Motorcycle Repair: 1976 Honda, honda cb 500, jumper cables

Question
I have a 1976 Honda CB 500 T that will not start.  The electric starter is not working and the kick start turns the engine over.  The engine is getting good compression and I know fuel is going into the carburators.  Where should I look next for problems?  I bought the bike used and have not had it running since I have had it.
 Also on the electric starter, the selenoid (sp?) clicks when the starter button is pushed, and the terminal on the starter motor gets hot.  Is my starter bad?

Answer
Matt, the "clicking" noise could be due to lack of battery voltage to the starter. These bikes are battery operated, just like a car. You have to have a fully charged battery in the bike in order to have the electric starter functioning and to have decent spark at the plugs. Have your battery fully charged and load tested to see if it has good amperage. M/C batteries generally only last for about 2 years in normal service.

You need to do a compression check and then a tune-up on it to make sure you have all basics in place. Clean and gap the points to .012-.016", set them to open at the T and LT marks respectively. If the points are badly pitted or arcing heavily, when you are cranking it over, then the condenser is bad on that set of points. Unfortunately, the condensers come in a 2 pack, so both have to be replaced at once. Check for spark with clean plugs. Plug caps should have around 5k ohm resistance internally. Unscrew them from the end of the plug wires to test.

Pop the float bowls off to check the float level (20mm) and the condition of the jets inside. Bikes that sit for a long time generally have plugged up jets and air passages. The whole fuel system must be CLEAN!

You can try to use a battery booster or jumper cables directly to the starter motor from a known good 12v source to check the starter motor function. If it works fine, then either the battery voltage is too low or the solenoid is bad.

The starter clutch is located on the back of the rotor and often the roller tension springs die and need replacement.
You will need to buy a correct rotor removal tool to get the rotor off w/o damage. A bad starter clutch will show up as slippage or just not engaging at all in worst case scenarios.

Bill Silver