One of the things I love the most about old machines is each has its own personality.

My 1967 BSA made my mornings happier than any other vehicle I've owned because it DOESN'T have a button. Tickle the carb, touch of choke, touch of throttle, and just one kick with follow through from TDC. The starter button on my 2006 just feels like decaf coffee, non-alcoholic beer, and steak made of tofu

Hey Tony, You forgot to mention that when you ride the older one you get the feeling of the basic motorcycle that makes a motorcycle a motorcycle. I'll take the old one myself. I have a 79, & a 81 ironheads, a 80 and 84 shovelheads, and a 2013 full bagger and love them all. They all have they're own little quirks about them and they're own place in my heart. Time doesn't mater, what maters is what you feel like at the time. lol - later

All my growing up years, the newer models of everything are what we looked forward to. New cars arriving at the dealership was a huge event. Now everything new is worse. Does anyone believe a new washing machine will last 30 yrs? Can you imagine sometime in the future that someone will get thrilled at finding an old Expedition or Sable behind a barn? No, that isn't gonna happen. Everything new is crap. I'm ok without heated seats and mirrors. I just don't want to be a slave in a world of suck and despair.

Alot of folks dont realize how hard it is to operate a model T ford, so simple yet complicated! I think the sweet spot of evolution was the late 60's early 70's! Great video and subject! Really makes us think!

I had a '76 Nova years ago with a 250 6cyl. Cold start procedure with that one included a holding the choke with a screwdriver, squirting a little bit of starting fluid, and praying that it would stay running long enough to get back out and pull the screwdriver before it stalled. Being young, I eventually installed a push button ignition switch under the hood so that I didn't have to try and run in and out of the car to get it running. Looking back, being young and dumb,, it never crossed my mind to actually just fix the choke so it would start normally.....lol

That was a great presentation. If a kid really did have to start that bike they'd truly believe we did walk 3 miles up hill to school and back every day.

LOL, I love having one of my more "modern" friends try to drive my carbureted, manual trans, manual steering 1973 F-100. Most of them can't even get it started, much less operate a clutch.

Growing up as a kid in the 70s and 80s, I remember seeing bikers going through all sorts with their bikes on the side of the road. If 20 bikes pulled up, you could bet at least one would have trouble getting going again. Every ride had a black van or pickup following to pick up the DNF's. Being able to start your bike first pop was something to aspire to. It was a big part of why Japanese bikes took over so quickly.

I only ride the old 1974 ironhead Sportster. I have absolutely zero desire to ride a new road bike. I'd rather have a Japanese one than a new Harley. Four speed, Kickstart, 1000cc. It doesn't get much simpler and fun than that You're right Tony, depending on if the motor is cold, lukewarm, or hot it has a completely different starting procedure every time. I can get it one to two kicks every time unless it's lukewarm. That's the hardest one for me to figure out

Sometimes we love these things because they're old school quirky and different.

Sometimes it's more fun if you have to "work" for your fun. You can take some sort of pride in having a skill that not everyone has. Something that has to be perfected. When you learn how to do it, it's yours...you own it.

I am old enough to remember my Dad's 57, 63, 66, and 68 Plymouths not wanting to start in the extreme cold Wisconsin winter. The 73 Fury was a different story with the electronic ignition.

You make it sound complicated. I use to ride a 45ci flathead when I was 16. I took my drivers test on it.

LOL. #nailedit. Decades ago, driving my old Alfa Romeo in London, heavy traffic almost always resulted in having to pull over, whip the plugs out, and clean them. In the end, the whole job took about 2 mins and I would be on my way again. We are so pampered today.

Not to mention everybody (including me) had a chain master link attached to their boot.

Part of me wants to move south, a larger part of me likes the inexpensive land and nobody coming around to find things of mine they can pawn. November to May isn't that long to wait for the snow and salt to go away. I get to drive my old stuff when the snow and salt is gone. I love my old stuff.

You just gotta remember unless you have money, you need to be a mechanic to own older bikes and vehicles.

That brought back memories of starting mine. I had a Mikuni and some radical P cams installed, but still wasn't too bad to start. Miss that bike.

Every time I see Tony work on a carbuerated system I find it fascinating, but am glad EFI exists.

You forgot to mention that the older Sportsters had the shift on the right and brake on the left like British bikes of the era.

Nice pair of Swine you have there. That sporty is old tech at its finest, its just beautiful. I love the Buell Blast too. I have an 04 Buell Firebolt and I love it. Many people have tried to buy it from me and I tell them they can have it the day I take a dirt nap. Be safe out there and look out for those people in cages.

They dont make em like they used to. Sometimes for a damn good reason

You darn kids today with your electric starters, in my day we would hurt our leg starting our bikes and we liked it !!

Best way I learned to ride, I built a bare bones motorcycle with no frills.

Stopping One Of These Requires Even Much More Than Starting one. Plan It Out 2 blocks in advance LOL

I had a 1966 XLCH and on a chilly fall morning, 40ish degrees I would go out to the garage push the bike outside in anticipation of a beautiful ride. I would be dressed for it , flannel shirt, hoodie, leather jacket and gloves. After the first ten kicks, off would come the leather gloves and jacket. Second 10 kicks, off comes the hoodie, another 10 and I'm down to my Tee shirt and sweating like it's a 90 degree summer day. Finally the bike fires up. Now I get to put all those clothes back on and as I'm zipping up my leather jacket the bike stalls. I loved that bike.

Memories of my 57 R60/2. Tickle the carbs and work that kicker. I'll take old school every time!

Reminds me of my 1978 FLH, always carried extra spark plugs, same procedure as Tony's. But I enjoyed it, that bike got me laid so many times..,....

Uncle Tony .. I kickstarted my 42 Knuckle..for many a year…you had to know the proper procedure or else you’ll run out of breath or break a leg …after I learned the procedure…she would kick over in the first ..or..second kick ..😎

I still got the scar on my shin from my uncles 600 single enduro bike! That required exactly the correct state of mind to start it... Keep it up Tony!!!

Oh Tony this brought back so many good memories of starting my 68XLCH when I was 16 years old and about 98 pounds, and I could get it to start every time by doing exactly what you just described.

Brings back "fond?" memories of starting a 48 Panhead (add dealing with the ignition advance to that mix of instructions) or tickling a set of Amal carbs on a Norton and avoiding straightening your leg at the bottom of the kick stroke to avoid be thrown from the bike if it backfired. 😁. Ah, the good ole days! Makes me truly appreciate my electric start FXDL these days.

I have a '64 XLCH. That was the BEST tutorial on how to start it EVER. Right down to the priming the carb bowl with three squirts, some slow kick cycles, teeth engagement, compression and a little squirt on the kick.

After watching how to start an old 1907 Renault to a 1969 Chevelle, there is a huge progress. You don't have to manually adjust the timing and mixture, you don't have to open the hood to prime the engines and manually switch on and off the fuel line.

That Harley sounds about like starting my old Mercury outboard. I always kept extra plugs on hand because if you mess up starting it more than once your going to be stranded. My wife never ever could start it if it wasn’t hot. When it was between hot and cold whole different way to start it just like the bike.

73 SPORTY xlch... S&S Carb with he primer/sweetener... No electric start. Missing a tooth in the kicker. You described the starting procedure absolutely perfectly. In my experience by the time you got it started, I was too hot and sweaty to ride it. OH and you need a cookie tin under it to catch the oil drips. Said f it. Bought a 74 cb and barely pressed the starter and went all day/all night to the beach and back no issues ever....

Like the old saying goes, "if you can start it...You can ride it."

Had a 1972 Sportster 40 years ago, it had a kick start. The problem with kick starting the Sportster, is that it turns a little on one kick. You have to have the pistons right before top and then pedal hard. I improved by modifying the drive that engages at start. I cut away with an angle grinder some of the plate that is stuck to the drive, then bent out the plate and now had 2 extra teeth to turn the engine around. The bike was much easier to start after this modification.

Along those lines. Added another layer of Modern Day Anti Theft to my 81 Dodge pickup. Already had doors that only open if you lift up a little and 4sp manual, then a sweet deal on an AFB popped up, that added a manual choke. Shit don't start in Minnesota without a choke. In the summer I'll just pull it when parked. Lol

Funny as hell with the hyperextended knee. I did that on my 76 sportster after fueling it up. I’m telling ya I hobbled for an hour before kicking it again and by the way I had to look cool like I meant to do that. It hurt big time🤣 that was in 1979.

Exactly! LOL. Starting a 500cc two-stroke single. Like a CR or KX 500. Its so simple. They light right off. IF! The jetting is right, and you kick it right from the correct spot. Unbelievable how hard it is to teach people exactly where the "correct spot" is, LOL.

I had a friend in high school that his older and larger brother had a Harley,he drove to school and we all thought that was so Cool. At the end of school he goes out to start the Harley and wouldn't even turn over. It was cool weather in late fall. Others noticed he couldn't get it started so another big student came over kick it once and fired up instantly. My friend was too small to start it. His larger brother started for him early that morning. Never rode it to school again.

My old Honda was like that. You had to open the pitcock, set the choke, kick it until it started, warm it up then hope you had warmed it up enough not to buck you off over the handlebars when it stalled.

I accept electric starting on vintage machinery, mostly because I don't want to have to kickstart the big block in my Plymouth Satellite when it's cold.

It kind of reminds me of an old Dodge Powerwagon I had with a hand choke in super cold (below zero) weather. As long as you pull the choke and pump it a couple times it would fire right up, but pump it too many times or forget to pull the choke, and you got trouble. It was never a problem for me, but anyone else would have problems because they just didn't know the old girl like I did.

Most people today haven't had the experience of the car just sliding when you hit the brakes. I tell my son that every 16 year old girl knew to pump the brakes and to also steer into a fishtail back in the olden days of the 1980s.

used to do that on my 73 cb750...thanks for bringing back the memories.

I loved the simplicity of maintenance on my old enduro, but definitely don’t miss the kicker. That button is a blessing after the third or fourth stall in a summer harescramble.

Correct side shifter, kick start, love it when the teeth slip and you hyperextend the knee. I have a 1971 kick start Sportster, my first Harley Davidson that I have owned for 30+ years. It was my only transportation at times and have spent half the night rebuilding the engine so I could go to work in the morning.

Tony I love the Harley stuff we need more of that on the show

My girlfriend wanted to know how to start my old truck. I told her: 1) Use the small key on the keyring and turn it upside down because it's not the original key. 2) Make sure you turn it one click until the red light comes on. 3) Reach to the right of the steering column under the dash and feel for the toggle switch. 4) Pull the toggle switch towards you and listen for the electric fuel pump sound. 5) Count to 10. 6) Push the accelerator halfway down and pull the choke knob out. 7) Reach to the left side of the steering column and feel for the starter button. 8) Press the starter button until the engine starts. 9) Once the engine starts, turn off the toggle switch by pushing it away from you (see no. 3). 10) Let the engine warm-up and check the oil pressure gauge. 11) Check the temperature gauge until it starts to move. 12) Push the choke knob in and slap the accelerator. 13) Check the tach. 700 or so means she is happy. 14) You're ready to go. She said, "Forget it!"

There is an inherent charm to the mechanicalness of older stuff

I owned a '74 Sportster. I think it required a different starting routine every time. But it accelerated like crazy. After 20 minutes my hands turned numb from the solid engine mounts.

My Evo big twin with a CV starts so easy it's a party trick

Hell yeah UTG for life!

older is not perse better, its more of a passion for old bikes, nostalgia reasons.

That is so true.! And not much easier on an old electric start iron head.

While riding dirt toys with some friends a couple of us decided to switch machines. I ended up on a cr500 and the cr500 owner on my slightly modded 350x. Neither of us could start the others machine. They had sat just long enough to be in that in between stage. We ended up starting our own then switching to ride.

Remember those damp or cold days when you went out 10 mins early when off to work, just incase the bastard car didn't start ! now you jump in turn the key without even thinking. progress !!

I always look forward to your videos ! Thanks, now I have to wait for the next one.

Old bikes are living things. Once you live with them a while you learn thier way. New bikes are gas and go. I love my old bikes, but don't always have the time for them. Still something pure and simple

Sort of makes me think of the starting procedure on my 29 Model A, you got to turn on the gas under the dash (which is also the fuel tank), pull the gas lever on the steering column about halfway down and make sure the spark Advance is all the way up, turn on the ignition switch, turn the choke knob one full turn clockwise, step on the starter pedal while pulling the choke knob and she fires right off, after she fires up pull the spark Advance lever about half way down and ease the gas lever up. Then she'll sit there and idle nicely until warmed up, very easy and simple procedure.

I was watching ole Jay Leno literally fire up one of his steam cars and I thought to my self, I'd blow my ass up messing around with that crazy thing. But once it's going it's an amazingly quiet machine.

75 degrees ...... Jesus , here in Alberta it's been minus 25 to minus 35 Celsius the last week :(

Starting procedure reminds me of my two-stroke dirt bikes

My dad was a old school angel from way way back he told me stories of old big cid Harley’s with kickstarts said he’d seen them literally rocket skinny people over the handlebars onto there backs trying to start them don’t know how true it is but he was always a straight shooter so it’s nice to think about the story’s he used to tell before he passed a few months

I’ve watched a lot of people fail with old bikes. It’s so funny to me!

I had several old Sportys. A 59, 60, 64, 66 and a 67. Every one was definitely interesting. 😎 Now that I'm 61 years old I don't have a single Sportster in the stable. 3 Shovelheads and 3 Evo's. I do miss a couple of those old Sportys from time to time.

There was a chopper bike shop that opened in the early 90s by me,,, good guy, all tattoo, and metal music blasting,, got a old shovel in for a repair,,, and he called me in to start it,,, i didn’t laugh,,told me he tried to start it for 3 days,,,

All my bikes are kick start. I love them 💗...

My daily driver is a 97 Honda Valkyrie my old daily driver was my Dads old 72 Honda CB 750k and surprisingly enough both are easy starters! The Cb 750k will tell you when she is warmed up and ready to ride. She still runs points too

My Triumph had it's own start routine and if you didn't follow it exactly go on back to bed, she ain't starting today. Without fresh plugs. Never worried about it being stolen because no one else could start it.

Yeah, but when the weather gets colder and I'm at a bike show, the old guys know why I'm limping and just smile.

My first 30 years of motorcycling were kick start only. The first bike I owned that didn't have one was built in 85', and I thought it was a bad idea to remove that option. Tough to bump start a 1000cc bike when the battery fails. Pretty much impossible. When it goes and you're alone in the boonies you're screwed.

Well Tony, it's that extra knowledge required that makes the 40 yo bike a rewarding hobby for high days and holidays and the other one more suited to a daily. Thinking you would have to be a hardcore fanatic to daily the older bike.

After a few years riding a 93 FXDL.....I plan on putting a kicker on this Winter.....not a lot of hills where I live if I forget to run the battery tender.

Very interesting video - I'm about Tony's age and I have transitioned from early 70's carbureted cars to modern fuel injection. I also live in a cold part of Canada, eh. I must say that as as cool and simple as the old cars were - we had a 73 Nova with a straight 6 where I replaced the lifters in our driveway with a cheap socket set - I really LOVE my modern fuel-injected vehicles. No more checking the winter temperature to determine how many times to pump the gas before cranking. Just jump in and go.

I have a custom 1966 Harley Ironhead in a Hardtail Bobber Frame with Springer Front End. I also had a 1983 Kawasaki KZ550 at the same time. I sold the KZ but I will never sale the '66 Ironhead Bobber. Just hitting the button teaches you nothing but going through all the pre start rituals with the older bikes teaches you a lot about the machine.

man when I was a kid all my dritbikes were from the 70s early 80s and they were hell to cold start. I lived on a big hill and it was even a gamble to roll to start I had a few pushes of shame up that giant hill. the best trick I figured out was to keep a little rag tied to the bike and dip it into the gas tank and then put the gas soaked rag over the intake then they would fire up in 1 or 2 kicks

my first bike was a 62 xlch. can't tell you how many times I gave up trying and just push started it. lol

My 40 year-old neighbor asked to take my white 1978 Harley Sportster for a spin. Because the battery kept dying on me previously, I had a mechanic remove the electric starter and install a kick-start pedal. Hoping to God my neighbor could not do it, I told him that if he could start the bike, I would let him take it for a spin. He kicked and kicked and kicked. He was at the point of having a heart attack when he finally gave up. I walked over, put the kick-start pedal very near the very bottom of the stroke, pushed down sharply and the bike fired right up.

When is winky coming out?

I don't ride bikes. But I'm familiar with old cars having their rituals. I'd rather jump through hoops and drive an old car than be in a modern computermobile

I once stopped to get gas in my Suburban. As I pulled in I saw a guy kicking his old Harley. 30 + gallons later on a SLOW PUMP I went in to pay. Stood in line for at least another 5 minutes while someones grandmother cashed in her lottery winnings. I finally paid for my gas and walked out the door and the guy was still bouncing on the kick starter. I casually asked, would you like some help? Maybe your buddy and myself help you push start it. He declined my offer. I didn’t have the balls to ask him if he had tried turning the key on.

This was one of your best videos !

Whats old is my knees. I love the romance of kick starting one of those old bikes but i have to save whats left of my knees.

I had an '86 KTM 500 2-stroke with a left-handed start. I had to start it the same way as your Harley except I kicked it with my left foot. My friends could never get it.

I had two BSA Lightnings (A65L) one was an early sixties and the other was a 1970 (the last year of the classic design) There was a different starting procedure for every inch of Hg of barometric pressure. I kept extra spark plugs in the headlight nacelle. A friend had a Matchless, I think it was a G50. That bike had a compression release so you could run it through easier and a spark advance lever. By retarding the spark starting went from impossible to possible. Do you have to tickle the carburetor on the sportster?

I'm liking the motorcycle content I bought an older sportster myself about 5 moths ago (1992 883) and It needs some attention but it's coming along and I just love riding it. But here in the far frozen north (Metro Detroit area) it's now cold and we had snow today so if course mine has been put away for the year but I still want to tinker with it as much as possible. So far it's gotten a new chain, a couple of oil lines and oil changes, the front forks have been rebuilt and it has a new set of handle bar risers so now I'm anxious to paint it through the winter for next year as well as clean up a bunch of oxidized aluminum. I can't wait!

I remember the not quite warm - and not quite cold thing; tell them about being thrown over the bars....

My favorite part was driving down the road holding the back plug wire on part way getting the shit shocked out of you to unfowl the back spark plug . Because your out of good ones. LOL

In the sixties I remember more than one person being launched up in the air, old Harleys can be fun, lol. Note: my Yamaha never started when temperatures were below 40*.

I had a 71 chopped sportster that was an experience to start. But if it didn't start by the third kick there was something definitely wrong...loved that bike.....

I still have a 71 like that .. Xl seat bagger seat, the big Italian gas tank, covered shocks, rare chrome head light cover bags, i run a 38mm mic 2 kicks it starts but anymore i just hit the the electric leg

Brakes are a huge difference. And they do matter. In the early 70's my DD was a 64 pan 64FL6810 with a 55 side car and hand shift, a former D.C. police bike. 3 teeny drum brakes. Lap robes, wool sweaters. The police bikes had a bicycle pedal on the starter arm. I traded it off for a VW fastback and switched to BMW. If you rode year around, because you couldn't afford a car, you are not nearly as nostalgic. Finding snow on your saddle at the time was not a cause for a happy dance.

Great observations. I remember getting my dream car in 1988. I was in grade 12 and scraped up a few grand for a 66 Mustang coupe. Bought off some wily old prick who saw me coming a mile away. Thing was bondo from the door handles on down under all that blinding resale red. Then I drove it and was horrified at what a bone stock sixties car actually felt like. Flat, hard seats with zero support, slushy 3 speed auto...steering feel like a spoon through soggy cornflakes...brakes, well...what brakes? All perched atop a wallowy, flaccid suspension prone to inducing sea-sickness. Sure neoprene this and disc upgrade that would make a difference but I do thank god for that little 289 up front. Tired tho it was, the soft burble that drifted up from the cheapo Thrush mufflers as I rolled along side roads and two lane highways was intoxicating. And as long as I didn’t try to turn or stop, or even go too fast, it was a glorious machine. But glorious from another era for sure and I came to the reluctant conclusion that the car was much more fun to look at, wash, and tinker with than actually drive every day. Still doesn’t stop me all these years later from lusting after old boats, cars, and airplanes - as uncomfortable as they may be to live with.

Tony is correct I own something similar it was a 1970 model with a timer not a Magneto however the starting procedures are exactly as he described not to mention the maintenance interval these bikes kept a lot of Harley shops open throughout the years don't forget about Sportster knee the solution to that is not in the book but by guys like Tony who figured it out I wish I never got rid of that bike in some ways but don't miss the aggravation of keeping up with all it's maintenance got some Brit bikes for that part of life the Sportster is just a Brit bike americanized

Great video as always!

You didn't even mention the sporty is right hand shift! I had a 68 sporty almost identical to yours but it had the electric starter too and it was so nice!