Recoil start (also called manual start, pull start, or zip start) refers to a method of starting an internal combustion engine, usually to that of small machines, such as lawn mowers, chainsaws, ultralight aircraft and portable engine-generators. As seen today, many of these are used on these machines. However, some of the machines are seen with electric starters in some countries. They are also used on some small vehicles such as small go-karts, Mini bikes, and small ATVs.
The starter consists of a rope with a grip at the end, coiled around an end of the crankshaft. When the rope's grip is pulled, the rope uncoils around the end of the crankshaft, spinning it to crank the engine. After the rope is pulled, the flywheel keeps spinning and the engine starts. If the grip is not returned gently, it can damage the starter by the rope getting tangled in the mechanism.