Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

Okay, I just bought a 1987 Spree from a fella who said the problem was in the kickstart. I have terribly limited mechanical experience, but I know enough to know that the kickstart is working just fine. I put in a new battery just in case to see if the electric start was working, but nothing- no noise, no lights, no response whatsoever. Any ideas? A friend suggested new spark plugs- is he on the right track? If so, how many/what model #/what gap should they (it?) be? Thanks! -Emily

Your friend is * nuts. There is a fuse right on the small wire on the positive side of the battery.

There is one spark plug, its a good idea to replace it(even the best mechanics are fooled by a bad spark plug form time to time) but it has nothing to do with your electrical problem.

For Cold Temperatures(I dont recommend this as I have ran my spree in 0 degree weather fine with the extended riding size): BPR4HSA
For Normal Riding: BPR6HSA
For Extended Riding(country roads, long periods of full throttle top speed riding): BPR8HSA

Okay, sounds good...

Upon inspection, there just isn't a fuse in that little red wire- there is, however, a break that was neatly wound back together...Perhaps a former owner had the fuse go and just cut it out? If so, what does that mean for me, as far as fixing it? *cringes at what this might cost*

Also, on the right side, there is a yellow wire with some plastic covered thing (fuse, maybe?) in the middle of it. The inside of the plastic is all orange and burnt-looking, whereas the other little plastic-covered things on the bike are relatively clear. Should I try the old cut-it-out-and-wind-the-ends-together on it? Or is there a name for this thing and place I can purchase a new one? Thanks again! -Emily

Greetings:

Go to your local autoparts store. You know, on the Bad Side of Town. Usually there's a high-school-age dude behind the counter who's only part time. Avoid him.

Look for the old wrinkly guy smoking a cigarette. Tell him about your problem and ask for a fuse holder. While you're at it ask about the best way to install this inline splice job. Insulated crimp connectors with shrink tubing work fine.

Some people believe in soldering connections. Those people are wrong. (Heat inures the copper strands and they then break...)

With crimping pliers a little box of connectors, and the fuse that goes in the holder, total cost so far should be around $30. Less if you get your pliers at Harbor Freight. Maybe get it all there?

Do NOT eliminate the fuse. If there is a major problem downstream from it, doing this causes things to catch on fire. I sadly suspect this may be the case, and the Previous Owner thought he'd be smart and eliminate the pesky fuse. Thus the burnt-out thingie.

Without pics or firsthand info, it's hard to say what the problem might be. Get a couple of fuses. If the first one burns out immediately, further diagnostics will be necessary. Therein lies more expense if you can't/don't know anyone with electrical systems expertise.

*Raises hand* What kind of fuse? Like, do I need a number to tell Mr. Wrinkly-Old-Lung-Cancer? Or are fuses one-size-fits-all?

And am I putting the same thing in both the fuse-less void and burnt-out-orange-spot? Thanks. -Emily

Greetings:

Fuses come in a VERY wide variety of amp ratings. I'm sorry I don't know what your bike requires, but look in the Technical Documents section for the Service Manual for your model. You may be able to identify what goes where and the spec for the fuse you need. The old style is still available, but you may find some plastic-type fuses and holders that will do the same job and for which it'll be easier to find replacements.

I would upgrade from the old glass tube fuses to the newer blade style fuses. Spree is 7.5 amps IIRC.

Crud. I just popped in some new blade fuses, and still nothing. Like, absolutely no response whatsoever, no lights, horn, etc...Next plan of attack? Is this a spark plug matter, or would I at least have lights if the spark plug was bad? Or, is this the time to label it a 'project' and pawn it off on Craigslist? Thanks again for the help! -Emily

The spark plug has NOTHING to do with this. New plan of attack is to whip out the multimeter.

just a stupid Q here have you tried to start this gem with the back brake applied because the wont do anything until you apply the brake and then try to start.

Yes, I actually just learned that about the brake yesterday, but I did indeed use the brake when attempting to start.

What is a multimeter, what does it do, how expensive is one, and where do you apply it? Oh, do forgive my simplicity of mind...-Emily

You are going to need a decent amount of electrical knowledge to figure this one out.