Kick start shaft breakage

The kicker shaft broke today. I'd got the bike started and I noticed the lever was a bit limp looking. A bit of a wiggle and it came right off. The motor was happily idling but I decided to abandon the outing.

It looks like it's been cracked for a while. The question now is what will I replace it with? Certainly there are a number of offerings of aftermarket shafts but how good are they?

The thought occurred that it's broken where the shaft has been necked so the clamping bolt can clear. It doesn't need to be fully necked though, only enough so the bolt can pass would do. The benefit would be a stronger shaft.

I've created a page on this blog site that gives more details of the fix and repair process. See blog pages, top right..