Honda CG 125 High Beam Not Working!!

[kierontaylor]

Hi, I have owned the Honda CG 125 for a few months now and the high beam has never worked. It is an x reg (2000) model

When the lights are turned on the pilot light and the dipped beam works fine, but when i push the high beam button in, the lights all turn off and the bike is left in darkness

i have an MOT coming up soon and need to know what i can do to fix this and roughly how much it will cost

[nightshaddow]

daft question but have you changed the bulb?
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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 100 MPH THATS IMPOSSIBLE Its chinese OFFICER."
Current rides CB 125 TDE(the next project) NS125RK ( now on the road ) CB125TDC (soon to be project 17) melody ( the nephews )

[Robby]

Yup, blown filament in the bulb is the most likely problem. Headlight bulbs have two filaments, one for high beam and one for low beam. One can blow and leave the other working. Sidelight is a separate bulb.

Usually when you use main beam it turns off dip beam, and sometimes (but not always) sidelight. Try pressing the flash/passing button if you have one. This usually turns on all lights, so if you press that and they all turn off then it could be a bigger problem.

[Alexio]

There's no passing / flash button on the CG. There is however two bulbs as far as I can remember, one for the dipped beam and one for the high beam. Although, I could be remembering wrongly on that.

It's likely you need to change the bulb.
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[Paxovasa]

[clancy]

either any of that or the plate that changes the power from dipped to high beam is broken.
saying that im not 100% sure that it will have that sort of set up if it has 2 separate bulbs
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KLX 300r

[kierontaylor]

yes i have changed the bulb and the problem is consistent so it is definetly not the bulb,

This is what happens when the high beam button is pushed in:

The dipped beam TURNS OFF
The pilot light TURNS OFF
The tail light TURNS OFF

The indicators, break light (when breaking) and instrument panel lights all REMAIN WORKING CORRECTLY

P.S the high beam light on the instrument panel never illuminates and the cg uses a duel filament bulb

[cb1rocket]

Check the switch, its quite likely a switch problem to me

[kierontaylor]

what do you mean by check the switch? im not very good with electrics

[cb1rocket]

well best bet is to get a multi meter and find out the continunity in the circuit from the wire harness off the switch.

As you said your not goof with eletrics, best thing would be to take off the switch and look at how the wires all connect up. I assume you have a basic understanding of circuits.

A wiring diagram would help, get a haynes manual if you have't already - you'll learn quite a lot just by reading it

[kierontaylor]

yeah i have a haynes manual and i think i pretty much understand what you said....unscrew cluster switch, attach multi meter to the wires coming out of the high beam switch and check for current?

[Walloper]

You cold have a short to earth on the wire feeding the main beam.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[kierontaylor]

@walloper

how do i check for this and how do i correct this, do you know? any help /advice is greatly appricieated

[Walloper]

You need a voltmeter and a test lamp. Maplin are cheap as chips for this kind of gear. And you will have fun using this tool on all sorts of things.

Where do you start???

Take the bulb holder out.
Remove the bulb.
Key to ignition on.
Press the High Beam/Dip Beam switch.
See if the brake light goes off.

If so:

Put the volt meter on one of the contacts in the bulb holder.
If you get 12volts press the dip/hi beam switch this should take power off the contact your on and send it to the other contact.
Put the volt meter on the other contact to confirm.
If no 12 volts when you test then you have a short in that wire. Short means the electrical energy is passing through the bikes frame to earth.
The battery supplies 12v from the + positive post/terminal.
The 12volts travels through the circuits to whatever item you use : horn, brake light, indicators etc. and back to the - Negative post/terminal (Which is called the Earth.)

If the insulation around any of the wires TO an item is cut/rubbed through then when you activate that circuit the power will pass from the battery + to the switch then out to feed the unit ie hi-beam but since the wire is damaged the 12volts will take the path of least resistance and go back to the - negative post without passing through the hi-beam bulb.
This is called a 'Short Circuit' as the 12v is taking a short path from + to -.

To find the short:

There is no way to identify exactly where the short is but if you can expose all of the harness feeding the headlight you will be able to see if there is any fraying or pinching. Most likely this will be where the insulation is damaged.

It is not an easy task.

But it is possible to do this yourself so long as you do not rush. Try and be methodical. When removing things take photographs before you remove it. You WILL forget how they went when it comes to clashing it all back together again.

Or you can let a bike shop look at it for you and suck up the labour charges.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[kierontaylor]

thankyou very much, i will have to take it round to my uncle , he should know what to do with your instructions as he is an electrician

if any1 has any other suggestions please do share as i really do not want to pay ridiculous labour charges

[Walloper]

[kierontaylor]

i'm only 19 haha, passed my full bike test at 17 as soon as i could, eligable to ride any bike now and i have 3 years no claims to