quicker to buy and fit a low mileage old engine, but I'm glad I went about it the "hard" way as I now don't need to take a manual with me ...