Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Just let some purple zep degreaser sit in it for a while, then flushed it with a garden hose. Honestly, the pipe is in amazing condition! There was a dirt dobber nest in the end. That popped out and it’s clear! Slapped it back on and rode a happy 30mph around the neighborhood. Onto bigger and better ...

Well, it runs! And surprisingly, nobody here has posted the answer. I'm currently banging my head against the wall. Here it is: the exhaust was clogged. What I'm assuming began as a carb issue, the PO turned into a clogged exhaust by leaving it outside, probably having something build a nest in ...

Reeds look mint, no gaps. Embarrassingly, stuck them in my mouth and blew. No air escaped.

I'll give the carb another look through tonight, blow it out and check everything religiously. Also, I'll be gentle with the kicker. I've seen no SB50 starts for sale for under $100, so if anyone has one on here, I'm EXTREMELY interested.

A pic, for anyone interested:

Got some new spark plugs in today, so I swapped one in, and gave it a solid 30 kicks. Nothing.max 2-3 blips after the kick, but never tried to start really. It's sparking, and it's getting gas. What else could it be?

Updates! I pulled the flywheel, all looks well back there. Cleaned it up, and put if back together. After all of this, we I kicked it hard, and it tried to start! More blurbing, then nothing. This was with the throttle significantly opened. Couldn’t get it to do it again. No starter fluid ...

Just ordered the flywheel puller, will update when I can get it off. Any other things I can check while that's on the way?

Updates: still working on it. Inspected the reeds, they look brand new. Engine only has 600 miles on it, so thats to be expected. First fix was to reseat the left crankshaft seal, which had popped out of place, no doubt causing lack of crankcase vacuum to pull fuel/air in. So, that's been fixed ...

Here I am with another no-starter. I've gone over the usual, but no luck. Here's where I'm at, and what I've tested.

Bike: 1988 Honda Elite E SB50

Compression: 105 PSI with cheap HF long-rubber-hose tester. Usually undertests, but still, should start with this.
Spark: Yes. Plug has been cleaned ...