QuestionI have a honda hawk 400ct 1978, recently, I laid the bike down (avering a crash) the bike landed on the right side. It would not start. I waited about 1/2 hour and it started. Everthing seemed to be fine during the drive home. Now it will not start. When I kickstart it, it will begin to turn over, but then the kickstarter will kickback hard, (hard enough that it pushes my foot up) and the engine will die. After the engine dies Kickstarting does nothing. If I wait 5-10 minutes it will again start to krank, but then kickback and die. Any ideas?
AnswerHi Al,
It's hard to diagnose the problem without being there.
Removing the spark plugs and inspect their appearance. Clean or replace the plugs, and adjust the gaps accordingly. Learn about reading plugs at NGK's website:
www.ngk.com/sparkplug411.asp
When the MC was down, oil and fuel may have went places it normally shouldn't be. Fuel may have entered the cranckcase and saturated the airbox and filter.
Check oil level... I recommend changing oil and oil filter after a crash.
Check oil filter.
Check battery electrolyte level (battery acid). If acid spilled, replenish with fresh distilled water only.
Check ignition points and timing.
If the above dosen't correct the problems, have a local tech inspect it for you.
Respectfully,
Mark Shively
