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Ok guys,
Over the years, there have been a lot of kick-start discussions, but none of them really answered all of the questions to allow you to go into doing the conversion knowing what to expect. Having completed it recently, I will attempt to do that here.
First off, you need to get “the pin.” This is the pin that the kick-start idler gear rides on and it is not available from KTM. I am looking into having them made, but presently, the best solution for the pin is to get it out of a set of junked cases. The best way to do that would be to find an old kick-start RFS case half and mill the cases down to get the pin out. You are not going to pull the pin out of there. The fit is too tight. I have heard that you can use the e-start idler pin as well, but I have not confirmed this.
Once you have a pin, it can be installed by hammer/punch with some bronze to protect it, or with a press if your cases are apart. My cases were apart anyway when I installed it, but I heated that area of the case to a bit over 200°F with a heat gun and froze the pin. It went in quite easily. I haven’t tried it with an engine that is together yet. But I will be attempting that this winter.
Next you need all the kick-start stuff. Gears, shaft, springs, washer, snap ring, bump-stop, tab the return spring bolts too, seal for the clutch cover, etc. At this point, you will notice that the 525 SX kickstart return spring rubs on the larger diameter atv clutch basket. The solution to this is the return spring from a KTM 85SX. (Part number 47033054000) This spring is a drop-in replacement for the 525SX return spring, but is about 5mm smaller diameter. The only modification you will have to do is to the tang on the spring that actually goes into the kickstart shaft. I had to shorten that tang by about 1/8 inch to get everything to fit.
Once you button it all up, the 2-stroke kick lever (Part number 77033170044) works very well and if you kick with your heel, clears the fenders and heel-guards without issue. You will need to do some grinding (which I did with a simple bench grinder) to get the lever to clear the frame as well as notch it slightly for the 10mm bolt head that holds the header on. If you wanted to, a button-head bolt may go nicely here, but I haven’t had any issues with the notched lever yet.
See the pictures below to see my setup. I’ve run 2 races on it and some play riding with no issues yet. I will say that when the quad is hot, it takes a decent kick to get past the vapor lock if it sits for a bit, but it always starts up, and is honestly probably more reliable in cold weather than the stock e-starter is anyway. I’ll update this post if I figure out whether or not you can use the E-start idler, and/or if I get a source for hardened pins. My machinist friend is confident he can turn them out, but wants to see one first, so I’m getting another one to give to him and see what he thinks.
Thanks!
Over the years, there have been a lot of kick-start discussions, but none of them really answered all of the questions to allow you to go into doing the conversion knowing what to expect. Having completed it recently, I will attempt to do that here.
First off, you need to get “the pin.” This is the pin that the kick-start idler gear rides on and it is not available from KTM. I am looking into having them made, but presently, the best solution for the pin is to get it out of a set of junked cases. The best way to do that would be to find an old kick-start RFS case half and mill the cases down to get the pin out. You are not going to pull the pin out of there. The fit is too tight. I have heard that you can use the e-start idler pin as well, but I have not confirmed this.
Once you have a pin, it can be installed by hammer/punch with some bronze to protect it, or with a press if your cases are apart. My cases were apart anyway when I installed it, but I heated that area of the case to a bit over 200°F with a heat gun and froze the pin. It went in quite easily. I haven’t tried it with an engine that is together yet. But I will be attempting that this winter.
Next you need all the kick-start stuff. Gears, shaft, springs, washer, snap ring, bump-stop, tab the return spring bolts too, seal for the clutch cover, etc. At this point, you will notice that the 525 SX kickstart return spring rubs on the larger diameter atv clutch basket. The solution to this is the return spring from a KTM 85SX. (Part number 47033054000) This spring is a drop-in replacement for the 525SX return spring, but is about 5mm smaller diameter. The only modification you will have to do is to the tang on the spring that actually goes into the kickstart shaft. I had to shorten that tang by about 1/8 inch to get everything to fit.
Once you button it all up, the 2-stroke kick lever (Part number 77033170044) works very well and if you kick with your heel, clears the fenders and heel-guards without issue. You will need to do some grinding (which I did with a simple bench grinder) to get the lever to clear the frame as well as notch it slightly for the 10mm bolt head that holds the header on. If you wanted to, a button-head bolt may go nicely here, but I haven’t had any issues with the notched lever yet.
See the pictures below to see my setup. I’ve run 2 races on it and some play riding with no issues yet. I will say that when the quad is hot, it takes a decent kick to get past the vapor lock if it sits for a bit, but it always starts up, and is honestly probably more reliable in cold weather than the stock e-starter is anyway. I’ll update this post if I figure out whether or not you can use the E-start idler, and/or if I get a source for hardened pins. My machinist friend is confident he can turn them out, but wants to see one first, so I’m getting another one to give to him and see what he thinks.
Thanks!
