Help Reviving Honda 185S

[65TremecGT]

Hey all, well I got a free 185s in rough bought complete condition. I drained the oil and gas tank, cleaned up the carb, put a filter in line in case there is still crap in the gas tank and put a new plug in. I do not have a recoil starter on the bike right now, thats in a bag on the work bench in about 15 pieces. I pulled the air cleaner, and shot some starter fluid in the carb and rolled it down my driveway and attempted to pop start it. No dice, I figured I would be able to get some kind of response but it felt like the tires just lost traction. Any suggestions? I have a shop manual on the way as well, so I will prolly hold off and try to rebuild the recoil starter first.

Is there a way to test the CDI, and how does the CDI work? I see that there is one portion attatched to the cyl and one part to the frame. Thanks for all the help, I really want to get this thing running for some reason! I have a Raptor but would love to have the 185 to put around on. I figure if I can keep the investment under $250 I would be able to keep the wife happy since we really dont NEED another toy!

[dreadhed]

You can test the cdi with a om meter. If Im right the cdi gets a charge from the exciter coil then sends power to the coil(at the plug). I would get your pull start fixed then give it a compression test or put a air ratchet on the bolt in the center of where the starter catches the cage & give it a spin to check the compression. Here is a link to a site Deepa was nice enough to make (thank you)http://deepa.recongamer.com/. The 185 is not up there but you can look at one of the 200(not the X) & get a good idea what you doing. Hope this help.

[65TremecGT]

IT LIVES!

Well i got my recoil parts QUICK from Bike Bandit and threw it together no problem, that spring is a pain but about the 10th time I got it right! Pulled it 10 times gave it some starting fluid and it fired right up, blowing smoke for about 10 min. Seems to run pretty good, maybe a little rough. Im not sure what to compare it to, never had a 3 wheeler before. My raptor 660 is much smoother but its only 22 years newer! Drove it down the road but it didnt like going up hill, maybe not enough fuel flow, I put a fuel filter inline and I think it is obstructing the flow, will remove and try it out later. I cant tell you what a good time I was having with it! Now I need a gear shifter, a rear hub and re align the left foot peg among other things!

[danteross77]

Sounds to me you need to invest in a carb rebuild kit, No matter how clean those jets look, you will notice a difference with new ones. I would not worry about your cdi, I doubt there is any problem with it. I have heard from a member of this board that he(That Member) had been working on these bikes for 30 years and never seen a bad cdi. Also I beleive that if you do not test them with right equimpent you can screw them up so unless you are competant at using meters and such you might cause more problem than help. The lack of bottom end is you main jet. New jet and your up that hill. Good luck and have fun thats what it is all about!!! Also get your book out and check the valves and set the timing of you timing advane(End of Cam) with your crank shaft as per your manual. Make sure to check the position of your pulse generator to the timing advance rotor also and make sure you have the proper air gap, All of this is in your manual and is pretty easy to do line up the marks and go. Honda makes it pretty easy.

[65TremecGT]

As much of an American Muscle Car guy I am, I love Honda Quads and now 3 wheelers! This thing was sitting in a canyon for at least a year and all it needed was some tune up parts and a rebuilt recoil to get it moving under its own power! Not bad for a 25 year old bike! I will dig in the manual for further tuning soon! I wont mess with the CDI as it seems like its working fine, no problem with spark.

[danteross77]

As much of an American Muscle Car guy I am, I love Honda Quads and now 3 wheelers! This thing was sitting in a canyon for at least a year and all it needed was some tune up parts and a rebuilt recoil to get it moving under its own power! Not bad for a 25 year old bike! I will dig in the manual for further tuning soon! I wont mess with the CDI as it seems like its working fine, no problem with spark.
These Hondas are very durable, mine set up for over 15 years until I decided to get it back running, I even pulled one that literally had a tree growing through it behind a old guys barn. I had to remove the rear wheels to get it out, I did the same thing you did, Fired right up.

[Vealmonkey]

Don't forget to adjust your clutch. Even though it is automatic it still has clutch plates and a clutch and the clutch is activated when you shift the bike between gears. Your clutch could be slipping. The adjustment is on the right side of the engine case. You use a screwdriver and the proper wrench. You hold the slotted screw with the screwdriver and loosen up the nut. You turn the screw in-clockwise, gently till it bottoms out. Then back out the screw 1\4 turn. While still holding the screw with the screwdriver tighten the bolt back up and you should be in pretty good shape.