As difficult as this is to admit, the entire year of 2022 came and went without a single ride on my Beta 300. Life happened. Riding didn't. When the time finally came to throw a leg over the bike and remember what I'd missed, the battery was completely drained. These fancy lithium varieties aren't as jump-start friendly as the lead batteries of old, so there I sat, watching beautiful weather come and go while the bike sat idle.
After its long period of deep discharge, the original battery wouldn't take a charge. I bought a replacement (GET brand, model GK-ATHBL-0003), which packed more cranking power than the stock battery into an even smaller size.
That problem solved, I then decided my limited time for riding wouldn't ever again be thwarted by a bad battery. Beta was kind enough to manufacture the 300 Race Edition with the necessary infrastructure to drop in a kick starter. They also sell a complete kick starter installation kit.
Thus began the search for a Beta dealer willing to sell me the kick starter kit with the greatest of ease. I found a dealer in New York who offered the one thing which compels me to buy this kind of stuff: a YouTube installation video. The dealer, 3 Seas Recreation, maintains a robust YouTube channel with many informative videos, including the how-to on the kick starter add-on. As an extra bonus, 3 Seas offered a price discount and free shipping. The kit arrived within a few days of my order.
I watched the video several times before and during the install. With job and family and all that goes with it, I wasn't able to finish the install in one sitting. I'm old and my memory isn't what it used to be (I've forgotten at least 10 things since I began writing this), so the video was a great reference when I couldn't recall some of the details from earlier viewings. The video is awesome and needs little additional explanation, but the photos below provide my own perspective on the install.
Best part of all? It works. From a cold start, three kicks had the engine running like a dream.
