Motorcycle Repair: 1975 CB500T, spark plug wires, spark plug wire

Question
Last winter, before putting my bike away, my 1975 CB500T ran on one cylinder and electric start worked great. I charged the battery properly over the winter. And replaced the spark plug on the left side. Now the electric start merely whirs (as in spins, but doesn't catch). The bike still kick starts, but while running, it usually only runs on one cylinder (even with the new plug). Fiddling with the plug wires can somewhat fix the issue, by creating a gap between the connection (i.e. the plug wire) and the spark plug, it will run somewhat smoothly. SO basically I pull it off and losen it so that it just barely touches. The starter appears ok, checked the carbs, and new plugs. Any reason why the electric start wouldn't work? Is it the battery? And is this why the plugs sometimes fail to fire? It is consistently the left side plug that will sometimes fail to fire. I'll be riding down the ride, and it will jerk back and forth, as the second cylinder goes on and off. Thanks for any help you could give.

Answer
Hi Nick.
 As far as the starter, since you have a kicker on the bike, it's not a major concern.

However, you do have a problem in the ignition system.  Get the repair manual out and follow the instructions for bench testing the coils.  Then check the ignition wiring for shorts, grounding or arcing.  The problem could be in the spark plug wire, in which case, you will need to get a new coil.  The spark plug wires are permanently attached to the coils and there is no fix for that.

We can address the starter issue after the bike is running right.

Good luck.
FALCON