Hi all, im just wondering if anyone can help me shed any light on a problem with my 1993 cb400 Superfour, the standard model (F3 as far as i know)
Iv had it laid up for quite a while but still kept starting it and ticking over every now and then, this weekend i got it out with intention of finally getting it back on the road (financial misery etc has stopped me all throughout summer ) anyway, i came to start it, for a few times on previous occasions the solenoid has clicked and did again this time,( could usually overcome this by bump starting), i tried a spare one i had but still the same...i tapped the starter motor and it wazzed over so maybe the starter is sticking a bit...it fired up anyway so i left it ticking over, the engine was sweet, shut it off and then fired it up a few times more, everything seemed fine.

Now i never touched anything and a short while later after a cup of tea i tried to start it again, just for piece of mind before putting it away...low and behold it wouldn't have it, it was turning over no problem but just would not fire so i took out 2 plugs to check the spark and there was no spark but fuel on the plugs, id recently fitted a new gear sensor switch which seemed to be working, maybe id disturbed something!, so confused i checked the fuses, waddled a few wires, tore a few more hairs out but still no spark...i did now notice though that when the clutch is out, it will still turn over, which according to the safety features they are supposed to have...they shouldnt turn over when the clutch is out, also it turns over when the side stand is down, which it never has before,it is supposed to cut out when the stand is down and did do before...on the clocks the light is on showing the stand down but it still turns over...minus a spark at the plugs.
I have thought it maybe the generator but because of the now none existent safety cut outs im a bit more puzzled.

any help as to what it could be would be appreciated.

Gaz

wierd, thought it only cut out with stand down if u put it in gear :O

Thanks for your reply Meno, well it gets stranger.. yesterday i went out to check it out what you said about it still turning over when in neutral with clutch out but cutting out when in gear, so i tried it again, sure enough it does not turn over in gear and when the stand goes down in gear, but does in neutral... so perhaps that was me just being dumb! but im sure it was turning over the other day when in gear etc.
I had fitted a new (used) gear sensor as the original gear sensor had never worked properly, so id sort of got used to needing to pull the clutch in when in neutral anway.

It still wasn't sparking though, so i coupled up the original gear sensor and after a few presses on the start button..the spark came back but very weak, i did however manage to get the bike running again, i plugged the new gear sensor back in and it fired up again.

It does seem to take quite a bit of starting though, like it is an intermittant fault, it sparks when it feels like it! so im not fully confident that it is sorted, more head scratching entails!