Fixing the Cheapest Motorcycle on Craigslist 

Always check the valves, timing and cam chain tension when you get an old bike.

lol when he checked the spark against the gas tank I chuckled.

I’ve worked on many carbs on many different bikes. Normally you can bench sync carbs and get them pretty spot on, I highly doubt that is the issue here. Since the beginning of the video I would’ve suspected a carb problem due to the bike firing on starting fluid. Bypass the petcock and feed the carbs fuel using a funnel see if there’s any difference. Also spray carb cleaner around the intake boots while cranking and see if she fires up. If nothing works recheck the vacuum slides/needles and make sure they were re assembled correctly and there is no issue with vacuum leaks. The way it was running in the video it really sounded like fuel starvation. Best of luck!

break 1 of the old rings in half and use it to clean out grooves for new rings.

Yo thank you both for taking time out of your day to help me with the bike! We've made so much progress and I think it'll run in the near future! I owe ya! - pennypincher's brother

I believe it is both the timing and the carb, it is hard to diagnose because the two issues are compounding each other

change the title to Almost Fixing the Cheapest Motorcycle on Craigslist

That poor starter 🤦🏼‍♂️

love your guys videos. i’ve been watching them for about 2 years now. 🔥

When you are buying anything such as a motorcycle, jet ski, quad etc. ,always ask if you can do a compression test if they say no RUN!

You should make a video of all of the machines running or not

When problem solving you need to be methodical and work with one thing at a time, it's also rare to have to replace rings on a Japanese bike of that size, it really appears to be a fueling issue.

What's the compression on the bike now? A few suggestions. Bottle feed the carburetors, plug off all vacuums. Use a fuel filter inline so you can see the fuel flow. Also put a meter on the battery while cranking the bike. If it's dropping below 10 volts the bike will be hard to start. You should have like new compression. I didn't notice in the video if you checked the valve seating. Just a thought.

You suspected a bad compression gauge so instead of getting a new one you rebuilt the top end? I'm confused.

Despite the children complaining constantly. I actually enjoyed this new style of serious narration for this project.

You have either cam timing issue or spark timing.

I always mark everything, including cam bearing caps so everything goes back the way they originally built it

15 or 20 years ago I bought a SnapOn pistol styled compression gauge and in the kit it came with a rubber tip that all you have to do is pull a plug and hold the tip in the hole it makes doing a compression check on engines very fast and simple I’ve always tested every engine before I bought it and that’s given me A lot of knowledge as to what I’m buying I don’t know the model number of the kit yet ironically one time on vacation I needed to check a personal watercraft of mine and I didn’t have my gauge so I bought a screw in one with all the adapters from whatever parts store was close and boy what a pain in the ass that thing was ! I wound up giving the thing to my brother-in-law law lol btw I think it was a Napa parts store but I’m not positive as I was in a area I wasn’t familiar with when I gave it to my brother-in-law the receipt was in the packaging And it happened to be his jet ski I was working on that vacation i wound up buying that machine from him eventually as well I guess the gauge worked okay it was just a pain in the ass compared to that Snap On unit I still use plus that one has its own nice metal case To it I do remember it being expensive but not sure how much I paid back then ?

I love those honda twins and i work a lot on them. Like others said, 99% of them not starting its the carbs.

Should be Titled "hacking to failure"

Low compression & Didn't lap the valves ?

He says it wouldn’t run off fuel but in the video he showed the fuel tank wasn’t even on 😂😂😂

Sonic clean the carbs, I made one out of a container and a orbital sander and used it for a year then bought a real sonic cleaner. I’ve bought 7 gold wings from the market place and it was the carbs every single time. Did the carbs put new tires on them and sold them. Have a 83 wing I’m doing right now.

Those carbs can be finicky, if the black knob between the carbs is too far off it won't start, if the sync screw is way off it won't start, if there's a vacuum leak at the carb boots it won't want to start. I set it at 1 turn in from where turning it out further stops changing the throttle linkage and usually get a good start with full choke. Then you can fine tune it.

I would almost place this in the 'so bad it's good' category, but the sad thing is people are going to watch this and think that's how you do things and "learn" from it.

it almost sounds like a knock after the rebuild

Seems like penny is not acting the same as before ,don’t leave us in the dirt if your going to some stuff, keep up the good work man ✅.

Just goes to show that with sheer determination, people with no mechanical ability whatsoever can eventually conquer the vast unknown...mechanically speaking, of course!! lol

Wouldn't want these guys anywhere near my bike. Using regular paper towel on the pistons, not using piston ring pliers or a piston ring compressor, testing the spark plug on the gas tank. Not to mention doing all that work even when you know you probably have a bad compression gauge.

As someone who's owned many of these old Honda Bikes over the years the Carbs are a serious pain in the ass and have to be sink'd using a vacuum gauge setup to do it. You can guess'timate but you'll end up running on one cylinder most times or with one constantly dropping out. Great job on the rebuild for a couple guys who've never had one apart, very well done ya'll should be proud and know there's no shame in having to have the carbs sink'd because without the proper tools it's damned near impossible. Even counting turns and going with the number of turns the manual tells you to without that gauge setup they just won't be right due to tolerances in the carbs that are just slightly different using or not using the same vacuum. At least that's what I've always ran into and it's always been cheaper when I considered my time to just pay to have it done. You missed a couple steps that may come back to bite you later like lapping the valves and cleaning the pistons a bit better I'd also be sure to check timing but again great job guys and way to restore an old bike that's in to good of condition to just scrap...

That looks like a hawk ii, the standard cb400 hawk had wire spoke wheels and front drum brake. I think only the hawk ii had electric start, but I could be wrong. Regardless the cb400 is a great bike.

Cool video I grew up in the 70/80s these bikes were easy to work on unlike today with all electronic bits, thanks for posting

Lots of experience with those old Honda 400's and 450's and those VM/VB Keihin carbs. The sync won't cause an issue like that. It's possible that they're not in sync, but it's not why it's not starting, unless they're so out of whack that one butterfly isn't opening at all or something of that nature, but even then I'd still expect it to idle. Those things are a dick to dial in perfectly, but they're easy to get running. I'd say just take them apart, clean them, make sure the jets are clear and there's no build-up at the bottom of the bowls, make sure throttles open at about the same time & that the slides move up easily (but not as-if there's no spring) and FFS cut that fuel hose, it's supposed to be a short distance, like 3", not 10, lol. Do that, and I can pretty much guarantee it'll run - that is of course assuming the carb is the issue. As I said, they're difficult to dial in perfectly, but very easy to get an idle. Even with a horrible sync, wrong jets, and no A/F screws it'll still most likely idle.

this video is so refreshing, reminds me of then i was younger, i had so many of these bikes and they are fun

fixing actually means that at the end you have to show the bike FIXED otherwise is CLICKBAIT!

for optimum running conditions you will have to have the carbs synced since you had them all tore apart!

try swaping the ignition leads over the backfire is the clue it fired when the exhast port was open

Had one of these in high school was the best bike I ever owned ended up changing the magneto I believe but other than great bike.

It doesn’t matter what the gas man says on his snap his channel doesn’t compare to yours. Been watching for 2+ years. Keep it up penny

Seemed OK before the rebuild, I bet it was a carb problem all along. I sure would like to see the next vid when you get it running AND discover what the problem was!

its the carbs, it was always the carbs, you should separate the carbs and dropped them into a ultrasonic cleaner..

Hey penny. Idk if you'll see this but if you do i definitely think you should do a drift build with the Hardbody. Would be pretty awesome to see.

since when did a full rebuild = rings and a hone ?

Love these vids keep up the good work

My 82 virago 750 wouldn't start with the kick stand down.

First thing to do with those Honda 250/400s is take the headlamp out and disconnect the black and white kill switch wire. This will save a lot of head scratching when (not if) it runs badly after a rain shower and..... while you have the top end off fit a new cam chain. You can split these and rejoin them. If the bike has been sitting for a while drain and flush the tank, don't forget to take off the fuel tap and clean that too.

Did you look to see if their is any crusty bits of gas in the fuel line?

I don't know what you paid for it but I bought a FZR 600 Yamaha for 100$ on Craigslist and had it running before sundown...the same day. It's just fun doing something like this, I don't blame yall. Next time though, check compression out before committing to a project. Last thing you want to discover is crack in the block or a siezed up motor.

The things with balls he was talking about are flow indicators called a rotameter.

sounds like a dolphin when its trying to start

Paper element fuel filters will cause restriction on systems without a fuel pump and cause all kinds of problems.

Definitely a timing issue. Maybe the cam is off by a tooth, but check the ignition timing before checking cam timing...I can`t wait to see the follow up vid!

You need to throw those carbs into an ultra sonic cleaner with some carb cleaner. Its not good enough to just do it by hand. Theres more going on than just jets

Did anyone comment on how “the valve clearance got tight on us” ? Did you check the valve clearance before determining it was rings? Probably all you needed to do. Possible the valves were pre-loaded on the tappets. You should always do a leak down. You’ll hear and see bubbles if your spray oil on the intake and exhaust valves before making this determination.

Just keep guessing, ... that's sure to work.

It probably just needed the valves adjusted to begin with .

Are you worried about gasman suing you ? , he made comments about talking to attorneys and stuff saying you ripped him off .

Clean all of your jets again its possible you still have some junk in there... Did you check the points? sounds like the timing might be off a bit... as far as the gas leaking out that is usually a float adjustment issue or needle not seating properly issue... make sure there isn't any fuel in the floats and bend the float tab to make sure it is pushing the needle into the seat with a little more force if it keeps leaking once fully cleaned... ultrasonic cleaner is a life saver when cleaning old carbs with stubborn crust :)

Even though you guys didn't get it to idle on its own, still started and great views of inside the motor and good example of properly using the torque wrench! First video I've seen from you guys but like what you're doing so I subscribed and going to check out more of your videos!

The details and the truth... Many props!!

Check the fuel pitcock, see if it's plugged. Did you do a valve job when the engine was down? Also check the timing. I would almost bet it's just the timing.

Watched the video then just knew the comments would be chock full of experts bagging on these lads just tinkering, learning and having fun. You'd all rather they were out being porch pirates? 🤦‍♂️😂 Keep at it, chaps!! 👍

Good old plastic float and non removable pilot jets. I have tricks to remedy all issues with these years carbs! Also carb scyn doesnt cause back fires. Check the pilot jets that are pressed in. I have done about 300 sets of carbs like these and they need to have new floats put in them. They make modern floats that you can adjust the float height instead of the plastic non adjustable type.

Buy a lot more old bikes and get them running like this. It’s what I do and I love seeing these vids

Pro tip: Two of the most common causes of weak/intermittent/no spark situations when resurrecting a bike are corroded contacts in the handlebar kill switch and/or rust on the pick up coil poles. Both problems can be solved with a little emory cloth. Do yourself a favor and buy some mercury sticks, you guys have enough intelligence to learn how to sync carbs in a couple of hours and they are also useful diagnostic tool. (I'm a 25 year motorcycle industry veteran who has lost count of how many bikes I've resurrected and restored)

So timeing is 180 out?

you should put both the mufflers on before you tune the carbs

"Carbs need TO BE tuned". Cool bike! It'll run.

I was thinking you had the wrong leads on the plugs but I’d guess it’s the stator or leaky carb floats. Hopefully you get it going and put us out of our misery!

Great video. Enjoyed this one from start to finish.

I just did the carbs on a 82 Honda CB650, it has 4 carbs, and I sync them mechanically and apparently its close enough. Just look up RU-vid videos on how to do it. Its not rocket surgery.

Didn’t check the valves? Very common to have them tighten up over time.

About to go to bed but not now

Fix the damn golf cart

So I have 3 of these motors sitting in my back yard and 3 bikes that have this same motor that all run perfectly. First off low compression? Must of been beat up or deprived of oil for a long long time. As for the carbs, There is Several things that really matter, the air cut off valves on the side of each carb, they need to be in good condition, not torn not solidified. Then you have the Diaphragm, it's on only one carburetor attached to the float bowl, make sure its good, not torn, and all the holes in and around that area are clean and clear. Another thing is there is an extremely small o-ring on the carb with the diaphragm next to the float bowl gasket, if that's missing it will leak fuel from around the float bowl, and if you just use any old o-ring you will seal the holes that the diaphragm sprays fuel out of. As for syncing the carbs, this can be done a variety of ways. I do it by sight, there are extremely tiny holes under the throttle flaps, if you get the flaps to both line up with the holes the same they will be in sync.

It's not a full rebuild you only changed the rings.

jamming on that accel handle made me frustrated a bit ;D good video guys :)

I had one of those it was my first street bike

If she doesn't run after checking carbs I'd say it's 180° out and that's why you had to adjust your valve clearances (cam is upside-down) just something to check without spending more money

the compression gauge is OK your using it wrong , try pushing the gauge with rubber seal against the spark plug hole to get a reading,the extension leads are for a running engine.

Since when do you check the oil while the motor is running?... you mean warmed up?

Was it just me or did I hear a loud swallow at 9:03

check the stator.i had a cb 250t similar to that had issues with the stator.even though i got a spark it didnt ran properly.check the wiring for loose connections .adjust the spark plug clearances..check weather ignition coil is grounded properly. finally check the fuel tap .may be its clogged from the inside.use new fuel.check the engine kill switch may be its faulty.

so what happened to this in the end ?

dude thats a carb issue and you could pull those carbs have them synced yourself with stuff you have around the garage anyways i could have this bike running in 2 hrs and sync'd being synced will NOT keep it from running but a dirty idle jet will this is #1 cause of your symptoms also you dont need to hold the tank like that use fresh gas from a small gas can 2.5 gal and suck the fuel with long hose to get it started then plug it into the intake hose i do this easy your old gas tank may have a jammed petcock ..100% sure no seals no rebuild kit pull it apart pull the 2 or 3 jets clean them reinstall not being synced would not matter you can only truly syc them with a home made manometer but you can beach syn them buy open the butterfly valve and judging the crack that appears use that feeler gauge and make sure both are at same levels again carb sync will not keep a bike from running it just runs like crap ...i subscribed you guys have came 100 miles just to be stopped by a 1/2 mile thing I for one want to know if you figured this out

Just ordered a sync tool for all my carbs on my 98 gsxr. That’s the last thing i need

What about piston ring gap? Should check it before putting it in the old piston

I think your vids are awesome and I subscribed and have notifications on and you guys have helped get me through some really bored times and you even inspired me to start saving for my first quad but sadly I never got to it that’s ok Tho your vids are still awesome

Did I try setting the valves. Most of the time on an old bike they're tight. That equals low compression. Won't run.

Jesus give that think a second to idle before you rev.... probably hasn’t ran in 20 years..

Pro tip cut off that exhaust for aluminum tubes because motorcycle run hot and it can cause damage. Also you can give her a little 2stroke in the gas once in a while because it will help clean the rings.

It was nice to meet you

If you ever need to clean pistons again use a old ring break it and use it to clean out the ring grooves on the piston

Don't use paper towels. Ruin a micro fiber rag or two.... Geeze

I'm suprised I didnt think you guys did anything besides destroy stuff

I get keeping it cheap but you already have jug off just put new pistons and rings in it

Check timing , points , wire connection ( most probably old crusty wire that's on / off depending on vibrations) . I will buy it for 400$$$$ if you don't succeed. Old Honda head Floor workman . I've told you all I will cuz that bike would look nice in my Garage and me on it on the open road!!!

Don't give up guys, you'll get it.

damn them calves tho! lol green shirt has some oh soccer legs yo

That compression testor is only good for a car there no good for bike engine stop using starting fluid it wipes all the oil off the cylinder, just put some gas in the cylinder to prime it