My bike runs backwards!?!?!

[swifty]

Hi,
I purchased a 1983 DT125 LCK a few weeks ago for restoration and to ride it around the farm. The bike didn't have a kickstart so i bump started it and it ran fine, it has so much power (it surprised me). Anyway, i bought a kickstart and slapped it on, checked the gearing and everything was good. So i gave it the first kick, put it in first, and SURPRISE! i rip down the driveway backwards!!! Can someone please help me, i have asked all my friends and called dealers and nobody can help. I have checked the gearing and its fine. Everyone tells me that its the wiring to the magneto. I have no clue how to check because i have no manual! My CDI unit is Hitachi TIA01-16-704 and the magneto is Mitsubishi F3T252-71. The colors from the CDI to the coils are brown,red,and white/red. If anyone could tell me the correct colors, or how the coils should be set up, give me a link to a page or friend who knows the combo or suggest what else could cause the problem, i would GREATLY appreciate it.

[Thumprding]

Hmm never heard of this before but hey I have not heard of every thing.

Normally when a bike tries to start backwards with the kick starter they kick back. They kick back hard through the lever. I know a bike will roll backwards in gear with the level tucked up and the starter mechanism not engaged but I always thought that when the starter ratchet was engaged they won't start backwards. They will send the starter lever fly back up at you and then lock against something on the frame, or engine cases.

The kick starter ratchet is supposed to disengage when the bike starts correctly.

If this happeded something is broken in the kick starter mechanism. I am curious how it even cranked if the kick starter did not kick back

[DCox]

I had it happen a couple of times on my first bike, a 1976 Yamaha DT 175. It was the weirdest thing and I have no ideas why it happened.

[mtk]

I have an old, and I do mean OLD, two-stroke outboard motor at home. It has a lever on it for the ignition. One way, it runs forwards. The other, backwards. That's how you reverse directions with it. And no, I've never tried to run it as it's a 1916-ish vintage outboard. My late grandfather claimed it ran, but he also claimed it would shock the crap out of you (it uses a large Model T Ford coil in a wooden box) if you weren't careful.

[swifty]

You said that you had a 175 that used to go backwards? How did you fix the problem?

[Rotorranch]

A 2st will run backwards or forwards. Check the timing. It may be too close to TDC.

Rotor

[VET393]

Maybe I'm mistaken. But isnt that how they run snowmobiles for their reverse? The engine reverses direction.

[greeves22]

That was a somewhat common problem many years ago, Villiers, Harley Hummers etc. Its pretty rare today. I think you'll find you're "slap kicking" it and the timing is off, and it just fires backwards. A two stroke is just a compressor and doesn't care except for the timing. if this is so you'll hear a definite "dead' exhaust sound and not much power when it fires. One of my trials Bultacos did that in a trap once when I ran it down to the last pop and it fired backwards in a real bad place...it can be scarey.

[ProformanceCycl]

Yes:

Check the timing we have an old Suzuki TM 400 and it will run backwards if the timing is off, providing it starts.

[ossagp]

it is funny that someone resurrected this thread. i was just talking to a friend the other day about how we used to trick people into letting us start their bikes for them. we would start ours, roll theirs backwards while they werent looking and then keep them running for them. since they didnt always run really clean when started like that, the grateful owner would rev the heck out of them and then try to ride off.

we caught one guy several times over the years.

on a bike with a total loss ignition you could sometimes stab the brake hard going into a corner and then come back on the throttle and it would be running backwards.

if anyone knows joe brown from paso robles calif, he was absolutely the best rider in reverse that i have ever seen.

[cr27]

Never had that happen on my TM400's but have had it happen on older 2t motors. Timing/points the culprit..

[Moto man26]

Hey, I don't think your the only one with this type of problem(bike running backwards).... Look at this video, it's pretty funny to watch!: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] What ever is going on with this bike is weird....