New CL100 Owner
- Thread starter iatethepeach
- Start date
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
Along with the mystery spark advancer, my ebay checkout included a new dipstick, mirrors for the XL, and a pair of 5.5 mm ignition wrenches (for the on-bike toolkits). The sellers were in FL, TX, CA, and ID, respectively. Everything shipped immediately and arrived two days ago, with the exception of the advancer package from Florida, which according to online tracking still hasn't been received by USPS. I guess I'll work on the house this weekend. :|
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
grcamna5 said:
Yeah, USPS tracking is about as accurate as tea leaves. Unless I really care about the package being delivered, of course, in which case it almost always seems totally inaccurate. I still have my fingers crossed it shows up today and is the real deal.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
Bingo!
Though, I'm wondering if my original advancer and points plate are correct since both have "CT90" stamped on them.
Though, I'm wondering if my original advancer and points plate are correct since both have "CT90" stamped on them.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
I installed the new advancer this afternoon. This time my sneakers stayed clean!
Not surprisingly, the bike now idles well with the timing set at the "F" mark. The bad news is the high-RPM stuttering persists. But for some reason when I was on my test ride a post of trek's from last year popped into my head:
So I tried turning the headlight off while the bike was missing- the motor perked up instantly. I turned the light back on and it was as if I'd hit a kill switch. I did it a bunch of times and the response was the same. Any ideas? I thought I'd try tightening up the point gap to the minimum to see if that has any effect, and making sure the contacts are clean again. If not, I'll swap the coil and points off the XL next.
Not surprisingly, the bike now idles well with the timing set at the "F" mark. The bad news is the high-RPM stuttering persists. But for some reason when I was on my test ride a post of trek's from last year popped into my head:
trek97 said:
So I tried turning the headlight off while the bike was missing- the motor perked up instantly. I turned the light back on and it was as if I'd hit a kill switch. I did it a bunch of times and the response was the same. Any ideas? I thought I'd try tightening up the point gap to the minimum to see if that has any effect, and making sure the contacts are clean again. If not, I'll swap the coil and points off the XL next.
Nice ! 
and for $25 !
The stamped numbers aren't an issue as many of them for 1st generation(1970-75') CB100 & CB125 also S90's are the same thing;some are stamped "CS90" too but it's the same part. I hope you enjoy the bike running at the correct advance curve and use the stroboscopic timing light to check the full advance marks.Did you make that special timing 'window' on another sidecover so you don't get drenched w/ engine oil?
I tried to see the timing mark while timing my XR/XL185 engine 'CB185S' the other day.. That was tough because of the new high-volume oil pump really sloshing that liquid around inside there ! I need to look for a small round piece of plexiglass that I can attach to that small hole for a very accurate view.
edit:I just read your most recent post AL and it sounds good that the advancer is functioning nice.I also read how your headlight is acting like a kill switch.. that's a new one for me.. I think you might want to send 'Sonreir' member here a PM and ask for his input on this problem,he has Sparkmoto which is his business that supplies electrical parts for us vintage motorcyclists.
Have you ever completely 'rehabbed' all the electrical connections on your wiring harness(including the ground to frame connections)and switches and cleaned all the metal contacts to make them shiny? I would also recommend checking the battery for how good a charge it's holding and how clean the connections to it are.
and for $25 !The stamped numbers aren't an issue as many of them for 1st generation(1970-75') CB100 & CB125 also S90's are the same thing;some are stamped "CS90" too but it's the same part. I hope you enjoy the bike running at the correct advance curve and use the stroboscopic timing light to check the full advance marks.Did you make that special timing 'window' on another sidecover so you don't get drenched w/ engine oil?
I tried to see the timing mark while timing my XR/XL185 engine 'CB185S' the other day..
That was tough because of the new high-volume oil pump really sloshing that liquid around inside there ! I need to look for a small round piece of plexiglass that I can attach to that small hole for a very accurate view.edit:I just read your most recent post AL and it sounds good that the advancer is functioning nice.I also read how your headlight is acting like a kill switch.. that's a new one for me.. I think you might want to send 'Sonreir' member here a PM and ask for his input on this problem,he has Sparkmoto which is his business that supplies electrical parts for us vintage motorcyclists.
Have you ever completely 'rehabbed' all the electrical connections on your wiring harness(including the ground to frame connections)and switches and cleaned all the metal contacts to make them shiny? I would also recommend checking the battery for how good a charge it's holding and how clean the connections to it are.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
grcamna5 said:I tried to see the timing mark while timing my XR/XL185 engine 'CB185S' the other day..
Is the rotor cover on the 185 essentially the same as the 100's? If you let me know the diameter I'll cut a plate for you. I have plenty of scrap left over from a recent house project and the cover I made works perfectly.
iatethepeach said:
The 3rd gen. CB125S models from 1981'- and the XL185 & XR200 have two threaded plugs w/ slot heads in them,the large one is for turning the engine over and the small plug at the top of the stator cover is for looking at the timing marks.The inner threaded portion of the small timing plug measures roughly 13mm in dia. & the outside flat portion is about 21mm. Would you be able to use a hole saw,etc. and cut me a flat piece of thin plexi at 21mm in dia.? I could then use some clear shipping tape and tightly tape it up to the hole temporarily to set the timing,it wouldn't need to thread-in.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
grcamna5 said:
Yeah, I went over all the connections assiduously last fall. The battery is new- last summer the company that sold it to me sent two by mistake, so a couple weeks ago I put the CL's old battery in the XL and unboxed this new one and put acid in it. I can't remember if these batteries are supposed to be charged before use, though (I didn't charge mine, but I've ridden the bike a couple hours since I installed it).
iatethepeach said:
The battery should have an 'activation charge' at about 1/2amp for roughly 5-6 hrs.,if you run the bike w/ the headlight on a lot it might have made the battery weak.I would find a small battery checker/hydrometer(the one w/ the tiny tube attached and about 4-5 floating balls) and use that to check all 3 cells to see how many little balls are floating before you try charging it.Those 'kill switch when the headlight is on' symptoms sound like a dead battery imo.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
grcamna5 said:
I don't have a 21mm or 13/16" hole saw, but I can give it a shot with the rotary tool. Have you tried placing just the packing tape over the hole? It might give a clearer view than tape + plexiglass, if it'll stick.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
Sure thing! I haven't tried cutting something that small in diameter but I think I can make it work. I'll give it a shot when I'm reunited with my scrap plexiglass (in about a week).
Battery and charging system. Lots of old bikes do this sort of thing. Adjusting the point gap could potentially have an effect, but it's not an actual overall solution even though it might be a stop gap remedy. Regardless, you would want to open the point gap , not reduce it. The point gap controls the dwell angle, which is the amount of degrees the points are closed and in turn the amount of time the ignition coil is energized. Increasing the gap reduces the amount of time points are closed and thereby reduces the time the coil is consuming energy from the electrical system, so potentially the system has more to share with the headlight, battery charging duties, etc. The real solution is to find out where your electrical system is weak. Updating to a modern regulator/rectifier isn't a bad idea even if that's not the issue just because a new R/R will be more reliable being solid state and not - well old! Also that will cause you to go over most of the important wiring that may have become a bit sketchy. Start with a rock solid battery and go from there. If the bike is fine at first but quickly starts having issues again the charging system is likely not able to keep up. Ignition coils also get mischievous with age sometimes - usually they get hot and simply quit until they cool off, but can have other hard to diagnose running issues. If the bike is running badly try connecting a good car battery to it (like jumping a car). If the problem instantly goes away, it isn't the coil and you are back to battery and charging system.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
grcamna5 said:
Not at all- post it.
iatethepeach
Coast to Coast
jpmobius said:
Thanks for posting these tips! I'll do as both you guys suggest and start with the battery.
