Hey guys, first post here. I am VERY new to motorcycles. I just bought a 1970 CB350 knowing next to nothing about the bike, purely to be able to enjoy it and build it up myself. (learning experience...??? :roll: )
That being said, I have no idea how to fix or troubleshoot this issue...
I bought the bike from Michigan, and the previous owner said it was running. He said it started every time, no questions asked. He did say that it sputtered after 6,000 RPM and would need the carbs cleaned (he assumed).
I get it to my house, and the battery seems to be dying. Turn the key, and the lights are dim, horn works, turn signals barely work, and then I try to push the button to start it. It clicks endlessly but never actually fires up. I then try the kick start, and it isn't doing anything. So I get a friend over, who knows a little about motorcycles in general, and he tries to work it. He tells me that the kickstart needs attention, because it only catches sometimes. Kind of hard to explain, but it seems the teeth only want to catch 1 out of 5 times. Well after about 5 kicks, he gets it to start. The bike sounds incredible. I give it a little gas, sounds good. We are sitting there admiring the bike and it dies on us. So we go to start it again. This time, it will not start. We try the kick start probably 50 times. The engine is making noise when I use the kick start, but not starting.
I suggest we attempt a rolling start, and we find a bit of a hill and try it out. The bike is trying to "turn over" but isn't making a spark.
So we are hanging out for about an hour trying to troubleshoot, and then we go back to the bike, turn the key, and try our luck. This time, the lights come on, but the horn doesn't work, the turn signals barely work, and the button start isn't working. It turns makes several clicking noises but then nothing.
I think it may be a dead battery and in need of more gas, so I go get a trickle charger and new gas. I charge the battery all night, and put new gas in, and the headlights are much brighter, turns signals still having issues, but do light up better (i think this is a separate issue all together, they only lights up, don't flash. I tried kick starting it, but the engine makes a small noise and then nothing. Also, now the button starter makes a single clicking noise and it's done.
Can anyone please tell me what my next steps may be? I'm frustrated that we got it running for a little while, and now it won't run at all. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks
That being said, I have no idea how to fix or troubleshoot this issue...
I bought the bike from Michigan, and the previous owner said it was running. He said it started every time, no questions asked. He did say that it sputtered after 6,000 RPM and would need the carbs cleaned (he assumed).
I get it to my house, and the battery seems to be dying. Turn the key, and the lights are dim, horn works, turn signals barely work, and then I try to push the button to start it. It clicks endlessly but never actually fires up. I then try the kick start, and it isn't doing anything. So I get a friend over, who knows a little about motorcycles in general, and he tries to work it. He tells me that the kickstart needs attention, because it only catches sometimes. Kind of hard to explain, but it seems the teeth only want to catch 1 out of 5 times. Well after about 5 kicks, he gets it to start. The bike sounds incredible. I give it a little gas, sounds good. We are sitting there admiring the bike and it dies on us. So we go to start it again. This time, it will not start. We try the kick start probably 50 times. The engine is making noise when I use the kick start, but not starting.
I suggest we attempt a rolling start, and we find a bit of a hill and try it out. The bike is trying to "turn over" but isn't making a spark.
So we are hanging out for about an hour trying to troubleshoot, and then we go back to the bike, turn the key, and try our luck. This time, the lights come on, but the horn doesn't work, the turn signals barely work, and the button start isn't working. It turns makes several clicking noises but then nothing.
I think it may be a dead battery and in need of more gas, so I go get a trickle charger and new gas. I charge the battery all night, and put new gas in, and the headlights are much brighter, turns signals still having issues, but do light up better (i think this is a separate issue all together, they only lights up, don't flash. I tried kick starting it, but the engine makes a small noise and then nothing. Also, now the button starter makes a single clicking noise and it's done.
Can anyone please tell me what my next steps may be? I'm frustrated that we got it running for a little while, and now it won't run at all. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks
