Motorcycle Repair: Honda electrical, CB700S, CB7500S

Question
I just bought a 1984 Honda Nighthawk 700 S. It sat over the winter at this guys house. He said he put gas stabilizer in the tank before he stored it Im not so much worried about that yet Im pretty sure its a battery problem right now. All the lights come on the horn works good by that I mean loud but when I go to start the bike I just hear a click? Even though everything shows that the battery is good could it still be a battery problem or am I looking at a starter problem? I did hook up a small charger to it to see if it would jump but I got the same click noise Im letting it trickle charge over night to see if the battery just needed a good charge. If not Im gonna start with buying a new battery if you have any suggestions please email me with your insights on this problem thanx for your time! Zach

Answer
It could be the battery, but before you replace it you should do a few tests.

Start by making sure you don't have a dirty connection. The cable from the negative terminal of the battery should be attached to an engine mount or a bolt on the engine. Loosen the mount and wiggle the cable a bit to break any oxidization that may have formed between the cable & the engine &/or frame, then tighten it again. Remove the negative cable from the battery so you don't accidentally short the battery with a wrench and then loosen, jiggle and re-tighten the connections at the battery positive, the solenoid (at the other end of the heavy cable that connects to the positive terminal of the battery) and the starter motor (at the other end of the other heavy cable that connects to the solenoid). Re-connect the negative cable.

Try to start it. If it works your problem was just a dirty connection.

If it still doesn't start you need to check for power in the circuit:

There are 2 big terminals on the top of the solenoid. If you check with a voltmeter or test light there should always be power at the terminal the battery is connected to.

The other terminal should only have power when the start button is pressed. If the solenoid clicks but there is no power at that terminal when the button is pressed you need to replace the solenoid.

If there is power on that terminal when the button is pressed, check for power at the starter motor's terminal. If there is power there and the starter motor doesn't turn you probably need to replace the starter motor or have it rebuilt. Some places that rebuild car starters can do bike ones too at a fraction of the price of a new one.