Has anyone had or heard of any failure of the kickstart assembly on XR 250's ? I have a big bore kit (284) and I am running a HOTCAM that does not allow the use of the stock decompressor. I know it has more compression, and I think this has led to the demise of the gears. they are not cheap, either. $200 for 2.
I always try to make sure the gears catch pretty solid before a slow but solid kick through because of my concern for tearing them up. I think stock they would be just fine but throw in a much higher compression with added displacement and they might become the weak link.
BTW you might want to check with Service Honda on the replacement parts. They saved me a significant amount over what I could get anplace else for OEM Honda parts, even with the shipping charge. As an added bonus they typically had it delivered to my door before I could expect to pick it up at any of the local shops.