Kick Start: Wheelie King - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 40 years ago:

Kick Start Wheelie King © 1984 Taito Corporation.

A motorcycle racing game.

TECHNICAL
Runs on the "Taito SJ System" hardware.
Prom Stickers: A20

Players: up to 2 (alternate)
Control: 2-way joystick (horizontal)
Buttons: 4 (in type 1: 3-way positional switch) or 2 (in type 2: 2-button control).
4 BUTTONS (TYPE 1) → A = accelerate, B = gear 1, C = gear 2, D = gear 3.
OR 2 BUTTONS (TYPE 2) → A = gear 2, B = gear 3. Motorcycle accelerates automatically in this control method.

TRIVIA
Kick Start Wheelie King was released in July 1984 in Japan.

Copyright year is written in Roman numerals and shown before the title screen.

The high score is anonymous.

Despite the sub-title, no wheelie can be performed in this game.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Watch the side of the road: if you're (too) close to the edge of the road, the black curbs will turn red. Avoid riding on the edges, mainly on straights before a sharp turn with barrels or other riders. Riding just after the edge will cause the player-controlled rider to fall down.
• See the control type: you have more control over your bike when the dip switch is set to "3-way positional switch"; "2 buttons" control type accelerates the bike automatically on gear 1 which may lead to more frequent crashes with barrels, other bikers or even with the edge of the road.
• Don't crash too often: one crash subtracts 10 seconds from the time limit. Frequent crashes lead to a game over. This game has no continues.
• Reduce gears before sharp turns: KickStart has no brake button, so you(may) need to shift down even to gear 1 (if you're using a positional switch) if you want to survive sharp the turns.

CONTRIBUTE
Edit this entry: https://www.arcade-history.com/?&page=detail&id=1271&o=2