Size matters

Well, numbers matter.

The aforementioned 4+2 converter plug from Xian came with 5 wires (i.e. one missing). It fitted the sockets on the bike and CDI just fine, but the bike wouldn't start. A continuity check revealed that all wires were secure. Hmmm.

A visit to the Chinese Bike Forum over the weekend revealed a previous purchaser who'd also had a problem, which he'd solved by getting another converter with all 6 plugs wired up. A quick phone call to Xian got a 6-wire converter winging its way to me, entirely at their cost - they didn't even want the 5-wire one back. Very decent of them. They also said that they come with 5 wires from the Chinese supplier, and work on 90% of bikes. I've since found that older HN125 models do only have 5 wires on the bike side of the ignition; mine has 6 though, and needs all 6 wires.

Oh, I blew the ending: the new plug works fine with the POSH CDI. A quick lunchtime jaunt revealed a modest improvement in eagerness at mid to high revs. That's not the way I like to ride, but if you want or need to work your bike hard, the POSH seems like a good buy.

Since I'm unable to resist the urge to keep fiddling, I've got an NGK DPR9EIX-9 spark plug on order. To translate, that's 12mm / projected insulator / resistor / heat rating 9 (runs cooler than normal) / 19mm reach / iridium / 0.9mm gap. It's perhaps not ideal for the bike: I'll really have to try it out. This excellent CG 125 guide suggests trying it since as well as giving a stronger spark, it should help prevent power fade during extended high speed running. This isn't an issue for me normally, but I'm considering trying a jaunt up to Inverness in July with a fellow Huoniao (HN125-4F) owner, and am gradually trying to get my bike up to scratch, since his bike seems pretty pimped.

Since I can't find a cheap screen that I like, I've bought a couple of 3mm 50cm x 50cm sheets of perspex, which I'll have a go at cutting and bending with the aid of a heat gun to see if I can get a usable screen out of them. If I'd thought about it, I'd have heated the PUIG screen before fitting it to the smaller HN125 headlight, which might have stopped it starring.

Ah well - if it hadn't starred, then I wouldn't have the opportunity to get my hands dirty (and burned). That's what this bike is all about, after all.