350x kick starter return spring

[Bronchole]

After my full case teardown and re-assembly over a 1 year period of time my kick starter doesn't seem to return back to it's full and upright position when I fold it against the fender. The biggest annoince is that the 1 way gear/clutch thing is sligntly engauged at this point making a nice sound as I drive it around.

I don't remember the kicker having a problem befor, and I know it wasn't doing it to the point of makeing the gear/clutch thing noise.

My thoughts are I have one of the following problems:

- weak kicker return spring
- incorrectly assembled kicker assembly (this is one of the few things that I didn't dissassemble so I'd think this is not it)
- incorectly mated gears that the kicker assembly drives
- incorrectly installed kicker assembly (did this once the first time, kicker wouldn't retun at all!).

I guess my main question is does the kicker return spring relax enough over time to do this? Is this spring still available new?

Any other thoughts?

[Air-cooled-R]

I know on the air cooled R's you can change where the kicker is if you move the spring. The only thing is that you have to split the cases...

[atckowalski]

Check the kickstarter itself to see if it is mounted the way it should be and check out your decompression cable to see if it is to tight.

[Bronchole]

The decompressor cable is adjusted according to the proceedure (1/8" slack).

The one thing that I can think of is maybe I am not getting the return spring hook aligned to the correct spot in the crancase boss under the ratchet guide. The manual is not very specific about this. Page 8-17

[ATCnut]

I broke my 350X kicker return spring two years ago. I agree that the manual was not clear how to put the replacement spring in. I did it like four times before I was happy I had it right.

[Bronchole]

I broke my 350X kicker return spring two years ago. I agree that the manual was not clear how to put the replacement spring in. I did it like four times before I was happy I had it right.

Does it sound like the problem I am haveing could be to not being installed right? Should I just take it apart and try it again a few times?

Thanks

[ATCnut]

I do not know. My spring was comptely broken, the kicker went down, and stayed there. You had to flip it back up with your toe. I got my spring back in correctly and thinkgs seem to work right. Because of the noise your are getting, I believe you have no choice but to pop that sidecover and have a look.