Troubleshooting Saga on the 1978 Honda Hobbit that won't run! 

yo travis. really enjoyed this video. I learned a lot and also its really refreshing seeing a video about this side of mopeds. its not all shiny kits and plug and play. really enjoyed it man. cheers.

Nice video, but my jaw dropped to the floor when you decided to actually test the compression. That's one of my first steps on a non runner. But then the crank seal would've burned me

I just bought 3, 1978 Hobbits that need fixing, so I enjoyed your video.

That's another reason why the Spree is king of bikes - no decomp! 😉 Great video as always dude, reminds me of the time I couldn't work out why a Tomos A3 wouldn't run. After I checked everything else and cleaned the carb I took the top end apart and found.... No piston rings. Previous owner had rebuilt the motor without them!

Nice. I love old mopeds. Pretty much all old machines. Troubleshooting is the fun part! And most rewarding.

Look into doing a leak down test. It would have shown the leak, as well as the crank seal possibility. The best tester is a squeeze bulb for 8 psi of pressure and a good pressure gauge. 2 strokes do it differently then 4 strokes

I had a Honda 70 do that to me one time and it had the wrong coil even though it would fire something about AC and DC coils Honda had,, I don't think that's your case though the Honda 70 the CL just won't use any Honda 70 coil I was flabbergasted

I have had pitting on the decomp valve and wear on the seat. It is great practice to lap the decomp valve to get a nice tight seal.

Nice one. I was guessing vapor lock for a bit. until you mentioned that you primed the cylinder. Mopeds, mo problems!

Brilliant video, loves these 5 'minute easy' jobs😎

That's what was wrong with mine plus the float in upside down

Reed valve on that one could xxx yes seals timeing Xxx

This might be what mine's doing exactly bone stock I had it running at 1 point and it just died and now I got fuel I got spark I got air won't go , I do have a wet plug so it leads me to think low compression but possibly low compression due to the decompression

The reason the exhaust was cut and welded was because a mouse got inside the exhaust and ate the baffle so he cut it open and re baffled it

Float in mine was upside down

Unless you have a Solex (I do) the decomp, if you are unlucky enough to have one, should be plugged. On those cheap compression gauges with a long hose, first make sure that the end of the hose that goes into the spark plug hole has what looks like a Schrader valve on it. That makes all the difference. It's a slightly different kind of Shrader valve than you find in a tire valve, but it works the same. You may still not get a completely accurate reading, but you should get a consistent reading. See what you get on an engine with known good compression, and use that number with that gauge. Using your finger or thumb for checking compression can fool you. I noticed you pedaling it on the stand. I weigh 240 pounds, and if I did that I would bend the stand and possibly the frame. I don't think it is a good thing for anyone to do, but definitely not if you are on the heavy side. I either kick it over, or take it outside and pedal it on the wheels.

Decompress is broken , first thing i heard from the bang :)

I cant get mine started. Do i need to key to be on to actually run, or is the key just for the lights/horn. Thanks

Compression release

How can I contact Travis for help? Thank you

well done, rad video

Hello I just picked up a 1978 cimatti twin sport and I could use some help on getting it to start and run

How do I contact this guy for help?

Yeah those compression releases can , hit the piston In some cases

Just came across this video. Very similar to what I’m experiencing with a newly acquired 77 Badavus Starflite. Helpful video!

Thanks Travis! I needed this... I fully rebuilt two Honda hobbits and they BOTH decided to stop running around the same time last fall. It crushed my spirit and I’ve been waiting to approach them again. This video convinced me to go out and get an air compression gage and see if I can get them running once again!

Awesome video Travis. I had some mystery issues with my 1980 hobbit and it was the original crank seals. I'm at a similar stage with my wires all a mess, would love to see any wiring cleanup if you film it.

I have a 78 peugeot LVS-U3 and i am having the same problem. I replaced the cylinder, piston and rings and one of the crank seals i also cleaned the gurtner carburator, the moped started and ran acouple of times the i let it sit for about 3 days and it would not start, i have spark a good plug and i relocated the condenser to outside of the place where it originally goes and no luck starting again. I only have about 65 or 70psi on compression could that be my problem? Anyone know? Thank you

if anyone knows my honda hobbit wont crank at all and is leaking gas out from the side of the variator

Hi Travis, I have a 1978 Honda Hobbit Pa50II. It has 2371 miles on it had it as a kid. I recently got it up and running and was running like a dream, all of sudden riding one day and died on me. The issue is i have no spark, when it turns over the horn and light work just fine. What could my issue be? Do i start with replacing points. Just looking for any advice. Thanks in advance

Travis, I'm going to pick up a 1978 hobbit Monday that has been sitting at a dealership for 20 years. He was asking $200 i got him down to $150. Should I go through with buying this?

Nice to see a new video! Bike sound great!! Way to go!

The finger in the plug hole check is a quick n dirty option for compression check. Great catch that, I've been working on vehicles for over 45 years and assumption still kicks me in the gentlemans area every year😎

Great story Travis! I'm glad you figured it out. Speaking of Hobbits, I'd love to hear how your Bakers Dozen run Hobbit build did. The video series about that build is super great; how did it end?