Newbie needing advice

[johnny]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and joined hoping to get some advice on what sort of 125cc bike would make a good restoration project and learner bike. I have been restoring / building peddle bikes for years and have rebuilt a mini and a Triumph spitfire. I am however entirely new to working on motorbikes.

Any advice on where to start looking and what to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

J

[fastbob]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and joined hoping to get some advice on what sort of 125cc bike would make a good restoration project and learner bike. I have been restoring / building peddle bikes for years and have rebuilt a mini and a Triumph spitfire. I am however entirely new to working on motorbikes.

Any advice on where to start looking and what to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

J

 

Welcome to the forum . Get a Honda CG 125 , that's my advice . And when you do, I'd be delighted to assist with every detail of the restoration . That's if there are any left that haven't been hacked about to make Brat , Cafe , Scrambler abominations . Actually there are some good ones out there but a lot of nasty ones too .

[MikeHorton]

Yes a Cg125 as said is ideal or maybe a yam rxs100 if you can find one they were fast for a 100!

[fastbob]

Yes a Cg125 as said is ideal or maybe a yam rxs100 if you can find one they were fast for a 100!

 

Yep , anything without a camchain will do it .

[johnny]

Thanks for the suggestions and offer of support, i really appreciate both! Will start looking for a Honda CG 125 and or Yamaha Rxs 100. Any specific age of bike best?

Will be back in touch when I am successful.

Thanks!

[skyrider]

listen to what fastbob has to say and you wont go far wrong

[fastbob]

Thanks for the suggestions and offer of support, i really appreciate both! Will start looking for a Honda CG 125 and or Yamaha Rxs 100. Any specific age of bike best?

Will be back in touch when I am successful.

Thanks!

 

If you're getting a CG 125 it doesn't really matter . The basic design dates from around 1976 and Honda have made them in Japan, Brazil, Turkey and back to Japan and possibly India and Pakistan I wouldn't be surprised . They are still being made today I believe and of course there are a billion Chinese copies that use the same engine . This is very much to your advantage because eBay and Amazon are flooded with ridiculously cheap replica parts . All models are good but an electronic ignition version might be less hassle . I wouldn't bother with an electric start version though , it's just one more thing to go wrong .

[johnny]

Hi,

I like the look of the 1970 - 1980's Honda. So I will hopefully find one in the next few weeks that suits.

Thanks again!

[fastbob]

Well I've just looked on Gumtree and here's your problem . There are 24 CG125s and all of them are fairly nice bikes that are ready to ride . The average price is around £1000 and apart from a wash and brush up they don't really need anything doing to them . Back when I did up a spate of CG,s I was paying as little as £20 for shed and garden finds but I had the advantage of working in a bike shop with a customer notice board.

[johnny]

Ebay has half a dozen all needing work that seem to be going for about £300 - £500. Will keep an eye and see what i can get.

Thanks

[fastbob]

Ebay has half a dozen all needing work that seem to be going for about £300 - £500. Will keep an eye and see what i can get.

Thanks

 

I didn't look on eBay . I'll have a look now.

[johnny]

Hi,

Does it make any difference to parts availability or upgrading if a CG125 Honda is 6v?

Thanks

[fastbob]

Hi,

Does it make any difference to parts availability or upgrading if a CG125 Honda is 6v?

Thanks

 

I would probably avoid 6v CGs to be honest . Unless it's a rare gem and has some value to collectors . What year is it ?

[johnny]

Hi,

finding the search for a Honda cg125 within shouting distance of Edinburgh a little frustrating. i can source a Kawasaki KH125 locally. Would this be appropriate for a starter project in your opinion?

[fastbob]

It would up to a point but as far as the engine is concerned you are only going to learn about two strokes . Going forward , most bikes are 4 strokes these days so if you choose to move on you will still have to learn about valves , tappets , timing chains etc. The CG is a good compromise because it's a four stroke with push rods instead of a cam chain . If the price is right go for it . I obtained a two stroke recently that started first touch ( After much fettling ) having stood outside in a blackberry bush for ten years . See " Aprilia Garden Find " in this section.

[Guest]

I had a ke125. actually a cool little bike. anything loud and stinky is cool and mine was both. had to drill holes in a pit bike rear sprocket to fit because of the antique bolt pattern. 38t rear and I was streetable. did a stator conversion for the lights. the transmission was broken and the part was obsolete. gear shift return spring. got one on ebay that looked close and fit it with a grinder.

learned a lot about antique repairs. don't know if you want to go this route. modern bikes can be had in my area for 350$,

rode that ke125 for 3 seasons then sold it. if you buy it I can help 60mph is top speed.

[johnny]

Hi,

When looking into the 2 stroke bike a lot of articles came up regarding banning them for pollution issues! Is this likely to happen? Is this happening? Dont want to restore my first bike and not be able to ride it!

Thanks again for all the support!!

[fastbob]

Hi,

When looking into the 2 stroke bike a lot of articles came up regarding banning them for pollution issues! Is this likely to happen? Is this happening? Dont want to restore my first bike and not be able to ride it!

Thanks again for all the support!!

 

Mate "They" are going to ban everything sooner or later .

[Guest]

grandfathered legal, no battery. kick and go, 6v to 12v conversion.

[fastbob]

grandfathered legal, no battery. kick and go, 6v to 12v conversion.

 

What does " Grandfathered " mean ? That's not a phrase I'm familiar with .

[Guest]

grandfathered legal, no battery. kick and go, 6v to 12v conversion.

 

What does " Grandfathered " mean ? That's not a phrase I'm familiar with .

 

cuomo is a car guy so collecting antiques in ny is allowed. 2 strokes are banned from nyc but since this is a pre ban bike its legal. no problem plating the thing it does not have a 17 digit vin so its untraceable.

[skyrider]

they used to have a thing called grandfather rights, probably someone on here can explain it better than me

[fastbob]

grandfathered legal, no battery. kick and go, 6v to 12v conversion.

 

What does " Grandfathered " mean ? That's not a phrase I'm familiar with .

 

cuomo is a car guy so collecting antiques in ny is allowed. 2 strokes are banned from nyc but since this is a pre ban bike its legal. no problem plating the thing it does not have a 17 digit vin so its untraceable.

 

Ahh , it's a legal loophole .

[johnny]

SO, due to the fact that all the Honda CG125's that were right for me are 300 miles away, I took a 30min drive today to pick up a Kawasaki KH125 from 1992. Needs a lot of attention. My aim is to enjoy the rebuild an i am in no hurry so....

 

And it has no complete engine!

[fastbob]

Wow , that is a challenge . Did you actually pay for this thing ? Anyway good luck with it . Here's a link to help you establish what's there and what's missing especially concerning the engine . https://www.cmsnl.com/kawasaki-kh125k7-1992-united-kingdom_model12343/partslist/#.XU9e_mnTWyU