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Hello!
My name's Justin and I'm based in the heart of Atlanta. I bought a 1973 Honda CB 350 awhile back, and I'm hoping to be able to learn enough to be able to stabilize it and make it a daily commuter. I don't have a car (sold it because I live in a 1 Bedroom condo with my girlfriend and we only have a single parking spot), and I'd really like to be able to turn this thing into a main source of transportation for myself. But let me say that I know next to nothing about motorcycle mechanics. I know how to ride motorcycles, and I'm a quick learner if given walkthroughs, but I will definitely need some hand holding (and please no judgement. I've found other forums where people can be very judgemental of how little I know. If that's you, please just move on. I'm just a new rider and lover of vintage bikes hoping to start learning.)
So. Quick breakdown of what's happened so far. I bought it for $800 non-running, and set it up in a motorcycle repair shop for about 3 months while they worked on it. They installed a new battery, new tires, new electric ignition, a new spedo cable, and resynced the carbs. When I got it home, it ran for a bit, but I'm having a tough time trying to figure out how to get it to idle. It was starting strong, and it would run for as long as I kept the throttle on, but then slowly it dropped past 1000rpm and died. I tried what I believed to be the adjusting of the idle screws, but then it went from starting and maintaining rpms with the throttle on to not starting at all. It sounds like it wants to start, but it's just not catching now. I could have messed something up when I went to adjust the idle screws (and I might have also ****ed up the settings for the air mixture screws because I know those are right there in the same place) but I really just need someone to help walk me through what to do.
Bonus points if some kind stranger lives in the Atlanta area and would be willing to come by and take a look at it. I've currently got it parked in an underground parking garage in front of our car, so I don't have a lot of space to work, but I can get the car moved while I work, I just need to have an idea of what I'm going to be doing so that I don't just totally tear the bike apart. I'm hoping to not have to take it back to the shop, for two reasons. 1. If I'm going to ride one of these sexy beasts, I need to learn how to maintain it or I'm never going to get anywhere. 2. I don't really have the excess money anymore to throw at the repair shop to fix a problem that they can't actually fix (me not knowing how to maintain my bike properly.)
Thanks a lot for those who took the time to read and offer help.
-Justin
My name's Justin and I'm based in the heart of Atlanta. I bought a 1973 Honda CB 350 awhile back, and I'm hoping to be able to learn enough to be able to stabilize it and make it a daily commuter. I don't have a car (sold it because I live in a 1 Bedroom condo with my girlfriend and we only have a single parking spot), and I'd really like to be able to turn this thing into a main source of transportation for myself. But let me say that I know next to nothing about motorcycle mechanics. I know how to ride motorcycles, and I'm a quick learner if given walkthroughs, but I will definitely need some hand holding (and please no judgement. I've found other forums where people can be very judgemental of how little I know. If that's you, please just move on. I'm just a new rider and lover of vintage bikes hoping to start learning.)

So. Quick breakdown of what's happened so far. I bought it for $800 non-running, and set it up in a motorcycle repair shop for about 3 months while they worked on it. They installed a new battery, new tires, new electric ignition, a new spedo cable, and resynced the carbs. When I got it home, it ran for a bit, but I'm having a tough time trying to figure out how to get it to idle. It was starting strong, and it would run for as long as I kept the throttle on, but then slowly it dropped past 1000rpm and died. I tried what I believed to be the adjusting of the idle screws, but then it went from starting and maintaining rpms with the throttle on to not starting at all. It sounds like it wants to start, but it's just not catching now. I could have messed something up when I went to adjust the idle screws (and I might have also ****ed up the settings for the air mixture screws because I know those are right there in the same place) but I really just need someone to help walk me through what to do.
Bonus points if some kind stranger lives in the Atlanta area and would be willing to come by and take a look at it. I've currently got it parked in an underground parking garage in front of our car, so I don't have a lot of space to work, but I can get the car moved while I work, I just need to have an idea of what I'm going to be doing so that I don't just totally tear the bike apart. I'm hoping to not have to take it back to the shop, for two reasons. 1. If I'm going to ride one of these sexy beasts, I need to learn how to maintain it or I'm never going to get anywhere. 2. I don't really have the excess money anymore to throw at the repair shop to fix a problem that they can't actually fix (me not knowing how to maintain my bike properly.)
Thanks a lot for those who took the time to read and offer help.
-Justin