QuestionI have a 1984 Honda CB650SC Nighthawk, recently acquired. It was running good for a couple months, and then died on me at a gas station. Just wouldn't start. Engine turned over great (until I killed the battery) but it just never caught. It also doesn't catch when pushed - just no spark.
I had it "serviced" though I suspect the mechanic may just have wiggled something 'til it worked, and I got another month of great riding out of it. Now it's back to old tricks, behaving exactly as before. Only now it's tempermental - it starts sometimes and not others. A couple days ago, I tested it for a spark, and there was none. Today, it started, I rode it for a half hour, turned it off, and then immediately tried to restart it and failed. Shortly thereafter, the battery was too weak to turn the engine over.
I suspect a weak battery, but it's odd that sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't - when it died a month ago, roadside assistance tried to jump it (all at 12v, so that wasn't a problem) and while it had plenty of power to turn over, it just didn't get a spark.
AnswerHi George.
Start by checking the connections and wiring in the ignition circuit. You are looking for connections that are loose as well as shorts in the wiring. Use a multimeter for the shorts check.
Next, check the fuse and fuse connections in the ignition system. Then check the coils as per the instructions in the repair manual. I suspect that the coils may be failing, the wiring has one or more shorts the fuse/fuse connection is bad, or the connections withing the circuit are bad.
Start with those and see what you find.
Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON
