QuestionQUESTION: Hi, I have been working for a couple of days helping a friend restore an old Honda scrambler. This bike has been sitting unused since 1979, and the previous owner only did a few minor things before we got the bike. Most of what he did was diagnose the carb problem that we later fixed. We have already done a few things and gotten it running. We had to totally replace one of the carburetors because it was just completely corroded, then we cleaned the other carb out thoroughly. It needs rebuilt, but it is livable for the moment. Air filters are being cleaned, although we are currently running without them. I have tested all of the electronics, and we have replaced the battery. Both of the spark plugs are good (however, they are original) and get a nice fat spark, and I believe the timing is ok. The gas tank has some light surface rust, but we are going to be cleaning and coating that next week. We know that we need to rebuild the petcock and replace the fuel lines. Until we do those, we are currently running fuel into the carbs via 2 lines of vacuum tube pokes tightly at the bottom of a one gallon plastic jug (cheap, but effective for testing purposes). I've adjusted the carbs to idle around 1,200 RPM, and the throttle cable seems ok. Everything in the engine seems sound, except for the fact that we are only running on one cylinder. It starts like a dream, and the one will accelerate and even redline with ease, but I only have one hot pipe. The other is undeniably cold. What are the potential causes for this that we can test?
Also, is there a safe way that I can check the brakes? There are drum brakes on both the front and the rear, and I just want to make sure they still work after sitting for 30 years. I know they open and close and will stop the bike when moving slowly, but I don't want to find out the hard way that they don't work when up to speed!
One more thing: The clutch is very hard to engage. You can move it about 1/4 of an inch or so, maybe less, in free play. Then it is so hard that it requires 2 hands to squeeze it. When you DO get the clutch engaged you can shift gears freely, so I THINK the clutch itself works ok, but I haven't opened anything up yet (and I would prefer to keep it that way). Is there a way for me to reset the clutch cable to original settings and test it? What is the likelihood that the cable is just plain stuck after 30 years? Could it possibly be the actual clutch itself?
Thanks for everything that you do. This is a great service that you and the others provide, and I have been helped by the AllExperts team SO many times. I highly anticipate your reply!
Regards,
Tim
ANSWER: If both plug have spark, the problem is either a compression or fuel problem.
The brakes are pretty fool proof. If they move freely and seem to engage correctly, they will probably work fine.
The stiff clutch could be a rusted cable or the clutch lifter needs to be taken apart and greased. Just make sure you don't loose the ball bearing that pushes against the pushrod.
Regards
Rich
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for your help! We did a compression test and it came back GREAT: about 185 PSI on both cylinders. Turns out the float needle was just stuck closed.
I'm looking for a carburetor kit for this bike, and they all look like they don't include all of the jets. You can see on the following picture: http://www.dansmc.com/carbs/Japanese_Carbs/hon350twin_cvcarb.jpg That there are both primary and secondary main jet. Most carburetor kits I see only come with one main jet. What kit would you recommend?
Thanks again for your help!
-Tim
AnswerTim, I don't know any suppliers that I'd recommend. Unless you have lost the jets, I'm not sure why you'd need to replace them. I've never had to replace a jet in all of the carbs I've rebuild. Those jets have o-rings on each of those jets that can be replaced but that's about all I'd recommend you replace. THe jets can be cleaned back to original conditions.
Regards
Rich
