Okay folks, today I finally tackled this quirky little Honda Motocompo I picked up cheap last month. It’s a cool 1981 piece of history, runs like… well, it barely ran when I got it. Figured I’d share the messy process I went through trying to unfreeze this time capsule on wheels.
Getting Started & The Obvious Stuff
First things first, I wheeled it into the garage. Thing had been sitting in a barn for ages, covered in dust and smelling faintly of old oil. I knew it probably hated me for disturbing its slumber.
- Visual Check: Just poked around. Looked for leaks, cracks in hoses, anything obviously broken or disconnected. Found some crusty wiring, which I kinda expected.
- Kicking the Tires (Figuratively): Grabbed the kickstarter. Stiff as a board. Felt like pushing against concrete. Big clue right there that things were probably gummed up internally.
- The Fuel Situation: Opened the tank cap. Smelled… wrong. Like stale varnish. Definitely old gas. Poured it all out – nasty brown sludge. First mission: fresh fuel.
Diving Deeper: The Usual Suspects
Alright, fresh gas went in. Tried kicking again. Still nothing. Not even a cough. Fine. Time to get my hands properly dirty.
The Carb Nightmare: This is almost always the problem on these old-timers. Pulled the air cleaner off. Undid the bolts holding the tiny carb on. Yeah, inside was yuck city. Old fuel turned into sticky varnish, clogging every little hole and passageway in that carb body. Took it completely apart. Every single jet, screw, float bowl component – soaked it all in carb cleaner overnight. Scrubbed with a toothbrush (my wife’s gonna kill me). Blew compressed air through every passage. Reassembled it, fingers crossed.
Spark Check: While the carb was drying, I popped the spark plug out. Plug looked old and sad, covered in carbon. Hooked it up to the plug wire, grounded it against the engine, and kicked. Barely saw a weak, yellow spark. Weak spark = weak chance of running. Swapped it for a new plug – instant strong, blue spark when I kicked it. That felt good!
The “Oh Yeah, That Too” Moment
Carb cleaned, spark plug bright and new. Kicked it again. Got a hesitant cough this time! Progress! But still no start. Felt a moment of despair. Then remembered: The Points! Forgot these old beasts have points ignition under the flywheel. Pulled the flywheel cover off (those bolts were tight!). Sure enough, points looked crusty and the gap? Who knows? Cleaned the contact points with a points file I have lying around, set the gap to what the manual suggested with a feeler gauge. That little boxy ignition module nearby? Wiggled all the wires going to it. One felt loose, so I pushed the connector back on properly.
Moment of Truth
Put the flywheel cover back on, leaving it slightly loose in case I needed more tinkering. Primed the carb a tiny bit. One firm kick. It sputtered… chugged… coughed… and then BAM! The little engine roared to life! Sounded rough and smoky at first (old oil burning off?), but it was RUNNING! Held the throttle gently, let it warm up. The idle was all over the place, so I slowly adjusted the idle screw until it settled into a steady rhythm. Big grin time!
So What Went Wrong?
Honestly, it was death by a thousand cuts from sitting too long:
- Ancient gas turned to varnish clogged the carb completely.
- The old spark plug was barely sparking.
- Dirty points messing with the spark timing.
- Probably a loose connection on the ignition box didn’t help.
Took the thing for a shaky spin around the block once warm. Needs brakes checked next – that’s tomorrow’s adventure. Old bikes are puzzles, man. But hearing that little engine buzz again? Totally worth the greasy fingernails and carb cleaner fumes! If yours won’t start, don’t overthink it. Start simple: gas, spark, air. Usually gummed up points or carb in my experience.
