QuestionHello thanks you for taking time. I have a 1975 Honda CB200T that recently developed an issue with it's electric start. It used to work fine. Now I just get a clicking noise unless I get a chance to run the bike at a high rpm for a long time (I live in NYC lots of stop and go traffic so this is sometimes rare) After a high rpm ride if I turn the bike off and try the electric start right away sometimes it'll work! It still kick-starts fine and runs lovely as ever once going & it got a new battery two months ago. Lights work fine when you turn it on, but do dim with each kick-start attempt (don't always get it 1st try) until the engine is running. Also the bike's blinkers do the thing where they don't actually blink unless the rpms are high also, not sure if this is related, but they seems to be. Hopefully this is enough info. I'm kinda at a loss any help would be appreciated.
AnswerAdam, hopefully the new battery was a good quality one and was fully charged before installation.
From 1975 onwards, the headlights come on as soon as you turn on the switch, dimming off while the starter button is depressed and then back on again. The lights are not all that great so it can be a temptation to run the high beams a lot of the time for safety. Unfortunately the charging system doesn't really perform until you get some revs up while riding.
Your stop and go riding requires a lot of idling and use of the brakes, which activates the rear brake light. Make sure that the brake light is not being activated unnecessarily by the rear brake light switch being out of adjustment. If you adjust the rear wheel to take up chain slack, it changes the geometry of the brake linkage and can trigger the brake switch earlier than desired and/or can cause it to stay activated all the time. A broken plunger in the front brake switch on the handlebar bracket will also trigger the brake light to stay on all the time. When that happens, then the charging system cannot keep up with the electrical load of the headlight, tail light and brake lights on at the same time. Your running lights may also be ON for this model, so it really puts a load on the charging system.
Check the above issues, have the charging system output checked and figure out how to run a Battery Tender/trickle charger on the battery overnight, if your operating requirements are exceeding the charging system's output over the load requirements.
http://www.oldmanhonda.com/MC/WiringDiagrams/MCwiring.php for wiring diagram, if you need it.
Bill Silver
