kickstart pedal hits back of leg

well it was nice and warm here yesterday and due to the fact that our county went on lockdown at 5pm and the Old North State as a whole will shut down Monday I took the commando out for a 'legal' ride I have noticed something about the kickstart lever (it happens on my T120 as well) the folding part seems to creep outward and rubs the back of leg from time to time in an irritating manner acorn nut on top of arm is tight but seem to need more 'tension' or 'friction' to keep it in place ... tips?
stay safe/well

I use a nylon type lock nut and a spring washer on mine. Adjust it so it's tight enough that it will not move on its own and it should be fine. Some of the levers had a ball detent on them to prevent them from opening, but mine doesn't have that. 73 850 MK1.

After having that same issue longer than I will mention , a couple years back I pulled KS lever off and rotated it so no chance of this happening , I still have plenty of room to get my first kick , key on starts ,so worked for me , I still on occasion tighten the offending acorn nut , but since this shortened lever stroke has no down side for my bike , I consider it a non issue ... Glad to see you back on board Alan , enjoy !

From your post title I thought you had the dreaded gearbox layshaft bearing failure.
Now that problem will definitely give that back of your leg a good whack!

Adding a bit more friction between the swinging pedal and acorn nut is easy to correct.
I have used a wave spring washer as earlier suggested.

Get yourself an RGM folding kick start lever, sorts all the space issues out.

Dave

Dellis said:

Get yourself an RGM folding kick start lever, sorts all the space issues out.

Dave

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I have one. It jabs me in the leg while riding.

Yes , I figured the same thing could happen , if everything wasn’t tightened to extreme ... no matter type of KS lever ....

how about getting a Thackery washer to put under the nut.

maylar said:

I have one. It jabs me in the leg while riding.

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Really?
Didn't think it'd do that
I have one on my commando but I have rear sets

N0rt0nelectr@ said:

how about getting a Thackery washer to put under the nut.

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I had to look up and see what a Thackery Washer was. Sure didn't know that such a beast existed. I used a high quality wave washer that I got from a small engine repair shop. Stainless steel and works well. I bought a 5 pack for about $15 figuring that I'd replace it as it wore. 15,000 miles and I still have 4 left.

There are a number of variables involved with the kick-start's folding pedal parts such that, like virtually all Norton assembly procedures, some fitting is usually required to achieve what the designer(s) were shooting for.

I assemble the k/s pedal onto the the k/s arm and tighten the dome nut, measure the gap between the bottom of the dome nut and the pedal then select an 3/8 AN washer and ad it to the spring washer hoping that the two will give me a smooth articulation of the pedal with sufficient resistance to keep the pedal in the folded position while riding; if you're lucky the job is done; I've never been that lucky.

I solve this by removing material from the bottom of the dome nut until I can tighten the dome nut and get the resistance I want. The Mk3 k/s assembly has the detent ball/spring, but, again, probably will require some attention. You can get by all this if you can live with a nylock nut or a pair of jam nuts locked together.

There are some after-market k/s alternatives where the assembly pivots are the bottom, but none so satisfying as getting the right feel and function out of the OE parts. "Perfect imperfections" as an old song goes; if all the parts fit without some work/worry/sweat/blood the Commando would be boring...

Best

Belleville washers do a great job. You can get them in stainless steel and they seal the joint too.
Dave