cb200 no lights at all

[deathhare]

Looking for some quick advice.
Suddenly no lights work on my bike. Turns, brake, headlights all out.

Ive been pouring over the diagram trying to find the problem but cant seem to realize a source of power for all the lights. (Beside the battery. I mean a wire or something.)
Ive gotta be overlooking something here thats simple.

Seems like it all comes out of the key switch? Possibly my switch is bad suddenly. Was trying to test it but its not making a lot of sense as I dont know how it works exactly. Correct me if Im wrong but all wires leaving or entering the switch should have 12v when the switch is on.

Any suggestions would be amazing at this point.
Thank


Edit: Been messing with it for a lot longer. Still nothing.

 

[Big R]

Do you have a multi meter? It might be time to trace power from the battery.......starting with the fuse.

 

[deathhare]

Do you have a multi meter? It might be time to trace power from the battery.......starting with the fuse.

Yes, I do. 8)
And I did that for many hours and found no faults but then again I dont completely understand some things about the system.

Part of my problem is not knowing how the key switch operates and not being sure what wires should have power at what moment. Example: I have continuity between the key switch red and the red wire at the battery when the key is off and also have 12v at the switch at that time. When I turn the key on, I seem to have no power there at all. That doesnt make a lot of sense to me but again, not sure how this switch is working or if something else is controlling its getting power.
I also suspected the button start was the problem but couldnt confirm or rule it out.

The diagrams Ive been looking at online are not so great though. Im used to VW and BMW wiring diagrams which are so much better than this Honda one. This system is SO simple but the Honda diagram is so inferior IMO that it makes it hard to follow.

I feel dumb because I have an enormous amount of experience with wiring but this is wearing me out. lol

 

[Big R]

Does the bike run?

Unplug the ignition switch, and jump a small piece of wire in the plug on the main harness. From red to brown (I think) should turn your lights on.

 

[deathhare]

BTW, Im looking at this. It says CB200T. Which may be different than my CB200. No idea.

Ive found this one which may be more correct but basically appears the same I think..

 

[deathhare]

Does the bike run?

Unplug the ignition switch, and jump a small piece of wire in the plug on the main harness. From red to brown (I think) should turn your lights on.

Yeah the bike runs.
The ignition switch doesnt appear to unplug at all. Is that dumb?
I mean Ive yet to find where it could. The wires are soldered to it.

 

[Big R]

Ah......screwed by the PO again.........

It should definitely unplug - usually about 6" from the ignition switch. Tell you what - jump a positive wire from the battery to the brown wire on the tail light. As long as your grounds and the bulb are good, it should light up.

 

[deathhare]

Yeah with some real digging I found the key switch would unplug.
Glad I know that. Thanks.

But jumping from brown to red didnt do anything.

 

[deathhare]

Ah......screwed by the PO again.........

It should definitely unplug - usually about 6" from the ignition switch. Tell you what - jump a positive wire from the battery to the brown wire on the tail light. As long as your grounds and the bulb are good, it should light up.

Ok brown on taillight to battery only lit the neutral light on my tach.
Brown and red together on the key switch plug did the same thing.

 

[deathhare]

At the taillight there are two green wires and a brown.
They all have continuity with ground.

From what it seems, I have a short to ground somewhere?
Or were you thinking the key switch may have a problem?

 

[Big R]

Nope - you have a short somewhere.

Are you certain you have 2 green wires back there? Green is ground, so there should only be one.

 

[deathhare]

Nope - you have a short somewhere.

Are you certain you have 2 green wires back there? Green is ground, so there should only be one.

Its a green, a green/yellow and a brown.

Which is actually what his diagram shows for the taillight. http://www.motorcyclesolutionsllc.com/images/CB200T%20WiringD.jpg

Now to find this short. I have a feeling this could take minutes or weeks. Grrrr.


By the way thanks for your help. Hopefully I can find the short sooner, rather than later. It seems it could be anywhere.

 

[deathhare]

Oh yeah, so I havent had the bike long enough to know...
If the key is on, will the headlight come on or does the bike have to be running?

 

[Big R]

Should come on with the key. I think every bike after 1973 it was mandatory to have the headlights on.

 

[deathhare]

Ok thanks.
I thought it had been but wasnt sure.

Still digging for this short.

Im also thinking it could be shorted inside a component. Which would make it even harder to find.
Like the turn signal switch, headlight switch or something else.
Moving around lots of wires hasnt gotten the lights to flicker on or anything yet.

 

[deathhare]

Ive realized with my meter that the short to ground has got to be huge.
Any power wire on the lighting circuit that I check for continuity to ground screams loud with zero resistance.

Seems it would be so obvious if its such a massive short.

 

[djelliott]

Did you mess around with anything in the headlight bucket? There's a rats nest of wires in there and it's not uncommon to accidentally unplug one. If all of your lights went at the same time I'd be inclined to say the problem is in the bucket or handle bar switch.

 

[deathhare]

Thanks. Yeah, I did. I also had to tighten the headset so removed the top triple.

Been digging in the bucket trying to find a problem but have yet to find one. Im convinced its there or the switch like you said but ive checked it all more than once.
Gotta keep looking I guess.

 

[SONICJK]

Well to test the switch just jump the wires together before they go into the switch.

On my 350 there is an orange wire a silver wire and a blue wire going into the blinker switch. Jump either color to silver and your blinker will come on. Etc

I doubt it's the switches though as that would mean your headlight switch and your blinker switch both went out at the same time. Unlikely.

Take the headlight out, unplug everything in the bucket, clean each connector with some wd40 and a wire brush and put it all back together matching up the colors. It should work then.

 

[deathhare]

Well to test the switch just jump the wires together before they go into the switch.

On my 350 there is an orange wire a silver wire and a blue wire going into the blinker switch. Jump either color to silver and your blinker will come on. Etc

I doubt it's the switches though as that would mean your headlight switch and your blinker switch both went out at the same time. Unlikely.

Take the headlight out, unplug everything in the bucket, clean each connector with some wd40 and a wire brush and put it all back together matching up the colors. It should work then.

Very good point on the switch thing. Both not going out at the same time, I mean.
I'll do exactly as you said and unplug and clean everything. Its gotta be a specific and important wire to kill everything it seems.
Planning to attack it again tonight.
Im embarrassed to say that Ive spent probably 10 or more hours trying to figure this out. Gotta be overlooking something obvious.