1985 Honda CB700SC Nighthawk S Repair Questions

[rpikulski8]

Hi,

I'd appreciate anyone who can offer an opinion on the following repair.

About 4 years ago, my Nighthawk died on the road. I heard a loud pop that came from the lower left side of the engine. The bike slowly died and came to a stop. It would crank but not stop. Troubleshooting from the shop manual led me to the pulse generator as the culprit. I eventually bought a new one but was delayed in making the repair. Actually, about 3 years because I was in my 50s, lazy and had my truck.

Anyway, I bought a Shadow Spirit last year and needed to fix the Nighthawk and sell it.

I replaced the pulse generator and the bike still wouldn't start. Obviously, I had to clean my gas tank and carbs which I did. While removing the carbs, I had to remove the regulator and noticed that the pointy edge of the regulator was rubbing against the clutch cable and there was a hole in the clutch cable where the cable becomes a hose going into the crankcase.

Hmmm?? Could this have been the loud pop I heard? Could the rubbing have weakened the hose and the pressure caused the hose to pop? Anyway, I repaired the hole, cleaned the carbs and fuel system, put everything back together and with the choke on, the bike started up immediately and was running great for the first time in 3 years.

So, was it the pulse generator, the mysterious hole in the clutch hose or both combined. I'm trying to satisfy my curiosity even though I fixed the bike and sold it.

None of the troubleshooting decision charts mentioned anything about the clutch cable/hose as an issue. yet, it seems too coincidental to find the hole in the hose right around where I heard the pop before it died.

Sorry for the long winded explanation but this might help someone else who encounters what I did.

Thanks for listening and I look forward to your repsonses.

Rich