Noobercycle

Hi all, I'm trying to get my 1978 DT175 started. I finally got the tank cleaned out and filled it with gas and now I'm trying to start the sucker with the kickstarter. I pulled the choke and verified the fuel line was open and not clogged. I kicked the hell out of it to no avail. It actually did make a brief putter (.5 seconds) like it was starting up but then quickly died. The bike has been sitting for a year is what the previous owner told me. The fuel lines aren't clogged, the clutch appears to be operating smoothly, which makes me think it may be that my spark plug isn't firing. I checked the plug and the connection to it and they both appear clean, so now I'm stumped. I don't have an ignition coil because the previous owner took it off along with the airbox, taillight, turn signals, and relays so he could use the bike soley for offroad use...so he has presumably been riding it without the ignition coil. I know the CDI is supposed to transform the voltage to very high so the current can jump the spark plug gap but where does that electricity come from? If I only have the CDI is it recieving electricity from the magneto as I turn the engine over when I kickstart even if there is no iginition coil or battery to feed the ignition coil? Is that how the first spark is generated that fires the piston upon startup? I'm trying to figure out what I need to buy or if I should just take the bike in to a shop (only problem with this is that the shops are too far away and I can't get the bike there because it won't start...so frustrating). I hope somebody can help...school's four days away and I need my ride to work!

Hi all, I'm trying to get my 1978 DT175 started. I finally got the tank cleaned out and filled it with gas and now I'm trying to start the sucker with the kickstarter. I pulled the choke and verified the fuel line was open and not clogged. I kicked the hell out of it to no avail. It actually did make a brief putter (.5 seconds) like it was starting up but then quickly died. The bike has been sitting for a year is what the previous owner told me. The fuel lines aren't clogged, the clutch appears to be operating smoothly, which makes me think it may be that my spark plug isn't firing. I checked the plug and the connection to it and they both appear clean, so now I'm stumped. I don't have an ignition coil because the previous owner took it off along with the airbox, taillight, turn signals, and relays so he could use the bike soley for offroad use...so he has presumably been riding it without the ignition coil. I know the CDI is supposed to transform the voltage to very high so the current can jump the spark plug gap but where does that electricity come from? If I only have the CDI is it recieving electricity from the magneto as I turn the engine over when I kickstart even if there is no iginition coil or battery to feed the ignition coil? Is that how the first spark is generated that fires the piston upon startup? I'm trying to figure out what I need to buy or if I should just take the bike in to a shop (only problem with this is that the shops are too far away and I can't get the bike there because it won't start...so frustrating). I hope somebody can help...school's four days away and I need my ride to work!

Hey everyone, My name is Nick, I'm 21 and I've been riding for 17 years (my bicycle that is ). I have been wanting a motorcycle for a loooooong time and now that I'm out from under the watchful eye of my mother and father, I have purchased my first. It's a 1978 Yamaha DT175, pretty much not my dream ride but a cheap bike for me to learn on. My question is a legal one, if anybody is knowledgable on that subject. I live in California. I asked a motorcycle enthusiast accquaintance if he could locate a few parts for me. I need a couple of mirrors, a brake light, brake light relay, turn signal relay, ignition switch, and battery in order for me to satisfy the motorcycle legal code. I told him the make/model/year of my bike and he asked if it was a 2-stroke. I told him it was and he asked me if it had plates. I told him that I needed the parts so I could ride the bike to the DMV (got my temporary operator permit when I passed my permit test) and get it titled, registered, and plated. He told me that if a 2-stroke was not plated by a certain year (2001? rough estimate) it wouldn't be allowed to be plated for on-highway use. Of course, my heart sank and I've been doing research on this matter since. I called the DMV and spoke to some woman who had no idea what I was talking about (didn't know 2 from 4 stroke) so now I'm here, asking for your help because motorcyclists are probably more knowledgeable on bikes than a DMV phone jockey. Anyways, I'd appreciate some insight on my problem...school's starting soon and I'm not riding my bicycle all those miles any longer if I can help it.