Topic: 69 CB750... It's Alive!

[mlinder]

Well, due to a series of unfortunate events which sucked money out of my wallet and time out of my days, I've been unable to really move forward on my bike at all.
Today, I have the day off, and the girl was schedualed to work.
So, like any red-blooded male, I went to go bang on my motorcycle with all the wrong tools for a few hours.

Happy to say that just the ignition switch was broken. Hotwired it up, threw some gas in the tank, kicked the start a couple times, then laid on the throttle and the electric starter. After 15 seconds of this, she started up.

She sounds balanced, all cylinders firing, I just didn't want to let it run too long without the air filter on, so shut it off after a little bit. She did rev to 6 grand very smoothly in that time, though.
Yay. Soon, I will be riding this thing, can't wait.

[Roach Carver]

congrats. I can identify with the money dictating the speed of your progress. Sounds like your close though.

[techy5025]

I would suggest that you take the ignition switch apart and examine it. You might
find something easy to fix.  Be sure that a pin has not pulled out of either half of the
mating connector, too.

Sometimes the contacts in the back of the switch get grungy with water, dirt, etc.
That can be cleaned easily.  If you feel the need to lube the key part, use graphite
(not oil!).

Original replacements for that switch are expensive.  The forum seems to have
had mixed luck with aftermarket replacements.

Jim

[mlinder]

I would suggest that you take the ignition switch apart and examine it. You might
find something easy to fix.  Be sure that a pin has not pulled out of either half of the
mating connector, too.

Sometimes the contacts in the back of the switch get grungy with water, dirt, etc.
That can be cleaned easily.  If you feel the need to lube the key part, use graphite
(not oil!).

Original replacements for that switch are expensive.  The forum seems to have
had mixed luck with aftermarket replacements.

Jim

I believe this was an aftermarket part. It's too shiny to be 37 years old. The bottom side solders seem to be ok, but I'll take apart the tumbler tonight.

[mrbreeze]

You can get an aftermarket switch from many sources.Not recommending or knocking any supplier of said part but I would pay attention to things like color of wires,amount of wires,shape of connector.......stuff like that......OR....you could come across one of them there Sandcast deals and probably put your bank account into a black hole!!!! Being that it's a 69',I would get a proper wiring diagram and make damn sure everything goes where it should be (I think it would totally suck to burn up a sandcast wiring harness!)

[mlinder]

OK, I've got the ignition switch apart. I cleaned up the contacts and such. Oddly, first postion completes both red+black and brown/white+brown. 2nd postion doesnt do crap. perhaps I have to flip over the contact on the red+black and let it make contact through the springs... Anyone know what I'm talking about?

[HondaMan]

OK, I've got the ignition switch apart. I cleaned up the contacts and such. Oddly, first postion completes both red+black and brown/white+brown. 2nd postion doesnt do crap. perhaps I have to flip over the contact on the red+black and let it make contact through the springs... Anyone know what I'm talking about?

There should be 3 positions: OFF (no connections), then RUN (often RED+BLACK) and PARK, which turns on the taillight without ignition points power (required in a few states, hard on the battery, though).

[mlinder]

OK, I've got the ignition switch apart. I cleaned up the contacts and such. Oddly, first postion completes both red+black and brown/white+brown. 2nd postion doesnt do crap. perhaps I have to flip over the contact on the red+black and let it make contact through the springs... Anyone know what I'm talking about?

There should be 3 positions: OFF (no connections), then RUN (often RED+BLACK) and PARK, which turns on the taillight without ignition points power (required in a few states, hard on the battery, though).

Hrmm. The top of my ignition switch has off, then a dot, then 'ignition'.
In the 'dot' position, both red+black and the brown/white+brown are on. In either 'off' or 'ignition', no continuity anywhere.
I took the tumbler apart and cleaned all the contacts, which is why it works now (at least in the 'dot' postion.)
I should be good to go with 'dot' postion, right?
If this doesn't work, I'm considering just using switches instead of a key, and moving both starter button and kill switch to switches underneath the tank.
So, if I do this, I'll just need an on-off toggle for red+black, and another for brown/white+brown. For kill switch I'll need a toggle, and for starter I'll need a momentary toggle. Does this sound correct? This would clean up my handlbars quite a bit too.

[Bodi]

Sounds like an oddball aftermarket switch.
The stock switch has "off" with no connections; "on" with the connections you have listed as "dot"; and "park" which connects red and brown only, and the key will come out.

[mlinder]

Sounds like an oddball aftermarket switch.
The stock switch has "off" with no connections; "on" with the connections you have listed as "dot"; and "park" which connects red and brown only, and the key will come out.

Alright. Well, since I've got both red and black and brown/white and brown working on 'dot' postion, it should be alright, yes? At least, in dot postion.

[HondaMan]

That sounds OK. Worst you can do is blow a (the) fuse.