Rescuing A Fans Cafe Motorcycle Project, Electrical Nightmare

We made a house call for some electrical gremlins. Electrical gremlins are not to be confused with electrical mogwais. We figured that out this time.
Check out our new store! thebeardedmechanic.shop

[@TheBaldDog32]

I have legitimately lost track of how many bikes he's in the middle of. I need closure, Craig..... on atleast a few of these.

[@michaelmccluskey1155]

Ditto.

[@rustypotatos]

Waiting on parts takes forever and sometimes changing everything up is good for a man. Also making videos about bikes is his job lmao and he’s making videos about bikes

[@60EFFIE]

Wish I had a Craig, thanks bro!

[@laurentleplat333]

Did he ever finished that Orange County chopper?

[@peterbockholm3176]

There are 65 videos on the channel, so 30 maybe? 😁

[@fireice1997]

Graig, you’d be so proud of me! My buddy has a Harley sportster and he’s been nudging me to get one. So I found a 1996 sportster 1200 that’s been sitting for 3 years under a cover in this guys garage. So I worked him down and did the deal and I kid you not, I took the carb apart and cleaned the jets and cleaned all the gunk out of the carb and after 45 minutes and a battery/oil change we were riding that ol girl around the parking lot burning out the cobwebs. For the age of the bike it’s in excellent condition as well. Barely any issues with the paint and chrome parts. It does need a new lining in the gas tank but I put a fuel filter in for now. In 4 days I put 190 miles on the bike and she’s loving every minute of it!🤙🏼

[@mooslionheart]

Craig, you are our bearded superhero without a cape ! Your tool roll puts Batman’s utility belt to shame and Dan’s humor is kryptonite to any frustrations !!🦊

[@KawasakiMotoX2T]

Greg😁

[@fulf]

Some one should make him a superhero mask and a bearded cape. (Im not capable)

[@michaelmccluskey1155]

@@KawasakiMotoX2T Craig. The Bearded Mechanic’s name is Craig. The shirt says, “Everybody needs a Craig”, not Greg.

[@stepeat2991]

@@michaelmccluskey1155Greg does the late shift 😂

[@johnweisYamaroler]

😮o​@@fulf

[@peder-allanmolzen2930]

"sounded like I knew what I was talking about there for a second" 😂

[@FactProjectX]

I don’t even fix any bikes but I love watching Craig work on motorcycles

[@Oddman1980]

I've been fixing them for 20 years... and I love watching Craig work on motorcycles.

[@scottbedard5095]

seems like a good application for a battery disconnect switch - even if there is a draw when parked, the battery won't die

[@ianbarnes961]

Great to see a Haynes manual being used! I used to work in the Haynes editorial department in the UK.

[@koekum2142]

I prefer the manufacturers own manuals since de Haynes manual on my old Yamaha XJ750 SECA had a too high torque spec for the 2nd drain plug. Haynes can be handy for the extra pictures, I just don't trust the numbers anymore

[@yeahitskimmel]

Great to see it had the wire colors wrong? These manuals are about 50% as useful as the OEM manual but literally only for the first matching year the bike and book came out. I've repaired more than one bike with destroyed fasteners that lo and behold the Chilton/Haynes manuals call for some ridiculous spec on

[@SchoolforHackers]

I still have my Haines, and my bike!

[@tjnucnuc]

Loved the Haynes for my 1986 Toyotas Hilux.

[@Falskdk]

Reving up is for forward, and down is for reverse...... ;)

[@tylercarnley453]

Man that 77-78 trans am in the back 😍

[@user-um7qe5sq1o]

Father's Day gift just got done putting in Floorpans, hoping to have her on the road this summer

[@danlimbaugh3629]

​HOPING? You must! 2nd generation f-bodies are AWESOME!!!

[@kuehjo]

And the Suzuki SV650 "Curvy" (First gen '99-'02 with the "flowing" frame rails) at the side there - you don't see those every day of the week anymore!!

[@JeffKopis]

Not a Trans Am, just a regular Fireturd.

[@user-um7qe5sq1o]

@@JeffKopis One and the same she s 78 firebird esprit.

[@jfk64kennedy95]

a good wiring guy is worth their weight in gold, the patience, attn. to detail, understanding it takes...is crazy...

[@johnraygun9868]

i always say the same, i will pull a motor apart but when it comes to electrical i hunt down a professional lol i am good with mechanics, tolerances and so on but electrical is a world of spaghetti to me lol thank god for electricians :D

[@johnraygun9868]

IE Chad Fab!

[@Sageofthe16]

lol, its barely anything except finding the right connectors!

[@timmymallett1]

Your external monologue when logically diagnosing is really helpful to someone like me wanting to learn. It's what I end up doing, out loud, and my wife asks me who I'm talking to when she overhears me in the garage.......

[@lawrenceklein3524]

If she has a sense of humor, just tell her youre talking to your "side piece"... the bike!

[@kiwiingenuity1677]

My secret friend...

[@ssavman]

The electrical gremlins feed my family lol. This is every day of my life at work, my machines are just bigger. Love working on bikes comparatively

[@martinrichard9431]

That carb cleaning education you gave him was priceless. Had to learn by trial and error and if I had that, I woulda been forever grateful. You sir a damn good man!

[@elund408]

to find out if you have a drain, put a test light between the battery and the hot wire. if there is a draw the light will light up then you can start pulling fuses to find out where the draw is. (or disconnect wires)

[@sakumisan]

That's what we use multi-meters for...

[@elund408]

@@sakumisan except with a light you can see it across the engine or from the front end, much easier to see.

[@Aaaaa69999]

@@elund408there’s 3 of them there buddy. Numbers on a screen or a small light what’s the difference

[@10000Mistakes]

Same exact problem on Honda Shadow - battery and stator tests passed as well as standard regulatorr test... but still overnight draw down + slow/no start after riding for a bit. Got a quality aftermarket mosfet regulator/rectifier and bypassed the wiring harness by wiring it direct from reg/rec to battery negative. Works better than new now.

[@kiwiingenuity1677]

Alternators can get a intermittent draw, depending on where they stop. Due to age, if unsure unplug at the reg and leave for a time.. If it works there's the fault, if not then you ruled the charge system out.

[@rm25088]

I HATE wiring.

[@chollythecrazycorgihesinsa6505]

Craig and Dan making my Friday again!!! Good job!!👍👍

[@WillHatland-pr1tx]

Craig, breaking the ground and testing for amps with your fluke is not a reliable way to look for a parasitic draw. The fluke meter has too high of an impedance and won't act as a proper load on the battery. This is the only time your test light will work better than your fluke. Break the ground and install your lest light (it is important the test light has an old incandescent bulb, no LEDs). The light should illuminate if you have a draw. The next part answers your question about how will you know when its fixed. When you find and disconnect the draw the light will turn off indicating no more power through the system. How you find the draw is the hard part, I typically start at a fuse panel and watch the light as I pull each fuse to see if that circuit kills the light. If you suspect a part to be the problem disconnect it and see if your test light is illuminated

[@JyveKilla]

finally craig got glasses that dont constantly fall off

[@Bug62Uy]

Your number one fan here from South America Uruguay 🇺🇾, i have a suzuki gs 550 gse from the 80s, but those carburetors are driving me crazy😂

[@michaelmccluskey1155]

I’ve got a 78 zuk gs550e with electrical gremlins. Haven’t started on the carbs yet. I’m almost at my wits end with the whole thing. Good luck TTO.

[@Bug62Uy]

@@michaelmccluskey1155 beautiful bike man, congrats, dont let that machine sleep, awake that sound!!!!

[@stephensmith1118]

hi i had a Suzuki Gs 550 too... great bike, only thing is when working on the engine be very careful not to over tighten any bolts... they are really easy to strip the threads, but a helicoil insert can repair it, have fun

[@Cupcardriver]

Recently purchased a 81 GS750L. Can’t wait to start to restore her.

[@scrateshooter]

Are you running pods? The original air box is best, otherwise you'll have to cover the outside of carbs to prevent a lean condition on the outside cylinders.

[@RickyHester318]

The Honda Fury has a hot start issue when you ride for a while it wont start till it cools down a little. The fix was adding a 2nd ground wire from the battery to the frame and that fixed that issue. Maybe this bike is having thee same issue.

[@carbonfiber492]

Aprilia’s do the same as do Ducati apparently My old baby blade used to kill battery’s if you babied it around but that was because the stator didn’t charge on those until 8-9k rpm (idle was 1500 rev limit was at like 19000)

[@xliquidflames]

The first bike I ever rode was my cousin's R6. I rode it around her neighborhood for a little bit. I never got out of 2nd gear but it was enough to get me hooked. Then my dad got a Harley and he was living with me at the time so I had to get one, too. Then I got really sick, turns out I have epilepsy with migraines, had to go on permanent disability, and haven't been able to afford a bike since. That was 6 years ago. One day. One day I'll have another bike. And, don't worry. The seizures are under control. I haven't had one in 4 years with the meds I'm on. I still have bad aura migraines, though. But I'm allowed to drive a car so a bike should be fine. I'll get one some day. I miss it so much. Not only is it fun but it is good for my mental health. Psychologists have done studies and "throttle therapy" is a real thing. People who ride bikes report positive effects on their mental health and I need that. Until then, I'll live vicariously through these videos.

[@DatMadeMehDay]

It's nice to see Craig reunite with his estranged older brother

[@shupshekitty]

My guess is that it's the regulator. Which can fail in a way that it allows the wave output from the alternator to get to the battery. The only way to see it is with an oscilloscope. I've had that happen a couple of times over the years and it's a serious pain to troubleshoot. The DC voltage will look fine because it's being limited. Most batteries will be destroyed quickly by getting hit by a square wave. The same can happen with an intermittent ground or a bad connection, though rarer.

[@gcolwill]

yep - if I have any doubts about the reg/rec I just replace it. Not expensive and beats dragging the old o-scope from the back shed. I haven't used that thing in decades.

[@CCitis]

definitely this... replace it.

[@michaelprather8371]

I had a bad regulator/rectifier that ruined a new battery in a matter of hours.

[@guypigache2105]

Couldn't see if that was a lead acid or Li Ion battery. But if a Li Ion then they need a different reg/reg than would have come with that Yamaha. Stock reg/rec will wreck a Li Ion

[@kiwiingenuity1677]

They have a higher charge ( float voltage.. 15 - something ).

[@trickysubject8563]

Hey Craig, Dan and Greg, this was a total blast from the past for me, I had one of these in silver back in 1987, I remember riding in the winter and nearly meeting the maker on various occasions! Good days brother. God bless you from across the pond in sunny England. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🙏

[@meeponinthbit3466]

21:29 nice short/spark on the bike when he revs it up.

[@user-zc8eu9kv2x]

Craig, I love your programme and look forward to each episode, I always learn heaps and you are great to watch. Keep up the great work. Hope you come to Australia, Perth 🇦🇺

[@jordantobins681]

The wire that you ran from the ignition back to the box is the trigger wire that fully shuts down the control box. Good find.

[@jeffreydavid999]

Awesome to see Chris get a hand with this bike. He’s been working on this thing for what seems like forever.

[@llandor]

Those m-units look really neat but there's probably a reason you can buy a complete wire replacement to use with them, to try to cut down on gremlins

[@drunkredninja]

yeap, don't reuse anything on them. i ripped out the entire harness and made my own when i installed mine on my bonnie

[@shenanigansofmannanan]

Because it was always designed and intended for custom applications and a skilled hand.... it was never meant eliminate competency

[@gcolwill]

I said the same thing, but with 20x more words. Totally agree. Either the mo.unit and custom wiring harness, or no mo.unit and fix the probs on the stock harness.

[@shenanigansofmannanan]

@@gcolwill the only "plug and play" option is an OEM harness

[@gcolwill]

@@shenanigansofmannanan True, and (usually) much less expensive than the mo.unit. but the features on that device are very cool. I'm a fan.

[@TheDeanosaurus]

1:56 This is ubiquitous with all kinds of engineering, heck any sort of problem solving. Always great to get a fresh set of eyes on a problem, even just to talk it through with.

[@DangerousSportsForSeniors]

@ 38:18 those extra wires are for the famous Yamaha feild coil alternator. This bike doesn't use a permanent magnet alternator. It varies the voltage to the feild coil to regulate the charging system. Keep up the good work. And thanks for helping people keep these old machines on the road

[@ou7shined972]

I'm just under halfway through and I'm waiting patiently for the dude to tell Graig about the m-unit diagnostic phone app... and waiting... still waiting.........

[@joshbabcock8785]

I built a 1982 KZ550 LTD Cafe Racer. I installed the M Unit Blue and an antigravity battery just large enough to crank over the engine. I was getting a charge while riding but had to disable the M Unit Blue remote start and alarm as this slowly drained my small battery when the bike sat for awhile. Aside from that the M Unit Blue was great and extremely easy to install. Went from zero wires on the bike to all accessories and ignition wired starting the bike in about 3 days. Then a day of prettying up all the wires.

[@WiekingderViking]

With well used bikes you really have to do a 100% visual inspection of each wireIMHO. There are usually taped up factory splices hidden in the harness. They are crimped, maybe soldered, or just twisted together “by someone.” Your verbal thinking and cogitations while troubleshooting are priceless! A friend remarked, “why are you just sitting and thinking? You should just get in there and fix it!” Oh, yeh.

[@DeagleGamesTV]

Christopher seems like a really solid guy, the kinda guy that has your back during the rough times in life. He has that rugged manly exterior but his empathy and compassion show through.

[@tea4me324]

Those m units are cool I think it’s called “moto units” basically a way to simply rewire the whole bike.

[@user-pu9ex9wo2w]

In 1977 one of my electronics teachers said it's not the spark but the reaction that hurts. Seen it lots since. You did good.

[@jlore6344]

That was fun and the bike looks awesome. Glad it is running now. Thanks to all of ya for sharing this with us.

[@VyantQuijt]

My first bike was an xs400 special too! It had weeds growing out of the sidecar seat. Sadly it burnt down before I even got started on it so I had to start from scratch. It really taught me how carbs work, and exactly how much wiring you need to get something running. Project stranded after I got it running as I had neither the skills, confidence, time, nor money to waste to build back all the other stuff.

[@davidpaulsen449]

I had an '07 Kawi Vulcan with the same starter issue. You pull the starter and the reluctor gear falls into the side case and then you have to pull the exhaust, pedals, and side cover including draining coolant to put the new 2-bolt starter in. Super duper stuff. Good work, buddy. :) Also, props for using Vessel brand JIS drivers. I wish they all did.

[@kellis099]

On the video, when he came back after the ride , you can see a big electrical flash, from the area of the starter, then you found the burnt off cable on the starter !

[@YeetMeyer]

Love your videos Craig always rush to your channel as soon as you post love your enthusiasm and your energy always inspiring and makes me feel like I'm working on my bikes with a good buddy

[@christmaselfcustoms]

Things like hot start issue is normally bad ground to the engine so add a good extra one and clean the starter brushes normally sorts it

[@woolverstone]

HM the Quenn was watching over you giving good motorcycle fixer vibes.👑🏍

[@swizle9]

haha! I love that they used the flying fish video when cleaning the carb. ha well done!

[@greggc8088]

Nice Firebird!

[@LuisCipher]

Good work. I've worked on various machines from industrial to medical, and it's always fun when you don't know what you did that actually solved the problem. Sometimes it's a multifaceted problem when it comes to electrical wiring. I think that crimper may have been the root cause of the problems with the wiring. It's also good you fixed the old connection on the starter. If a starter has a poor connection it can heat up.

[@user-cv3gb6lg5j]

That was fun! A day at the shop, chasin' a mystery. I wish I had some tools and a two-wheeled clunker to wrench. Thanks guys!

[@dizzydrc]

You can see a flash coming from where the starter motor is in the video @ 21:31.⚡

[@aniyn]

Good catch!

[@fatkid8523]

Check it for a/c voltage! If the diode is bad, the power generated will switch back and forth positive and negative, it will kill a battery.

[@dbochnicek]

When I had random addons start drawing when my old bike was off, I just installed cut-off switches for those accessories. Could just install a main power cut off switch between the battery and all of the draw bits. I do have to give you props for doing things the right way and getting it (hopefully) solved!

[@Airon0727]

This is top tier content right here, I love this series!!

[@dylanjensen8131]

Craig changed my life with a roll of aluminum foil. Cant thank you enough for that. As a mechanic myself Ill share that LinusTechTips sells the absolute best bit driver.

[@TechnikMeister2]

One thing I learned when racing was to solder all the connections.

[@brentlelliott]

I love it you use my favorite Snap-on pliers. Those things are amazing

[@stubbi]

What you just described in the beginning, Wes from WatchWesWork in his last video fitting called the "asymptote of despair" 😂Very fitting for any project

[@jeevespreston]

I am grateful to be alive at the same time as Craig and Dan, so I may learn from and laugh with them…. You guys are awesome!!!

[@crptdyth]

Your more then welcome to come help me with my 87 VT700c. Rebuilt cabs, fuel system, gas tank sealed, and running. Just master cylinder and slave cylinder to rebuild. Probably one of the first chameleon green to purple paint jobs and still looks good. 34k original miles. I need a Craig.

[@dxingo]

WAKE UP THE BEARDED MECHANIC UPLOADED‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@Arcane2207]

I don't know but maybe it's too much but I'm going to say it anyway, and what if every pair of videos or something you make a basic tutorial of how to fix or maintain the parts that were most owed on a motorcycle, just as you just had Make in this video with the carburetor. It would be wonderful to learn from those things you can teach as a mechanic, for those who do not know. thnkx. great content

[@jfv65]

I once had a car with a very similar problem. It would run fine but if the car sat over night it would have a dead battery. Turned out there was a broken diode inside the alternator diode bridge. If it wasn't charging/spinning it was draining the battery thru the alernator diode bridge while stationary/engine off.

[@russellflemister393]

had a 70 torino did the same thing best way to check that take generator belt off then put battery cable back on and see if generator turns like a motor older cars and trucks had gens not alternators

[@warrengarfield309]

Yep, diodes are there for an important reason.

[@kiwiingenuity1677]

Diodes only allow current to go in the one direction of battery- ( no back flow) otherwise they drain voltage from battery.

[@spatchist]

"Am I alone in thinking ?" Those rear reservoir shocks need turning around - reservoir to the rear , Eddie Lawson style.

[@jan22309]

it reminds me of my 1973 Honda. It sometimes just didn't want to start, it was dead. I pulled out the electric box (not sure what exactly it is called 😂), because i was able to narrow it down to that. I cleaned it and the connectors to it, and it is running every since. I was lucky, because i know nothing about bike mechanics...

[@drunkredninja]

those motogadget units are pretty awesome when they work

[@josh33025]

It always fun when fix one thing but create another one.

[@darcy4289]

Needle and seat check : carb off bike, upside down on bench, floats will close needle and seat. Now pump air into the main fuel in spigett until you have 5 pounds of pressure then let it sit for 5 minutes if there is 5 pounds then needle and seat are good. I use a vacume gauge ond a smsll bike pump. Cheers

[@franktrue308]

Hard starting when hot has been known to be a symptom of a coil that is going out.

[@bdub4107]

I love these investigations and covering maintenance and how to go through how engines and motorcycles run. The work you do and thoroughness is really good.

[@markm0000]

I don’t know much about bikes but he’s got a firebird so that’s cool.

[@samdorland5481]

I had the exact issue with one of my bikes. It would start from cold, and run fine. However, after a long-ish ride, when the bike was warm, it would not start. The starter would turn the motor slowly, but not fast enough to start. It sounded like low voltage. After the bike sat, and cooled, it would start again. Battery, charging system, starter motor were all fine. Problem: eventually found out it was the leads between the battery, starter solenoid and starter. They were being heated by their proximity to the engine. Resistance in copper wires increases with temperature, and when they were hot enough, the starter couldn't draw enough current to crank properly. Solution: thicker gauge wire between battery, starter solenoid and starter motor. Clean all grounding points. Consider wrapping all leads with temperature insulation tape (foil reflective type), and upgrading to a battery with greater CCA (lithium batteries are expensive but have good discharge). Diagnosis: warm the bike up to the point where the starter slows and it won't start. Then try jumping the bike with a car battery/jump pack. If it starts, it indicates it's the above problem. Also, if it restarts when cool, also indicates it's the above. Please help get this comment to the top

[@Codycreatesthings]

As a mechanic i know how dark and deep a rabbit hole can get, still hard to watch someone else going through it. But like rabbit holes there is many exits. Well done Craig.

[@derpysean1072]

Hey Greg, your videos made me decided to open up my bike for the 3rd time to poke around. And I managed to diagnose the problem with the starter relay. Tomorrow I will fit the new one in. Thanks.

[@user-wu5mv5hg2n]

Hey Graig! You’re an awesome mechanic!! I’m a heavy equipment technician, don’t forget PIE, voltage is only one part of the puzzle. We have issues with seeing 14v from the alternator but only getting miroamps of current. Keep up the great content! 🤘

[@StarChasershere]

Old starter motors have worn down brushes. Ace Hardware has 1/4" brushes that fit these starters. With a bit of solder.

[@marsmars9130]

Great watching, and seeing your channel GROW!!

[@brianbloom1799]

Feel The Voltage regulator, see If its Getting Hot, I had a Kawasaki 750 Had the same Problem it turned out to be the regulator, was intermitting.

[@nickvinten7803]

Interesting guy, the picture of our late, much loved queen on his garage wall was a surprise 😮

[@ChristopherHarper-tn2vh]

trust me i loved the queen mother as anyone i just like that print

[@ManuelPerez-ip4bb]

Look into the rectifier, it is shorting internally and boiling the battery.

[@murdoc6501]

Yuppers...Craig, electromagician wizrard! The wiring thing is so intimidating! Awed by anyone who can figure that spaghetti madness out! Testing the starter pointing at the jewels! Craig, your patience is admirable! A-and your knowledge of bikes is just plain amazing! Go Craig and Dan, keep moving forward!

[@ChrisArmstrong-qn1ob]

The content and his chat wonderful luv this series 😊

[@paulwilkinson6608]

The m unit will have a constant draw. It uses a Bluetooth interface for the immobiliser and alarm circuit

[@purple9969]

That bike sounds so nice for a 450, also the little wires out the side of the solenoid one is ground the other is the power wire from the relay. The top two are main power from battery then to starter. Solenoid is just a magnet so is relay. So you turn key , power goes to relay, little relay magnet activates touching internally and power goes from relay to solenoid side wire activating solenoid magnet to touch allowing power to go strait from battery to starter. Gremlins are they like to connect power to everything on battery wire connecting to solenoid, and the second side ground wire is normally routed through safety switches. Also in most cases those side wires in the solenoid can be swapped it doesnt matter which way they are hooked up as long as they don’t touch , but on most bikes it’s a connector unlike solenoids on say a lawn mower with tabs

[@iantaylor5558]

with an m unit.... rewire the bike from scratch.... not worth using old loom. the m units are excellent bits of kit

[@jessmale971]

I am truly inspired. I have bought two promising non-op bikes in hopes I can do what Craig does. A 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre VT1100C2 (Previous owner - just stopped working)and a 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak VN1600B… (Previous owner, it was running fine and then it just stopped working… salvaged. I wish Craig lived closer to me. Honda was seized and I got running but there is a ticking in the engine. Kawasaki… still need to go through the procedures.

[@erikteubler1214]

The M unit is perfect, but in general, you probably want to replace all the old wiring in order to avoid all kind of strange things. Greetings from the Netherlands!

[@fasfan]

That's a special throttle. Push forward to go forward... twist back to go backwards.

[@AbbStar1989]

I did work experience with a bike mechanic when I was in high school. The advice he gave me was to pursue a different avenue. Respect to all the bike mechanics out there. I got paid for the work though, so that was nice for a kid.

[@tobiahhowell]

Coming from someone who has a degree in electrical and works in a repair technician position, yes, intermittent issues are the absolute worst. I'm hunting down an issue with my Honda Civic where the Alternator just stops charging while I'm driving but works fine while idling. I have a cigarette lighter volt meter that shows me the battery voltage as I'm driving. I've replaced the battery and alternator and a few other things, but at thins point am about to replace the whole electrical system just to get it over with 😂. I'm actually thinking about building my own electric motorcycle, so I'll be neck deep in electrical troubleshooting for a while 😂 love the videos, and keep up the great work.

[@HardWire1.percenter]

I had one doing something similar and when the mechanic checked the stator the insulation on the wires coming off the stator were worn off or rotted off and occationally grounding on the case.. just a story if ya ever see a strange case of electrical issues something to check.

[@ReCheck_WotTheFluck]

Ahh maybe fixed or you just got to wait until the seat(compressing shorting wires, my guess) is back on and riding it. But for what the bike was it looks good. Done a good job. He better of cleaned the tank out or he's going to get very good at stripping carbs. Nice vid.

[@adamwelsh2463]

I chased down a few of these starting gremlins in my time. Starter solenoid, starter motor: sticky carbon brushes, worn commutator, degraded coatings on the armature, could be any individually, any in combination, or all of those. swapping out for a known good unit is a place to start, or opting for a new solenoid unit then trying new/reconditioned starter motor. A new battery masks the issue for a short period, just as normal operating temperature can exacerbate it.. Sticking old carbon brushes can be jolted with a hammer tap test once the starting problem reoccurs. Admire your tenacity. :-) I chased down an intermittent issue that turned out to be a solenoid plunger that was designed to rotate on a contact washer. It pitted the washer over time, as rotated intermittently the plunger forks would sit on the bad pitting every no and then and then operate normally at others. Replaced with a kit twice in 7 years high mileage use. Since motorbike solenoids are seperate units it makes sense to try a swap out/contact clean/earth strap clean at same time.

[@bigjoe4020]

This is the greatest community (biker that is) service I can think off. The shirt says it all, we all need a Craig to help out when things get tough.

[@MasonMan001]

This is so informative! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I’m looking for my first real motorcycle and my budget is keeping me in the fixer up territory (or the No title, “lost” the key territory) I’m sure your videos are helping save so many old bikes.

[@stig9782]

Absolutely love these vids, love all the inttigicity of the electrics, so fascinating 😀

[@bradpayne1265]

That was nice of you to rebuild Ed's Suzuki engine. Talk about good deeds.

[@adrianianelliott]

This is my luck in a video. Nice job for not giving up

[@orfen88]

Idk if you vet these guys before going to their house. Im sure you do, but man they all seem like really cool dudes. He seems chill and his PA accent is awesome. Reminds me of Bam Margera's long lost cousin or something. I am waiting for you to show up to a complete weirdo's house where he "Knows it all" and you rage quit. Probably not gonna happen, but at least then ill know you arent vetting the people you help. Also, as a fellow Craig I feel your pain being called Greg.

[@randycrume6340]

Craig, just got an xj650 maxim as my return to bikes after 20 years. Your help has been invaluable in getting it back up to snuff. Have less than $700 into the whole bike. Planning a 2400 mile road trip with it.

[@dukeoliver7587]

Looks like a Mitsuba starter. Great product, but tends to lose the little insulator around the power post. Ride-related vibration can cause the power post to short against the starter housing, especially if the starter is old enough for the materials (a shaped plastic washer and on some, an additional O-ring) to degrade and come apart. Or maybe I could wait till the end of the video and see how you fixed it...... Sorry; I get a lot of excitement from these "find the mystery problem" situations.