cb 175 help me get this thing running

T

tone74

New Member
Hi guys, first post here hoping to figure this thing out. New to bikes
Bought a 1970 cb 175 which was running fine everything worked. Rode a bit with no issues, next day electric start was weak then eventually stopped working lights dimming then when I turned signals on it would stall. From there been kick starting it. Idle was low so I raised it to about 1600 then bike was running better I hoped on and took it for a spin. When pulling into the drive way bike stalled and would not start even with the kick start. Got a push down a hill it would turn over but would not start. Everything was dead not even the neutral light would work. I don't have a charger so I hooked to my civic for a couple seconds and bam it turned on with the electric starter. The guy that sold it to me said battery is new and it looks like it is. Seem like its not charging when the bike turns on.
What should I look at first? I'm thinking it might be the rectifier how can I test it? Also how often does the AC generator fail on these bikes?
I'm loving this little bike and want to get it running reliable so I can do some riding.
Thanks in advance for any help you guys can offer. Oh forgot to mention bike has around 12000 miles on it..
 
Never believe "the guy who sold it to me"!!!!! Number 1 rule of buying old bikes. Remember, he is trying to SELL the bike, ususally for a reason. Number 2 rule-get yourself a manual, Clymer's or whatever. Number3-take off the tank, seat, sidecovers and headlight and clean every electrical connection you can find with electrical contact cleaner and a fine brass brush, pay prticular attenion to the ground wires, they are probably black wires. Even if they look good, clean them, especially the grounds Number 4-go to Sears or Harbor Freight and spend 20$ on a volt/ohm meter that has a continuity check function and check all those electrical connections. Number 5- take the "new" battery to a battery shop and have them do a full charge and a load test to make sure that the battery is good. Number 6- if the bike has the original coils, replace them ( they're 30 years old, for god's sake) along with the spark plug wires, caps and plugs. Number 7-Replace all fluids and filters (oil and air). I know you just want to ride, but if you do a little work and spend a little money, your bike will be more reliable and enjoyable. Old bikes are fun but labor intensive.

I also rebuild and clean, clean, clean the carbs, put inline fuel filters between petcocks and carbs, replace thottle cables, clutch cables and brake lines, and check every nut and bolt to make sure they're tight. But that's just me.

Terry
J'ille, Fl
 
generators are pretty reliable.
Rectifier is probably old plate style selenium jobby.
May be 'hidden', look for 2" square orange 'fins'
They normally take a lot of abuse before they fail.
You can check it with multimeter set on Ohms same as a 'modern' one
 
I always get to these late......

The battery may be new, but check the acid / water level in it. PJ's right, the stator's are good. Look for a frayed wire in the charging system as well.
 
Going to do all of that starting with cleaning the ground connections took a look and noticed a couple of them are pretty rusted. Hoping its a simple fix.
going to pick up the meter soon too I figure I'm gonna need it for other things anyway.

Thanks for the replies...
 
Congrats on the 175, they're a great bike!

I would do the battery check first, some auto parts stores do theses for free. Sometime even a brand new battery will not hold a charge. I bought a battery at a honda dealer for my 175, paid 95$ for it, and it never held a charge. Got a 30$ Energizer battery from Wal-Mart and that worked great.

In the 50$ mod thread there is a writeup on building a cheap battery charger for around 10$. Might be worth borrowing one if you know some who has one. Slaving the battery off you car will not charge your battery back up. A night with a battery charger may very well fix your problem.

A multimeter will pay for itself very quickly, as for the manual, search around, the original Honda manual is floating around the internet, it's free and much better than the Haynes.

When cleaning the ground connections, grind a bit of metal off, put some dialetric grease, and put the grounds back to the frame.

The rectifier on theses bikes is inside the frame, above the engine. North City Honda (http://www.northcityvintagehonda.com) might have replacements

Cheers,

Guy
 
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