Baby wing starting troubles.

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raiddrten
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Baby wing starting troubles.

#1

Post by raiddrten »

We had an exceptionally warm day or two right after cold weather. The kind of winter day with fog all day. As you might guess, the kind of day that makes engine blocks sweat--even stored inside on concrete. Well, the Tractor which is my bike name for the 1979 CB750 just would not start. it was pretty obviously related to ignition because of the wet plugs and the noted weather. It finally started just now after a two days to slowly dry out.

I have been running it all winter and have wired in a jumper switch to short across the solenoid when needed. The funny thing about it is now that we had all this weather, the regular starter button works great once again. [At least for now]

i guess we are either looking at a sticking solenoid or a poor ground which improved after the misty weather. Normal operation has been to start the bike with the jumper switch and restarts work well with the normal handlebar switch.

Maybe someone else has experienced something like this and has some ideas.
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#2

Post by Whiskerfish »

So was it cranking over or not?
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#3

Post by raiddrten »

Yes it was cranking over. No sign of trying to start. Now it is the same thing this morning. That concrete floor is sweating again this morning and the barn is like a steam bath.

Time to put it in the wood shop with the wood floor and a much drier climate.
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#4

Post by Whiskerfish »

Once you get it running again see if you can run it in the dark while looking at the coils and wires. These old coils sometimes like to crack and running it in the dark is the easiest way to find high voltage electrical leaks. The high humidity can cause it to be a big problem
"Agreement is not a requirement for Respect" CDR Michael Smith USN (Ret) 2017
"The book is wrong, this whole Conclusion is Fallacious" River Tam
2008 GL1800 IIIA "TH3DOG"
1975/6/7/8/9 Arthur Fulmer Dressed Road bike
1975 Naked Noisy and Nasty in town bike
and a whole garage full of possibilities!!

Psst. oh and by the way CHANGE YOUR BELTS!!!!
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tlbranth
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#5

Post by tlbranth »

If I leave my CB sitting for very long I have to do a lot of cranking to get it to start. I don't really know why but any of my bikes sitting for a while gets hard to start. First off, you need to turn on the fuel and give it a minute or two to fill the empty bowls. Then choke it and crank. What you're experiencing is not necessarily a problem.
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#6

Post by raiddrten »

What I should mention also is this bike hates to sit around. The gas goes stale very rapidly in the bowls like no other bike I have ever owned. Others have reported the same thing . I discovered that the best way to get it to start after sitting is to drain gas from the bowls [even after just a few days of sitting] to get fresh gas from the tank in them, and Vroom. I need to remove the tank to get at things to investigate further.

This time, it has other problems, namely a choke that is sticking more or less closed. Also, the exhaust has developed a leak which is affecting back pressure. no time to work on it for now. It runs, but not well at present.

Sometimes owning a fleet of the old bikes is sort of like keeping plates spinning.

That is why I am really thoroughly going through the GL1000 even if it takes a while to do it right.
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#7

Post by tlbranth »

Since I never know how long a bike will sit without running, when I've ridden it, I put an appropriate amount of Marine Stabil in the tank and let it find its way around the tank while I clean the windshield, lube the chain......etc. Then I drive it to the shed which puts stabilized fuel in the carbs. It's always worked for me. I've never had the carbs on any of the 4 bikes gum up. The Marine stuff claims to keep fuel good for a year. And a little goes a long way.
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1970 CB750
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#8

Post by Sidecar Bob »

How old are your plug wires and what kind of wire are they?
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#9

Post by raiddrten »

Well, we are getting closer. This bike needs a general going over because we are looking at both fuel and electrical systems. I always give advice to Honda owners about Hondas needing a fresh battery. When I put a charger on mine, it was night and day how it ran. The choke cable is also not fully retracting so the bike is running rich, and that makes it two problems at once.

The baby wing is dirty as a pig and needs a new chain and it is cold in the barn and the 76 'Wing keeps calling to me ......just a bunch of little excuses.

It is past time to clean it up and do some maintenance.I have been riding it because it is pretty expensive right now to run the Diesel truck down the road. So time to put it on the elevator and up into the shop. The lift you see will lift one ton 42 inches off the floor. It is a junk yard rescue and I use it a lot.
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raiddrten
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Re: Baby wing starting troubles.

#10

Post by raiddrten »

Final update. Fixed.

The sticking choke was causing all the problems. Ran rich,air filter got some condensed gas in it and was damp and of course that made for an even richer mix. Once the linkage was treated with Deep Creep and moved around a bit the choke quit causing the bike to run rich. Now it pulls with authority to 7000 RPM, which for me is the top of the power band for a 1979 bike.
I think it is a lesson on Hondas --It seems more important to keep the intake side to factory specs than the exhaust. You will never see pods on any bike I ride. YMMV
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