I own a 750, but this Q concerns a 1971 Honda CB450 twin.
The starter button does not do anything...no noises, no nothing.
I have confirmed that the solenoid is good, the ignition switch is good, the wiring in the 'rats nest' headlight bucket is correct. The battery is new and fully charged. The hi-low beam switch (in same unit as starter button) works and this whole switch assembly is new.
I inherited the project from my son (he bailed for an old corvette) and in his legacy collection of unlabelled bits, I found a short wire connector with 'bolt hole' connectors each end. No such animal is shown in the parts catalogue book I have. But I do see it shown for a CB500 twin, and the 350 twin. In Honda-speak its called a "Cord, handle switch earth". I never gave the handlebars much thought before, but with those rubber dampers on both sides of where the handlebar mounts pass thru the upper fork bridge, the bars are in fact insulated from the bike's frame.
This ground wire connects from the bottom of a handlebar mount (metal to metal with handlebar), to the base of the instrument mounting plate which is in turn in metal-to-metal contact with the upper fork bridge (and hence to rest of frame).
Could the lack of a ground connection for the starter button circuit be my problem??!! Interestingly, the low-hi headlamp switch on the bars has worked fine without the bars being grounded.
Comments on my desperate theory invited!
