CB360 electrical issues

R

rokor

New Member
Hey guys. I picked up a prebuilt 75 CB360T a while ago with the hopes of using it as a daily but it started having issues almost as soon as it arrived. I’m hoping to get some opinions on what might be causing these problems since I’m at a complete loss.

It started off working without issue but after letting it sit for a few days it would no longer start via push starter. The headlight would fire up and the rear/brake lights worked fine as well but there doesn’t seem to be a line to the signals. On top of that the headlight dims and the horn just barely makes a noise when pressed.

I went over the wiring for hours looking for a disconnect but nothing stands out, and despite being a custom build the harness appears stock. I thought the battery might need to be replaced but it had just been put in before I picked the bike up so I’m stumped. Is anyone able to offer an opinion on what to try to get it up and going again?
 
I would check voltage supply with a good voltmeter, starting with the battery and working out to components from there. I know some later Honda's had a strange set of tiny contacts in the start button that modulated headlamp power when cranking. Just a passing thought as I have no firsthand exp with the 360 twins. Good luck Rokor.
 
Thanks Snout, I appreciate the input. I'll try to get my hands on a voltmeter by the end of next week but a couple notes to add as of earlier today... With the charger attached and set to trickle the signals work fine, and when attaching the charger I accidentally connected the circuit to the starter solenoid and it fired up for a moment. The horn still makes barely a muffled sound but it's possible that it's just broken, I'd never heard it work correctly. Is it reasonable to assume the issue with the starter is only the battery or should I be getting some feedback at all levels of power?
 
Yeah, though admittedly I’m taking the previous owners word on it. It was apparently installed just prior to the riding season it didn’t end up being used for.
 
He's right. Sounds like the battery. Check voltage and then charge it. With the freshly charged battery check voltage with everything OFF and then turn on ignition and lights and watch the voltage drop. If it drops instantly to say 11.5 volts or less and keeps dropping, the battery has passed its use by date.

If teh battery voltage stays good for a couple of minutes, fire the bike up and blip the throttle and see what the voltage does. If it stays low, the charge system has a problem.
 
Thanks a lot. Here’s to hoping it’s just the battery to blame, that would simplify things for me. I’ll update once I get my hands on a voltmeter and run it through the bike later this coming week.
 
An easy way to rule out the battery is to hook up some jumper cables from your car. Keep the car turned off during this test.

If the bike behaves as normal, you know it's the battery.
 
Thanks Sonreir, this is something I was considering later on once I dismissed the idea of a loose or incomplete circuit but I decided to just run a voltmeter through the system for good measure. As it turns out the battery alone only tops out at about 6 on a full charge so it looks like it needs replacing if nothing else. I’ll definitely update here with any news once I get my hands on a new battery but since the build is relatively new I have hope that this should solve the issue completely.
 
I just went through with the order of a new Antigravity battery through a local shop but it’ll be a few weeks until the supplier gets it sent out. I’ll try to get something temporary in the mean time to confirm it’s just the battery and update here when I learn something new. I shouldn’t have any issues running a regular battery through my lithium wired system though, correct?
 
A standard battery will be fine. The only thing that might be different to support a lithium battery is the regulator/rectifier, possibly being a solid-state unit. It should work just fine with a $20 battery from the local shop, or jumped to a 12v car battery.

If you have room for a standard battery, save your money. Lithium batteries are great - nice and light and tiny, but if you don't have size restrictions, any AGM battery is fine too and is sealed, can be positioned on its side etc. and saves a pile of money.
 
I would be looking for a parasitic draw if I were you.
Something small that's pulling voltage even when the key/switch is off. That will over the course of a week or two kill a battery.


I agree with Tim if you have room for a normal AGM go that route.
 
rokor said:
I just went through with the order of a new Antigravity battery through a local shop but it’ll be a few weeks until the supplier gets it sent out. I’ll try to get something temporary in the mean time to confirm it’s just the battery and update here when I learn something new. I shouldn’t have any issues running a regular battery through my lithium wired system though, correct?
Click to expand...
That's a bad idea, charging system isn't 'accurate' enough to prevent it destroying it's self. I would fit a new regulator rectifier unit, I think Sonier has one that's 'plug and play' and has more accurate voltage regulation
 
Sonic, thanks for the advice, I’ll go over the system with my voltmeter again once I get a source of power attached to avoid more issues.

I don’t have a lot of options when it comes to a new battery unfortunately. The tray set up is tucked neatly under a tracker style seat so unless I opted to relocate a battery to something like under the swing arm, I would have to find something roughly the same size as the previous 4 cell Antigravity. Regulator and rectifier are upgraded to work with lithium which is what I was curious about; not sure if I could run something other than lithium through them but a bit of research tells me I shouldn’t cause any problems.
 
If your setup works with LI-ION, it'll work for any type. The inverse is not necessarily true. LI-ION is the pickiest of the bunch.
 
If you don't have a faulty battery, you have a parasitic draw on it. Most usual cause is either a faulty rectifier diode or corrosion in ignition switch allowing slight current leakage.
 
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