75’ CB200T (new owner trying to troubleshoot)

Sidthekid99

New Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2026
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Location
Toronto
Howdy,

This is my first post, minus my introduction, so please bare with me as I learn the ropes.

I just picked up a 1975 Honda cb200t yesterday, and have a small issue I need to troubleshoot.

After transporting my bike 6 hours in the bed of a pick up back to the city last night, I started her a couple times to show the family, and put her to rest for the evening.

This morning, as I woke up like a kid on Christmas, I went out and took her for a spin just up and down the neighbouring streets. Then parked behind the house and went in to make some lunch.

I’ll note that I was able to use both the electric start and the kick start this morning as was I last night, and that all the electrical were working (headlight, break light/tail light, turn signals, neutral indicator)

Now…. After returning from my lunch break to continue playing around with my new (to me) machine. I found that upon turning the key, nothing lit up…. Tried the electric start, no bueno. Tried the kick start, nada.

After briefly looking into the issue online, all signs pointed to a flat battery. So I had a think, and realized that I had likely left the key turned to park instead of off. Rookie mistake. I find it hard to believe that I did so overnight, as I think I would have noticed the tail light on, before I covered her up and went inside for the night, but it’s possible I just didn’t notice as the sequence between parking, removing the key, and covering up the bike was rather swift.

What does seem very very likely is that I left the key turned to park before I went in for lunch, and perhaps every other time this morning that I parked, walked away for a bit, came back and road for another stretch, and so on.

I did try very effortfully to bump start her, and was only able to get her to start and “run” for a few second before cutting out.

Another brief Google search and a quick call with the previous owner I just picked the bike up from yesterday, has lead me to believe that the battery is indeed flat, and that the cause is likely my leaving the key turned to park instead of off.

So I’ve removed the battery and walked it up the street to the nearest mechanic for a charge.

I’m hoping this is all that’s going on, and that it’s not a more significant problem…..

I’ll certainly never make the mistake of turning the key clockwise from on again
 
No biggie. You can probably pick up a cheap battery charger at Canadian Tire (if they have those in Toronto) or an equivalent store. This is a problem you'd like to be able to solve at home and for free.

Just make sure that you get one capable of charging a drained battery. Some battery tenders will detect low voltage (say, below 11V) and reject the battery as defective.
 
Last edited:
stl360+450 said:
No biggie. You can probably pick up a cheap battery charger at Canadian Tire (if they have those in Toronto) or an equivalent store. This is a problem you'd like to be able to solve at home and for free.

Just make sure that you get one capable of charging a drained battery. Some battery tenders will detect low voltage (say, below 11V) and reject the battery as defective.
Click to expand...
Yes that’s the plan, I’ll either get one new or browse marketplace for a used one. Thanks so much, you probably saved me thinking my battery was defective
 
The biggest obstacle I’m going to be facing is that other than my Honda, my only other mode of transport is my bicycle, a Maranoni track special (for anyone into bicycles), so transporting something like a battery charger could be tedious
 
As soon as you get that battery installed, you’re going to want to do a few checks before you go any further:

1. Check the charging voltage. These bikes have notoriously weak systems that are built more for high rpm charging - and those components are 50 years old. This is done with a voltmeter on the battery terminals at around 4K rpm. You want as close to 14v as possible there.

2. Charge the oil and clean the filter cup. If you want reliability, your oil is the lifeblood of this engine - I wouldn’t take mother Teresa’s word for it, I’d just smile and charge the oil.

3. Check the plugs, caps and fuse. Plugs to see what color they are to get an idea of fuel mix. Caps to rule out potential ignition gremlins.

4. Go through the FSM and work your way through all the maintenance checks. Adjust cables, lube, chain tension and sprocket wear.

With this being your sole mode of transport, you want reliability and that era of bikes can certainly deliver that, but it will take a lot of preventative maintenance. If you don’t already have a copy of the manual, ping @ancientdad and he can send you a link to one from the library.
 
EzPete said:
As soon as you get that battery installed, you’re going to want to do a few checks before you go any further:

1. Check the charging voltage. These bikes have notoriously weak systems that are built more for high rpm charging - and those components are 50 years old. This is done with a voltmeter on the battery terminals at around 4K rpm. You want as close to 14v as possible there.

2. Charge the oil and clean the filter cup. If you want reliability, your oil is the lifeblood of this engine - I wouldn’t take mother Teresa’s word for it, I’d just smile and charge the oil.

3. Check the plugs, caps and fuse. Plugs to see what color they are to get an idea of fuel mix. Caps to rule out potential ignition gremlins.

4. Go through the FSM and work your way through all the maintenance checks. Adjust cables, lube, chain tension and sprocket wear.

With this being your sole mode of transport, you want reliability and that era of bikes can certainly deliver that, but it will take a lot of preventative maintenance. If you don’t already have a copy of the manual, ping @ancientdad and he can send you a link to one from the library.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up. I am only seeing this now, about 24 hours later… so I’ll admit that I have already ridden the bike since reinstalling the battery. However I will now go through the list you’ve helpfully provided and do the checks pronto. I was lucky to get a copy of the full service manual with the bike, as well as the owners manual, so I’ll go through that as well. I’ve flipped through it but this time I’ll throughly read the sections pertaining to maintence
 
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