DOn't buy old banger Honda CG125 bikes from E-Bay

[Jayneflakes]

I had some training today with a company called Motag in Weston Super Mare. The Instructor is a mate of Carol's from when she used to work for them and he is a great guy, although he makes me laugh when he tells me what Carol was like when she trained him. :smt081

Anyway, I prepped the bike yesterday, making sure Henry the Honda was full of oil and I even changed the spark plug. I thought everything was working sweet after I had even adjusted the throttle cable tension because it felt very slack. This morning I filled up the tank and set off for my days training for my Test on Friday. This morning was the off road test training, swerving through cones, stopping without locking up the rear wheel and then some slow control. All fairly easy stuff and my Instructor was ace.

Then after lunch came the road ride, just to make sure I was up to speed for my test. Today I learned about emergency stops and pulling over while every local biker sails past laughing!

The damn bike packed up again... That £300 E-Bay bargain bucket motorbike is cursed. The throttle cable I replaced (after it snapped and burnt out the clutch) last time was a pattern part and today it snapped again. Then to make matters interesting the gear box got stuck in third and I had to wait for ages before it would snap out of gear. :-({|=

Now I know that as a motorbike mechanic I am still learning, but this seems almost personal. I was told that old banger CG gear boxes do get sticky and I have learned my lesson with pattern parts, perhaps there is a reason why the Honda original costs about £30.

Were it not for bad luck, I would have no luck at all. Anyway, I got it back home by bodging it with a mountain bike cable from work and have removed the offending cable. There must be a way of making cables at home with out having to pay such a huge amount of cash, surely? :smt017

Right, I am going out on the Mountain Bike, that never packs up...:love:

[carternd]

I can't see what can be so special about a throttle cable. It's just a wire inside a plastic sheath! Have a look at how it's routed, maybe there's something causing the cable to fail. Did they both break in the same place? CG125's have a reputation as pretty bomb-proof, but I'm sure most just get ragged and/or neglected to death. Try using the mountain bike cable, as long as its sheathed to stop the cable rubbing round bits of frame I can't see how it would be any different. Are you sure it's the throttle cable, not the clutch cable? That would be more likely to burn out the clutch (if it was causing slip). I can't see how the throttle cable failing would do anything other than cause revs to drop to idle, and a stall if the clutch didn't get pulled in.

Good luck!

[punyXpress]

Hein Gericke used to do d-i-y cable kits. A length each of inner & outer & a selection of ends. Probably still do.

[yorkie_chris]

vehicle wiring products sell kits for making cables.

[Dave20046]

Doubt it was due to it being an aftermarket cable (unless it was a really poor one!) are you sure it just wasn't routed funny?

[jacksuzukisv650]

heing geriek do the cable repair kitss

[Jayneflakes]

I think the cable supplied was too thin, it broke at the nipple again. Also on checking the other end, a small splitter block had got stuck in the housing and jammed. If there was a tight spot at the splitter, it could weaken a thin cable.

I managed to fit a new cable, but the splitter is the real cause. It pulls two cables out of the carb and I suspect that these are what are running tight because the splitter is worn. For now it is sitting in the garage and I am going to have to shell out for a Honda one.

As for the gear box, I can only imagine that the route of this is 30 000 miles of learner riders, burning out clutches and changing gear badly. After the car park training, slow control and traffic, I think it just over heated and would not shift down. It always struggles with first gear, but it has never struggled in third before.

However, after careful reflection of the scenario, I would blame rider input and maintenance. Henry is an old bike, he burns oil, needs new rings and probably a full rebuild. It wont happen though, because any spare cash I have is going to go into my SV instead. She only has 8 000 miles on her clock and her gear shifts are always smooth.

[yorkie_chris]

Two cables? What model is it?

[Jayneflakes]

Two cables? What model is it?

It is an old G reg, CG125 BrJ.

The cable wraps around the twist grip part and enters the housing. It follows the frame tubes down to half way along the tank where it enters a black plastic tube roughly half an inch in diameter. Inside the black plastic tube is a steel block that has two slits in the sides and a hole drilled through the centre. The cable is soldered through the drilled hole and the two slits hold the two cables from the Carburettor. (Similar to an Oddessy Gyro cable. See below)

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Images/Models/Original/45450-1.jpg

The two cables that come out go into the Carburettor, one goes down through the top and has a very strong pull on it, the other goes to the side and activates a cam. I do not know what they do though, any knowledge would be greatly appreciated. :smt017

[Neeja]

The top one opens the carb-slide, and the cam on the side is the throttle return spring - doesn't actually open anything in the carb at all.

If I remember rightly, anyway :D

[yorkie_chris]

accelerator pump?

Can you not resolder the cable you have?

[Jayneflakes]

accelerator pump?

Can you not resolder the cable you have?

I have tried, but the cable splitter is worn and has damaged the plastic holder it runs in. Also the two cables just pop out of their slots because the fit is so sloppy now. I did think that a bit of electrical tape could fix it, but that was one bodge too many, even for me. I will try to get a new cable tomorrow and refit the lot. It will cost a bit though, which is not great news just now, but needs must.

I have a gas powered solder iron that works quite well on such things usually, but today was a dead loss. Oh well...:-({|=

Looks like tomorrow will be a shopping day with the Mountain Bike. I have just serviced the Hope Disks on that, it has better brakes than my CG and even taking the pistons out to remove dirt and corrosion was a simple job, compared to working on the Honda.

Motorbikes are so much harder to work on, you can't just turn them upside down when you drop a bearing down a hole by accident. Still I am learning more every time. :smt081

[carternd]

accelerator pump?

Can you not resolder the cable you have?

Oh, that's what that diaphragm thingy is called! And now I've Wikipedia'd it I know what it does, three years 2 late! It will work without that cable (the one on the cam), but will bog down easily. I don't think it affects your top speed, or apart from that first throttle movement, the acceleration either. I disconnected it to see what happened on my Chinese 125, apparently it had a knock-off CG engine.

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah it's so they can run the engine leaner everywhere and get away with it, because initial throttle pickup is where you need more juice.

[Viney]

The SV runs twin throttle cables. One for pull and pne for push. All apprently to do with German TUV regs. I removed the return cable and makes the throttle much more snappy :)

[Jayneflakes]

All fixed, the new cable from Honda is twice as thick as the crass pattern part and the nipples are much stronger. Fitting was funny, Carol watched (and shivered like a girl!) and advised me on some of the more technical parts. The accelerator pump cable is correctly adjusted and the marks line up, the new sealed splitter is out of the way and the cable has been rerouted to avoid sharp edges and a tight corner.

A quick test ride and back indoors for bed. Once again, the super brilliant LED head torch Carol got me for Christmas came in rather useful, working on the bike in the dark would be so much harder with out it. Feel some what less angry today, fitting the whole cable set was so much easier than trying to solder a nipple onto a thin cable.

So what can go wrong next, lets start a book on it, the one who guesses right can have ten minutes of cuddles with my cat Jasper, you may need a can of tuna though. Some of you know him already due to his Facebook page...

[yorkie_chris]

You need some worklights and a genny!

[Jayneflakes]

You need some worklights and a genny!

Our genny is rather noisy, so I left it off tonight given that our garage is close to our neighbours place and we don't want to disturb their kids.

Great bit of kit when I need it though, makes enough power to run a work shop plus halogens and the Hi-Fi. Nothing like the serious blast beat of Cannibal Corpse to fix bikes to or polish alloy! :smt088

[carternd]

All fixed, the new cable from Honda is twice as thick as the crass pattern part and the nipples are much stronger. Fitting was funny, Carol watched (and shivered like a girl!) and advised me on some of the more technical parts. The accelerator pump cable is correctly adjusted and the marks line up, the new sealed splitter is out of the way and the cable has been rerouted to avoid sharp edges and a tight corner.

A quick test ride and back indoors for bed. Once again, the super brilliant LED head torch Carol got me for Christmas came in rather useful, working on the bike in the dark would be so much harder with out it. Feel some what less angry today, fitting the whole cable set was so much easier than trying to solder a nipple onto a thin cable.

So what can go wrong next, lets start a book on it, the one who guesses right can have ten minutes of cuddles with my cat Jasper, you may need a can of tuna though. Some of you know him already due to his Facebook page...

Back light blows. My bet.

[yorkie_chris]

Puncture

[Jayneflakes]

Just replaced the head light bulb as of this morning...

Bugger!

Next.

[carternd]

Just replaced the head light bulb as of this morning...

Bugger!

Next.

Wrong end. My psychic powers are waning....

Next: back light!

[philbut]

Your CG sounds liek my dullville. Everytime I go for a ride I think - now what will break this time. Last failure was the gear shift - pedal snapped off at the ball joint. It has had a very hard 98k of abuse to deal with though. The blue smoke when pulling away will be my next source of wow i imagine :rolleyes:

[Ed]

Test Friday?

[Jayneflakes]

Your CG sounds liek my dullville. Everytime I go for a ride I think - now what will break this time. Last failure was the gear shift - pedal snapped off at the ball joint. It has had a very hard 98k of abuse to deal with though. The blue smoke when pulling away will be my next source of wow i imagine :rolleyes:

I thought that blue smoke was supposed to be there, my CG has some of that too. As I understand it, you only worry when there is no smoke, that means the engine is not running! :smt081

Poor Henry has been through it though, he has had Learner plates on him from new I think and some days it shows. :-({|=


Test Friday?

Module one test on Friday Ed. :-)

Basically riding around the closed off car park, weaving through cones and making sure I do a life saver every time I go near the bike.

One of Carol's mates went through a load of it with me today and said I did OK, only picking up three minors out of an allowable fifteen. I was really impressed with his instruction and have been filling in the gaps where I have not picked it up from Carol.

Carol is taking me down to the test centre on Friday, me on the CG and her on the SV. After that, I just have to book my big test, the forty five minute ordeal by fire that is Module two...

Scared now. :smt028

[philbut]

Good luck for Friday then from another member of the blue smoke club ;-)

[carternd]

I thought that blue smoke was supposed to be there, my CG has some of that too. As I understand it, you only worry when there is no smoke, that means the engine is not running! :smt081

Poor Henry has been through it though, he has had Learner plates on him from new I think and some days it shows. :-({|=




Module one test on Friday Ed. :-)

Basically riding around the closed off car park, weaving through cones and making sure I do a life saver every time I go near the bike.

One of Carol's mates went through a load of it with me today and said I did OK, only picking up three minors out of an allowable fifteen. I was really impressed with his instruction and have been filling in the gaps where I have not picked it up from Carol.

Carol is taking me down to the test centre on Friday, me on the CG and her on the SV. After that, I just have to book my big test, the forty five minute ordeal by fire that is Module two...

Scared now. :smt028

Good luck on the test. I'm glad I got in before I had to do all this!:smt109

CG shouldn't have blue smoke, only two-strokes should smoke normally. Blue smoke means you're burning oil, but being a CG unless it is billowing out you should be able to ignore it! Someone will in due course give you a list of potential causes, but I can't think of any right now. :smt017

[natcar]

2 broken throttle cables? Have you checked for electrical issues? Might be using throttle cable as earth.

[Specialone]

2 broken throttle cables? Have you checked for electrical issues? Might be using throttle cable as earth.

Having worked in the cable industry for a long time, biggest cause of fatigue is routing, ie not smooth flow or lack of lubrication, depending on outer jacket and inner lining.
But, you can get 2 identical size cables and the destruction load for the 2 would be quite different.
I would guess its the cheap cable rather than anything, not being spec'ed enough for the job its doing.
But there are other factors as well, quality of barrell or how its been attached by the manufacturers, can it rotate freely in its housing etc etc.

[Jayneflakes]

Having worked in the cable industry for a long time, biggest cause of fatigue is routing, ie not smooth flow or lack of lubrication, depending on outer jacket and inner lining.
But, you can get 2 identical size cables and the destruction load for the 2 would be quite different.
I would guess its the cheap cable rather than anything, not being spec'ed enough for the job its doing.
But there are other factors as well, quality of barrell or how its been attached by the manufacturers, can it rotate freely in its housing etc etc.

The first one broke because it was old and worn out, the nipple snapped right off the end. I went to a cheap place and bought a replacement cable, which was a lot thinner, it was a universal cable that I had to solder the end on to, the cable snapped because it was too thin and there was friction at the junction where the cable splits into two.

I have now fitted a genuine Honda full cable, including new splitter and cables for throttle and accelerator pump. The whole thing runs so smoothly, that it feels like the cable has snapped again! As for routing, it did have some kinks in it which no doubt added to the friction. When I replaced the cable this time, I rerouted it ensuring that it was smooth and there were no tight radius.

See, I am a good girl... :---)

[Jayneflakes]

So today was the day of my Module One test, had to ride thirty miles to the test centre and just as I was starting to enjoy the ride it rained. The rain fell on filthy roads and I was covered head to foot in brown spray, making my visor opaque!

Five miles from the test centre, my rear brake switch failed and I had no brake light for my rear brake! Front brake still lit the lamp, so we just gritted out teeth and hoped for the best.

Rode on to the test site and parked up, dripping brown water (not that kind of brown water!) onto the lovely DSA carpet.

The examiner that greeted me was lovely, he spoke so kindly and with such reassurance that my nerves evaporated. In less than ten minutes I was around the course and back in the warm. I passed module one with two minors and they were for dragging my feet on initial pull away and putting my foot down when I stopped after the swerve.

The ride back was mainly in glorious sunshine and I really enjoyed it, right up until we got home and I saw the state of our bikes. One warm bucket of water later and all is nice and clean again.

Happy days.

Now I just have to find the wiring fault that has stopped my rear brake light working. Grrr :D

[yorkie_chris]

Well done :-D

[carternd]

Rock on! Who said the back light would go? Anyway, congrats on passing your Mod 1. The light is most likely the switch. Try adjusting it first, and check the filament hasn't gone in the bulb (twin-filament bulb) before dismantling anything to get to the wires.

[5hort5]

Nice one, many congrats