Honda CB 500 cut out problems

[travster8]

Hi all, I have recently bought a Honda CB 500 2000 reg. I've been loving it so far seen passing my A2 license however there have been a few things off with it. I understand it is old however, its been well maintained and is an old trainer bike I'm the second owner. Its also ranked up 100,000 miles.

The problem is around every 25 miles it will just cut out on my while driving I lose all power from the engine and goes to just the ignition being on. I'll pull my clutch in pull over as I slow and put it into neutral the dash remains on however it wont turn over until a few minutes later (pressing the start switch does nothing) so I'm guessing its electrical as also my right blinker occasionally blinks very quickly and I'm not sure why. If anyone has any insight to this id really appreciate it as I'm clueless right now, its a real safety concern because if this happens when I'm over taking I'm in trouble!
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Honda CB 500, RAF.

[stinkwheel]

When you change it into neutral, does the neutral light stay on? When it cuts out, does the rev counter drop to zero before you pull the clutch in or does it continue to show a reading?

After it dies, see if it'll turn over if you hold the clutch in while pressing the starter?

A few componants could be at fault here. The kill switch, the ignition switch, the clutch switch and the sidestand switch spring to mind. The last one would be a major suspect with a 100k bike at this time of year.

I'm going with those because there are many things that would lock out the starter and there are many things that would kill the spark, but there is a relatively short list of things that would do both.

Intermittant faults are such fun. SO testing componants isn't necessarily going to help either.

So if it were me, I'd get myself a can of WD40 with astraw. I'd give all those switches a damned good soaking in the stuff and a wiggle through their movement range. I'd then test them with a multimeter to check they are making/breaking good contact before finishing off with a squirt of silicone grease (the latter is a new thing to me but a good thing to do. If you're just rocking WD40, stick with that).

A flasher flashing too fast means there is a reduced current load on it. It may be one of the bulbs is cutting out intermittantly.

Also worth a good look at the wiring loom for signs of wear and exposed/intermittantly shorting wires. Especially where it runs past the headstock. A riding school bike will have seen a lot more steering movement than most.

EDIT: It's also the time of year for spontaneous battery death. I wonder if it's charging. Does it turn the engine over powerfully when it starts or is it sluggish?

If you don't have a multimeter, get one. They are cheap, you don't need anything fancy for motorcycle electrics at this level. Be interesting to know what the battery voltage is just after it's cut out and it will come in handy for a lot of other electrical fault-finding tests you may need to do.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[travster8]

Hi Stinkwheel,
Yes the light stays on and my headlights do too, there is still power in the dash etc.
I'm sure its not the sidestand switch as that was giving me a problem until I fixed a new spring to the sidestand now its fine
The others could be at fault.

Thanks for the tips ill give the switches a look over tomorrow, ill also check the wiring of the right indicator.
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Honda CB 500, RAF.

[stinkwheel]

[Sister Sledge]

Sidestand switches are a nightmare. Low down and fully in harms way to the elements.
The fact that it's started doing this around the time of replacement makes me think it's the sidestand switch too.

Lots of people bypass the switches because even something simple such as going over a bump can move the stand a bit and kill the engine.
Makes me wonder if the correct strength of spring was used when replacing?
(Either way I'd try a switch bypass to see if it fixes things)
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CCM 404 DS

[Courier265]

[ThatDippyTwat]

[Sister Sledge]

^^ This.

It's a standard 'fix' on a lot of trail bikes (supermotos too) because the longer side stand means smaller bumps can affect the switch more.
I don't even think it's an MOT requirement? Probably more of a stupidness requirement!
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CCM 404 DS

[travster8]

I understand why the sidestand switch might be the main culprit but I’ve gone over other bumps and not had a problem. However, when it cut out my thumb was near the kill switch.
I had a look at it, and just by touching the switch it cuts out without even flicking it off, minor contact on the switch (with it still switched on, cuts the engine).
Therefore I think it’s the kill switch being very sensitive, could anyone suggest any fixes?
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Honda CB 500, RAF.

[stinkwheel]