[knappyfeet]

What a difference a Chinese carb from Amazon can make. 1 kick starter now. All I did was put in the 40 pilot but to be honest if I didn't do that I'm sure it would still be a one kick starter. Runs WAY better....just everything is better now.

It looks exactly the same but it isn't. The air setting screw had some ink on it....I didn't touch anything.

It's smoking a little more but I don't care.....I consider this a win.

 

[knappyfeet]

Just did a compression check after about a 2 mile ride...90 psi

Installed the 38 pilot......overall it feels the same with the exception it is now a 4-5 kick start with choke from cold....like mid 40s in temperature....one kick when warm. It's still good.

 

[Classic250]

Just did a compression check after about a 2 mile ride...90 psi

Installed the 38 pilot......overall it feels the same with the exception it is now a 4-5 kick start with choke from cold....like mid 40s in temperature....one kick when warm. It's still good.

Maybe put the 40 back in. I would rather waste a miniscule amount of fuel than to have to keep kicking to start it.

Also, I have a bit of experience here with the 4T under-bones, and find that they run MUCH better with a Platinum/Iridium plug. Might be worth a try....and then you can throw a racing (higher output) coil on it and the difference will be very noticeable.

 

[knappyfeet]

Maybe put the 40 back in. I would rather waste a miniscule amount of fuel than to have to keep kicking to start it.

Also, I have a bit of experience here with the 4T under-bones, and find that they run MUCH better with a Platinum/Iridium plug. Might be worth a try....and then you can throw a racing (higher output) coil on it and the difference will be very noticeable.

Thank you for the tip.....much appreciated.

Any specific type of coil you would recommend?

 

[Classic250]

Any specific type of coil you would recommend?

I'm not sure what's available on Amazon, but here Pitzbike and Nibbi are quite popular. I run Faito which is a locally made coil and very good.

Amazon.com

Apparently not available, but should be available somewhere online. Read the reviews in the link - very high user rating.

 

[Classic250]

Thank you for the tip.....much appreciated.

Any specific type of coil you would recommend?

Maybe try Fleabay. Lots listed there.

 

[Classic250]

Thank you for the tip.....much appreciated.

Any specific type of coil you would recommend?

The Nibbi is on Ebay at $24USD with free shipping. A bit steep since the same item here is available for around $15USD - maybe the difference is the "free" shipping.

 

[woodsman]

The Nibbi is on Ebay at $24USD with free shipping. A bit steep since the same item here is available for around $15USD - maybe the difference is the "free" shipping.

That's "free with purchase of", LOL.

 

[knappyfeet]

The Nibbi is on Ebay at $24USD with free shipping. A bit steep since the same item here is available for around $15USD - maybe the difference is the "free" shipping.

Thank you sir.

Actually I've already ordered from Amazon.

I'm actually going to order a wiring harness and other stuff at the same time. When I plug the tail light or horn or headlight or anything directly to a 6V power source everything is bright as can be. When hooked up properly to the harness....very dim and the horn barley sounds. Now I'm not saying it's the harness and more than likely it's a switch or something but for $40 for a harness it just eliminates that part of the equation and now I can focus on other things....... Or it may be that I don't know.

These little parts seem cheap and inexpensive to purchase so I'm just gonna throw parts at the electrical system till things brighten up and work properly.

 

[Classic250]

6V power source

Ah. Didn't know that. The coils that I have been recommending are for 12v systems.

I'm not sure if a 12v coil will work in a 6v system. The coil may not induce enough voltage for an effective spark.

Maybe someone can answer if this is correct or not.

 

[knappyfeet]

Ah. Didn't know that. The coils that I have been recommending are for 12v systems.

I'm not sure if a 12v coil will work in a 6v system. The coil may not induce enough voltage for an effective spark.

Maybe someone can answer if this is correct or not.

I tried to do some research before I purchased it awhile back if it would work on a 6V system. I couldn't find anything so I purchased it anyways because of 2 things…. 1..... I could probably use it on my 200 X. 2… it's Amazon .....they take anything back!

Thanks for the heads-up

 

[Classic250]

These little parts seem cheap and inexpensive to purchase so I'm just gonna throw parts at the electrical system till things brighten up and work properly.

Have you thought about converting to 12V?

I'm not sure if your bike has points - I think that it does. In 1981 Honda put a CDI unit on the 125 while still running 6v. Might also be worth a thought.

 

[knappyfeet]

Started to look more closely at the wiring and what not. Seems electrical items for this are dirt cheap. All the connectors are all corroded up on each end. Some of the wiring is exposed, just hanging there for whatever reason, disconnected, etc. Figure start with a new harness and wiring up things one by one and ohming everything out should clear up a lot of the issues....along with cleaning things along the way.

Looks like the coil may be newer and the points and condenser look to have been replaced. I'm no electrical expert but if I had to guess something is grounding somewhere or it may not have a good ground. Or connectors may be so gunked up that there are flow issues.

 

[Tinsnips]

Wiring looks bad - Chevelle looks good! 1970?

 

[knappyfeet]

Wiring looks bad - Chevelle looks good! 1970?

It's a 71 El Camino.

About 3 or 4 months ago I decided to take out the 2 inch rear lowering springs and install new airshocks, a new air compressor and new original ride height coils. It jacked up the rear end about 4" with no air in the shocks… it was all springs. I hated it… everybody in the family hated it except my wife who fell in love with that jacked up rear end look....total 70s vibe she said. I decided to keep it that way to make her happy plus with the new coils and shocks it just feels absolutely 200% better now.....the ride and handling.

Going to do the front in the not so near distant future.... I hope

 

[Tinsnips]

Outstanding. Period correct rally wheels too. Platinum Baller status unlocked.

 

[knappyfeet]

This was a 1 kick starter until today. I mean a weak sissy little girl kick 1 kick starter. I remember Jag saying these don't like to run when the batteries are low. She started with one kick but right when my wife was down the street and hit the turn signal it just died. At 1st I checked fuel and everything but then I noticed the turn signal was on… Then remembered what Jag said… so I turned all the lights off and gave her one kick and she started and limped back home... barely. Then when home I turned on the headlamp and she died.

Apparently there must be a charging issue....that i thought I may or may not have. My wife has been using it non stop for the past couple of weeks riding around the neighborhood and getting used to going through the gears and stopping and starting and clutch slipping. I'm assuming all that riding and running around just drained the battery slowly....so it must not be charging.

After being back on the tender some time....no problem at all.

My wife has taken a 1 day beginner course a couple of weeks back...showing her the absolute basics of everything. They treated all the students like they just landed from Mars with have no idea what a motorcycle was. Then this past weekend she took the 2 day MSF course...partly on Zoom then on the bikes. She passed the riding portion of the test with flying colors but not the written. That was my fault. I had her learn the DMV book and take their practice tests....only to find out the MSF course wanted you to ONLY study their book and NOT the dmv one. She has a retake this Sunday after a couple more Zoom classes...all free.

Long story short..after the class is done and I pick up her new beginner ride I will get to work on diagnosing the charging system. A wiring harness from Thailand is due any day now.

With her first class she used a Kawasaki Eliminator 125....which she fell in love with. With the MSF class she used a Honda Rebel 250...which she also fell in love with. I can find an Eliminator locally that wasn't dropped from a helicopter but I can find Rebels. I feel she likes the Eliminator best but with a rebel she could eventually hit the highway. Either way I will probably be following her around with this 125. But that's OK because she needs a reliable easy bike with a more modern feel to learn on.

 

[Classic250]

Check to see if your battery is charging. Start the bike and put a multimeter on the terminals. It should be charging above the voltage rating of the battery. Eg, for a 12V battery normal charging is around 14V. For your 6V battery - maybe 7V?

If it's not charging - then it's probably your regulator/rectifier.

If your R/R is toast, then your bike will run on the charge in the battery and then stop once the battery is flat.

 

[knappyfeet]

Check to see if your battery is charging. Start the bike and put a multimeter on the terminals. It should be charging above the voltage rating of the battery. Eg, for a 12V battery normal charging is around 14V. For your 6V battery - maybe 7V?

If it's not charging - then it's probably your regulator/rectifier.

If your R/R is toast, then your bike will run on the charge in the battery and then stop once the battery is flat.

Thank you.

This will be my weekend task.

Cool thing is parts seem inexpensive and plentiful. I would love to have the harness by tomorrow or Saturday.....so I could start the process.

 

[knappyfeet]

The harness came in. Looks like a match and straightforward. Did a quick test.... 6.28V off and when idling with no load 6.16V. Rev'd up to about 3500 in neutral and it would get to 6.18V-6.19V.

What's bothering me more now is the gas tank. After about 2 weeks of gas being in the tank I drained it and it looked like tea. The liner inside is failing and not done properly and just plain gross. A couple of times I had to remove the float bowl and remove the pilot jet and clean/blow it out to get it to start and not die.

I've been looking on eBay and from $55 to $90 I can get a new tank, fuel valve and cap (which I need). It would be MUCH easier than restoring the existing gas tank.

For now my wife still uses it to learn regularly with no problems.....aside from the occasional blowing out the pilot jet.