bike still won't run, and I'm going nuts... HELP!

This is going to sound really lame, I know, but I'll ask it anyway: Have you checked your kill switch?

I ask because I had a faulty kill switch that drove me nuts till I realized what the problem was.

I thought about it, but besides visually LOOKING at it, I didn't know what to look for... it would be me, scratching my head saying "umm... it's a kill switch"
 
Remove the plug and ground it to the engine, then turn the engine over to see if you are getting spark. If so, it is a fuel problem.

I don't know how to go about doing this, so I'm going to guess: remove the plug from the cylinder but leave it connected to the plug wire, touch the bottom of the plug to something steel, and crank away? The frame is actually aluminum, but there are steel bits on it.
 
I don't know how to go about doing this, so I'm going to guess: remove the plug from the cylinder but leave it connected to the plug wire, touch the bottom of the plug to something steel, and crank away? The frame is actually aluminum, but there are steel bits on it.
Aluminum will ground it just as well. Some advice - don't hold the plug in your hand - best is a pair of insulated handle pliers, or a heavy rubber glove. You really don't want that spark grounding through you. In my experience it works fine to lay the plug on the head with the gap in plain sight and the threaded portion in good contact with a cooling fin.
 
Aluminum will ground it just as well. Some advice - don't hold the plug in your hand - best is a pair of insulated handle pliers, or a heavy rubber glove. You really don't want that spark grounding through you. In my experience it works fine to lay the plug on the head with the gap in plain sight and the threaded portion in good contact with a cooling fin.

does it matter that my engine is painted? or does that not insulate enough to affect its ability to ground?
 
How about a cylinder head bolt, are yours painted too?
If push comes to shove, you can wrap a piece of bare wire around the metal portion of the spark plug a few times and ground the other end of the wire under the head of a side cover screw.
 
How about a cylinder head bolt, are yours painted too?
If push comes to shove, you can wrap a piece of bare wire around the metal portion of the spark plug a few times and ground the other end of the wire under the head of a side cover screw.

the bolts are not painted, I replaced them all when one of them broke.

as I was reading some other posts... maybe I'm not pedaling enough and THAT is what is keeping it from starting after all the other work I've done. If that is it, then I'll feel dumb. But even so, all the other work I've done needed to happen anyway.

Unfortunately I am in way too much pain to go try it out any more today, so it's gonna have to wait until tomorrow.
 
I pedal about a block and a half down a slight decline, BTW... not just a couple turns of the crank. I get it going as fast as I can with just pedal power, pop the clutch, and sometimes keep pedaling after giving it some gas. Sometimes it sounds like its trying to fire, sometimes not. I've tried it choke closed, open, and half. I've got the idle screw all the way in.

It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow, so I'm hoping I have more energy to PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL
 
Without reading through every post I'll start out from both scratch and basic. Testing steps up to you. Don't know what you have covered but my advise is to start from scratch.

Electrical....Compression....Fuel/Air....Exhaust

Timing... Remove the magneto cover. Remove spark plug. Rotate engine so the piston is at TDC. This can be checked by inserting something like a small screwdriver into the spark plug hole. Don't let the piston jam the tool. Look at the magnet/magneto. The magnet cut a ways need to be at 12:00 and 6:00 precisely. If not replace the magnet key. NEXT
Wire... Check wires making sure none are broken off from coil terminals. NEXT
Current..Isolate wires from coil from ANYTHING else on the bike. Using a test light, check to see if the coil is producing. A store bought or a home made test light will be fine.

How to make a very inexpensive test light. Buy a instrument cluster bulb. Bend both contact tabs down. Tabs will look like a loop of a paperclip. Find some very thin wire. A 22ga would be good. Wire from old ear buds, or old computer speakers works great. On one end split the two wires and strip the insulation off (enough to insert in loop and twist), twist wires. Insert one end into "A" and the other end into "B", twist each and tape if you like. On the other end split wire apart about a foot, and strip insulation back about 1" or so. Now you have a $0.50 test light.
Connect one wire from light to the black wire and the other to the blue wire, which one where makes no difference, white is not used and tape off. Place bulb where it will be easily seen while peddling (tape to tube if needed). Peddle to speed release clutch and look at bulb. If the coil is putting out the light will light up. No light replace coil. This test works great at night. NEXT
CDI Connect coil/magneto wires back up to the CDI. Make sure HIGH VOLTAGE plug wire is inserted into the CDI correctly. Get a length of wire, from a old extension/lamp cord is fine. Strip insulation from one end, enough to wrap around the spark plug base (just below the hex) a few times. If any left over twist around itself like a bread tie, and wrap with tape to secure wire. Insert plug into plug cap. Tape plug to tube in a manner you can see fire at the electrode. Remove a cover (clutch, main gear, coil/magneto cover) screw, and strip and wrap remaining end under screw and tighten. Peddle, release clutch and look for a strong spark. Weak spark can cause non start.
 
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