julianl

My current project bike is a 1970 CB350K, but I already have the next project bike lined up (it was too good an opportunity to miss). It's a 1980 Honda CG125 (K1?). It's 6v and has points ignition. I'd like to convert it to 12v to make getting lamps for it easier and to open up more options of a decent headlight, USB power socket, etc. This, and an electronic ignition conversion would just make the bike easier to live with on a day to day basis. From the research I've done, I would need a new stator and reg/rec to change to 12v. The new stator would have a pickup for an ignition timing signal for the CDI unit too, so goes hand in hand with conversion from points to CDI, so I would assume I need to fit a CDI flywheel too. I would need a new loom as well, which I could get off a later CDI CG125. The current loom is butchered anyway, one of the POs used twin and earth to 'repair' it. Anything to stay on the road I guess. Is it really that 'simple' (replace with newer CG125 parts) or am I missing something? Would I be able to mount the 12v stator in the original engine casing? Do I need to make a custom bracket for that or can I modify the stator to fit? Does a CDI flywheel fit a points crank ok? Do I need to get anything machined? I'm still very much in the planning stages at the moment, but want to start collecting parts when I see them become available, and also to make sure the idea is viable. Thanks!

A couple of examples... I can't find the auction where the serial number had been tampered with, I think it might have finished.

I have half a CG125 engine (one casing missing) that I was given with a bike I bought recently. The bike is a Honda XR125L (which uses the CG125 engine) but this bike has a Chinese CG125 clone. Previous seller wanted to put a Honda engine back in the bike and bought a replacement engine, but used the casing off it on his commuter CG. He lost interest in the project and put it all on eBay after a couple of years sat in his shed, where I bought it. I too would like to put a Honda engine back in the bike, nothing against Lifan. So I've been looking at lots of CG125 engine casings on eBay. The vast majority I've seen have had their engine number removed. Why do this? I can't think of a legitimate reason to do this, but I'm still fairly new to bikes. Is there a good reason? All I can think of is to hide the identity of the engine, and the first reason to do that which comes to mind, is because the engine is stolen. Even if there was a legal reason to do this, I don't see how you could tell the DVLA that the replacement engine you've fitted to the bike doesn't have a serial number. I don't intend to neglect to tell the DVLA about an engine swap, like the owner that fitted the Chinese engine did (my V5C says the bike has a Honda JC30E engine fitted). I don't know what the sellers think people would do with an engine with no serial number if it can't legally be used on the road. I've contacted a bike breakers company (not someone doing this part time, a proper registered company) who are selling via eBay that has two possibly suitable casing sets for sale, one set with a serial and one without, asking for them to confirm that the set with the serial number has an undamaged serial number (I've seen a casing where the serial number had been modified to a different number and their photo is unclear), and to ask the specific model of the CG125 engine the casings are from (there are several variants, you can tell by the first part of the serial number which variant it is). But they are ignoring me, it's been almost a week. I will not buy something I think is stolen, and I don't want to blindly buy a casing that may not work with the internals I have, at least not for the price the 'no reply' breakers are asking. I would probably take the risk (of it being the wrong model) if the price was lower (and they confirmed it had a serial number that hadn't been tampered with). What would people recommend I do? Just keep looking? I didn't think this would be so hard. It's easier getting replacement parts for the 1970 CB350 I'm restoring than it is for a 15 year old bike using an engine that was produced in hundreds of thousands. Anyone have a JC30E (or possibly a JC27E) casing (or possibly whole engine if cheap enough) they want to sell? Must have a serial number though!

Update 12 - June 2018 With the switch gear taken off the bike, and apart, I give it a coat of Halfraud's finest satin black. Bottom half too. I give the tank a coat of etch primer on the bottom. As I'm going to be filling and sanding, I don't on the top, yet. Whilst I have the satin black out, I paint the insides of the headlight brackets. Should have done this first really to make sure I don't get any overspray on the top coat, but I manage it without drama. Back to the red (eBay) tank to investigate it closer. Out with the marker pen... I don't like slapping on loads of filler. I want to have the least amount of filler on the tank. More marking... This is the worst side. I should buy shares in this stuff. It's like the tank cut itself shaving. Fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand... More... To break the monotony, I try my hand at some brazing on the original tank. It would be good to have a spare. Not too bad. This tool helps a lot. Back to sanding. Sanding, sanding, sanding... I hate sanding. Guess what? More sanding. Time for some primer. Wet sand and leave to dry in the sun. More primer. To mix things up a bit, I go back to filling and sanding, but this time on the side covers. Fun times. This one's not too bad. I'll probably replace them though, as they have had the badge holes and recess filled. I can get patern parts from the US for about £50 the set. Expensive I know, but I think it's worth it for these in the long run. I'll use these for the moment and make the final decision once the bike's back on the road. Actually I lied, I didn't get to sand the side covers this update, but I did get a coat of primer on both tanks, as I don't want anything to rust. This was a full day, from about 09:00 to about 18:00 non stop.

Update 11 - June 2018 I only had one very worn key for the bike. I found you could still get NOS Honda keys using the code on the lock. I got some NOS reflectors cheap too. After finding out the bars have cracked, I need to remove the switch gear. I also need to remove the old headlight bowl too, so disconnect all the wiring in the headlight. I have lots of photos of which wire went where. Got the bars removed. I want to repaint the switch gear housing since I have them off the bike, so I start to disassemble the kill switch. Need to desolder this part to get it all out. That's as far as I got on the switch gear for the moment, as I got a call from the guy doing my media blasting. My parts are ready to collect. This is the holy tank. It mostly looks good... Underneath the paint where the leak was. And on the same place but the other side, not as bad and wasn't leaking until the rust was removed. Couldn't tell this was bad when the paint was on. The fork covers look better than I was expecting. Oh wait, no they don't. Dammit The good news is that the red tank I got off eBay looks really good on the rust front! But does have a few dings. Nice! The top looks pretty good.

Thanks. Corrosion I believe, but it is quite odd the way it's so localised. From what I understand there's a specific content in US petrol that can cause this issue. No idea what it is though.

Update 10 - June 2018 I had been scouring eBay for ages trying to find replacement headlight brackets in better condition than mine, without much luck. CMSNL had some, so I ordered from them. I ordered a few other parts to make the shipping cost less onourus, but these were still quite pricy, but they are genuine Honda NOS, and in perfect condition. I love the old Honda packaging and logo, it's so cool. Minty fresh. Primer. Never used these spray can gun things before, but now I love them. You can angle the can easier, don't get paint dribbles on your hands, and makes the job easier. Would recommend. The paint colour is BMW Topaz Blue. It's the colour of a car I used to have and one that I like (obviously). I know it's not a standard colour, but I think it looks like it might have been. Several layers of colour coat, followed by several more layers of lacquer. Shiny Also shiny

Update 09 - June 2018 This was when I noticed that the handlebars were cracked. Bugger. Back to eBay to search for 'new' ones... Anyway, back to the fork rebuild. Forks reassembled and new seals installed with lots of rubber grease. I've used this universal seal driver so many times. I've rebuilt the forks on my Kawasaki, the XR twice, and now the CB too. Well worth the ~£35. It's made up of two weighted parts, and a spingy (so can fit different sizes) driver part that can drive the oil seals (pointy end) and the dust caps (flat end). Oil seal driven home and circlip reinstalled. I like using generic parts where I can to keep the cost down. In this case I couldn't find anywhere that had the seals in stock, but after a little searching I found that the o ring seals around the top bolts on the forks are 11 x 3. 11mm ID, and 3mm dia. I got a bag of them off eBay for about a quid, where the only place I could find with them in stock was a place in the states that wanted an arm and a leg for genuine ones. The old ones had been pinched and were starting to perish. Nice. Fork oil before temporarily installing the top bolts (to stop the oil leaking out). Workshop manual check for the amount of oil, 200cc of 10W fork oil. Nice new oil, like night and day compared with what came out of the forks... Both oiled up and the top bolts installed (need to be removed to fit through the top yoke). Another part turned up - the indicator switch lever. The old one the plastic button had snapped off. Got this off eBay.

Thanks dude

Update 08 - June 2018 My 'new' tank has turned up at this stage. Before I get it sand blasted, I want to make sure it's a good'un. Here's what it looks like when it turns up. Not good, but one hell of a lot better than the old one. Time to see how well it cleans up. Step 1 zip tie the fingers off a glove to the balance ports on the tank. Donor Other port too. Magic bottle. Leave to soak, turning frequently. Et voila! That's nice, looks like this *is* a good'un. On to the carbs next. First, the right tool for the job. Carb no 1, that's not too bad. This is what happens if you don't drain your carbs when you put your bike in to storage. Nasty. But I manage to get the jets out. ...holey float bowl Batman! (photo after cleaning it up) The butterfly is jammed, so I need to strip the linkage down and extract it. More disassembly (will use locktite on reassembly) The petrol has turned to varnish and stuck the butterfly linkage, so this was an arse to remove. On to carb 2. !!WARNING!! Graphic image if you are mechanically sympathetic. This stank as bad as it looked. :( :( I need to take my mind of that, so switch to taking the forks apart. I will return to the carbs at a later date. More disassembly. Circlip pliers were a god send for this stage. Apart! Looking pretty good. Needed to order more parts (and lie down in a darkened room after that carb) at this stage.

Update 07 - June 2018 Stripping down the front end. Looks like the headlight bowl has been repaired before. The plastic was perished too as it pretty much crumbled to pieces as I took it apart. Removed the bars and the bar mounts. The chrome isn't too bad as the bike is covered in a think layer of dry oil. I guess it's something like ACF50 One fork leg out. Yeah, that's not good... it's supposed to be straight. The other side is slightly more straight, but also more cracked. Looking a little distressed. Other fork out! All the extra bits from the forks. The headlight brackets are both bent and cracked, and the fork tube covers look ok, but are full of dents and filler. Expensive unicycle. Ready to rebuild the forks.

Update 06 - June 2018 Move on to the indicators whilst I'm waiting for parts to arrive. More JIS screws that have been destroyed by years of abuse. I think it would just be easier to switch to hex socket head, so source some A2 stainless from eBay. Head is a perfect match for the old ones. You can really see the damage here - all of them were like this. Test fit in the indicator lens. Perfect. More parts turned up... Battery cover from David Silver. The underneath of the seat is metal, so this would have been interesting without something there the first bump I went over. Installed. The rear brake rod was missing the correct adjuster nut. It had a nyloc nut instead, making it impossible to adjust without tools. I changed it back to stock. Installed.

That does indeed look like a Honda speedo! Are you thinking of parting with it? Yours free if you want it , PM me and I'll post it . Wow, that's really kind of you, yes please! I'll PM you now.

Update 05 - June 2018 I do the same on the front brakes. These are also drum, but 'dual leading edge'. More bite than your average drum brake. Single cable, so there's a linkage between the two brake cams. The speedo drive is still nicely greased up. A closer look at the dual leading edge drum brakes. The leading edge of both shoes are pushed into the drum. On a 'normal' drum brake, only the leading edge of one shoe would be pushed into the drum (and the trailing edge of the other shoe). Cleaned up, regreased and putting it back together. And back on the bike. Again, the shoes and tyres are temporary, and will be replaced before going on the road.

That does indeed look like a Honda speedo! Are you thinking of parting with it?

Update 04 June 2018 I investigate how much it would cost to get the tank repaired. I do a short search online. And off to eBay for a replacement tank it is! I move on to the brakes whilst I wait for my 'new' tank to turn up. Rear wheel removed. Shoes don't look too bad, but best to replace them. I'll reinstall them for the moment, but will replace them before taking the bike for an MoT. Shoes and springs removed. Brake cam removed too as this is usually the first part to dry up and seize on a drum brake. Yup... Cleaned and ready to be greased and reinstalled. Only noticed this at the reassembly stage that there's supposed to be a split pin to stop the nut holding the reaction arm from coming off. An old split pin leg was jammed in there and I had to use a punch to get it out. Got the cam back in and the lever back on. Alway to remember to alight the dots. Rear wheel back together and serviceable (for pushing round the garage). Will change the shoes and tyre before riding it.

Update 03 - May 2018 Time to investigate the fuel tank. Not looking forward to this part (or the carbs, but that's another story). Pull the petcock out. Oh. Flip the tank over and notice a leak. Great. Zoom and enhance! Well, bugger.

Update 02 - May 2018 That HT lead's a lil' short... And the insulation's perished as the cable exits the coil. Disassembly. New (repro) coils! Thanks to David Silver. Back on the bike, and new caps too

Update 01 - May 2018 A bit of a more in depth look to see what I could find. Damaged / repaired float bowl on one of the carbs. Points actually look in pretty good condition, except for almost every scren having a rounded off head... Some Americans haven't heard of JIS. Plugs look good. Install a new battery.

It arrived in the back of a van. Missing speedo. Damaged headlight bowl (US sealed beam unit, so would be swapping it anyway). Bent headlight brackets. Cracked left hand controls. Love the off centre filler cap though.

This is my current project bike. Bought it off eBay. It's a US import and hasn't been registered yet. I have the NOVA number for it, so to get it UK registered it needs an MoT first. It's old enough to be both VED and MoT exempt, but I can only apply for historic vehicle status once it's UK registered, so need to get it through an MoT as part of the registration process. Here's a few photos from the eBay classified ad. It's been off the road for about 15 years. The photos make it look better than it really is. This is the condition it was in back in May 2018 (spoiler: I haven't got it back on the road just yet).