[jml]

The casting on the engine case of my '76 CB500T that stops the kick arm on its return swing has broken off, so the kicker is now free to rotate too far forward and the mounting bolt for the kicker arm has punched a hole in the side cover. Theoretically I could build it up with some welding rod, but that would require a lot of disassembly of the engine to get to it that I'd rather avoid. Has anyone ever seen this before? It broke off to perfectly match the arc of the tooth on the jackshaft that is supposed to hit the stop, so I'm wondering if this is a common weak spot. Is it possible to drill into the case and insert a dowel or something to catch the jackshaft?

 

[ancientdad]

I don't think there's a decent way to repair this situation without some moderate disassembly. The crankcase isn't real thick there and the transmission is right behind and above that spot, so I wouldn't take the chance. Welding the stop for the kickstart shaft would be one way to deal with it, but the right way would be to replace the lower case - it's probably the same as the 450 and there are a lot of them around used (I have 2 myself on spare engines). This all happened undoubtedly because someone allowed the kickstarter to fly back up to the stop without a foot on it

 

[76TWIN]

You can have a welder fix that.

OR... Maybe try drilling and tapping a bolt on to replace the stopper tab. Its only purpose is to stop the shaft from rotating all the way around. So as long as you aren't a sledgehammer on the kick starter, it should work.

 

[76TWIN]

If you take out the clutch assembly, you should have enough clearance for a welder to work with I think. Of course I could be wrong but...

 

[jml]

Thanks all. I'm not afraid to do the disassembly (or the welding), I was just hoping there was a workable fix that would avoid all of that. I'm a little concerned about trying to weld it in that position, it might sag and there's not a lot of extra room there. At the very least I'll probably have to pull the engine and set it on its side (or I guess I could just tip the whole bike over...). I may also look at buying a used lower case, but I've already got everything I need to try and weld it first.

 

[76TWIN]

Just make sure you clean the area really well of any grease. Last thing you need is for the engine to catch on fire.