HELP! I can't see SHIT!

Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

Yo

Been out on my CG125 tonight in the pitch black/rain testing out some new gloves and my Foggy mask.

I had to go down some country lanes, where there were no street lights for miles, it was quite a scary experience when it came to negotiating the corners, because every time I go for the brakes, the engine revs drop and the headlight becomes totally useless!

The headlight is pretty shitty even when the engine is at high revs, but as soon as you back off the throttle and hit the brakes it becomes almost completely useless.

Is this common of all CG's, or is my battery on its last legs? its an 02 plate with 10k on it. Is the charging circuit weak maybe?

What are my options when it comes to upgrading the headlight, and even once its upgraded, will it still be useless when I hit the brakes/back off the gas?

Con Thumbs Down

Andy C · Tree Seeking Missile Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Karma :

you think thats bad i do country lanes a nigh 3-4 times a week! tonigh i hit leaves and back on came out big time! was really scary, ive got a RS so cant help with headlight but my headlight is really bad, had to see anything even on full beam
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

Irezumi aka Reuben · Carrot Top Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Karma :

Pah!

Mine pretty much turns off when not touching the thorttle. Learn to be an idiot and ride without knowing where your going. It's not that hard! Laughing

Edit: Mine's a Suzuki GP125 though.
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Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

Yeah I don't even bother with dipped beam, it doesn't do much Wink

You can see vaguely where youa re going when your riding on gas, but as soon as you brake it dissapears completely!!

Cog Head · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Karma :

i have the same problem on ym bike, but i have learnt to overcome this,
just pull the clutch in and do ya gears and what not and either slightly rev ya engine with the clutch in or gieve a flick of the throttle (with the clutch in) just beffore the corner, half way through the corner and as your exiting the corner but by half way you should be back on the throttle anyways but if ur not... Thumbs Up

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LukeVFR: Cog Head is a Karma whore Shifty

McGee: Hence I smell like a gimp

T1z3R · World Chat Champion Joined: 23 Oct 2005 Karma :

had pretty much the same problem with my kymco.

its even worse when a car comes round a bend at you and you cant see nowt but his headlights...
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Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

I dont like these bodge job solutions!! Razz

There must be a techical solution to this problem.

Con

finpos · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Sep 2005 Karma :

It's probably the case that your CG (and the other small bikes mentioned) have "Direct Lighting" - that is, the head and tail lights run off Alternating Current directly from their own coils in the generator, completely bypassing the battery and charging circuit (which run off a seperate coil). Does your headlight only come on if the engine is running? If so, you have direct lighting. Low revs = not much current = dim light.

Unfortunately, short of ragging the engine, there's very little you can do about it. You can re-wire the bike so that all the coils go to the charging circuit and the headlight runs off the battery, but the charging circuit just won't be up to running the headlight all the time and it will gradually get dimmer as the battery runs down. You'd probably get away with it if you trickle charged the battery every night.

fin.

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

Don't think CG has direct lighting.

Sounds like a battery on its last legs to me. Make sure the bulb is ok too.

Years ago on my moped (which did have direct lighting) I rode from november to february almost blind. Found out in february that I had a duff bulb.

Really good lights once I got a proper bulb in, despite the direct lighting.

mrtEE · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Karma :

i dont think it has direct lighting either, but i also think the CG is notorious for shit lights (i owned one years ago). try a xenon bulb?

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

What other bulbs can you use in a CG though? Mine's a Y Plate '01 and the headlights are shit too.

The lights only come on when the engine is running. Can't put the key in and turn them off.

Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

It is indeed direct lighting, as the headlight only comes on with the engine. That is, unless theres some other shit going on where the light only comes on if the engine is running so the battery doesn't go flat.

mrtEE · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Karma :

Put a candle in a jamjar and tie it to the handlebars? that'll give you 50% more lighting on a CG Wink

Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

mattfuzzy · Scooby Slapper Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Karma :

you think thats bad, last night it was dark and pissing it down, my speedo being digital and my bike being a dna 125 the speedo was useless!!! good job i wasent behind a bmw or somethin as they rarely know the speed limits anyways even with speed cameras around Laughing

(instead i got stuck behind a van Rolling Eyes

)

Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

Who cares about speedos??? I dont use mine hardly at all anyway, and lets face it, on a 125 your hardly gonna be doing break-neck speeds.

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

They're all like that mate.

Best solution I have seen is to buy some of those halogen bicycle lights that clip over your handlebars with their own battery pack. Use these in addition to the standard lamp when riding in the dark. Put them on charge when you get wherever you are going.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

Brick_Top · Spanner Monkey Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Karma :

I guess I'll just struggle through winter tbh - it's not like I use the bike to commute, not yet anyway. its just to get me about in the evenings and stuff.

Then summer will come, then hopefully by the time summers out I'll be sat on a CBR instead! - problem solved.

colezxr · Traffic Copper Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Karma :

One thing do you have your eyes open when u say u cant see anything Laughing

Only joking

Try gettin some brighter bulbs. Halfords do some 50% brighter ones.
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past: gilera dna125. kawasaki zxr400h1, honda cbr 900rrr fireblade (currently being sold for parts). present honda hornet 900

nitro69 · L Plate Warrior Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Karma :

ya if u don't have enough light try putting in some lightbuld that has less Watt capacity :p they burn harder, off course you have to experiment a bit with the throttle so they won't burst into pieces when ur on full throttle.

i was in that situation once , i was driving tru some woods. so no street lights or anything and YES i hit the jackpot my bulb went dead so i was driving on the light of the moon (barely nothing)
now THAT was scary. for the first time i was glad to see a car after driving 500m in the complete darkness.

h00dwink · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 May 2006 Karma :