5 Speed kicker tranny

[Glenw]

I just picked up a 1985 R80RT, and I am planning to do some refreshing it and get it back on the road. The question for the group is Should I keep the 5 speed kicker tranny, or try to sell/trade it for another one without the kickstart. I am seeing different comments on the use, some say don't use it, others see it as a plus for adventure style riding. What do you think, keep it, sell/trade it??
I have put about 200 miles on it and it doesn 't seem to need anything right now, but I was thinking about bearings and seals while I will have the bike apart.

GlenW
1991 R100RT
2001 R1150GS
1985 R80RT

[crazydrummerdude]

If it ain't broke..

For what it's worth, I have the kickstarter on both my BMW's and I never use it, but I like that fact that I could if necessary.

[Glenw]

I guess that the best thing is to keep it and wait for any problems before it goes in for service.

Thanks Glen

[535is]

If left unused, the kick starter will cause no problems by itself. If used and broken (as most assure me it will), it could. As I understand it, it's more likely you will break the kicker itself and have no problem with the gearbox otherwise. So I regard it as a kind of fragile insurance policy. I have used it to start the bike exactly one time - when the battery was just about drained and the thing was just about to start - and did so on the first kick. :D The gearbox puked a bearing (I believe) a month ago, but I am certain it had nothing to do with the kicker. Keep it. It's a novelty. :thumb

[rinty]

I think the kicker is a really useful backstop when there are potential starting problems. For cold starts, it's nice to be able to kick the engine through a few times with the ignition off, to loosen things up, before engaging the electric starter.

A had an interesting couple of days a few years ago, when I got caught in the Kootenays with a gimpy battery on my RS. I got real good at spotting hills and slight elevations at potential stop points, so I would have some vertical for the rolling start.

[GeorgeRyals]

I have a 5 spd 1974 R90/6(supposedly the worst (weakest) trans BMW ever put out) transmission in my conversion sidecar rig. Kick start only. I ride it nearly every day to work. In the winter it sometimes takes several kicks to start it. I've been doing this for 5 years. I hasn't broken it yet. Of course I make sure the kicker gear it properly engaged before I kick it. With the kick pedal all the way up it is possible that the gear teeth butt heads and are not meshed. If you kick it like that, the first couple of teeth can be broken.
No need to fear the kicker box, as someone said...you don't have to use it if you don't want to.
I haven't checked to see if I have worn out the hole that the kicker shaft rotates in, but I have no leak there.