Curiosity is killing me .... So I just had to ask ... Please give us your opinion?

The more people vote the more accurate the answer

Best of balance.

Neo

Have both left & right kickstarts, doesn't bother me at all.

Gearchange / brake takes a little more getting used to.

Dont see what the problem is, it's just habit, no biggie.

Have both left & right kickstarts, doesn't bother me at all.

Must be all that meditating you're doing ... Sorry I couldn't resist that one ... I love your avatar really

Best of balance.

Neo

I don't care which side, but I do care how ergonomic they are.

A few years ago my wife wanted a modern bike and the choice was down to a Beta Rev 3 (left side kick)or a 2 stroke Yamaha motor Scorpa (right side kick). We bought the Beta because the end of the Scorpa kickstart was so high she couldn't get her foot high enough to reach it. She had no probs starting the Beta.

So you're stuck on the side of a hill and have stalled the engine. It's very steep. You try to hold the bike stationary with just the front brake while you kickstart it but the front can't find grip and you start to slide backwards... Oh wait that's right, i've got a left hand kickstart - i'll just put my foot on the rear brake while i kick the bike over with my left foot. Easy!

This was drilled into me last month by a Brisbane Beta owner who is annoyed his new 4 stroke Beta has a 'normal' right side kickstart. He misses his left side kickstarter.

If i could afford a new Evo it wouldn't bother me.

cheers

I should hate left hand kick starters. I was at a 3 day event in `95. Put a Beta kick starter in my leg, all the way in and ripped a full hand down. Three layers of stitches a drain and the damn thing bled for a month. Wife was p****d, kept bleedin` in her bed. Had to miss our next series event, but I think I drank more beer that month than I ever had.(For medicinal purposes only)

I grew up on a Ossa, have had Many a Beta. Left right does not matter, but I like the Fantics the best!!! If you dislike kickstarters then get one of the electric bikes!

It doesn't bother me and took me a couple of weeks to get used to a LHS kick start.

I broke a bone in my left foot kicking over a Rev3 back in 04 and it still hurts me now, so I won't be rushing to buy a bike with a LH starter.

Being on the left didn't cause the injury, it was the poxy Beta Stator that did it.

I had only changed the stator (under warranty I must add)two events previous and the replacement stopped working (half way round a trial in a section on the side of a steep hill) after a while I became so frustrated I kicked the kick starter down in anger and.... broke my foot! My own stupid fault!

Left the useless dead pile of junk on the trailer and took it straight round to BVM the next day and bought a new Scorpa.

Needless to say, I have less than fond memories of my LH kick-non-start 04 Beta.

Pete

Must be all that meditating you're doing ... Sorry I couldn't resist that one ... I love your avatar really

Best of balance.

Neo

He used to be called Dog Stevens, but changed his name to Yusruf Islam.

I'm not bothered as I have had both, My enduro bike was left hand and my trials is right hand.

just what you get used to

some of the best bikes ever made have had left hand kickstarts

Bultaco

Ossa

SWM

Beta

to name a few

sorry but think this is a bit of a pointless poll.The other thread Neo started had more potential ie how long has the same basic design of Beta engine been in production.. and how come people still complain about the clutch draggging when Beta have had a good 15 years to sort this, Electrics do seem to be sorted now but thats took about 10 years

Hello all. I own a Bultaco Sherpa T and also race a mk 7 360 Pursang in classic motorcross so I find left side kick normal but I have no hassle starting a right side kick bike either. It is just what you are used to. I also have no problem changing from right side shift to left side shift so maybe I am just strange. Bully Lover.

The side of the kickstart is for me not a problem,

sometimes I need some time getting used to the "other"

side when switch the bike.

For me it's all about:

- how it's mount, (height),

- how good the kickstart mechanism works,

(much wear had the aluminium kicker that was used for the Italjet Piuma f.e.,

or the lever of the TY 175 that is possible to break by accident).

Then the internal ratch mechanism where you sometimes find "soft"

solutions where "dedentition" is not uncommen,

(f. e. Fantic 1994 K-Roo, not mine shown here):

It took some time to get use to the Beta, but 2nd nature now.