Motorcycle Repair: ct 70, honda ct70, gas leaks

Question
Chris,
I hope you can help me. I got a 1970 Honda ct70 from a friend 2 months ago. He said it has no spark and hasn't run in god knows how long. So i start messing around with it. 1st thing I do is look for spark. No spark! Next I start cleaning conections etc... Found spark! Pour in a little gas and gas leaks out from all over the carb. Get on line and get a carb kit. While waiting for the carb kit I get some starting fluid and shoot some in the carb. Yea it fires up! My friend that gave me the bike comes over and we do it again it runs for a second till the starting fluid wears off. Try it again back to no spark! Back on line! New capacitor, points, and ignition switch. Here i am new all of above and a freshened up carb. Still no spark. My guess is the coil is next for replacement. Do ya have any thoughts? I did test the coil for continuity and I believe it is ok. But I don't think there is anything but that to replace. Any advice?

Thanks for your time,
Kurt

Answer
Hi Kurt.

It sounds like you are on the right track.  You may want to refer to the repair manual for the testing specs on the coil.  Another good thing to do would be to check the ignition wiring for grounds and shorts.  This could possibly be the problem with the coils rather than the coils themselves.  Better to make sure than to keep throwing parts at the problem til it goes away.  And a lot cheaper too.

Remember that the bike is 35 years old and, even though it hasn't been ridden in a while, does not mean that time hasn't taken it's toll on the bike and it's parts and systems.

You will also need to replace the tires and inner tubes, since dry-rot would also have set in on the rubber, even if you can't see it.

Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON