Topic: Several electrical problems with my First bike. 1976 CB500T. Can you help?

[Meet The Twins]

Ill just start with this, I just bought a 76 CB500T.

I can't get spark, the previous owner clipped ALL the wires going to the left and right controls for god knows what reason. I rewired up the two wires for the kill switch back up. The black and the black w/white.

Do I need to ground the actual kill switch housing?

The previous owner also clipped the wires going to the electric start button. When I Brought the bike home I had 5 wires hanging from the right control housing. Three of the wires were zip tied together. Yellow/ red, Black, and Black/green.

I left these wires alone and only wired up the other two wires to the kill switch. Since the starter button was missing from the housing.

Could I have missed something that would have caused the loss of spark?

Also, I found what looks like a flasher relay dangling from the engine with three wires going to it. Green/ White/ Black. Only the Green and white were hooked up to it and there isnt even a prong on the relay(?) for the black.

The bike is in really good shape and compression is good. Im just new to bikes. Im getting so bored trying to find the problem I cleaned my carbs twice.

You can follow my entire thread at sportbikes.net if you would like. It goes into alittle greater detail.

http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/showthread.php?t=359522

Cliffnotes:
No spark.
Does the handle bar controls get ground from the wires going to it?
I only have power at my Main fuse and my Tail use.

Can I get a picture of anyones controls on their CB500?

PS, I have tried several wiring diagrams but none of them match my 500 100%

Thanks guys!

[TwoTired]

Offering help for generic Honda wiring as I am not familiar with your specific bike.

I can't get spark, the previous owner clipped ALL the wires going to the left and right controls for god knows what reason. I rewired up the two wires for the kill switch back up. The black and the black w/white.
Do I need to ground the actual kill switch housing?

No. The kill switch is a voltage pass though switch.  When in the Run position voltage from the Black wire is passed to the Blk/white wire which in turn provides power to your coils.

Could I have missed something that would have caused the loss of spark?

Seems like it, doesn't it.  What you didn't report was if the Black wires are getting power from Key switch operation.  The Black is battery +12 power distribution throughout the bike from the key switch.  You'll need this to get power to the coils.

I'm using the wire diagram found at:  http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/WiringDiagrams/MCwiring.php

Also, I found what looks like a flasher relay dangling from the engine with three wires going to it. Green/ White/ Black. Only the Green and white were hooked up to it and there isnt even a prong on the relay(?) for the black.

The stock flasher relay was two prong and powered from black.  It's output was a Grey wire that should go to the turn switch control.

Your main fuse is inline with the battery and feeds the Key switch.  I couldn't find a tail fuse on the wire diagram.

If you just want to get spark and yourself jazzed, run a jumper wire from battery POS to the Bk/Wht wires of the coils.  If the engine is properly strapped to the battery NEG terminal, you should have spark, assuming your coil to points wiring is intact.  Kick start.

Cheers,

[grumburg]

Ill just start with this, I just bought a 76 CB500T.

I can't get spark, the previous owner clipped ALL the wires going to the left and right controls for god knows what reason. I rewired up the two wires for the kill switch back up. The black and the black w/white.

Do I need to ground the actual kill switch housing?

The previous owner also clipped the wires going to the electric start button. When I Brought the bike home I had 5 wires hanging from the right control housing. Three of the wires were zip tied together. Yellow/ red, Black, and Black/green.

I left these wires alone and only wired up the other two wires to the kill switch. Since the starter button was missing from the housing.

Could I have missed something that would have caused the loss of spark?

Also, I found what looks like a flasher relay dangling from the engine with three wires going to it. Green/ White/ Black. Only the Green and white were hooked up to it and there isnt even a prong on the relay(?) for the black.

The bike is in really good shape and compression is good. Im just new to bikes. Im getting so bored trying to find the problem I cleaned my carbs twice.

You can follow my entire thread at sportbikes.net if you would like. It goes into alittle greater detail.

http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/showthread.php?t=359522

Cliffnotes:
No spark.
Does the handle bar controls get ground from the wires going to it?
I only have power at my Main fuse and my Tail use.

Can I get a picture of anyones controls on their CB500?

PS, I have tried several wiring diagrams but none of them match my 500 100%

Thanks guys!

[grumburg]

Ill just start with this, I just bought a 76 CB500T.

I can't get spark, the previous owner clipped ALL the wires going to the left and right controls for god knows what reason. I rewired up the two wires for the kill switch back up. The black and the black w/white.

Do I need to ground the actual kill switch housing?

The previous owner also clipped the wires going to the electric start button. When I Brought the bike home I had 5 wires hanging from the right control housing. Three of the wires were zip tied together. Yellow/ red, Black, and Black/green.

I left these wires alone and only wired up the other two wires to the kill switch. Since the starter button was missing from the housing.

Could I have missed something that would have caused the loss of spark?

Also, I found what looks like a flasher relay dangling from the engine with three wires going to it. Green/ White/ Black. Only the Green and white were hooked up to it and there isnt even a prong on the relay(?) for the black.

The bike is in really good shape and compression is good. Im just new to bikes. Im getting so bored trying to find the problem I cleaned my carbs twice.

You can follow my entire thread at sportbikes.net if you would like. It goes into alittle greater detail.

http://www.sportbikes.net/forums/showthread.php?t=359522

Cliffnotes:
No spark.
Does the handle bar controls get ground from the wires going to it?
I only have power at my Main fuse and my Tail use.

Can I get a picture of anyones controls on their CB500?

PS, I have tried several wiring diagrams but none of them match my 500 100%

Thanks guys!

Mine had the starter wires clipped and they just held them together to start it and starter switch was gone (nice). Got a NOS right hand control from David Silver Spares for the same price as junky ones on ebay ($62 with shipping). CB500ts are different than 450 controls (no headlight on/off). Pulled the new wires through as I removed the old ones. Did not have to remove handlebars. Took 10 minutes.  Solved all my starting and ignition problems.

[Meet The Twins]

^Do you remeber by chance what wires they were touching together. I have a red/ yellow, Black/ red, and a black wire that I dont know what they do for the right controls. Is the solid black one a ground for the handle bars?

I hooked up the b, black/ white wires for the kill switch already but doubt its working properly.

Thanks!

[grumburg]

All the wires go to the junction box under the left side of the gas tank behind the plastic cover. Yellow/red goes to the battery side of the starter solenoid under the seat, red/black is the kill button, black is the ground. Just cross the posts on the solenoid with a srewdriver to crank. It gets hot real quick. They don't call it "hot wiring" for nothing!

[Meet The Twins]

I opened up the junction box and found a mess of ear wig nests. I cleaned up all the connections with sand paper and solder. Then I found something goofy. Ill post pictures in a few minutes.

It appeared to be a hack job splicing of 4 wires covered in electrical tape.

Black/ Brown/ and 2 yellow wires.

After peeling off the ball of tape I discovered something even goofier. The brown and black wires are cleanly soldered together while the two yellow wires are actually one continuous wire that was just folded and tapped in the ball of tape. Guess what. I cant find these wires on the diagrahm.

Good news is that I did manage to get the left cylinder to get spark. Its a tiny spark but its a spark. The right cylinder still no luck.

[333]

It seems to me that you must trace the wireing harness from stem to stern and find out where else you might find another tape bomb.  It looks like the PO didn't know what he was doing.

[Meet The Twins]

Pics of said tape bomb 

[Meet The Twins]

And unwrapped

[750goes]

Gee ,I reckon that looks pretty neat -

get yourself a multimeter of some sort - cheap is only $20 or less - and you will soon be an electrics whiz, just like everyone else TT, Bodi and Jonesy have  tutored.....

have patience grasshopper..........listen to the tree falling in the forest..............

[Meet The Twins]

Im gonna damn near buy an entire bike at the bike wrecker tomorrow lol and a multimeter which isnt older than myself which is what I have been using.