R5 350 Electrical Problems
Scott Ginn
I replaced the spark plugs and bought a new battery but the bike will
not start. The bike uses a kick starter so I know it cant be the
starter. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any comments will be most
appreciated.
Thanks Scott
Wheelz
To do this remove the spark plug from the cylinder head and place the
spark plug wire back on the end, Then hold the L shaped part (the part
that sparks) so it touches the engin and get a friend to kick start the
bike while you hold the plug there, and see if ther is a spark!
If no spark you could have a bad coil...
vic plichota
An R5! Well, I'll be damned; my first bike! (ran it for 15 years, too).
Jeez, Scott, assuming that you have spark at all, I can only wish you the
best - of all of the hassles I ever had, ignition troubles were
unquestionably the worst - check EVERYTHING: points, condensers, wires,
boots, timing, then start looking at the crank seals... a small shpritz of
pure methyl hydrate down the carb throats doesn't hurt, either.
Make sure that everything is clean + dry, and that you actually have
compression. Also, the plugs that you just replaced may already be fouled
again. Are the carbs free + clean?
Is this your first bike, or a project? How long has it been sitting
neglected?
Keep at it, the old beast deserves to run again - very sorry that I gave
mine away - it was a hoot, as well as something of a landmark in 2-stroke
streetbikes.
best 'luck - vic <die-hard 'stroker>
P.S.; where are you? I'm in Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA ; I may have some
parts for you...
also, check out 'more stupid human bike tricks' in here for a funny story
re my R5...
--
[ats...@rogers.wave.ca] ph. (905) 528-0297 fax (905) 521-1771
Mike Beglinger
: Scott Ginn wrote:
: >
: > I replaced the spark plugs and bought a new battery but the bike will
: > not start. The bike uses a kick starter so I know it cant be the
: > starter. Does anyone have any suggestions? Any comments will be most
: > appreciated.
: > Thanks Scott
I assume you're talking about a Yamaha RZ350.. If your problem is similar
to the one I had with my '84 RZ350, you would best off to just toss it off
a cliff right now. I'm not kidding... I had an intermittent ignition
problem that almost put me in a padded cell. I spent more time and money
than I want to think about trying to fix that thing. I finally just got
rid of it. In all my years of electrical and automotive work, I have
never seen anything like that. It was hell... If by chance you have an
'85 or newer RZ350, you are probably not that bad off. Rumor has it that
the '85 and newer systems were built better and were not as prone to major
problems....
-Mike
P.S. Did you check the obvious stuff like the kill switch or the side
stand safety switch (if it has one)? Are you sure the carbs are
working properly?
vic plichota
Mike Beglinger <begl...@harrier.csrv.uidaho.edu> wrote
> I assume you're talking about a Yamaha RZ350..
No, he's talking about an R5 (little brother to RD350, predecessor to RZ)
- vic <die-hard 'stroker>
*** only REAL men have the guts to ride a 250... ***
*** "Don't touch that front brake, it'll flip ya" - advice from an
anonymous Harley rider ***
Mike Beglinger
vic plichota (ats...@rogers.wave.ca) wrote:
: Mike Beglinger <begl...@harrier.csrv.uidaho.edu> wrote
: > I assume you're talking about a Yamaha RZ350..
: No, he's talking about an R5 (little brother to RD350, predecessor to RZ)
Hmm... Never heard of an R5 before... Bad assumption on my part I
guess...
-Mike
vic plichota
Mike Beglinger <begl...@harrier.csrv.uidaho.edu> wrote
of it, either. <grin>
FYI the R5 was (we're talking early '70s here) essentially an RD350 without
the reed valves and disk brakes (some light alloy was also sacrificed in
favour of cheaper steel - e.g. full-spoked rather than mag wheels). It
distiguished itself as being probably the most fun-per-dollar you could get
at the time, and also pioneering a cheap, mass-produced oil injection
system, rather than using pre-mix.
BTW Yamaha tends to be fairly famous for their brakes, and despite being a
lowly cam+cable-actuated drum, the R5's front brake was very respectable.
Also noteworthy was the frame; a decent perimeter design that used a steel
that didn't rust away - car manufacturers should be ashamed of themselves.
Sam
miles on. had a harley tour pack and a handlebar fairing and a honda 750
fuel tank (5 gallons ) on it. a little touchy on points and timing, also
plug heat range. i needed one range cooler on trips. it was a bit
wheelie-prone when fully loaded, tho. ran well on one wheel, handled
well.
sam