I recently purchased my first kick start bike, a 76 Honda TL 250. Barn find in fantastic condition and I got a great deal on it and the original shop manual. Mechanic friend and I went through it and cleaned carb, lubed lines etc. It starts and runs, goes through it's paces etc.
Here's my problem and I didn't even think of it when I got the bike. I'm 5'4 and 120#, I'm strong, physically very fit ( crossfit , hiking and search and rescue) but I am having a hell of a time getting it to turn over for me. Hell, I even strapped on '80s jane fonda leg weights yesterday to see if that would help. No bueno.
I know since I've never had a kick start it's a matter of keep practicing until I get the sweet spot and the technique.
Has anyone put a compression release mechanism on one of these bikes? I don't mind spending a little money to machine it and make it easier for me to start. It's supposed to be used mostly for search and rescue in the woods, and I would lose street cred if I had to call base to ask them to send out a big guy to start my bike.

Thanks in advance.
No suggestions I sell it, I'm not a quitter. Jo

Back in my early teens, I had a '74 Honda TL125. Great bike. Not fast, but it would go anywhere! I hadn't thought about that in many years, thanks for that little blast from the past!
As for kick starting, yeah that little 4-stroke engine takes a bit of grunt to spin over. When my dad got me the bike, that was one of the conditions. I couldn't ride it if I couldn't start it. Lots of practice. You get a certain feel for it, a rhythm. Never used a compression release mechanism (never heard of one). Just kept working at it.
Great bike - worth the extra effort.

__________________
Been up since before breakfast

It's a matter of technique. You shouldn't need a compression release on a 250, those are usually reserved for the big bore bikes (500). You need to use your body weight instead of just your leg muscles. Keep at it, it's not that hard. (at least it wasn't 20 years ago when I was still riding, now I don't think I could get on one.)

If you don't have a large bruise on your calf while learning consider yourself lucky

Push the kick starter down until the piston comes into the compression stroke. Let the kick starter return to the top. With your right foot, push the kick starter down until you feel resistance. Now jump up. As your body weight comes down, kick down with your right leg.

Some engines prefer the throttle to be partially open, others prefer full throttle. Your manual may shed some light on this.

Best of luck and enjoy.

Push the kick starter down until the piston comes into the compression stroke. Let the kick starter return to the top. With your right foot, push the kick starter down until you feel resistance. Now jump up. As your body weight comes down, kick down with your right leg.

Some engines prefer the throttle to be partially open, others prefer full throttle. Your manual may shed some light on this.

Best of luck and enjoy.

As one who used to start a 500cc single four stroke dirt bike I would add one more step to gboling's technique. On the 500 I would get the bike to top dead center on the compression stroke then use the compression release to roll it just over top dead center. Then close the release, raise the kick starter and give it a big kick. That allowed the motor to get some momentum before it got to the next compression stroke. If you can somehow emulate that procedure without a release life will be much easier.

Ed

Sort of like lifting a big bike up on the center stand, to do so easily it's more technique than strength. Good advice and tips already posted, keep practicing.

Nice find btw! My first motorcycle was a new 1972 XL250 (kick start). More recently I bought a new Honda XR650R which is kick start (did have compression release though) but what a bear to start. I took my truck to the dealership to pick it up. After looking it over and paying for it they rolled it out with a ramp to load it for me. They kicked and kicked but couldn't get it started finally just pushed it up in the truck.
Once I got it home I probably kicked that thing 80 times (20 kicks, break, 20 kicks, etc.) before it finally started.
Replacing the U.S. EPA jets with what XR650R's came with in the rest of the world helped a lot. After that the trick I found was: switch off, while holding in the compression release and WOT kick it 3-4 times, then switch on, piston just past TDC, no throttle, choke on, jump as high as I could and let my weight help the kick and it'd usually start first time.

If that 250 is physically hard to kick over, there is something wrong. You should not need a compression release to get it past TDC. If it is in stock tune, it will want the choke when cold, and most likely a closed throttle. You can also position the piston by putting the bike in gear and rolling it backwards until it comes up on compression.

You did check for spark, right? Valve clearances? On singles, especially, hard starting can often be traced to a tight valve. Check the exhaust first, and you may have to go no further. And even though you cleaned the carb, take another look at the pilot jet. The TL has a mildly-tuned engine, and should not be a hard starter.

You can have a lot of fun on a trials bike. The rancher where I used to go dirt biking had a pair of Bultaco Sherpas. A stack of 70lb sand bags was a fun obstacle for a novice like me. I never did master the trick of riding over a beer keg; not without a ramp anyway.

You have the perfect physique for a trials rider. The typical world class rider is about your size, and looks to be about 15 years old.

__________________
Not in jail.

You could always park it on a hill and bump-start it.

Just kidding. You've got a nice machine there. I used to ride trials on Bultacos and Montesa.

__________________
'Merica!

Real question.
Is that trials or trails ?
Blessings

__________________
TEXAS, by GOD

If I could kick start an XL350 at age 12, you are out of excuses.

__________________
it just needs more voltage

Early 70s, a buddy had a Yamaha single lung 400cc. trials, geared ridiculous
to me and I rode once around the city block. Last time I every wanted to ride it or rather it rode me.

this, the only thing i would add is, don't puss leg it. you need to keep the leg straight, don't bend the knee.

That's strange. I had a '86 XL600R and it nearly always started on the first kick, and the carb was totally stock.

__________________
~ S&W aficionado in training ~

I have to agree with everyone in regards to age being a major factor if your having trouble kicking that small an engine over. A twelve year old growing up back before the 70's had to be strong, either that or stay on the porch. I remember the stuff I used to do when I was twelve and when I tell my little nephews and grandkids they just can't believe a kid could do that stuff, I had one of those old Tote Goats and used to take that thing up hills where I was standing on the pegs and laying on the handlebars. I used to ride a friends 441 Victor Special when I was 16, sure it could be a bear if you didn't keep your leg straight on the downstroke but that was part of the trick, you had to mount yourself up high enough to prepare for a full pressure downstroke, the Victor liked a little throttle...you also had to remember to tickle the "diddler button" on those old Amal carbs, a little too much and you were going to get ready for a run and bump from flooding. You really had to jump on those old bikes, long before electronic ignition, you get them just a little out of tune and they don't work very well.
I had an old hard tailed '49 Harley bobber that if you got the starting sequence wrong by just a bit you were screwed. All it had for a choke was a slot cut into the carb air filter, you inserted the flap of a book of matches into that slot, reached down and fully retarded the dizzy, twist the throttle halfway and with ignition off give it a full stroke, leave the throttle where it was and switch the ignition on and "Give Er", if it started which it usually did I would slowly pull the match book out and blip the throttle a couple times, advance the dizzy till I got a decent idle and let it warm up a minute or so. It usually ran fine after that and sometimes needed a bit more advance as I rode. That machine had a jockey shift where the shifter was a shaft directly under the seat with an eight ball on it. It had what was called a "suicide" clutch because it was direct to your foot, no rocker like a stocker. It had no front brake just the stock springer fork that was chromed. The trick about riding those things was that every stop had to be in neutral, because you could not have your right foot on the brake and your left foot on the clutch at a stop unless you were one of the Vallenda Bros. I remember one hill I tried to avoid that had a stop light at the top, every now and then you timing was off and you had to stop, I would pull over to the curb in neutral and back up till my rear tire was up against the curb, then wait for the light to change look over my shoulder and then shift into 1st and pull away from the curb...you really had to think ahead when you rode that bike.

I suspect that there could be a modest mechanical issue with the engine, as others have said, but the main issue is technique. You are amply strong, I am reasonably sure, but you light enough that a flawed technique will not work well. Read up on the tips given on technique, and apply them. It is a specific skill set and you need to get it right or you will be frustrated to an amazing level. (My bike days are so far behind me that I dare not critique or even try to think seriously about the suggestions.)

If you are really desperate, I'll trade you a dental on the beast in my avatar photo (he has and always has had, the worst breath of any dog I've ever met who did not have a health problem, and we have had him over 5 years) for some time working with you on starting technique.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

Both the TL250 and the XL250 can be fitted with a compression release. This one was actually removed from a TL250. Its not clear if it was OEM or aftermarket. see
http://www.oldrice.com/comprlse.html



It is installed in place of the Exhaust Side Valve Tappet Adjustment Cover.You would also need a cable and a lever to use this.

FWIW back in the day I had a 350 Velocette Viper single that was fitted with a high compression piston and could be hard to start. I would sometimes put it in second gear and push it backwards until it got to the compression stroke. At that time, kicking it got the benefit of a "running start" to make it through the first compression cycle.

Thank you every one for all the great advice. I will try some of the techniques and see how it goes.Maybe one of my kids can show me how to load a photo of the bike. It's pretty sweet and starts just fine for my 200# mechanic friend. It's not the bike, it's me. Just like it's not the gun, it's me who screws up.

Trials....a motorcycle sport where highly skilled riders, on specialized machines, negotiate through very tricky terrain....you get a "point" added if you take your foot off the peg and "dab". Course observers watch you go through each section and keep score. There are different "lines" through each section depending on ability level. What I'm outlining here is how it "used to be". Rules may be different now. Current riders on modern trials bikes can do simply amazing things.

__________________
'Merica!

The latest craze now with the older hard to kick bikes is installing the chainsaw compression release on them.

I welded a sleeve in a husqvarna 400 liquid cooled head then drilled and tapped it to fit the older suzuki compression release. Kicking the 400 after that felt like a 125.

The new Husqvarna two strokes come with electric start now. I wish they would offer the 500cc two stroke with e start.

Years ago I remember a lever on the head on the four stroke Hondas that would hold the valve open to release compression to start it.