CB450 won’t start with kick (but electric works)

J

jammer415

Been Around the Block
1972 CB450

Starts with electric starter, but does not even come close when kicking it over with the manual kick starter.

Any ideas?
 
Also, I’m planning on upgrading the regulator/rectifier, as well as to the Pamco electric ignition... I wanted to get it running tip-top before making these upgrades, but should I do it now? Would the rectifier or ignition system affect/help the kick start?
 
make sure the head light is off when starting with the kick. what is the battery like?
 
Yup, headlight is off... battery is brand new, fresh acid with a fresh charge. Even tried with a jumper pack connected.
 
I ordered a small waterproof digital voltemeter and will install it on the bike to monitor the battery voltage in live time.

Any other ideas?
 
Well of course I’ve checked that lol,

but, on a side note... the kill switch is either broken or bypassed somehow because it does not kill the engine when turned if the engine is running... although if the engine is off and the lights are on, turning the kill switch does turn off the lights.

Is the kill switch fried? Bypassed from the engine? Related to Kickstarter issue?
 
Sounds like you have some significant wiring issues. Kill switch shouldn't do anything to the lights on your bike.
 
Perhaps I’m losing my mind... I’ll double check what’s going on. I can tell this bike has been “worked on” before, so perhaps the previous fanatic got creative with wiring.

Either way, the kill switch does not kill the engine, so something is definitely up.
 
Got side tracked with other parts of the bike and now would like to get this kill switch sorted out.

After double checking, the kill switch indeed does not affect the lights... but, also the kill switch is somehow disconnected since it does not kill the bike, plus I can start the bike when it’s turned to OFF.

Where should the wires from the kill switch be running to from the handle bar controls?

What other diagnoses can I do?
 
Yes, there is resistance, it is definitely moving positions. And I can hear that it has that oomph from the pressure exiting the cylinders.
 
Do you know how to kickstart a bike?
No disrespect meant, it's a learned skill it's not as simple as it looks.
I've kick started many bikes that friends couldn't kick because they didn't know the technique.

Start from the top, start slow then put all of your weight onto the lever, it's not an angry kicking motion with your leg muscles, it's a fluid weight transfer to get some good force behind the kick.

I see so many people kicking the kickstarter like it spit on their mother, that might work on your 125 2 stroke, but it's just not going to cut it on a big 4 stroke.
 
For the kill switch hookup, the colors should match. Right hand control gets power from the black wire and then sends power out to the coils on the black/white wire.
 
SONIC. said:
Do you know how to kickstart a bike?
No disrespect meant, it's a learned skill it's not as simple as it looks.
I've kick started many bikes that friends couldn't kick because they didn't know the technique.

Start from the top, start slow then put all of your weight onto the lever, it's not an angry kicking motion with your leg muscles, it's a fluid weight transfer to get some good force behind the kick.

I see so many people kicking the kickstarter like it spit on their mother, that might work on your 125 2 stroke, but it's just not going to cut it on a big 4 stroke.
Click to expand...


Haha thanks for the insightful lesson... no disrespect taken. And ya, been kicking bikes for years, but never ones that spit ha.

So... yesterday, after I had it warmed up... It WOULD start with a kick (but seemingly barely) . So it seems like it just doesn’t like to start with a kick from a cold start. Does that help diagnose the issue at all?
 
Sonreir said:
For the kill switch hookup, the colors should match. Right hand control gets power from the black wire and then sends power out to the coils on the black/white wire.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you for that... I’ll try to trace back the wires and see where they lead.

When I have the bike in Neautral and turn the kill switch... The green Neautral light turns off, but the bike stays running. Same thing happens when the bike is off (Neautral light turns off).

Could it be that the kill switch is only wired through to the gear selector, but not to the coils?
 
redrover said:
Perhaps I’m losing my mind... I’ll double check what’s going on. I can tell this bike has been “worked on” before, so perhaps the previous fanatic got creative with wiring.

Either way, the kill switch does not kill the engine, so something is definitely up.
Click to expand...

wouldn't be difficult for the rats nest of wiring in the headlight bucket to get plugged into "something else" and make it do that.
 
Ok electric issues aside, it’s not related to not being able to kick start the engine cold... Ya?

Any ideas on what else I can do to help solve this kickstart issue?
 
So the bike still like to only start with a kickstart when warmed up... When cold, no way.

Also, the when I have the bike in Neautral (green light on), the kill switch will turn that light off, but the bike keeps running.

Anyone know where the connection is that splits off to the coils, but after the Neautral green light connection?
 
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