hard to start and then wont tick over??? frustrated any help please

[jayme002]

firstly i have just joined the forum looks great... sorry in advance if this has been posted elsewhere

ok i have a 1976 cb200 which i have owned about 2 months.

trying to start this bike is becoming a nightmare, almost by luck i can get it to fire.

when i bought the bike the guy turned the key turned on the petrol no choke and pressed the start button, pretty much straight away it fired into life. since then i cannot get it to start like he did.

i am turning the fuel level in all 3 directions, putting choke on, half way, off. and the throttle fully opened half opened etc and pressing the start button, it is getting crazy to start. not forgetting what its doing to the starter motor and battery.

once i have managed to start it it will not tick over at all, just dies. when running with the throttle it sounds sweet, but no tick over at all

my 2 questions would be why is it such a pain to start and why no tick over.

any help would be greatly received

 

[Hot500]

If there is plenty of power in the battery and the engine spins over easily, you need to start with spark. Pull a plug, rest it against the motor so its earthed, hit the starter button and look at the spark. Is it good and strong, easy to see, or weak and hardly there at all.

If good spark, pull the plug again after trying to start and see if its wet with fuel. If its very wet the motors flooding. Go to carbs and look for a stuck float. Sometimes just tapping the side of the float bowl will free up a stuck float.

If none of the above seem to be an issue, check compression, check valve clearances.

If you dont have one, get a workshop manual and do a complete tuneup.

 

[carnivorous chicken]

If you dont have one, get a workshop manual and do a complete tuneup.

Yep, go through routine maintenance first -- plugs (clean em if they need it, check how bike's running -- if it's really rich the plugs will carbon foul and the bike will run shittier and shittier, check spark), points (gapped correctly, dirty), valves, battery. If those don't do it, check compression. Could be electrical bug too. If your bikes' battery isn't charging well, elec start will drain it very quickly. Kicking it won't.