Moebius

Thanks for this - looks like you were right on the regulator rectifier suggestion and I think I've fixed it (although I'm not holding my breath - we'll see if it's still starting fine in a week or two!). I cleaned the starter motor and confirmed that the brushes were fine / not the cause of the issue, and knowing that the battery itself was fine the only remaining unknown was the charging system - chatted to another friend (the guy that helped me with the wiring before) and he was sure that it was discharging after rides and that's why the voltage / battery was generally reading fine before and shortly after rides but then dropping a few days later. He had a spare regulator rectifier from another honda and gave me that to replace the existing one with and sure enough it's now keeping charge steadily - have checked it before and after rides and also left it for a couple of days without riding and the battery has remained fine. Fingers crossed it stays that way and this is the end of the issues! https://youtu.be/bx2a7UunP1s

Yep, had a new battery installed less than a month ago and checked the voltage last Thursday and it was totally fine (also rode it Thursday, Saturday, and Monday all fine, no trouble starting).

Cheers mate! I'm certain it's not the battery, but it could be the charging system. I'll try to give the starter motor a clean first and if that doesn't work I'll come back for some guidance on the Alternator coil as I have no idea about that!

Cool, will have a look at wemoto - cheers!

Hi all, I'm having an issue starting my 2005 Honda CG125. I've had this issue on and off since I got the bike second hand a couple of months ago. Every once in a while it'll just start clicking rapidly (it's an electric starter), as if the battery is too low or it's not sparking or the motor is screwed up in some way. Initially when I started to dig into it I noticed that the wiring / bullet connectors on the starter were a bit dodgy (and in fact one disconnected) but I fixed that up with the help of the lovely peeps on this forum and an electrical mechanic mate, and it sorted the problem... temporarily. Then it started struggling to start again and I checked the battery and it was below 9 volts, so I got a new battery installed. Worked okay for a day or two and then started having problems again. So I decided to take a look at the carbs and found some water inside, which I got rid of (it must have been kept outdoors before). Again it started and ran fine for 4/5 days but then, again, it's started having trouble today. I'm at a loss at this point, short of completely taking the engine apart - which I don't think I can do - I'm not sure what else it could be. Here's a video of what's happening when I try to start it... Anyone have any ideas / suggestions (not incl. battery and wiring, which I know are fine)? https://youtu.be/32HQCXKC2FA

Thank you!

Thanks all for the knowledge and tips. Yeah you're right about that! I've never soldered before or heat shrunk anything; not against giving it a go after getting the right tools but would definitely be bricking it at the thought of making things worse, hehe. Thanks for the OEM suggestion and link - checking the site out now. No idea. But yeah - sounds like I do based on what you and everyone else is saying - thanks for the heads-up on the black wire too! Thanks mate! Will look into the plug/socket route.

Hello, total newbie here - just got my first second-hand bike recently (a 2005 Honda CG125). I noticed the bike struggling to start a bit a couple of days ago but after a few attempts it started and I thought nothing more of it. This morning it was struggling again and despite numerous attempts it wouldn't start; I noticed some clicking coming from the back, which seemed to suggest an issue with wiring rather than battery / voltage and sure enough getting into the engine I found a completely disconnected wire (spark cable?) on the ignition starter unit - see pic below. So, I don't really have any mechanical or wiring knowledge so could someone run me through exactly what I need to do and what tools / bits I'll need to do it? Obviously I know I need to reconnect the thing but it doesn't appear to be as simple as simply re-inserting the loose wire (...which I did try, lol ). Do I need to use a stanley knife to cut the red "cover" (cap?) bit or just pull it off (easy now!) and then twist the wires together before re-wrapping / covering with a new cap? Something else...? Guidance much appreciated! https://i.imgur.com/Y66uPm1.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

Many thanks for all the tips mate!

Yeah that looks like the kinda thing that could work, gonna have a play around this weekend and see if I can put something sturdy together.

Yeah, think I might get a front mudguard on. Already got some bar end mirrors on so all good on that front, no way I'm riding without mirrors! I've only had it out for one ride but didn't notice the rear touching, but I think I only went over one bump and that must have been at less than 20mph.

Resurrection! Ended up buying that bike (everything checked out re: mileage). Was lovely to collect and ride it back home (hadn't received my L plates yet so was a bit cheeky and did it without, was just a 30 minute ride so all good). Also sorted out my storage concern as I don't have my own garage or indoor location - a kind neighbour that has a garage space but no car said I could use his, which is great as we're approaching winter. Here she is: https://i.imgur.com/KZWTHqU.png' alt='IMGUR>'> Quick call for advice: now that I do have my L plates I'm stuck for where to place the one at the front; there's no mudguard and there's no fairing or anything like that to stick it on / behind... is there any fork clip-on mount for L plates or something else anyone could recommend?

Ahh I see - thanks both for the explanation!

So, I put up a thread the other week about trying to rent a learner bike but it turns out it's a ball-ache going down that path so I've been looking into picking up a cheap 125cc for a year before moving on once I've completed DAS. I've found a pretty decent looking deal online, a 2005 Honda CG125 (same bike I did my CBT on!), but with a bunch of mods and fixes on it from the past year (aftermarket exhaust, new seat, new grips, new handle bars, new shocks, new carbs etc.) - I went to check over the bike earlier today and everything seemed in order: electrics are all good, some minor rust but no signs of serious corrosion or damage, everything is aligned, no scuffs etc. plus the current owner has the V5 and MOT history, which I've double checked online - all good... EXCEPT There's one area I'm a bit iffy on; he was upfront about the fact that he put a new odometer on and that shows it as having done around a 100 miles, even though the bike (as I've verified with the MOT history) has actually done around 31k. He explained this being the case because it reset when he put the new odometer on, and as far as I can tell it's the original engine but with a few new bits and bobs, not a new engine or full rebuild; but I have no idea if this actually makes sense - would putting a new odometer on really just "reset" the mileage or is something getting lost in translation here? It feels like this shouldn't be the case and maybe what he means is that he did a complete engine rebuild?? I will go back to ask him before making any offer obviously, and I'm not really worried for myself here (he's been transparent with the paperwork and I plan to take it to some trusted mechanics for a once over if I pick it up anyway), but I'm more concerned about fully understanding why the bike doesn't show the actual mileage and being able to explain that in the future when I go to resell it. Could someone advise.

Good shout - I checked with the school I got my CBT at but they are super busy with none to spare, but will call around other places in London.

Yeah, took a year to get a bicycle hanger around here so expect it'll take a while for this too. Good to know about your experience with it - as you say, I'll see what they offer (if anything) and make a call then. The space in front of the house is super tight; it barely fits the few bins we have out front so doubt I could comfortably get a bike in there (maybe I could squeeze a 125 in but for anything bigger in the future I'd have to move the bins... which is not really an option my missus or the neighbours downstairs would okay I imagine!). If I was able to use the space I could put a ground anchor there, but again I'd have to get the thumbs up from the ground floor neighbours. Not this year I think.

Yeah thought about this dynax; there is a self-storage place not too far away in Chingford, and I know they have facilities to store motorcycles over winter; but it seems less practical for storage if you intend to take the bike out regularly every other day or a couple of times a week. Saying that, I'm not sure - I just browsed the self-storage company's website - I should probably give them a call to talk it through and see if it's possible to make an arrangement that makes sense. Thanks for all the suggestions and questions btw folks, reassuring to know I've at least been thinking along similar lines so far.

That's true; I'm looking into solutions for that - specifically as far as I'm aware every local borough has a certain amount of council owned garages that can be rented out on a monthly basis (or longer), kinda like bicycle hangers, so I'm going to apply for one of those. Only issue is it takes some time to process, but not planning on buying my first bike until next year so hopefully it'll work out. Yep, this is another option. Downside is it's more costly and I'll get less time on the bike than I'd like because of that, but definitely my backup plan if I can't figure something out on the hiring front in the next couple of weeks.

I know it. I'm near the St James street end of the market, close to the marshes. Also a lovely community around here in general - people do look out for each other - but there's also some trouble spots around the station and towards Markhouse road. Nothing dangerous, but local dealers and moped crews snatching phones and thieving etc.

Funnily enough I live in Walthamstow! Love the area but it certainly doesn't feel safe to leave a bike around, there's a been a few scooters nicked in the area (no idea if they were covered and locked up); but yeah, if I can't find any hire options I suppose I'll have to buy a super cheap 125 and cover, and pray to the motorcycle gods of Stow.

Hehe, I was going to do daily hires (so taking it back to the hire place at the end of the day). Wasn't planning on keeping it overnight or anything; just want to hire the bike for a day at least two times a week. It's not ideal but until I can find a safe storage solution it's the only way I can think of to get some practice in. Open to other alternatives though (e.g. anyone in East London feel like letting me use their garage for a small fee? )

Hi all, I'm new here (first post!) and pleased to meet you all. I did a quick search and couldn't find a thread that covered / answered the question I have so hoping I could get some guidance and suggestions from members here. My situation is that I just passed by CBT and have a few months before my DAS, I wanted to use the interim period to get as much practice and experience on the road as possible on a 125cc learner bike (with L plates of course!). Problem is that I can't buy a cheap second hand bike as I don't have a garage or any secure space to keep a bike at the moment, and I've asked around a few places in London but it seems like nowhere is currently offering learner bike hires because of issues with delivery people abusing these hire services (in London in particular). I did find one place that was still offering rentals but they were currently out of learner bikes and it sounds like they will be for the foreseeable... so I've hit a dead end. So my actual question is does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations for places in London that do offer learner bike hires? Any help appreciated! Cheers.