Cumbria John

I guessed so, but just hoped there was another way. Thanks

I want to know the year of manufacture of my CG125 K1. It was first registered 1980 but I believe it was manufacture in 1979. There are many sites cross referencing VIN with date of manufacture but they only refer to Honda coding which started in 1980. My VIN starts with CG125 followed by numbers which was the norm before that time. Any ideas ?

Thanks both -will try to get a spark tester, and will re- re -check the timing.

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Yes I bought new barrel and piston, and then rechecked the compression. I got around 160psi. The sooted plug has a dry "fluffy" appearance so I believe it points to fuel. I am going to look into rejetting if I can find some. Trouble is these bikes are so cheap that its difficult to get small parts. If that doesnt work I may try kicking it over ( a lot ) with no plug lead or fuel and then taking the head off to see if any oil has pumped up, but I think that given the symptoms I believe that would be unlikely. I got this bike as a project because of its simplicity and its turned out to be 100 times more hassle than my last project which was a cb550 k1 which I picked out of a hedge in Anglesea

Hi. Here I am again - Been laid up for a while - Still trying to sort out the rich running. Here is the list of all I have checked/replaced -- The bike starts on first kick with choke out, after a few seconds I can shut the choke off - ride a hundred yards and it cuts out with a sooted up plug. Replaced the original carb after doing all the fiddling with float, needle height etc. Yes it is the correct PB replacement. Got exactly the same symptoms.( running with no sponge on the air cleaner so no restrictions there ) - Had the generator rewound and now get a excellent spark (new coil, points and condenser) Checked ignition timing (several times ) and its spot on. New cylinder head, barrel and piston. Checked valve clearances several times. So basically it is a new top end completely. Any ideas ???

Thanks for all the suggestions. Its deffo the correct PD carb. The spark is a good one for a 6v. BUT I did a compression test as suggested and only got 120psi - put a drop of oil down the plug hole and got 160psi !!! The problem is that the bike was a non runner when I got it and have only just got it running ( see my previous problems ) I must admit that the bores looked OK, but obviously they are not. Luckily its a doddle to strip down and do what is required. Thanks again Chaps.

CG125 K1 - I bought a new carb for the bike because I could not weaken the mixture and thought that the old one was worn out, but on fitting it I find that the mixture is still way too rich ( plug is very sooty after warm up. I have set the pilot to the recommended 1 3/4 turns, but can screw it in and out with no effect ( on colour tune } The float height is spot on at .73 and the needle is in the 3rd groove. The air filter is absolutely clean. What else is there to look at ??? I was considering lowering the needle to the second groove but I will wait until I see if anyone has a suggestion.

Just to tidy up the loose ends of this post - The bike was fitted with a clutch cable from God knows what, near enough but not right. When I finally got the correct one, all was OK, so panic over. Just goes to show that when you get an abandoned bike, there is a good possibility it was left because someone has messed about until there was that much amiss it they just left it. As my son said - by the time you finish, the only thing originally on the bike will be the dust caps !!!!

Hi Fastbob. Why - does it matter. I tried both ways. However, things have moved on now - I got my new cable from wimoto and I can see the difference in free play available between inner and outer, BUT they sent the wrong cable - @%$K .There are two versions - The standard has sheath length of 100cm for the high bars as fitted to the 1979 model the alternative is 85cm for low bars. They should really have the longer as default but dont. So I am waiting for a replacement. Good this isnt it ! I am changing my name to Jobe ( or should it be Jonah )

Hi Fastbob and timR. Had to use a clamp on the actuating lever to pull the clutch in far enough to slip to cable on. The levers are original Honda. I have dismantled the clutch assy and micro-metered the plates and springs and all seem in new condition. I am waiting for a new clutch cable from Wemoto and hope that fixes it. Nothing surprises me with this bike its fighting me at every step. It was a rusty heap found in a shed and not used for at least 10 years. Up to now it looks like someone has not been too careful in ordering parts for this specific model ( cg125 k1 1979 6v ) I,ve even had David Silver sending me the wrong parts. Having said that I am enjoying sorting it out. I will return to the fray this weekend when I have actioned the the job list from She Who Must Be Obeyed.

Its the cable that came with the bike and physically seemed OK. I have not had the bike in a position to get it moving yet, and only just got it running after nightmare electrics problems. I suppose you may be correct, judging by all the other botch ups I have found. I think I will do a full check, and measure the plates. I need to take that side off anyway because I found that the neutral switch pickup pate on the selector either isn't there, or is in the wrong position.

During the renovation of my CG125 K1 I noticed that the clutch cable had been installed incorrectly. Which I think was an attempt to give free play at the lever end ( which it did'nt) . I have now fitted it correctly but the situation is still the same. Am I right in thinking that if I cannot achieve any free play, then there is a good possibility that the clutch plates are worn down.

While going through all the above, I realised that there is no kill switch other than the ignition key, which isn't very accessible, so I got a generic one and fitted it in the circuit ( belt and braces )

hi. Let me just get it running properly first, before I step out into another unknown. Its the first time I have had it running so there are other issues to look at ( mechanical thankfully) .

Yeeees - got a spark !!! As I said before - Sherlock Holmes said " when you have eliminated the probable, look for the improbable" (or something like that ) In desperation I got a new set of genuine Honda points, even though all seemed OK with the other "new" ones. Set everything up (again) and the electickery did its stuff. Phew - at least I know that has an ignition system even better than new - all connectors soldered, earths everywhere, and brand new components. Thanks to all for your suggestions I have learned a lot about electrics on a bike. Its been emotional.

Hi. This also could be a classic case of the tank cap breather being blocked. It used to be a regular problem years ago with chrome caps, and the pinhole got blocked with polish.

hi. I would say that it would be best to buy a new one ( cheap enough) In my experience, if it is playing you up now, its going to fail completely soon and leave you stranded somewhere.

Thanks WD40 for the link. Had a quick look and already corrected some of my preconceptions. I will study it carefully during my self enforced bike sabbatical.

Hi. Thank you so much for your suggestions. I am afraid that I have done all you say but no luck yet. Latest additions are new plug and cap. I talked to the guy who rewound my stater coils and he gave me some checks to do which all added up. I am going to put the bike in the garage and give it a rest for a while. I will give it a coat of thinking about meanwhile, as Sherlock Holmes said " If you have eliminated all the possible - look for the impossible" She who must be obeyed requires my decorating skills and after that, I have a Land Rover which needs my attention -an essential where we live - thank god its mechanical not electrical problem therefore no problem to me. Be in touch soon - thanks again.

Aaaaagh ! Had my stater coils rewound and put all together again, but still no spark. Used a power drill to wizz the engine over and connected my multi meter to the output lead, disconnected from the multi plug, and get a very minimal reading. The charging coil gives a good reading however. So thats a new coil, a new ignition switch - to my mind not in the equation if not much charge coming from the stater. Anyone got any suggestions what output the stater should be giving. Help !

Put it all back together - new points connection (soldered) checked connections, continuity in the stators, and re- ran tests for coil. The only thing left is that the generator is not putting out enough even though getting continuity. I get very low readings when I kick it over. Going to talk to some rewinding companies tomorrow and see what they think.

Hi WD-40 thanks. I will try again, but having to wait for the stater plate countersunk holding screws from David Silver. As I said, I had to drill the little %$&*$ers out!! I wonder what else I will find when I actually get it started ! Anyway I will let you know the outcome either way.

I was reading through a link suggested by KiwiBob and had further thoughts - I checked the output to the B/W wire and could only get a very small reading ac or dc unlike the person in the link who was getting 6v on kickover. I looked at the stater properly and saw that someone had butchered the lower screws so I suspected previous problems. I had to drill them out to get the plate on my bench for a close look. Sure enough the black wire to the ignition side had come unwound so I guess was not giving full voltage although showing continuity. While I was looking round the pigtail wire departed from its connector, so obviously was only on with a couple of strands hidden by the sheathing. So do I need a new stater or does the fact that the wire is still intact matter ? Help from an electronics wiz required please -- or is the poor connection at the points restricting the output ? The plot thickens ! I am a bit fed up now, so will return to the problem this weekend because I will have to reassemble the whole thing to see if a good connection at the points cures it . If it is the stater - where to get one - I have searched and had no luck whatsoever ( 6v 2 coil set up ) Anyone got a suggestion. I suppose I could bet a rewind, but how much would that be ?

Hi. Thanks all for your suggestions. No I have not seen the bike running as it was found in a shed during a house clearance. Yes I have checked the ignition switch (new) and all is correct and belt and braces detached the b/w wire . I have checked the contact breaker set up and the lead is in the correct position with no leak through to the base plate. I have wiring diagrams which I do understand, as a retired design engineer. So this is why I have suspected the coil low tension side. Hopefully the new coil will sort it out, but if not, the only thing left is the generator output, detail of which i cannot find, only when running not when kicked over. As I said before, however, all checks for continuity on the coils are OK so not suspecting that at the moment. In the back of my mind I think there was a way of linking the battery into the circuit to test for a spark , so eliminating the generator. I am dubious to try linking via the b/w wire in case I do some damage. Has anyone heard of this ? Thanks again for listening to my woes

Hi. Checked the Ht lead and it is OK. Gone over it all again but found no faults using Mr Haynes' checks . I found a site giving checks with a multi meter and think that the low tension side of the coil is outside the given ohm parameters although it passes the bulb and battery test. I have now ordered a new coil to see if I am right. As an aside - I found lots of retailers offering 6v coils for CG125s but all were out of stock except one.So the freight restrictions because of Covid seem to be hitting us now.