Options Plug CB500X - Does It Work?

Farkle Date - 19 Mar 2019

By Pocketpete

My farkling aka blinging my bike up is going ahead with a aplomb. 

My lights arrived today, 15w led spotlights. A touch bigger than I thought. Unknown brand from the land of the oriental rice eating folk who seem very adept at making things very cheaply.

I had spent some time with the Jungheinrich hydraulic control plugs I blagged, trying to get them to fit the options plug. They look the same, the pins seem in the same position but they wont close. Once I got the Honda plug off I realised the German ones have a small ridge across the centre which stops the Honda plug from fitting all the way in.

The only way was to use a 4mm drill bit to slowly cut the plastic lip down from 3 mm to 1mm. This could have been easier if I had a Dremel or similar. I couldn't get a sharp knife in the hole.

The drill soon chopped it away but I took too much off and ruined the plug. Never fear I have 4 more. Shoot! 2 ruined. Ah hot knife to the rescue. Burn my finger ouch! But eventually I have an options plug female which holds onto to the Male section with a nice snap.

It's too small to get a decent picture of, but the clip mechanism has engaged. I have wired two connectors into the plug, one with bare wires, the other with an option plug on so i can still add an accessory which uses a plug. The bare wires are going onto my relay.

I bodge the light into a couple of blocks and turn the key. Crap, not working, the pins must not line up. Volt meter out and 12.1 volts showing on the dial. Crap the lights mustn't work. Cheap Chinese cheap crap. Bugger going cost more to send them back than they cost.

After 10 minutes of head scratching I get a car bulb and hold it on the wires. Bulb lights up. Crap the Chinese lights are duff. I get the other light of the pair. Bugger me that's not working either. 

I go for a brew and 15 minutes later I decide to abandon the job and put my seat back on. I decide to put the Honda plug back in situ as it seals against water. As I'm looking at it I realise my mistake. A bulb doesn't care about flow, which side is positive... but an led does.

I'm a total idiot. When I wired up the options plug the Honda wiring is green for earth, purple for live. I wired the plug I made the opposite way. I actually didn't but when I inserted the pins I did it upside down so when I fitted it the pins are reversed. I take off the wires and swap them round turn the key and bingo - let there be light.

So my lights work. All I need now is a mount, either a crash bar like Ren's Puig crash guard or a dedicated mount. Hmm lets see what cheap Chinese crap I can buy. I'm still waiting for my electrical wire to arrive and my relay. SW Motech do a mount for £44.

Hmm. Ali Express seem to do one for £29. As I'm going down the Ren spending route (cheap as chips, tighter than a camels arse in a sandstorm) yes let's do it, cheapo one it is. 

The mounts look similar, they both mount under the headlight. Hopefully my lights will fit. They are quite large. We shall see in 14 days.

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