Evening folks 

Ive a small issue with my bike , it can be tricky to start, it feels like the kickstart is only engaging at the bottom of the stroke of it. 
I know this model can have a knack to start but any feedback or help would be great.

Also the clutch casing has a crack in it (please see attached photo) where kickstart runs through which I’d assume would not help. What could cause this to crack ? 
Again any feedback and help would be greatly appreciated 

Cheers 

Paddy 

Hey Pat, I’m no expert but I think the crack in the casing is your problem. It was probably kicked very hard in its life and cracked. Now, it’s my guess, that the kickstarter flexes the shaft just enough so that things are not engaging properly. The kickstart pinion gear and shaft may even be damaged due to the flex. My suggestion would be to open everything up, examine the shaft and gear. I’d also get a new clutch casing or potentially weld the existing crack. Good luck!

Hi Ron 

I’d a feeling I may be at fault but there’s no harm in asking the question. I’ll start ripping into it in the next few days and hopefully all isn’t too bad.

Thanks for the reply mate 

23 hours ago, PatMc said:

Hi Ron 

I’d a feeling I may be at fault but there’s no harm in asking the question. I’ll start ripping into it in the next few days and hopefully all isn’t too bad.

Thanks for the reply mate 

Let me know what you find, Pat. I’d be really interested. I hope it’s not too serious and good luck!

Hi Pat, a tip from doing a tonne of these over the years, you will need to replace the internal bearing that is in the crankcase that supports the kickstart shaft. The GasGas part number is MT2802260067.

When this gets worn over time it allows the shaft to move at the furthurest part inboard, and this then cracks the case. If you dont change that it will happen again.

There is a huge amount of stress on that bearing and they need replacing over time. It has a "blind" bottom , so it is like a cup. It can be knocked out easily with a drift from the left side of the bike - yes the LEFT side! If you look from the left side just below and behind the carby area on the crankcase right side you will see it's "bum". Once you remove the kickstart shaft you can knock it out to the right with a drift.

You MUST do this when replacing the case.

Jim Snell's old kickstart video is a help with the technique to get the shaft out:

Jim's TXT Pro kickstart video

Edited December 3, 2025Dec 3 by arnoux

17 minutes ago, arnoux said:

Hi Pat, a tip from doing a tonne of these over the years, you will need to replace the internal bearing that is in the crankcase that supports the kickstart shaft. The GasGas part number is MT2802260067.

When this gets worn over time it allows the shaft to move at the furthurest part inboard, and this then cracks the case. If you dont change that it will happen again.

There is a huge amount of stress on that bearing and they need replacing over time. It has a "blind" bottom , so it is like a cup. It can be knocked out easily with a drift from the left side of the bike - yes the LEFT side! If you look from the left side just below and behind the carby area on the crankcase right side you will see it's "bum". Once you remove the kickstart shaft you can knock it out to the right with a drift.

You MUST do this when replacing the case.

Jim Snell's old kickstart video is a help with the technique to get the shaft out:

Jim's TXT Pro kickstart video

That’s a fantastic heads up 

thanks so much for that mate 

6 hours ago, arnoux said:

Hi Pat, a tip from doing a tonne of these over the years, you will need to replace the internal bearing that is in the crankcase that supports the kickstart shaft. The GasGas part number is MT2802260067.

When this gets worn over time it allows the shaft to move at the furthurest part inboard, and this then cracks the case. If you dont change that it will happen again.

There is a huge amount of stress on that bearing and they need replacing over time. It has a "blind" bottom , so it is like a cup. It can be knocked out easily with a drift from the left side of the bike - yes the LEFT side! If you look from the left side just below and behind the carby area on the crankcase right side you will see it's "bum". Once you remove the kickstart shaft you can knock it out to the right with a drift.

You MUST do this when replacing the case.

Jim Snell's old kickstart video is a help with the technique to get the shaft out:

Jim's TXT Pro kickstart video

 So We were at a National in late 2004 in the states. A friend had a 300 pro. Just after getting his score card and starting his bike he broke that case right before our eyes. Luckily Dale M. the USA gas gas importer was in line with us. Dale ran back to his trailer, pulled out the case and a gasket and handed me the parts. I had the bike back together in 40 minutes. We all finnished on time and had a great weekend. We sure will miss Dale! Thanks Arnoux for hanging out posting and helping everyone!

Edited December 4, 2025Dec 4 by lineaway