[movieriter]

I just bought a used CB1000 that sat outside for five years without any cover. It came with no key so I pulled the ignition switch and had the locksmith cut me a couple of keys using the code on the switch.

I pulled the plugs and put some oil in the cylinders to lube them up after sitting for so long.

I then put in a brand new battery and when I turn the key all of the lights work properly except the headlight. I think it may be blown. The neutral light comes on so I try to start it up.

When I press the start button nothing happens at all. Does anyone have any ideas what I might need to look at?

 

[Dodsfall]

Check the battery voltage as a first step.

 

[slumlord]

With a known good battery, short a screwdriver or a heavy copper wire across the posts on the solenoid. If it cranks a bit, then the engine is not frozen.

I do not recommend that you crank it much at all until the fuel system is clean.At a minimum,that means removing a carb bowl and looking for gunk. Dirty tank,petcock,fuel lines going to the carbs is just asking for trouble. Even putting fresh fuel in the tank could break the nasty stuff loose and mess up your carbs.

A kid asked me to help him with a non working starter switch. We took out all the fuses on the bike and cleaned where they contacted as a first step. Then we sprayed penetrating oil inside the starter button and she cranked. Honda starter buttons generally connect to a ground in the handlebars. The penetrating oil probably ate through some corrosion and let the switch connect to ground.

 

[cmonSTART]

Then look to see if there are any safety switches - sidestand switch, clutch lever switch, etc. Try moving these things around.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Ideas

Check for spark. Drain the old gas and fill with new. Likely you will need to clean the carbs. Check for fuel flow. Check the compression. IMO, it is best to do things with some degree of certainty, rather than chance. I would also squirt some oil in each cylinder.

Bon chance. Unkle Crusty*

 

[movieriter]

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. First I checked the battery and had 12.24 volts to start with. I press the start button on the bike and got nothing. Same as before.

Next, I put a remote on the battery positive to the solenoid and press the trigger. The bike wants to turn over but won't.

Then I hook up the battery charger to the battery and wait a little bit. I check the voltage and it reads 12.43 so I turn the key and press the start button and the motor tries to turn over. That's the first time I got a response from the start button on the bike. Were making progress. I tried it again and still doesn't fire up. Then I remember the choke and because it sat for so long the choke lever is frozen so I manually pull the choke at the motor and press the start button. It tried once again to turn over but won't start. I recheck the volts and now I'm below 12v.

I have the charger on the battery and will try again later once the battery reaches full voltage. I have the service manual coming in tomorrow or the next day so I'll pull the tank, fuel lines, carburetor and clean everything.

 

[FlipFlop]

Don't forget bike batteries don't like chargers that put out more than just a few(2amps) amp can cook a good battery and make it bad.

TBH though to me it sounds like a bad battery. How old is it?

 

[wadenelson]

http://www.motorcycleforum.com/showthread.php?t=140074&highlight=Diagnose+start

 

[Bwana]

You haven't commented on the carburetors. If the bike has sat for that long, they definitely need a good cleaning. The jets are probably no longer open to fuel flow. There may even be new life forms inside the thing.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Amazing

It sat outside for five years, and you are trying to start it with a battery that is not fully charged, and without checking for vital signs. You have not told us about the state of the fuel, yet it is easy to find out the stuff goes flat very quickly, and gums up carburetors not long after.
It will be a miracle if anything positive happens with your bike. Your chances of a miracle would improve if you started to check a few things.

I will be over on the Yoga pant thread. That tortured foot is even starting to sound more interesting.

Unkle Crusty*

 

[movieriter]

Battery is good. Compression is good. I will clean out the tank and replace all fuel lines. Also going to clean the carb and start fresh with new fuel when done. Pretty sure that will get her going. I'll update as I go. Thanks for the help.

 

[Bwana]

Yep, ya gotta clean the carbs out fully and properly before you have any hope of firing a bike not stored properly (outside ain't proper).

I am also wondering about that battery. Do you know if it was set up properly? What kind of battery is it? Good ol' fashion one that you fill and charge yourself? Is it serviceable or sealed? Gel? Batteries need to be set up properly or their life span gets reduced.

 

[slumlord]

It sat outside for five years, and you are trying to start it with a battery that is not fully charged, and without checking for vital signs. You have not told us about the state of the fuel, yet it is easy to find out the stuff goes flat very quickly, and gums up carburetors not long after.
It will be a miracle if anything positive happens with your bike. Your chances of a miracle would improve if you started to check a few things.

I will be over on the Yoga pant thread. That tortured foot is even starting to sound more interesting.

Unkle Crusty*

I hate when this happens.It reminds me of working on a Honda Magna that sat for some years. Magnas have a pretty little bobber style tank on top that drains into another tank with a fuel pump. The lower tank is a built in grundge collector.

The new owner was advised by me to NOT CRANK the bike at all until we had cleaned the tanks. First,he bought a battery with the poles reversed,then a battery with the poles on the top instead of the sides-- and blamed the parts counter guy for both mistakes! The bike was not in my shop ten minutes and while I was chasing down the proper metric wrench,he ruined a bolt head using the tool kit from the bike.

We are good friends and I knew right then that friendship could be in jeopardy if we wrenched together. Somehow,I talked him into taking the bike to an independent shop who did mostly Harley work, but they agreed to do the carbs so long as we found and bought all the parts. The bike now runs like stink and as a bonus it is kept at my place to keep track of maintenance and such--even though the owner lives hours away.

I wonder why this thread made me remember this???

 

[Bwana]

One of my brothers is one of those folks that should never be allowed to look at a wrench, much less pick one up. Good guy though.

 

[yahmyxs]

pull in the clutch /hondas require the clutch be disengaged when the engine is started.

also, defrag the computer, computers require defragmentation to maintain proper funtioning while online...

 

[movieriter]

I did get the Honda CB1000 started the other day but I only ran it for about five seconds. If the bike is in neutral on the center stand then the clutch lever doesn't need to be pulled. When the weather improves I'm going to pull the carbs and fuel tank and fuel lines and clean everything and refuel with new gas.

My bike is a '94 and I'm not quite sure what you mean about defrag the computer?

 

[FlipFlop]

I never heard anyone defragging a bike computer either, so can't say one way or the other, defraggin is typically used on systems that has a lot of updates and and input storage and defragging makes no since on a bike computer.

Hondas Gas tanks are usually pretty clean for some reason in my experience. So dump and fresh fuel might be good, double check air and fuel filters, check that all vacuum ports are connected correctly.
The Blackbird sat for over a year I simply pulled the tank and turned it upside down in a bucket, and filled the tank with fresh gas, empty the bowls of the old gas and then cranked about 30 seconds, rested the starter, and then cranked it got life waited and then it ran.
Double check the sparkplugs, oil, fuel and air.
Someone suggested somewhere a timing light to check for spark good idea on this too if still no start.

 

[hogcowboy]

I hear people "just dump the fuel" and refill all the time. Just where do you actually "dump" that fuel once you've dumped it? I have hard enough time recycling oil here in the sticks.

 

[Bwana]

I keep a 5 gallon bucket in my shop and throw paper towels in it as I use them to clean grease, hands, windshields, etc. When I get a bit of gas I need to dispose of I dump it into the bucket and let the paper towels soak it up. Then I burn them in my driveway. If it is windy I'll stow the fuel in an old gas can for later burning.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Fuel

I hear people "just dump the fuel" and refill all the time. Just where do you actually "dump" that fuel once you've dumped it? I have hard enough time recycling oil here in the sticks.

I blend some of it with the used oil. We have a large tank at the recycle place up Island. I use it to clean parts, and start fires in my burn bin. I used to add it to the belch mobile, but I rarely drive it these days. And some of the old gas is just too flat. We do not have a dedicated gas recycle place. They will take your gas, but take the can as well, and give us a coupon for a new can. So I gave up trying to recycle it. We are mostly on wells on the Island, so dumping anything is not good.

Unkle Crusty*