Why have kick starters gone extinct?

[Cormanus]

I've been pondering this thread. While I'm kinda relieved that I don't have the option of kick starting the CB1100, perversely I'm mildly disappointed that Honda didn't put one on the bike to really give it that retro look.

The good news—for me at least—is that the 'kinda relief' side of the equation is winning out.

A fake kick start, now, would be totally unacceptable. But a quasi-fake kickstart of the kind proposed by the good Captain Klutz may well have been good for a laugh. At least it would appear to work.

[emptysea]

I wish they still had a hand crank for my car...just in case.

[Cormanus]

I had a car like that once.

[Riko_imp]

can somebody tell me how or what the deal is with the kickstarter here @0:15

[the_undecider_imp]

Must be a fake. The Walking Dead tv show has a Nighthawk 750 where they installed a fake kick lever. I'm guessing this is a similar item.

[the Ferret]

There appears to be, where a circular chrome plain end cap for the swingarm should be, nuts or bolts of some sort on the bike in that video. I'm thinking some sort of fake kickstarter that somehow bolts in there.

[Hondahawkrider_imp]

Picking up a SR400 in a couple of days that is kick start ONLY.

The bike has NOT been a commercial success.....I'm guessing the high price and no e-start are the culprits

How to learn to hate kick start bike..

I had 3 sr500's.... If you don't start it right, you'll sit for a bit.. I hope you live on a hill.

I still have a srx in the back of my garage, it's far easier to start, but with needing some work, it just sits

[Lord Popgun]

DaSwami,

I considered an SR400. Kick start only, rear drum, and high price eliminated it for me.

Edit to show my dumbness: I considered a TU 250, not the SR400.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Probably just a matter of economics and refinement. I had frequent starter button problems on the old bikes. Used the kicker fairly often. But that was then and this is now. The other thing is the average size motor back in the day was about half or less than what everyone is tooling around on now. Not sure I'd want to be kicking one over very often these days.

Memories include bruises and skinned shins and breaking a sweat before I ever got moving!

Interestingly enough, however, the new Yamaha 400cc is kick start only! Guess they saved a few bucks by going in the other direction.

I like that SR400. If I downsize I might get one. Clearly EFI will work with a kickstarter as it's EFI.

The compression ratios and horsepower of modern bikes would create a real danger of personal injury, and since electric starters are now so light and powerful, there is just no reason to consider a kick starter.

Kick starters can break bones and cause very serious injuries, especially with four-stroke engines.

Some bikes do have them; dirt bikes, dual sport, some retros.

Next thing you know someone will want to go back to using carburetors.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

I can still kick my Bonnie into life. Just in case you didn't grow up with it, it's kind of a satisfying experience to boot a bike into life.

Cheers