My cr500 is still hard to start! please help

mrbigal81

Member
Nov 3, 2001
63
0
i posted a message before about my 89 CR500 being hard to start. i fixed the reeds, got really good gas with octain boost, it gets good fire and im kicking the **** out of it.i live on a huge hill and i even tried roll starting it and it never started. usually roll starting it when its cold is the only way to get it running, then you really have to kick it hard to get it started again once its warm. the bike has been rebuilt so its not like its worn out and needs rings or something. whats my problem here? i would rather ride it than look at it!
Thanks for your help,
Alan Schulze
 

KiwiBird

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 30, 2000
2,386
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Check you don't have a leaky crank seal - test by removing the mag cover and spraying engine starter around the mag when running - if the other side leaks you will probably blow blue/white smoke as you burn trans oil. Doesn't hurt to spray the starter fluid around the crankcase joins and reed block to find any leaks (not behind the carb or in the airbox!!)

Remove the choke assembly and check that it works properly (opens/closes) and is not too worn. Check passage through carb. Note that this is also the idle air circuit and the knob, when turned, adjusts an air circuit which "sort of" allows the bike to idle and has an effect on starting.

Bad news is that the mag/black box may be the culprit - the fact that you have good spark doesn't mean it is timed correctly on the starting/low rpm part of the ignition. Whip it off and check that the woodruff key is not broken and causing the problem and then take it to a GOOD Honda shop that can check it for you. This problem is sometimes revealed by the bike stalling unexpectedly at low revs under load even when the throttle is open - bike goes "doh!" and just stops.

Good luck.
 

P.Orange

Member
Apr 17, 2001
1
0
CR 500 help with starting

I have an '85 CR 500 which used to be a real bear to start. I spoke with dozens of "experts" across the country and tried many different techniques and parts before having continuous lasting success. To make a long story short I added a 14oz. Stealy off road flywheel weight $100 and a spark plug wire used by top fuel drag racers for faster and hotter fire at the plug (Nology's "hot wire" $60). Thus, I solved a two year old problem of difficult starting. However, my bike would always start with a good roll and run clean after it started. If your bike will not roll start and run good, you may be experiencing other problems.
 

mrbigal81

Member
Nov 3, 2001
63
0
well i think i have my problem fixed. Im not to good with 2cycles yet because i havent ever had one or been around any. i thought if the spark plug was working that the engine could run off of it fine. I had a brand new stock plug in it so i decided to try using an expensive racing plug. IT WORKED! the thing starts right up now. i also took the spark plug wire boot off and cut about 1/4" off and put the boot back on. the insides of it was all worn out so that helped alot right there. Thanks for the help guys. I still have alot more questons though!
Thanks again,
Alan
 

David Trustrum

~SPONSOR~
Jan 25, 2001
1,396
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Consider the sparkplug cap as well. You can also squirt a couple of cc of gas in the sparkplug hole to aid things in the morning & check the air cleaner is well clean & the pilot cct of the carb clean.
 

Olive

Member
Jun 24, 2018
3
1
I have a CR 500 1985 great bike when it starts converted it to road legal but very weak spark i I have change the coil and also the stater also the spark plug checked all wiring seems sound can anyone help me desperate to get out on the road in this fine weather
 

Okiewan

Admin
Dec 31, 1969
29,555
2,237
Texas
To be clear, has it run since the conversion? Was it hard starting before?
How are your lights wired into the system? The stator has only one coil for ignition.
 

Olive

Member
Jun 24, 2018
3
1
Hi the conversion was done ten years ago. I bought the lighting kit from pro racing. It came with a stator for the lights. Fitted everything myself. The bike has never been easy to start but I had a technic. When checking the spark plug, the spark can be just about seen. Ive since fitted new spark plug, new coil, new lighting stator but the spark still very small. Haven't use the bike for two years due to ill health. I was told through this link could be the magneto losing its magnetism from old-age. I seem to be spending a fair bit of money but getting nowhere .
Any advice will be most welcome thank you Ken
 

The Redrider

Member
Jun 14, 2019
238
32
I raced an 84 Cr-500r and that thing was cranky. I didn't have the money to do the cylinder squish band mod to make it better so I lived with it, and kept a bag full of spark plugs, NGK must love me. lol!
 
Oct 18, 2019
1
1
Hey guys, just stumbled across your website. Great advice here so far. So I have my 85 CR500 that has no spark. Replace the stator the tested the coil. Still not working. Is there a way to test a CDI specifically? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated thank you, Michael
 

The Redrider

Member
Jun 14, 2019
238
32
Hey guys, just stumbled across your website. Great advice here so far. So I have my 85 CR500 that has no spark. Replace the stator the tested the coil. Still not working. Is there a way to test a CDI specifically? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated thank you, Michael
Simple first, pull the plug and hold it on a unpainted metal surface for ground. Next have somebody roll the kick starter fast, then observe if its sparking, if it is, then you have other issues. If it dont, try trimming a few millimeters off of the spark plug wire then screwing on the cap nice and tight, spark? No, then you need to see if all your connections are clean, and take apart the kill switch and clean and re assemble it. Check all connections for corrosion, none? You have 3 main parts, the cdi, the coil, and the alternator, plug and play with new parts, start with the coil and work you way to the alternator, the cdi is pretty stout, you will find it, it just takes paitence... 14-woody-allen-quotes-to-start-off-your-uhh-week.jpg
 

ratbrain

Member
Mar 11, 2021
4
0
My 96 cr500 is hard to start. It hasn't always been this way. I got p.o. and took it to the Honda dealer. Everybody there had their mouths hung open. This kid said he was the only certified mechanic there. Still had zits. He said the valves might need adjusting. The owner came out when I got it fired up and said they don't work on them. His reason was. They don't have the tools. I wasn't gonna leave it anyway after the certified mechanic told me that shit.
 

RM_guy

Moderator
Damn Yankees
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 21, 2000
7,045
208
North East USA
Funny, but not so funny experience with the dealer "mechanic". Maybe his next suggestion was to replace the muffler bearings.

Did you read the pervious posts? There are a lot of good suggestions. My go to on a hard starting 2 stroke is the reeds. If they aren't sealing well it will be hard to start.
 

ratbrain

Member
Mar 11, 2021
4
0
Reeds are new. Carb is new and checked out. It fires up cold if I kick the SHIT out of it. The "CERTIFIED MECHANIC" was going to show me how to start it. He barely could turn it over. I've had the flywheel off to put a crank seal in. The manual has something about a timing light procedure but it has a plate on the bottom of the stator to keep it in one position. I saw something about adjusting the flywheel pickup (don't know if that's what it's called). It looks nonadjustable.
 

ratbrain

Member
Mar 11, 2021
4
0
Some how I skipped a bunch of the previous posts. Good info. I rung a seized crew off that holds the pickup to the damn stator plate. I was attempting to see if the air gap was adjustable. It was on the wide side. Doesn't appear to be adjustable.. In the third picture you can see the slot in the plate. the problem is the bolt that holds it on is threaded through the into the plate in the slot.. Maybe I totally missing some thing. Now to get that hard ass super seized screw out. I have a high dollar service honda ignition and the flywheel on it doesn't have timing mark on it like the stock one. I' think I'm going to put the stocker back on and see. The fsm says to do it after it's been taken apart. Then I'm gonna do the stating fluid. If any of you have done the timing light method. I would appreciate info.
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RM_guy

Moderator
Damn Yankees
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Nov 21, 2000
7,045
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North East USA
I think you are on the right track but I believe the pickup is what is adjustable, not the stator. I may be completely wrong but you will know once you get the seized screw out. I hate having to do that.
...and nice band aid! I had one just like it last month, with the extra reinforcement tape and all!
 

ratbrain

Member
Mar 11, 2021
4
0
I think you are on the right track but I believe the pickup is what is adjustable, not the stator. Stator, pickup, exciter coil and ignition coil checked out in specs on the SH ignition. No fire. That leaves the unobtainium cdi. So I'm gonna Put my stock parts back on and see what happens. It was working when I took it off 15 years ago but I had to replace the pickup on the stocker with a after market chineseium. If I still don't get fire. IDK?
 

RM_guy

Moderator
Damn Yankees
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Nov 21, 2000
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North East USA
Here's a long shot but I did have this happen to me before. There could be a broken or shorted out wire in the harness someplace. It is a long a tedious process but if you ring out all the wires between connectors to verify continuity you might find an open. Mine was between the CDI connector and the stator. I ran an extremal wire along the harness and it fixed my problem. That was after I replaced the stator ($200!!!).
 
Assuming the plug, carb, ignition is OK, no leaks in the tranny or seals and you have fresh fuel in it, do you have a kick start regimen?
I raced a few CR500s over the years and heres mine.
Stroke the kicker over a few times slowly to "prime" the cylinder, gas and choke on of course.
Then find top dead center or the highest place the piston gets tough from compression. Make sure the kick lever is as high as it will go.
Place boot on the kick lever and KICK it thru HARD ! No pansy azz 125 kick, an open class kick !
If all the rest is correct it will fire up in one or two boots.
 

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