G: Gearbox (Twin) Kick start rubber

Bill Thomas

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Have you tried a Spares Company one ?,
I have had a few bad ones from other shops, Some have closed ends !.
But just found one with an open end with a nice recess, Fits like glove, For use with folding Kickstart,
I think it must have come from Our Company ?.
Cheers Bill.
 

Peter Holmes

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I haven't had to much to complain about, the logos sometime wear off quicker than I would like, but I think they are now manufactured by cottage industries, as are our seat foams, I am sure good rubber can still be sourced, I would imagine that the big four Japanese manufacturers do not have this problem with ancillary rubber products, likewise Harley, Ducati, Guzzi etc. but these manufacturers will not be using small volume suppliers, perhaps we should be grateful that we can still get something, even if it is not as good as it used to be.
 

b'knighted

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
On my Comets I seem to have cured the rubber working its way off when wet and the boot slipping off the rubber problems by using the rubber supplied for twin kickstarts.
I cut off one of the end tapers and put the rubber on, cut end first. The tapered out end of the rubber sits inboard of the mushroom head of the hinged footpiece.
As I understand it ( or at least think I do) all Comets left the factory with a fixed footpiece without rubber. I find these uncomfortable to ride with and risky to start the bike with as the peg isn’t long enough to hook outside my boot which slides off the mushroom. With the rubber tapering up towards the outer end there is little tendency for my foot to slip and with the top folded forward it doesn’t interfere with where my calf wants to be while riding.
It may not be standard but it is a definite improvement.
Vibrac's kickstart, swinging in from a bottom pivot, may be even better.
 

Bill Thomas

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
It's a shame the Club Spares don't have better photos,
Some Web Sites show 3 different views, And blown up shots,
Which gives you a better idea of what you are buying.
Cheers Bill.
 

Hugo Myatt

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
On my Comets I seem to have cured the rubber working its way off when wet and the boot slipping off the rubber problems by using the rubber supplied for twin kickstarts.
I cut off one of the end tapers and put the rubber on, cut end first. The tapered out end of the rubber sits inboard of the mushroom head of the hinged footpiece.
As I understand it ( or at least think I do) all Comets left the factory with a fixed footpiece without rubber. I find these uncomfortable to ride with and risky to start the bike with as the peg isn’t long enough to hook outside my boot which slides off the mushroom. With the rubber tapering up towards the outer end there is little tendency for my foot to slip and with the top folded forward it doesn’t interfere with where my calf wants to be while riding.
It may not be standard but it is a definite improvement.
Vibrac's kickstart, swinging in from a bottom pivot, may be even better.
Like yourself I have always used a cut down 'twin' rubber on the Comet, positioned as you say. However on all the four Comets I have owned over more than fifty years they all have had folding kickstarts. I have always believed that was how they were originally supplied but without any rubber. The fixed footpiece kickstart is a Series A item.
 

macvette

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
An old trick with rubbers is to coat them generously with petroleum jelly, let it soak in as long as you can, a day or so then rub off the excess and buff up. Dont do this on tyres! I suspect that most retro rubbers are mainly synthetic rubber.
 

Simon Dinsdale

VOC Machine Registrar
VOC Member
VOC Forum Moderator
Like yourself I have always used a cut down 'twin' rubber on the Comet, positioned as you say. However on all the four Comets I have owned over more than fifty years they all have had folding kickstarts. I have always believed that was how they were originally supplied but without any rubber. The fixed footpiece kickstart is a Series A item.
I believe series A singles sometimes had fixed kickstarts and sometimes the folding type and it all depended on what Burman supplied on the day. I have seen some very old photos probably taken pre war of series A singles with folding kickstarts.
 

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
An old trick with rubbers is to coat them generously with petroleum jelly, let it soak in as long as you can, a day or so then rub off the excess and buff up. Dont do this on tyres! I suspect that most retro rubbers are mainly synthetic rubber.
You can get some tyre softner at places like Santa Pod that the straight liners use on their tyres
I tapped the end of the twin kick start foot piece and put a large washer and screw in to help secure the rubber
 

Peter Holmes

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Tim, I am confused, surely the twin kick start foot piece already has a thread tapped in the end of it, and is fitted with a screw and washer as standard, I guess you could use a larger diameter washer than standard.
 
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