Topic: help troubleshoot electrical problems please

[johnspeck]

my '72 cb350 twin developed an electrical gremlin yesterday.

i was riding home from a friend's house, where we had re-set the timing and points, and synced the carbs.

i was stuck in stop and go traffic, when i noticed my headlight wasn't reflecting on the car in front of me.  i checked my tail light, no running or brakes either.  i pulled off the freeway into a gas station and did a quick once over.

my bike only has a single 20 amp fuse, which has been changed for a blade type.
the fuse was fine.  the neutral light works.  the horn works.  i tried the starter, nothing.  the bike will start with a kick.  all my connections seem fine, and nothing was apparently wrong.

i rode the bike home.  my idle was set a little low, and it stalled once at a light.  this time, the starter worked when i tried it.  lights still didn't come on.

this morning, i pulled the tank off, and couldn't see any obvious problems.  the starter works, horn, neutral...the bike runs.  the battery is fully charged and holding a charge.

any ideas where to begin troubleshooting?  all i can think of is, i unplugged the blinker relay and taped the wires, since i don't have turn signals on the bike.  the lights worked when i did it, so i didn't think this is the problem?

thanks for the help!

[rchrdms]

I think you have an intermittent connection in the wiring somewhere. I'd go over all the grounds and the starter relay. I have left off the yellow/red wire on the
starter relay before and everything went dead. You probably ought to check the charging system too by hooking a multimeter to the battery to see if it's charging above 12 volts.

Good luck

[johnspeck]

FIXED!

it was a ground.  the small wire that mounts to the frame on the left side (sitting on the bike) behind the side cover had come off.  the nut must have been loose, and rattled out while riding.

thanks!