Obvious stuff - have the run/stop switch in the run position? Have you turned your fuel petcock on? (down is on, middle is off, up is reserve) Gas in the tank? Gauges lit up at this point? How long were you cranking on it to kill a battery? a freshly charged batt should crank the bike for a while, unless it's really fighting some resistance. Try push-starting? (Have a friend push).

sounds like you're taking about the breather hose - bout 1" diameter? It attaches to the bottom of the airbox.

Can't find neutral? since you said this is your first-ever MC, I'm going to go ahead and say it, cause I didn't know at first either - but motorcycles don't shift like ATV's. The shift pattern is 1-N-2-3-4-5-6. From neutral - you press down once - that drops you to 1st. From there up-clicks take you into 2-3-4-5-6. To get back into neutral you have a half-click up from 1st, or a half-click down from 2nd. It can be a bit tricky to get into at times. also - sometimes you have to roll the bike a hair to get it to find a gear while you're stopped. Do you ever see the neutral light illuminate while you're shifting - even if for a split second? I see mine blink when riding on the 1-2 shift up and down as I pass Neutral. I attached the pic from the manual.

The manual states: When installing (linkage), align the punch marks on the gearshift pedal link (part #2 in the diagram) and the gearshift spindle.

you can see mine here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrenal...7624127139543/

Speaking of....sounds like you need a manual - you can download the Honda service manual here: http://www.stephygee.com/F2manual.zip

I like the Clymer manual better - lots more detail and pics - but if you don't have anything - the free one is not too shabby.