Topic: Problem maybe somebody can shed some light on...

[___aLovelyAntihero___]

Hey guys, I'm sure this has come up previously, but I wasn't really sure what key words to search. I had a problem with my 78 cb550k a couple days ago, after a 15 minute ride, i parked it for maybe an hour and a half, then it refused to start. The most I could get it to do was sputter a couple times, then I ran the battery out trying different things to get it started. After that came the hour long walk pushing it home down the sidewalk up and down hills as the sun set and thunderstorms rolled in.
The funny part is, I threw it on the trickle charger, tried it again after work, and the bike fired right up!
So, what gives? I'm sure I'm not the first to experience this phenomena... Loose wire? Electrical weirdness? Sohc4 quirk?

[ekpent]

Any idea as to how old the battery is and have you checked if its charging well when the bike is running. When the engine did not start were all the other lights etc working correctly. Kickstarter still mounted also ? How long have you owned it and was this its first malfunction.??  Just getting more info out there.

[HondanutRider]

Was the petcock on?  The kill switch in run position?  Gas in tank?

[Tugboat]

If it's an old-style battery that you have to fill with distilled water, make sure it hasn't run dry. Fill if necessary. If the battery checks out it may be your rectifier has gone bad and isn't charging the battery. There's a procedure for checking it - maybe in the FAQ's?