New bike won't start

Hi All,
I’ve just scored this bike, a Honda 350\4, 1972. Tried to start it this morning ( electric start), nothing, nada, not a sausage, bugger all. Fuses look OK and the battery under the sidecover appears brand new. Where to start? Wiggles will probably say it’s a faulty condensor, maybe so! :smiley:


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It’s obviously the muffler bearings. They are clearly not concentric with the fleevy rod.

This looks like an awesome project, will be excited to see you bring it together!

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Of course, and blocking the phlygmantasia. Always the obvious !

You’ve got the polarity of the side cover battery the wrong way around, common trap

Tried it the other way, but it keeps on falling over. May need some fettling.

I’d say it’s your plug gap. As in the gap from the plugs to the other motor bits.

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Have you checked the Johnson rod?

PS: you will need a frame to be able to ride the engine…

Not yet, but the fishing rod and lightning rod seem OK.
There is a frame in the background, it’s the one without wheels. Apparently there is twice that amount of parts still to arrive. No rush, other projects to complete.

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Those were cool little bikes. I was into dirt and enduro bikes, but a friend went into street bikes instead and had one for year or two. The pistons were about the size of little pill bottles, but the engine was super smooth and rev’ed like crazy. But if I recall, it was kind of a dog in performance, weighing a whole lot more than the 2 cylinder 350 that had the same horsepower. But it was smooth riding, little vibration, and a great commuter bike. Looks like a fun restoration project.

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Agreed, they are no ball of fire, but I have a contemporary road test, comparing the 350\4 with the 350 twin. Initailly the testers couldn’t understand why the Four even existed, being heavier, slower, more complex and expensive than the twin, but they were soon won over by handling, smoothness and sophistication. Apparently they will pull away cleanly from 15mph in top gear, albeit obviously not quickly. My bike of choice is a 500\4 which is, in my view, a superior bike to the famous 750\4, but contemporary road tests say that the 350 is better again, lack of performance notwithstanding. I’m looking forward to finding out.