04-11-2019, 10:03 AM
With regards to the kickstarter, I love it. It really makes the bike for me. There is something really satisfying in putting your helmet on, swinging your leg over the bike, lining things up and physically starting the thing. But if one is prone to stalling (I haven't stalled a bike in decades) the pressure of traffic behind you might not be quite the ticket. To start the thing, you have to pull the compression lever, lean over, look at the sight glass, slowly move the kick starter with your foot until the cylinder is in the right position, and give it a very firm kick. It sometimes takes two or three tries. For a beginner, it might be a bit intimidating, as easy as the bike is to handle otherwise. Even for me, it'd be a bit of a challenge at an intersection trying to start it with a bunch of traffic behind me. As easy as the bike is to ride around town, the kick start thing might not be ideal for a new rider if they tend to stall....