so i’m a new rider and this is my first bike so don’t roast me haha. i started my ‘75 cb200t for a quick ride today and accidentally left the petcock turned off. got like 2 minutes into my ride and it obviously sputtered out and died on me. i quickly realized my mistake and turned the petcock on but when i tried to start it again it didn’t want to start. i left the petcock on for a few minutes to get fuel to the carbs and got it to start via kickstart but it quickly died again and i can’t get it started again. is there something obvious i’m missing or did i ruin something?
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AD
left petcock off and ran out of fuel, among other things
You didn't ruin anything. Sounds like for one reason or another that the float bowls aren't filling. Open the drain screws and verify fuel runs out, if possible measure the amount and compare the 2.
There is no roasting happening here. We might tease a little here and there, but we don't tolerate flaming anyone over anything.
If you used the electric start trying to restart it after turning the petcock back on, and ran the battery down to the point that the electric start wouldn't work anymore, then the problem could simply be a low battery. These engines run off the battery at idle and up to around 2500 to 3000 rpm before the charging system breaks even and begins to recharge the battery, so they often only run on one cylinder if the battery is below 11.5v or so. Charge the battery (at no more than one half amp for anything longer than 10 minutes or so, or you'll cook the battery) and when it's fully charged, let it sit for at least a half hour off the charger before checking the voltage. If it won't hold at least 12.6v at rest, the battery is going bad.
so the electric start hasn’t worked for me since i bought the bike. i’ve used kickstart every time and it starts right up. electric start makes noise like it’s trying but nothing ever happens. possibly a dumb question but if i use kickstart and the battery is dead would it still start and stay running? the previous owner said he installed a brand new battery right before i bought it and it still struggled at times to start via electric. i’ve not been able to get electric to work at all
got it. that’ll be my next move. the previous owner said he rebuilt/balanced carbs recently so maybe something wasn’t done right. thanks so much
another quick question. so the previous owner told me it’s supposed to do this but my research is saying otherwise. he started the bike to show me it ran and turned the bike back off. he forgot to turn the petcock off and the carbs proceeded to pour fuel out of the bottom valve. he said that’s normal and you just have to remember to turn the petcock off. is it actually normal or did he mess up when rebuilt the carbs?
Depends on the battery, and the PO as well. Could be his version of "new" is 6 months to a year old thinking like the life of a car battery, but if your battery is a flooded lead-acid version like the bike came new with 50 years ago then they don't always last very long depending on how it was treated. With these charging systems and a flooded lead-acid battery, the battery has to be checked at least once a month and topped off with distilled water or it will slowly boil off electrolyte and if it's run low on water/electrolyte for very long, it's shot. If it's a gel or AGM battery then the lifespan is far longer. As to the low battery and the bike running on it if kickstarted, yes it will if the charging system is working AND you go ride it right away because again, these charging systems don't recharge the battery at idle. So, if you got it running with the kickstarter but sat there with it idling for very long at all, the battery only gets lower.
If the electric start makes noises like shaking a can full of nuts and bolts, then the starter clutch needs to be rebuilt. Generally speaking, these elecvtric start motors last a long time and the starter clutches are the first wearout item.
ahh i see. that makes more sense. the last time i got it started from the kickstarter i sat at idle blipping the throttle to keep it running til it finally died again. i figured id have to look into the battery when i couldn’t get it started thru the electric starter. it doesn’t sound bad when its trying to start. just what i would think are normal noises that slowly die out after about 5-10 seconds of holding the starter button
Check the battery for both the type it is and the brand. And when you're working with small batteries you have to use a charger appropriate for the battery capacity. The battery for the smaller twins like yours is usually a 12N-9 or YB-9, so a 9 amp battery, and even a one-half amp charger is borderline too strong so do NOT leave it charging overnight or it will be shot. And I'm going to mention this for the obvious reason - we can't see what you see, so take plenty of pictures of the relevant things you're involved with and post them so we can follow along. There are many here who spent their lives being observant to mechanical maladies and we often see things the owner doesn't.
This is absolutely not normal. This means the floats and or float needles aren’t working as they should be.
That needs to be corrected. If you turn the petcock on now, does it do the same thing?
nope nothing comes out now. i think because i ran it with the petcock off and ran the fuel out its got nothing in the bowls and won’t refill. sounds like im gonna be taking the carbs apart and learning how to rebuild them the right way to make everything work as it should
Before you pull the carbs, check the sediment bowl (#3) on the petcock to see if it's full of rust or other debris keeping fuel from getting to the carbs. Check the screen (#8) that sits above the bowl and the o-ring that seals the bowl, it pulls out after you remove the o-ring (#1)
Running with the petcock off wouldn’t imoact the ability of the bowls to refill - gravity is still gonna gravity. This means that the floats or float needles are stuck, lines clogged - something is physically obstructing the flow. Start at the top - disconnect the fuel line from the petcock and make sure it turns on and flows gas (might have to flip to reserve - could just be low). Then work your way down to the carb until you find the spot the gas stops.
good to know. which manual did you find this schematic? would love to look at it some more to get a better idea of how things workBefore you pull the carbs, check the sediment bowl (#3) on the petcock to see if it's full of rust or other debris keeping fuel from getting to the carbs. Check the screen (#8) that sits above the bowl and the o-ring that seals the bowl, it pulls out after you remove the o-ring (#1)
gotcha. appreciate it. when the previous owner was showing me the bike he used the reserve tank every time he started it so maybe he knew something he didn’t tell me. looks like i have enough gas to burn but might still be lower than what i think it should be. will update tomorrow when i look at it again and see where its getting clogged at
Go to the welcome packet message you got from AD - the links for parts pages CMSNL and the FSM etc are in that message. Those are invaluable.
appreciate you guys
okay i have an update.
i removed the hoses from the petcock and tried to let fuel out of the valves without the hoses on. nothing came out. from the main tank or reserve
so i went to check the sediment bowl and screen as AD suggested. sorta dirty but not awful
then as i was putting it all back together i barely bumped the spark plug wire and it fell off. this is what i saw inside
got a lot of work ahead of me. where should i start? fuel or spark?
i removed the hoses from the petcock and tried to let fuel out of the valves without the hoses on. nothing came out. from the main tank or reserve
so i went to check the sediment bowl and screen as AD suggested. sorta dirty but not awful
then as i was putting it all back together i barely bumped the spark plug wire and it fell off. this is what i saw inside
got a lot of work ahead of me. where should i start? fuel or spark?
Either or. The spark plug wire is an easy fix. Just trim it back to fresh wire, poke the exposed wiring with the end of a nail or a fine pick tool, screw it back on and you’re set there.
The tank is likely going to need to be pulled and flushed out. Sounds like some serious sediment in there clogging the filter tube up. Messy job, but simple.
The tank is likely going to need to be pulled and flushed out. Sounds like some serious sediment in there clogging the filter tube up. Messy job, but simple.
wentwest
Veteran Member
I'm late to this party, but what struck me was no one asked if there was still any fuel in the tank.
okay i’ll take care of the spark plug tomorrow. the tank on the other hand is something i’m not looking forward to. living in an apartment makes maintenance like that pretty difficult
would love if it were that simple but yes there is fuel in the tank
okay little update: battery has been replaced with a motobatt, carbs, tank and petcock have been cleaned, fuel is now flowing thru the fuel lines and making it the the carbs but im struggling to get the bike to idle on its own. when i start it i have to continuously blip the throttle to prevent it from dying. choke also needs to stay open or it dies. ive tried adjusting the carbs but seems to make no difference. the rpm gauge is also moving insanely slow. it doesnt move with the revs, just slowly up and down like it cant catch up. should i keep trying to adjust the carbs or am i beating a dead horse?
Are we sure of the "Open" and "Closed" positions on the choke? Not doubting you, just making sure of the terminology usage as sometimes people who aren't used to operating chokes on carburetors can misunderstand how it functions. When the choke is closed, it blocks off air coming into the carbs to cause a higher vacuum draw to pull more fuel into the engine to account for the engine being cold and requiring more fuel to stay running until it warms up. Carbs should only be adjusted after the points and timing (as well as the valves and cam chain) are properly adjusted first, then the engine warmed up to temperature and ridden a little bit.
It's likely just the old tach is gummed up a bit internally and the needle is not reacting to the engine in real time.