Who doesn’t love a good restoration video? It doesn’t matter if it’s an old motorcycle, car, jetski, or quad—all powersports machines deserve a little TLC. Even better still, we as viewers can learn a thing or two when it’s our turn to take on our own restoration projects.
What we have here today is a 1998 Honda 300EX that’s been suffering from a little issue for quite some time now. It was picked up by Joe Weber, a mechanic and owner of YouTube channel 2vintage. According to the previous owner, they did everything they possibly could, but the quad just didn’t have spark. In fact, the quad went through two previous owners who pretty much gave up on fixing it up.
However, given Joe’s extensive mechanical background, it was clear that he was more than up for the task.
Spark issue notwithstanding, the 300EX was in pretty good shape. It had a bunch of aftermarket goodies on it like upgraded fairings, new wheels and tires, and aftermarket nerf bars and bumpers. So assuming Joe could get it up and running again, well he was in for a good deal, especially considering that he picked it up for just a thousand bucks.
Joe went to work disassembling the quad and running a bunch of tests on the quad’s electronics. As someone who’s easily intimidated by a mess of wires of different colors, I found myself pausing and rewinding the video on multiple occasions just to follow along with Joe’s work. The ignition, as well as all the other electricals were working fine, and the engine even cranked, but simply wouldn’t turn over.
After his initial tests, Joe dug a bit deeper, testing for ground and continuity. He came across a plug with a bent pin, but upon fixing that, there was still no spark. He had no choice but to dig even deeper, going into the crankcase and taking the stator apart. It was discovered that a wire in the stator assembly was broken. And so Joe soldered it up and tested it.
But still, no spark.
Up next, the CDI was checked, tested, and even replaced, but still nothing. Joe, however, was almost sure that the issue was still with the CDI. And so, in a separate video, he explained that an AC CDI was installed on the quad, when a DC CDI was what the quad needed. Joe purchased a new DC CDI on Amazon, plugged it in, and checked for spark.
The result?
Success—there was spark and the quad was finally ready to fire up for the first time in who knows how long. After a few refinements, the 300EX roared to life, and seemed to be running really well. It even idled smoothly, but was just a tiny bit smoky, presumably from how long it was left sitting.
When it comes to fixing all sorts of things—bikes, cars, and other machines, it’s important to have a very systematic and efficient approach. Joe’s Honda 300EX repair is a masterclass of this. He starts from the simplest of solutions, and if that doesn’t work, digs in a bit deeper until the root cause of the problem is found.
It’s said that the biggest problems require the simplest solutions. When that’s the case, it usually means it’s a quick fix. But in the case of this Honda 300EX, the problem turned out to be much deeper than expected. Luckily, Joe has the skills to pay the bills, and the 300EX is ready to braap into the sunset.
