[ann]

Hi all,

I have been restoring an old 76 Kawasaki kh100 for the past month and have got it running- after riding it around the block I found the engine was bogging, heavy black smoke coming out of it, trouble shifting, and it eventually died and hasn't started back up. I've been looking at the electrical side- all is good, I got a new ignition coil, I'm getting good resistance from the ignition coil- I tested the spark plug with a tester and I got shocked via the tester but no spark from the plug. Any ideas what it might be? I'm thinking it might be the points system, but I'm not sure- I figured since it ran once before it wouldn't be the points, but I could be wrong.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Hi all,

I have been restoring an old 76 Kawasaki kh100 for the past month and have got it running- after riding it around the block I found the engine was bogging, heavy black smoke coming out of it, trouble shifting, and it eventually died and hasn't started back up. I've been looking at the electrical side- all is good, I got a new ignition coil, I'm getting good resistance from the ignition coil- I tested the spark plug with a tester and I got shocked via the tester but no spark from the plug. Any ideas what it might be? I'm thinking it might be the points system, but I'm not sure- I figured since it ran once before it wouldn't be the points, but I could be wrong.

These old bikes, at least Honda and Kaw get dirt and water in the tank, especially if it has set any length of time. I've owned them both WAY BACK IN THE DAY.

After owning a couple, for a FEW years, I just made it the anual spring thing to pull the bowl off the bottom of the petcock. Dump the **** in it, open the valve in to a cup for a couple seconds to clear it and pull the water off the bottom of the tank. Put it back together and THEN fill it with gas and start it up. Many times prior to that I had fought half a day just knowing that thing ran when I put it away in December. Now in March or April it won't run...

Fight it half a day, then remember to do the above, and it started first kick and road the heck out of it all summer until next year, same old story all over again. Probably even worse now days with the alcohol rotting the inside of the old fuel systems.

 

[Big A]

If you have fire to the plug (using your spark tester) then it has to be the plug. Heavy black smoke buy a compression tester.