Honda two-stroke cuts out. [was: Engine cuts out]

[clueless joe]

I just changed out my spark plug and now as I'm riding, the engine seems to cut out for a few seconds and then kicks in again and it continues that way all the way to my destination. It never dies on me but the rides a bit rough. Any suggestions? You know you guys are my new best friend because as the name suggests, I'm clueless to this stuff. Thanks

 

[Al.Fisherman]

I just changed out my spark plug and now as I'm riding, the engine seems to cut out for a few seconds and then kicks in again and it continues that way all the way to my destination. It never dies on me but the rides a bit rough. Any suggestions? You know you guys are my new best friend because as the name suggests, I'm clueless to this stuff. Thanks

Go back to the original plug and test to see if the problem is cured. If not then the coil/cdi/ground problem might be it. The electrical systems on these engines are so simple.

 

[clueless joe]

follow-up

Al, thanks for the suggestion, but that's why I changed out the plug in the first place. The new plug was fine at first, but after about 15 minutes, started exhibiting the same problem as the old one. So now as to the coil\cdi-thingy, how do I check that? Sorry to be so dumb, but the good thing is I can still learn new things. Thanks for your patience.

 

[Al.Fisherman]

Here is the problem..first I keep on hand a spare CDI and Coil...they are about $10.00 each. When you have interment electrical problems its hard to tell which one is the problem. Could be your kill switch..disconect it and ride. Besides on a long trip a spare coil/cdi is nice to carry as they are light. I had a CDI go out within 3 days of building bike. Hence the red vendor in my signature

15 minutes..maybe the spark not hot enough to fire through oil coated plug...plug color/picture????
By the way, not to get on you, but when describing a problem you need to tell the whole story..ie that is why you changed the plug in the first place.... "I just changed out my spark plug and now as I'm riding"

 

[AussieSteve]

What Al said, plus check that your wiring connections are tight and that you have good fuel flow.
And which engine? This thread might have been better in 2-Stroke Engines or 4-Stroke Engines.

... Steve

 

[clueless joe]

Thanks for the input. In the future I will try to be more explicit. My bike has a honda 2-stroke engine 68.9 cc I believe. It was built for me by a young man at our church, but he's so busy with school and work to really mess with me and that's when I found you guys. The bike is used basically as transportation to work as I'm only 3 miles away and we only have one car and my wife needs that so...Anyway I guess I should have used this as my introduce yourself, but I was so anxious to get the answers I needed, that I guess I tried to cut corners. As I said though I can learn.

 

[retromike3]

are you sparken?

One thing you might check is if you have a decent spark.

Step 1 remove spark plug
step 2 place connected spark plug on head or grounded surface.
step 3 lift rear wheel
step 4 engage cluch
step 5 give bike a good stroke on pedal.
step 6 look at plug and see how well it sparks

For me I started with the plug. I got a new one and gaped it to .026 then I sanded the gap[ with 600 grit sandpaper. Later I got a new shielded plug wire(to keep my speedometer from frying). I got a new CDI(not because it failed but because I damaged it when I moved my stuff over to a new frame.)Finally I replaced my kill switch and throttle because it seemed to be shorting. It's been running like clockwork for about six months now.

grand total spent about forty five dollars. Luckily were not fixing Ferraris.

Mike Frye the bike guy

 

[AussieSteve]

Joe, we were assuming that you had a Chinese 2-stroke. A Honda, you're lucky.
Where is the engine mounted and what sort of drive train does it have? Chain, friction roller, belt etc.
How is it started? ie. Clutch-start, pull-start, kick-start.

As Al said, the plug could be oiling up. What colour is it?
It sounds like your problem might lie in that area.

You're not leaving the choke on?

... Steve

 

[motorpsycho]

if the cdi or mag. are bad, it more than likely would not be an intermittent problem. normally a cdi / mag. either works or it doesn't.
I would check the spark plug wire, or just replace it.
or, a power wire to the cdi could be grounding out against the frame.

 

[loquin]

Do you have a remote kill switch installed?

(BTW - moved the thread to the correct forum, and edited the title to be more descriptive...)​