Topic: Bike Won't Start

[brendanpk]

I have a 73 CB350 Twin. Last night, while riding it, the bike died out of nowhere and all electrical stopped working. It would start for a few seconds when popping the clutch on a hill, but died as soon as it started. My suspicion is that the alternator may be out and it drained the battery until it finally gave out as well. Just wanted to see if anyone had any other ideas before I start getting into it tonight.

Thanks for any feedback.

[fastbroshi]

   Ever have any electrical issues with it before?  When you say it all stopped working, does that mean the indicator lights and headlights weren't on, or just dim?  How old is your battery?

[brendanpk]

None of the indicators, headlights, or electrical start were working at all. The battery is only one season old, but never gave me any trouble. Also, I have not had any electrical troubles before. I thought maybe a wire came lose in the kill switch as well. Would that cause everything else to stop working?

[cameron]

Are you blowing fuses?

[brendanpk]

As far as I know, there are no blown fuses. But would a blown fuse cause the electrical to just stop working completely?

[Johnie]

As far as I know, there are no blown fuses. But would a blown fuse cause the electrical to just stop working completely?

Yes, if it was the main fuse. Don't go by what you see in the fuse glass. It could be blown to the right or left of the glass. Best to just put in a new fuse. Your battery could have puked too. I had a new battery under a year old die. So it is possible. Take the battery to a Battery Plus Store or Autozone for a free test. Your battery might show volts, but may not be producing any amps.

[betterthanurs916]

You mention that it attempted to run momentarily on a roll start...

So if your stator is not producing power properly and you are running completely parasitic off of the battery...could you not try putting a charge on the battery and seeing if it will run for a little while on that?

Seems to me that this would mostly narrow the issue down to the charging system.

[brendanpk]

I did forget to mention that I tried to jump the bike from a car with cables and, even then, it wouldn't get any power to the indicators, headlight, etc. Does that sound like the charging system or will a blown main fuse keep those from working even with a seperate power supply hooked up? Also, where would the main fuse be located?

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Provided you didn't hook the car battery up backwards, it sure sounds like the main fuse or possibly the key switch.

[brendanpk]

Alright boys (and surely girls), due to the awesome feedback of the collective know-it-alls, I just found a definitely blown 15A fuse that will (fingers crossed) hopefully be the two-dollar fix to get me up and running again. Thanks for all of the feedback, you all are the best!!

post script: I will get back on tomorrow to reveal the final result. (don't fall off the edge of your seats)

[OldSchool_IsCool]

You are welcome.  And don't call me Surely!  

[Spanner 1]

Wait, wait OP, don't go away yet !!.... I'm sure the fuse will fail again due to the ends/clips getting hot if you don't shine the fuse clips for good contact and ( real careful ) squeeze the fuse clips together to get a firm grip on the fuse.... OR!, even better change it out for a single insulated car-type blade fuse holder, can be had at any auto parts store for about 2to3 bucks... make sure it's a 15A fuse, good luck.

[cameron]

Would be useful to figure out why you blew the fuse.

Could be heat.
Could be age.
Could be solar flares.
Could be a short somewhere that will pop up again right when you try to hit 7k in the fast lane.

Be nice to figure out which.

[brendanpk]

All fine points of interest gents. I did put in a new fuse today and it started up first try, but I haven't taken it out for a test spin yet. I'll do some light cruising with a spare fuse just in case and see what I get. It seems to have been merely age honestly, the fuse had a very old GE imprint on the end. Anyways, I'll test her out and stay away from the freeway for a bit until it's nailed down.

Thanks again for the extended feedback on top of the great feedback to start.

[MickeyX]

Yeah, I replaced ours on the '69 and the '72 CL350's with the blade kind with a moisture proof seal. Now I can easily find a replacement at any gas station or store. It's worth the $5 at Napa or somewhere to change it over. There is only one fuse in the whole bike so it's an easy upgrade.

Glad you got it sorted. 

[Johnie]

As a rule when I take ownership of these older bikes I always remove the old fuses, clean the posts, then replace with new fuses. Never had a fuse problem to date. Glad you got it figured out.