Honda GB500 tt

[SpankMe]

The bike has been sitting for a week waiting for the engine rebuild and when I tried to start it, it won’t.

The guy I brought it from did warn me it might be a problem if it's not run for a few days.

Any ideas on how to get it started again?

[Motu]

Drain the fuel from the carbs,turn the taps on again and let some flow through,then shut the drain.Give it some ether for a hurry up,the fuel in the carb bowls goes off if left for a few days.

[boris]

use the kickstart,all i do is put it on its fullstand.turn the petrol on.full choke turn the engine over untill you just take over the compression, then give a good kick.do this three -four time. normaly works on my gb and that sats for months at a time and has no batt.It is now in bits waiting.

[Kwaka-Kid]

yeah dude.

Kickstart the beast... remember halfway down till you hear the click of the decom lever then let it up and bang it down a good one, if youve flooded her or something then just keep clicking down to decom several times (slow half kicks) to cycle her then give it a big one at the end... if all else fails PUSHSTART! works everytime if your on a hill hey. for some reason? gets motor turning over fast i guess and no battery waste trying to push a starter motor over.

[SpankMe]

Thanks dudes. After much jumping up and down on the kick start she finally started. Fuck having to do that every morning. I'll now remember to kick her into life every couple of days. Or should I say thumb her into life?

[FROSTY:Me]

spank--with the sound of your motor I think maybee ya got a couple of tight valves to match the loose ones.

[avgas]

Also change the plug to an iridium job, after you have done that it should fire 1st kick every time. Also the earth lead on them seems to get attacked and the neutral selector slightly fouled up - fix these and you electric start might return (for a while i just made a false neutral - a wire i tapped on the frame for neutral).
Also while on the prowl on trade me i noticed this:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Mo...n-21668194.htm
looks quite nice - and still got another 30,000k's in her before you need to do anything with the motor (at which point a 450 kit and a hot cam is reccommended). I wish i could buy it.
Really damn cheap. Rockers for life
Stew

[Paul in NZ]

Thanks dudes. After much jumping up and down on the kick start she finally started. Fuck having to do that every morning. I'll now remember to kick her into life every couple of days. Or should I say thumb her into life?

Probably check your battery and connections to the starter motor. If you are leaving it any length of time put a battery tender on it. Sounds like it does not have the energy to run the ignition and the starter all at once (singles take a lot of energy to turn over - but you know that now)

Be careful about just starting it up every now and then. Water is a by product of combustion and just firing up a bike for a few minutes in the shed is a good way to rot the muffler and the unless you get it up to operating temperature you won't clear the moisture that gathers there and inside the cases.

You need to get it on the road and take it for 10 to 20km to fully warm up.

The yanks in the northern states have plenty of experience in laying up bike but usually it includes a fuel stabiliser, get the tyres off the ground, fresh oil and filters, spray with silicone (or something) and hook up a battery tender.

Cheers

Paul N

With a single you might want to leave it at TDC with the weight off the valves?

[SpankMe]

Gonna get my GB600 back from the engine reconditioners this week or early next. Yep, you read correctly, 600cc Wasn't expecting it until Sept, but I popped in to just say hello today and they were in the middle of putting the engine back together as they found a crank shaft in the US.

Can't wait to see how much more grunt it has. Even before I took it in it was down on power from what a stock GB500 should be due to previous owners bad maintenance.

[geoffm]

When you have it together and run in, drop me a line and we will, spank it, on the dyno if you want. Be interesting to see what it can do.
Once I am back in the Smoke, and have a chance to fix a gremlins on the dyno computer, i will ahve to organise a dyno day and BBQ
Geoff

[Kwaka-Kid]

wicked spank! so who has done all the engine work and what gear have you put in her?

[nudemetalz]

How do GB 400’s rate reliability wise?
I reckon the TT2’s look great with the half fairing and single seat.

[Bonez]

How do GB 400’s rate reliability wise?
I reckon the TT2’s look great with the half fairing and single seat.

From the research I've done they are better than the 500. Seen a few on Trademe with 70-90,000ks up with no engine work. My GB400s' done 55,00kms has had the head off by a previous owner. The original auto cam chain tensioner wasn't the best design. What little power they have is right where you need it. Kids, grandmas, dogs and chiks turn to gander at you as you twadle past (oh and blokes stare in awe at it's stunning good looks).

Here's a usefullink - http://www.thumperpage.com/articles/gb-500faq.html Like mine so much am looking around for a complete parts bike-no hurry though. They handle very well for a 15 yo design, are cheap as chips to run and maintain, and economical with around 320kms on the 14ltr main.

[nudemetalz]

Thanks for the heads-up, Bonez.
My wife keeps hassling me for the NZ so looking at buying another single for myself now.
The NZ goes well but you have to rev it to make it perform, so figured a lazy single might be the way to go (and they do look good !!).

Figured that the 400 would be running 500 gear so would be a lot less stressed accordingly.

Cheers
CC

[Bonez]

Thanks for the heads-up, Bonez.
My wife keeps hassling me for the NZ so looking at buying another single for myself now.
The NZ goes well but you have to rev it to make it perform, so figured a lazy single might be the way to go (and they do look good !!).

Figured that the 400 would be running 500 gear so would be a lot less stressed accordingly.

Cheers
CC

You're welcome. A known mod for the 500s is sticking a modified XR600 head on them, due to spark plug to valve seat cracking. Be interesting to hear more on Spankies project. The 400s are smoother than the 500 by all acounts as well. Oh and tend to ride the GB like a 4 cylinder bike and it loves it, being an over square bore and all.