CG Popping Bulbs - electrical voodoo i tells ya!!

[mudcow007]

right getting near the end (hopefully) of my CG rebuild

just plugging all the wires into the headlight case (the rats nest) plugged the headlight in an it lit - which was nice

however after about 10secs it popped

the bike was running at the time so i put my voltmeter across the + - leads from the bike to the battery (the battery was connected when the bulb popped but i disconnected when i was testing with me volt meter) which was only reading between 5 - 6v?!

the bike is 12v - its a BR-E

im guessing it is the rectifier going on other threads on here?

is there a way of checking what voltage i'm getting from the generator?

all of the wires are not yet plugged into the headlight so its possibly the low voltage is due to that....or is it?!?

thanks

[kramdra]

Headlight wiring is possibily AC rather than DC, explaining your shit reading. Put the battery back, try again. A low voltage will not kill bulbs. Id say vibration or too high voltage, or old fatigued bulb.


Summary: CG's are shit

[Cyclingbiker]

Check the voltage from the yellow wire that connects to the switchgear. That yellow wire is the direct AC feed for the lights from the generator. It will read fairly low on idle and rise with the revs, that's why the lights on a CG get brighter the faster you go.
____________________
Honda CB500s (1999) - Honda CG 125 BR-J (1991)

Mod 1 - Passed - 12/11/12 --- Mod 2 - Passed - 26/11/12

[_mjs_]

Could just be shit bulbs. The rear light on my CB500 blew a while ago so I went to Halfrauds and bought a twin pack of bay15d for I think £3.99. Both popped as soon as I turned the ignition on. I went back in to complain and was told by the fat whore behind the counter 'the problem must be with your bike'.
In desperation I went back into the store and bought a 'heavy duty' bay15d for £2.99 and lo and behold it's still working today!
The fat whore would not refund me for the first set of bulbs so I accidently knocked over the satnav display on the way out and refused to refund said fat whore for any damage; because 'the problem must be with your display'.

So yeah, try another bulb
____________________
Previous Bikes: 2006 Honda XR125L > 2003 Yamaha DT125R > 1996 Honda CB500
Current bikes: 1997 Kawasaki ZZR 600 E5 > 2006 Honda Varadero XL125V

[treeno]

Can confirm the headlight is AC directly from the generator. Check the voltage between the yellow/blue (whichever feeds the headlight, check the wiring diagram) and green and make sure your multimeter is on AC and let us know. Probably a rubbish bulb to be honest.

[stinkwheel]

[Alpha-9]

[mudcow007]

[mudcow007]

sorry to resurrect this thread

i cant find no pink wire?!

the bike is now fully wired up (except the horn an pilot light - which i cant figure out where its wired to)

fitted spanking new headlight an bike pops the bulb within about 20seconds

Haynes reckons its a possible bad earth?

[unitynotsocri...]

check the indicator wiring is standard,the pink wire emanates from the genny cover,you can trace it through the loom,
____________________
nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[mudcow007]

cheers all

just looking at pic of my genny

https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/mudcow007/20130316_170127_zps052f78b0.jpg

cant really spot a pink wire..

i will whip the strator off tomorrow an check it out

so where does the other end of the pink wire go - to a coil on the headstock?!

[YBR Ric]

that oil seal looks as if its in inside out

[mudcow007]

[Cyclingbiker]

If yours is one of the 12v Brazil models it won't have a pink wire, nor a ballast resistor, apart that is from the BR-S/T from 1995 onwards. They were absent from the BR-E/F, J and K models according to the Haynes manual.

HTH
____________________
Honda CB500s (1999) - Honda CG 125 BR-J (1991)

Mod 1 - Passed - 12/11/12 --- Mod 2 - Passed - 26/11/12

[unitynotsocri...]

but does'nt the right hand wire in the piccky look like its a faded pink,or should i be on drugs for pain releif and aspergers?

pink? or reddy brown....its all subjective really.
____________________
nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[mudcow007]

[unitynotsocri...]

ahhhhh................thing is,when it comes to changing engines ,they genny/alternators should be compatible........we usually assume switchgear is compatible,especially when the wires follow the old switchgear,but it may be that the lighting switch is wired different on the 6 volt earlier one.
the earlier one has a simpler wiring loom,with no quasi cdi and the rectifiers are usually thin finned,as opposed to later 12volt ones which are a block with fins.
____________________
nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[mudcow007]

the engine is still old, way before cdi - its still rocking points!

i had the bowl off the headlight last night to see if i can figure something out, one thing i did discover was i had two wires not connected to anything

one green, one red - these both come from the right switch gear (wires come from kill switch)

the red is live when the switch is turned to on (an the bike running) green is dead so i'm guessing its an earth

i wouldn't mind trying to get the kill switch to work seeing as its there..anyone any ideas what i could rig up?

[unitynotsocri...]

the brazil ones were 12v,the 70's model was six.Brazil ones had points,despite using a quasi cdi unit witch triggerd the coil electronically from the points...if my befuddled past remembers correctly.

The wire could be shorting out inside the headlamp.Get some fuses and bulbs and play around,earthing the green especially .

Many of these hondas get miswired inside the headlamp.What usually happens is an indicator earth gets wired or swapped with a headlamp earth leading to lots of electrical fun.....because the green connector blocks are'nt identified properly.

if its a 80,s Brazil I'm sure it does'nt have a kill switch.......which may be part of your problem.......wrong r/h switchgear?

The type 1 and 2 cg's ....as in all points models 6/12 volts have this unique feature with the wiring.When you turn the ignition switch off it short circuits the points,diabling the bike from being started without the key.......now then...now then....now as then.......if a theif disconnects the ignition barrell square plastic connector then he/she (cos hellkat n scoprs and cornish can be as bad and mad as the rest of 'us') can kick it over and drive off with no key!!!!thank you Mr. Honda.
As well as being rugged,economicall and very functional I think this last design feature on the ignition has helped popularise motorbiking amongst the youths for many years...
____________________
nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[mudcow007]

yap that explains why when i bought the bike it had no ignition/ key but would still start

im going to disconnect everything in the headlight tonight an check where each of the earths are connected

could it cause issues if say the indicators are using the same earth (plugged into the same earth plus) as brake switch?

i think its deffo the wrong r/h switch gear as it has a hole for a 2nd throttle cable, which i seriously doubt a CG ever had...

im desperado to get the thing back on the road, sorn is up at the end of the month

cheers

[mudcow007]

**Update**

my bike is due for an MOT on Saturday, so took it to my mates garage last night for it to be checked over.

i mentioned the headlight an tail light popping after a few seconds.

after a couple of checks they have found the headlight/ tail was lighting off the coil, creating a pulse hence why i couldnt get a reading with my voltmeter

now i have to figure out why

i thought CG's were simple!!

[unitynotsocri...]

Yes true but many cg owners are even simpler,like ,me.

obvious bodge.You should be carefull buying small bikes.The smaller they get the worse it becomes for bodging and 'rewires'.

funnily enough the same problems start up higher up the CC range with 'modding' on 600 cc plus bikes which gets crazier with the more complicated electronics.

In older age I'm drifting towards the idea of a single cyclinder deisel,no electrics to worry about,kick start with a decompression lever ,even if the lights and horn fail i'll always be able to get home,,,,,,and some lasses love the smell.......organic oil is u c.

EMERGENCY EDIT

the power on the headlight and tail light is AC .When you turn the lights on,on the handlebar...it connects a lighting coil on the generator plate.This is so the battery can be much smaller.The pulse you are detecting from the lighting circuit is AC........its not pulsing with the ignition coil.a seperate coil.must rush live in woods,need to go ,use net at freinds house so not on bcf all time.
____________________
nearly a normal tax paying tosser.......with ferrileness suzi100,cg125,cb125scb100n,cb175,cd100,cj250t,kh250,c15,125 bantam,super 6,rickman gs750,xt500,250rs,dt175,lifan125,dolomite1850,metro,Morris220ld,morrisfg,leyland princess,range rover,corsa,vw camper .now struggling with legs. MORE ORDER = MORE CHAOS

[mudcow007]

cheers for the reply, i couldnt attack my wires last night as i had to replace the handbrake on my Transit connect

tonight feels like an rewire night!

gracias

[Cyclingbiker]

I have found this wiring diagram very useful in my never ending quest to get the bike running for more than a week without breaking down

It is just the Haynes Manual diagram that someone on here has cleverly coloured in with the right wire colours to make it more obvious what goes where. As you can see the Yellow wire comes off the coil on the stator, heads to the rectifier but splits and sends current to the headlight/tail light/pilot light/high-beam idiot light when they're on. No regulation of current, just straight AC pulsating voltage

EDIT: Just had a brainwave after I did something stupid the other night which resulted in 3 out of 4 bulbs on my CG blowing. I accidentally disconnected the rectifier when I was working on the headset bearings which meant there was no outflow for the current from the stator. It was all channeled through the yellow wire where it splits before the rectifier and was sending 30+ volts through the headlight circuit and blew everything with a touch of the throttle apart from the idiot light for the high beam. It meant I had to buy a new halogen bulb (£6.50), new pilot bulb (£1) and stop/tail light (£1.50)

Just make sure of the two wires coming from the generator to the wiring loom that the white one if definitely connected and that the rectifier is plugged in firmly. I have an inkling that this could maybe be your problem too. A quick AC voltage test on the yellow wire inside the headlight could confirm it. Usually voltage should be no higher than 12-15 even when revving it but it easily spiked above 20 volts with just a light touch on the throttle.

HTH

https://cdn.bikechatforums.com/files/cg125_157.jpg
____________________
Honda CB500s (1999) - Honda CG 125 BR-J (1991)

Mod 1 - Passed - 12/11/12 --- Mod 2 - Passed - 26/11/12

[mudcow007]

cheers biker i will check it out

i have kinda put the electrics ont he back burner this week an im attacking the forks...

i will keep you posted when i electrocute my self

thanks