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Nothing happens at all.

Z

zmit

New member
Joined
Jul 21, 2014
Location
oakland
Moto(s)
cm450 custom
Name
David
Figured out the problem. After a lot of great tips from BARF I was able to figure out that one of the wire connections to the ignition had become unsoldered. Going to call the shop and see how much it would cost to do it correctly, but I'll probably just buy a soldering iron and do it myself. Thanks again everyone!

Original post:
1982 Honda cm450c. I've only been riding about 3 months.

No electronics work on the bike at all. I switch the key to on and literally nothing happens. No lights, no dashboard, no horn, bike doesn't start.

Before the bike stopped working:
Replaced the chain by feeding it through onto the front sprocket (I didn't remove the engine case)
Tuned the clutch on the right side of the bike (the battery cover on the right side was off during this adjustment)
It was working before these two things were done. It has been raining the past few days and the bike wasn't covered the first night it rained.

After the bike stopped working:
I replaced the main fuse breaker, no change.
I checked all the wiring on the battery, the inside of the light and the electronics near the fuse breaker and nothing seems out of place or unplugged.
I removed the battery and charged it to full (took around 45 minutes). After reinstalling, the bike still has no power.

Here are some pictures of the wiring and fuses:
https://i.imgur.com/yGCAiWA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/84fYaxQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/x5fpDjl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/C0EHkfj.jpg
 
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something got missed or not connected fully.
As Elskipador would say, take it apart and reassemble it again.
Basically recheck your work.
 
El Skipador is right. Start at your battery connections.
 
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Regardless if the kill switch is on or not, when I turn the key to turn the electronics on, nothing happens. I'm going to run to the store to replace the fuse's since it has been raining a little and maybe something got wet and shorted.
 
And your battery voltage test (key off, key on) results are...?

RadioShack22-810%2015-Range%20Digital%20Multimeter.gif
 
Did you have the left side engine cover off where the countershaft sprocket Is?
The only thing I can think of if yes, is the other end of the battery negative cable may have been thru one of the case bolts and you may have missed putting it back on.

Also in picture two, (it may be an opticle illusion) but the wiring with the blue plastic covering or sheathing looks very close to the chain. If it is, pull it out and look at it to see if the chain has rubbed thru the place where it makes a "U"
 
I bought a battery charger and charged the battery (although it only took 45 minutes to full charge so I don't think it was completely dead). I thought the battery charger would tell me the voltage but it didn't (I can buy a voltage reader if you guys think that might be the issue). Regardless, I plugged the battery back in (positive first, then negative) and the bike still has no electronic power.

When I replaced the chain, I didn't take the left engine cover off. I just pushed the chain onto the front sprocket and used my finger to turn the sprocket until the chain came out on the top. Maybe the chain bumped something when it was being pulled onto the sprocket? I'll take the engine cover off tomorrow and take a look.

I've updated the main post with some more information.
 
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not likely.
I would avoid taking it further apart.
do you have a second set of eyes that can come over and check things ?
do check the clearance between the chain and the blue covered wires.
ALSO- With the key on, wiggle the battery cables and the wires going to the fuses one by one to see if you get a glimmer of life.
 
Wiggled the wires and nothing seemed to happen. The blue chord is a good 2 inches away from the chain and is in good shape. There is a shop 4 blocks from me I can walk the bike to on Tuesday.
 
zmit said:
I checked the fuses and they don't appear blown. I cleaned all the wiring connections and reinstalled the battery. I checked all the wiring around the entire bike and can't seem to find anything unplugged or out of place.

Here are some pictures of the fuses, battery and wiring.

https://i.imgur.com/yGCAiWA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/84fYaxQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/x5fpDjl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/C0EHkfj.jpg
Click to expand...
Many of the bikes that I've owned had a larger main fuse in addition to the smaller glass fuses you show in your pics. Are you certain this bike has no main fuse in addition to the fuses you show?

If you want to run another test before getting a multimeter in hand, try jumping the starter solenoid. *Make sure the transmission is in neutral! You will be bypassing the safety lockouts.* If the bike turns over at a healthy clip you know your battery and the battery connections (including ground) are good. If the motor does turn over, it should not start and run w/o the key turned on.

Lex
 
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I checked the parts diagrams for this model. It doesn't use the common Honda "tin" main fuse.
Frustrating at times as this will end up being such a simple fix and yet the fix is long distance.

OP- before you hoof it to the shop, turn the key on and of in rapid succession while watching the neutral/oil lights. Also grab the key in the ON position, and move it like it was a gear shift on a car. Up, back, left, right, etc. what we're hoping for is maybe water got in the switch and jiggling the internals will free up any corroded contacts. A small SMALL squirt of WD40 wouldn't hurt either before the key moving antics.
 
Alright got it to run!

I used my battery charger to plug the bike directly into my wall outlet (following the charger manual). While it was plugged in, the bike still had no power. I unplugged it after a few minutes and then tried wiggling the key around to see if the key thing was corroded, nothing still. I then decided to push it around the street to see if I could get it into neutral and BAM the neutral light turned on and I was able to start the bike.

I rode it around a few minutes to make sure it stayed running and then parked it back in its spot and noticed the neutral light turned off the first few times I turned the wheel to the left, then it turned back on when I had the wheel straight but now it stays on all the time.
 
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So it's probably:
The wiring coming up under the ignition switch (if the switch is up on the dash) is loose. It can plug into the switch under or a few inches away. This connection can be loose or the wires can be cracked or pulling out of the plug.

Another bout of wire jiggling and now handlebar turning will help you or a helpful friend find the wires that are the problem.

I have to assume you've changed handlebars from stock? Incorrect routing, stretching the wires to fit, or bunching up wires to accommodate lower handlebars can give you this outcome.

Age is another possibility.

This is easy enough to fix if you are able to find the wires, either fix the plug, or in done cases, replace a section of the wire(s) correctly.

If you can't, then at least you have it narrowed down, and that can help reduce the labor bill at the shop. they will double check your findings and fix accordingly.
 
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