Recurring Minor Issues Department. 1979 AMF Harley-Davidson XLH1000 Ironhead Sportster

The kickstart lever, like the entire front end, is made of purest vibratium and that rubber popsicle requires constant vigilance.

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

😮🏍️👋

[@warrenp2022]

It is just you, you made the mistake of trying to use a purely decorative appendage. 😣 Like the one I use to have on my bike it is aftermarket crap. If you remove the rubber there are metal barbs that are supposed to hold the rubber. With use the barbs simply cut through the rubber and it slips off. I used some pliers to bend the barbs in different directions for a better grip which helped for awhile, until new grooves were cut in the rubber. I trashed mine and use an old round one that used to have a rubber tube. You could try some epoxy to fix it. The metal where it meets the kick start arm was as soft as butter on mine so the pedal keeps angling back, mine was junk.

[@ImminghamIronhead]

Motorcycle Whorehouse strikes again! I'm thinking I can either do without the rubber, or maybe get one of those bicycle pedal ones; I've always liked them.

[@warrenp2022]

@@ImminghamIronhead I don't have any experience with the bicycle pedal type, hard to find quality parts new anymore. More demand for push buttons than kick start now. The one I am using is chromed solid steel round stock that used to have a rubber tube that slipped on. It is from the 1970s I think, I aquired it used about 25 or 30 years ago and kept it until I ran out of options, it is simple and works well. Without the rubber the raised outer end that kept the rubber on now keeps my foot from sliding off.

[@matthewnaylor4412]

Bicycle pedal ones from custom chrome are very good, had one on my xlch for years never gives any trouble, still got the original factory folding one just needs plating it's even better.