Lifan XPect kick starter is not working

Gradhakr · 04-03-2021, 09:48 PM

Greetings everyone,
I just got my Lifan XPect two weeks ago. Have put around 50+ miles on it. I used the kick starter the day I put the bike together & it started fine. It’s been a couple of weeks and I can’t get the bike to start when I use the kick starter. The lever is really tight and when I force kick it down there is no sound. The bike starts fine when I use the ignition switch. No problem.

Any pointers to troubleshoot this problem would be super helpful.

Thanks much.
Gradhakr

Bill Hilly · 04-03-2021, 10:26 PM

I think it must be turning the motor if you can force it down, and it comes back up, and is able to be forced down again. I think if something was jamming the kick mechanism ,and you forced it once it would break . Keep in mind you still have to use the ignition switch. The key has to be in the run position just like with your electric starter. Take out your plug, and see how it cranks. If it kicks easy, then it is just the engine's compression making it hard to kick. I don't know how heavy you are, but you may want to use your body weight .I have seen people almost jump on kick starters.

idle_purr · 04-04-2021, 12:45 AM

You have to kick it as if you're punting a football.

In all seriousness though, I continuously flood my engine out every time I try to kick start, do you get a strong smell of gas when you are kicking it over? Even after riding my bike for 30 minutes it's still incredibly temperamental when it comes to kicking it over. It has a lot of back pressure and definitely requires both balls to kick over.

"Forget leg day at the gym, I'll just go kick my Brozz over for an hour."

Gradhakr · 04-04-2021, 01:13 AM

Thanks Bill. I will try what you have suggested & also try kicking the lever will full force.
Idle_purr No I don’t smell any gas. Don’t think the engine is flooded or anything. Will try hitting the lever hard tomorrow. Will let you know. Thanks.

Megadan · 04-04-2021, 02:38 AM

Easy way to know of it is working. Take the spark plug out and give it a kick. It will kick over super easy and you should hear a sucking and blowing sound of air going in and out of the plug hole.

Ajjmo · 04-11-2021, 10:50 AM

Can someone PLEASE measure the seat height of the logan XPECT. I've seen a bunch of different sizes advertised and can maybe fit a 32 inch max

srsmith · 04-22-2021, 06:06 PM

almost 33 but will sag from body weight

ChillRider · 04-23-2021, 08:20 AM

My Zongshen Sierra has always been a bit temperamental with the kickstarter -especially in cold weather.

What I do is to gently pump the kickstarter a couple of times (...or three...or as many as necessary) until I start feeling some compression, which means I'm moving towards TDC. This also help circulate some oil around, which is no bad thing.

At that point, I let the kickstarter return, and kick hard once it has sprung back into place -hard is a bit of a misnomer, "with commitment all the way to the bottom" would be a more apt description. If you kick without having reached TDC on a compression stroke/TDC, you'll just be wasting your kick's energy.

If executed correctly, you will get some reaction from the engine and exhaust. Rinse and repeat if needed. If you don't reach a compression stroke at TDC, especially with a cold engine, you could be kicking for minutes with no results.

I don't keep the throttle open when kickstarting -I found out that I merely flood the engine by doing that. A couple of throttle twists at the beginning may help, if the carb's bowl was a bit low after sitting overnight. Choke, strangely enough, seldom helps when kickstarting.

When even slightly warm however, it's a whole other ballgame -even a gentle half-kick will get things going.

mototech77 · 05-08-2021, 07:47 AM

I found the kickstarter to be useless on my 2021 X-PECT. I am experienced with kickstarters from previous bikes so I understand getting it to TDC before kicking, but there is an unreasonable amount of force that must be applied to kick it over. Seems like it would potentially cause damage if tried enough. I just figure it’s crappy engineering, so I took it off and trimmed a short piece of rubber hose and placed over the splined shaft. The electric start works great and the bike looks better without the kickstarter so I’m happy with the outcome

culcune · 05-08-2021, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mototech77

I found the kickstarter to be useless on my 2021 X-PECT.

That's a shame if this is a common thing with the X-Pect because I always like to have a back-up plan if/when the battery dies.

ChillRider · 05-10-2021, 04:28 AM

Hmm.... now that you mention it, after I performed a long-overdue valve clearance adjustment on my Zongshen Sierra, it now is quite harder to kick over. Previously it had so little resistance that it felt like starting a small 2-stroke moped, not the resistance you'd expect from even a 50cc 4-stroke motor. It did work, ultimately, but it needed all that prepping I mentioned.

Going on a tangent here, but from what I could tell, valve clearances in my case had never been adjusted over the lifetime of the bike, or had been done very long ago very sloppily, with clearances >= 0.12 mm on both sides (vs. 0.06-0.08 mm intake, 0.08-0.10 exhaust).

The valve-cover o-rings themselves were permanently deformed in the ovoid shape of the TW200/Sierra valve covers and completely square/flush on all sides.Yikes.

mototech77 · 05-11-2021, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by culcune

That's a shame if this is a common thing with the X-Pect because I always like to have a back-up plan if/when the battery dies.

I agree with you there. This is my second Chinese bike. The quality of the Lifan is a lot better than the DongFang I had previously, but I’ve come to expect some compromises like this considering the price point for a brand new bike. I figure if I step back up to a larger displacement bike again at some point I won’t have a kickstarter then, so I just put it out of mind. I’m just happy to be back on two wheels again

LifanXpectRider · 05-12-2021, 01:54 PM

Also have a 2021 Lifan xpect kick starter works fine it’s not meant to be kicked easily so force is necessary. Mine has been solid from the get go over 500 miles on it and riding strong! Best of luck

04-03-2021, 09:48 PM	#1
Gradhakr Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 3	Lifan XPect kick starter is not working Greetings everyone, I just got my Lifan XPect two weeks ago. Have put around 50+ miles on it. I used the kick starter the day I put the bike together & it started fine. It’s been a couple of weeks and I can’t get the bike to start when I use the kick starter. The lever is really tight and when I force kick it down there is no sound. The bike starts fine when I use the ignition switch. No problem. Any pointers to troubleshoot this problem would be super helpful. Thanks much. Gradhakr
	0

04-04-2021, 12:45 AM	#3
idle_purr Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: NY Posts: 218	You have to kick it as if you're punting a football. In all seriousness though, I continuously flood my engine out every time I try to kick start, do you get a strong smell of gas when you are kicking it over? Even after riding my bike for 30 minutes it's still incredibly temperamental when it comes to kicking it over. It has a lot of back pressure and definitely requires both balls to kick over. *"Forget leg day at the gym, I'll just go kick my Brozz over for an hour."* __________________ NO HILL TOO STEEP NO MUD TOO DEEP The Brozz \| The Hawk Upgrades, Accessories, Etc... Assembly Checklist: Brozz 250 \| Hawk 250 ~idle_purr
	0

04-04-2021, 02:38 AM	#5
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 8,028	Easy way to know of it is working. Take the spark plug out and give it a kick. It will kick over super easy and you should hear a sucking and blowing sound of air going in and out of the plug hole. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	1

05-12-2021, 01:54 PM	#13
LifanXpectRider Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 10	Also have a 2021 Lifan xpect kick starter works fine it’s not meant to be kicked easily so force is necessary. Mine has been solid from the get go over 500 miles on it and riding strong! Best of luck Last edited by LifanXpectRider; 05-12-2021 at 01:55 PM. Reason: Typo
	0

04-03-2021, 10:26 PM	#2
Bill Hilly Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 946	I think it must be turning the motor if you can force it down, and it comes back up, and is able to be forced down again. I think if something was jamming the kick mechanism ,and you forced it once it would break . Keep in mind you still have to use the ignition switch. The key has to be in the run position just like with your electric starter. Take out your plug, and see how it cranks. If it kicks easy, then it is just the engine's compression making it hard to kick. I don't know how heavy you are, but you may want to use your body weight .I have seen people almost jump on kick starters.
	1

04-04-2021, 01:13 AM	#4
Gradhakr Join Date: Feb 2021 Posts: 3	Thanks Bill. I will try what you have suggested & also try kicking the lever will full force. Idle_purr No I don’t smell any gas. Don’t think the engine is flooded or anything. Will try hitting the lever hard tomorrow. Will let you know. Thanks.
	0

04-11-2021, 10:50 AM	#6
Ajjmo Join Date: Apr 2021 Posts: 3	Can someone PLEASE measure the seat height of the logan XPECT. I've seen a bunch of different sizes advertised and can maybe fit a 32 inch max
	0

04-22-2021, 06:06 PM	#7
srsmith Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Atlanta/Indonesia Posts: 23	almost 33 but will sag from body weight
	0

04-23-2021, 08:20 AM	#8
ChillRider Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: A small country with a funny name Posts: 164	My Zongshen Sierra has always been a bit temperamental with the kickstarter -especially in cold weather. What I do is to gently pump the kickstarter a couple of times (...or three...or as many as necessary) until I start feeling some compression, which means I'm moving towards TDC. This also help circulate some oil around, which is no bad thing. At that point, I let the kickstarter return, and kick hard once it has sprung back into place -hard is a bit of a misnomer, "with commitment all the way to the bottom" would be a more apt description. If you kick without having reached TDC on a compression stroke/TDC, you'll just be wasting your kick's energy. If executed correctly, you will get some reaction from the engine and exhaust. Rinse and repeat if needed. If you don't reach a compression stroke at TDC, especially with a cold engine, you could be kicking for minutes with no results. I don't keep the throttle open when kickstarting -I found out that I merely flood the engine by doing that. A couple of throttle twists at the beginning may help, if the carb's bowl was a bit low after sitting overnight. Choke, strangely enough, seldom helps when kickstarting. When even slightly warm however, it's a whole other ballgame -even a gentle half-kick will get things going.
	1

05-08-2021, 07:47 AM	#9
mototech77 Join Date: May 2021 Location: Central Florida Posts: 80	I found the kickstarter to be useless on my 2021 X-PECT. I am experienced with kickstarters from previous bikes so I understand getting it to TDC before kicking, but there is an unreasonable amount of force that must be applied to kick it over. Seems like it would potentially cause damage if tried enough. I just figure it’s crappy engineering, so I took it off and trimmed a short piece of rubber hose and placed over the splined shaft. The electric start works great and the bike looks better without the kickstarter so I’m happy with the outcome
	1

05-10-2021, 04:28 AM	#11
ChillRider Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: A small country with a funny name Posts: 164	Hmm.... now that you mention it, after I performed a long-overdue valve clearance adjustment on my Zongshen Sierra, it now is quite harder to kick over. Previously it had so little resistance that it felt like starting a small 2-stroke moped, not the resistance you'd expect from even a 50cc 4-stroke motor. It did work, ultimately, but it needed all that prepping I mentioned. Going on a tangent here, but from what I could tell, valve clearances in my case had never been adjusted over the lifetime of the bike, or had been done very long ago very sloppily, with clearances >= 0.12 mm on both sides (vs. 0.06-0.08 mm intake, 0.08-0.10 exhaust). The valve-cover o-rings themselves were permanently deformed in the ovoid shape of the TW200/Sierra valve covers and completely square/flush on all sides.Yikes.
	0