Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

I have installed the engine and gearbox in the frame of my '54 VH500 for the first time. The gearbox selects gears (engine not running yet) and the clutch operates. However, sometimes the kickstart sticks at the top of its travel and requires some force to get it to move. This happens even with the spark plug removed. It feels like to kickstart ratchet is locking up at the top of its engagement.

I can see no reference in the manual as to how the kickstart lever and ratchet should be positioned on assembly so I just offered it up with kickstart in its highest position.

Any suggestions as to what could be wrong?
Many thanks,
Dennis

hi the GB box is well known for the kick start sticking, i change the ratchet pinion and quadrant and kick start shaft and bushes and i rebuilt the rest of the gearbox with new parts and it was still sticking , i then change the outer gearbox case and now it is ok ( i did try and cutting the first tooth off the quadrant but it didn't fix it )

Johnny,
Thank you for that information. At least I know mine is not the only one! Based on your experience I will wait and see how things go before I pull the gearbox apart if only because I don't know how to effect any improvement.
Dennis

hi Dennis i did find if you pull in the clutch it would free or roll the bike back and forward , and if you need to get gearbox parts try Geoff Brown at the clubs gearbox spares he is very good and helpful and has loads of spares for the gearbox and clutch

Yes Geoff has helped me with some items and advice recently.

The kickstart is best positioned at about 11 o'clock.
The sticking is a pretty common fault and is caused by the teeth on the quadrant and the ratchet pinion meeting at the top of the teeth. Usually it can be freed off by de-clutching and giving the lever a sharp kick, otherwise as Johnny says. The cause is usually wear in the the teethed items mainly the ratchet pinion but can be bushes or anything that allows the gears to be out of position by half of a gnat's testical.

Hi

In my experience the issue is caused by the teeth on the ratchet gear and the kickstart quadrant clashing, easily cleared by rocking the bike in gear a little, (which moves the position of the ratchet gear). Much less brutal than walloping the kickstart with the clutch in.

Regards Mick

Thanks everyone. My kickstart is at 12 o' clock so perhaps it is on the cusp of the top of the quadrant. I will take of the end case off and rotate the assembly back a bit to position the kickstart at 11 o' clock to see if that makes any difference.
Dennis

Hi Dennis

The kickstart quadrant 'at rest' position is fixed assuming the return spring is working as designed. In order to move the kickstart from 12:00 to 11:00 you only have to remove the lever and refit it on the spline at the 11:00 position.

Regards Mick

Mick,
Thanks for that, you have saved me from doing a lot of needless work. I assumed, wrongly, that the quadrant engaged at whatever point you put it back on.
Dennis