Welcome !... Is the bike running, now that you cleaned it as much as you could ?
Thanks! I will find out this weekend. keep you posted.Welcome !... Is the bike running, now that you cleaned it as much as you could ?
Thank you kindly!welcome!
Thank you for correcting me and the kind words of wisdom! I clearly did not know where to start and you gave me a good start on what to do Sidecar Bob. 🙌🙌🙌 I'm currently looking into getting new brakes as there were no front brakes when the seller sold me the bike and the wiring is really messy.There is no "stator motor". Your engine has a starter motor attached to the left side near the footpeg and an alternator stator mounted inside the engine rear cover.
This may sound picky but consider how much difference that small difference in spelling makes and how incorrect advice for the wrong one would be:
A bad starter motor would be unable to start the engine. On the other hand, a bad stator would prevent the battery from charging which would also prevent the engine from starting but it could also make the engine stop when the battery discharged to the point where it could no longer provide enough power to the ignition system for it to produce sparks.
Welcome to the forum and welcome to the world of antique vehicle ownership (they own us, not the other way around). Your bike is about 4 decades old and may or may not have had all of the maintenance necessary to keep it safe & reliable so it is highly recommended to download the Factory Shop Manual for your model (available through the CX Wiki - link in my signature) and go through all of the service procedures, regardless of whether your bike has reached the specified mileage.
Note that while aftermarket shop manuals are pretty much necessary for people without factory training to work on a lot of makes & models of bike the FSMs for the CX/GL500/650 family of bikes are so well written & laid out that the FSM is really the only book you need and and even the best aftermarket books are secondary references at best.
I also recommend looking on all rubber parts with suspicion because rubber does not age gracefully. Check the date codes on your tires and replace them if they are over 5 years old no matter how good they look & feel (old rubber simply cannot flow around the irregularities in the asphalt well enough to grip, especially if it is cool or wet). The original rubber brake lines should be replaced every 2 or 3 fluid changes (= 5 or 6 years) so if your bike still has them I recommend shopping for modern stainless braided ones (they last practically forever and double the life of the fluid). And don't forget things like the rad hoses and the boot between the engine and swingarm (they can crack on the bottom where you don't see it).
The best advice anyone can give you about customizing any vehicle is to get it safe & reliable in more or less original condition and use it for a while before you start making any changes so that it can tell you what changes are needed to make it do what you want/need better and then putting your time/effort/money into those instead of wasting those precious resources on making changes based on style or on copying what someone else (who may or may not really understand how the changes affect the way it works) has done.
Modifications that actually make it work better not only are more likely to produce something you actually want to keep and use but also something that doesn't look like every other copycat "custom" around. Mods for the sake of style, on the other hand, often result in a piece of expensive yard art that you can't stand sitting on for more than a few minutes and might even be dangerous.
Unfortunately, it’s still not running. I’m not sure why. Did I start the bike wrong? I turned the key to the ON position, engine kill switch to run, pulled on the choke and turned the fuel lever to ON and when I press the starter button, nothing. I did realize the manual said not to use sand paper or emery cloth to clean the commutator but I did just that. My plan is to get my multimeter from work and test the commutator coils, inspect the field coils, test the battery, test relay switch, and test silicone rectifier. Am I missing something?Welcome !... Is the bike running, now that you cleaned it as much as you could ?
No fire? If you have the stock vacuum-actuated petcock, you'll need to crank long enough for the bowls to fill. I recommend 2 to 3 second bursts with the kill switch off until the oil light goes out.I turned the key to the ON position, engine kill switch to run, pulled on the choke and turned the fuel lever to ON and when I press the starter button, nothing.
There is a rubber cover at the base of the choke knob. Turn that to adjust the tension on the choke so that it remains where you have it set . See the GL500 owners manual, available in the Wiki I believe. Wiki link in my sig line.The problem I have is the choke lever doesn’t stay pulled but goes back to original position. ...
Mike posted while I was typing ^^^^
When you turn the key on do the lights turn on? If not check the main fuse as they are a common failure point. I've had them crumble at the slightest touch. We usually recommmend replacing the original open link "dogbone" fuse with a blade fuse in an inline holder.
Are you sure the transmission is in neutral? (that should always be step #1 when starting a bike)
BTW, the headlight shouldn't dim when you press the Start button, it should go out completely.
update***Mike posted while I was typing ^^^^
When you turn the key on do the lights turn on? If not check the main fuse as they are a common failure point. I've had them crumble at the slightest touch. We usually recommmend replacing the original open link "dogbone" fuse with a blade fuse in an inline holder.
Are you sure the transmission is in neutral? (that should always be step #1 when starting a bike)
BTW, the headlight shouldn't dim when you press the Start button, it should go out completely.
I found another issue that you mentioned about the "dogbone" fuse and when i was inspecting it, it broke in half and now I have to find a replacement or something better lol. To answer the question when I press the start button:OK, I'd say you have 2 different problems, the headlight not lighting and the starter motor not running. Let's finish dealing with the starting issue before we work on the headlight.
Just to clarify, when you say nothing happens do you mean
1) nothing at all, no sounds, no dimming of the lights
2) the solenoid (next to the battery) clicks but the starter motor doesn't turn
3) the starter motor groans or hums but doesn't turn
4) the starter motor turns but the engine doesn't start
(I have to ask because we don't know you well enough yet to know how well you describe things)
Assuming it is #1
I've said many times: The only real way to tell a lead acid battery's state of charge is to measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte. But you can get a good idea from the voltage (see chart below).
12.3V indicates that the battery is probably at about 70% of full charge, which should be enough to run the starter motor if power is getting to it.
Checking the battery voltage while pressing the Start button (like Randall suggested) is a good starting point.
- If the voltage falls dramatically but the starter motor doesn't try to run the battery might not be able to hold a charge. I'd try charging it for several hours and see if that changes.
(Bringing the battery to full charge before going much farther wouldn't be a bad idea in any case)
- If the voltage doesn't change or decreases only slightly the problem is probably in the starter motor or the circuit that supplies power to it. The next step is to measure the voltage between a chassis ground point and the stud on top of the starter motor while you press the Start button and let us know what you find.
View attachment 219083
12.3VWhat does the battery show while pressing the start button?