crickets one

Fuckin beautiful man! Excellent work.

First thing most motoheads would do with their brand new bikes was to put on an aftermarket pipe and a good quality chain and sprocket set. Seeing how you managed to come up with an nos aftermarket pipe, how much better could it get?

I like it and I'm not a Kawasaki fan. Great job. You guys are motivating me to do one like this. I have built three bikes the past two years but they were all built to vintage race. Don't get me wrong there nice but not the same as the ones I'm seeing on here. Keep up the good work everyone.

Very nice. I love it. I rode an 85 KX125 in those days and lusted after the 87 when it came out. I love the PSI pipe. Nice touch.

If I had to be critical, I think what is throwing the seat off is the foam you used looks taller than the stock foam. Maybe trim it down a bit.

I know you said no fluids, but don't you want to at least fire it up for a bit and then re-drain everything?

I haven't read through all of this, but I would just build it how YOU want it, period.

I think you've done an absolutely fantastic job. Beautiful - I do automotive restoration and my dad restore vintage moto (mostly Pentons) so I can easily appreciate your attention to detail. Bolts, hoses, decals...really well done.

My first 125 was an '89 KX125 and contrary to a lot of people, I loved it. Probably my favorite 125 ever. I was coming off of a '88 KX80 that I had the rev limiter popping all the time at WOT everywhere - the 125 was a relief. My next new 125 was a '91 - never got along with that bike at all.

Anyway - so where are you going to showcase this? Will the wife let you put it in the house? I'd roll it into my office, or mounted on the wall of the shop.

Bravo work.

Wow.

The moto restoration world is a tight niche group - for any old muscle cars, you can pretty much build the car from top to bottom from a simple catalog.

That was a lot of dedication on your part. Pretty awesome.

Thanks for posting the pictures - your bike looks fantastic and brings back great memories of my first KX 125 (a 1985...). The attention to detail is fantastic. Thanks for taking me down memory lane!

I think really dig your KX project, MXM. Awesome job.

Personally I would have done the same thing and used contemporary or aftermarket parts when OEM parts are NLA or known to be subpar. It's really something you need to decide upfront before doing a restoration, but the OEM or nothing mentality doesn't make sense to me. Lets face it, bone stock bikes leave a lot to be desired with their mild steel bars, crappy chains and hard plastic grips and I don't see any reason to spend good money on bad parts.

Putting a stock chain on a resto is kind of like when people restore model/years that were known to be shitty bikes for the fact they are just that, shitty bikes. The YZ490 comes to mind as an example of that. If I had ever had won on a YZ490 I would restore it and email a pic of it from time to time to anyone I ever beat just to be a smartass. Do you have any of your buddies email addresses that had say, a 87 CR125 that you may have beaten on your KX125?

A simply stunning job - well done!

I'm not sure I would have the patience for such a build - I'd rather just pay someone like you a lot of money for one!

As for the parts - I reckon period correct aftermarket stuff is even cooler than stock, to a degree!

Dear MXM,

Thank you for taking your time, money, blood, sweat and tears to do something that I could only dream of doing! You did a superb, excellent, brilliant, champion, glorious, eminent, regal, majestic, bitchin job on this restore!!! Like I have shared with you, I have a very soft spot in my heart for the '87 KX125.....and after just looking at your final pictures, I couldn't help but sit at my desk here and daydream for a few minutes about all of the great times I had racing that same bike back-in-the-day! Thank you for sharing with us your adventure, and for bringing this great bike back to life!

Your friend for life,

MXracer106

PS. Please email me first if you ever want to sell this bike.

Absolutely stunning resto, MXM!! Nice work, my friend!!

Hey MXM, look what I found on my local Craigslist. I think it's time you start working on the bigger brother!

1987 KX 250

Looks like the listing I posted has been deleted. It was listed on Craigslist the same day I shared it above, but it wouldn't surprise me if it sold in a day. I should have posted additional photos.

It runs, and the seller was including a set of replacement plastic. I think they were asking $450. I'll keep an eye out to see if it gets relisted.

That's awesome.

I am a massive brochure geek (mainly cars) so that pushes my buttons!

Hi everybody, i am very new to this forum, and i just got into it trying to find some suggestions to renew a 1987 kx 125 i bought.
My intention is to race in next year vintage mx italian championship, so i am not in a hurry, but i'd better start moving.
I already got the bike "naked", and the frame is on its way to be polished with acid baths and then painted. 1st question, does anybody have the RAL code for frame color?
The engine is on its way to be opened and eventually fixed and repainted.
for the missing or broken parts, i am trying to find something over the internet but some of them seem to be disappeared from the planet, so i would like to ask you where you found some necessary parts like the chain guides.
MXM, you did a wonderful job with your bike, i don't know if i'll ever get close to it with mine.
any help or suggestion is welcome of course.

I found a big box of old stickers from the 80's and 90's including these.

Very nice restoration project, I can appreciate all the work and time that will of gone into that bike, great job!

I bought a magazine from Japan called Racers and it reads from the back to front and all in Japanese cost me £35 aswell!! But it was so worth it for the detailed picturers of the 90-91 Honda RC250 MA but like you say wish i could read it!

Right ON, MXM.

The first "real" bike I ever had was a leftover 1984 KX125 I bought in January 1985 for the whopping cost of... $1742.91. I vividly remember that number because my dad couldn't believe that a dirt bike could be nearly the cost of the down payment he made on his first house.

That 1984 KX was deluxe. It handled like a brick, but it would spank any other 125 I ran it against until I sold it when I went to college later. That is one bike I hugely regret selling.

Cool to see another of your super restos. Compared to my '84-- when I first saw pictures of this bike I thought somebody had put decals on Wardy's practice bike.

Probably tired of hearing it, but amazing work.

Many of us are living vicariously through you bro.. add me to the list.

(And up the nose with a rubber hose to anyone who doesn't get how sweet the single-side Kawies are! heh)

I really like this build. Great work!

Wow-- an OEM kickstand on an MX bike. Must have been a bear to track down! I remember when they all came that way. Different era for certain but I feel really fortunate to have been around for it

It looks awesome, Only thing I couldn't live with is the jagged cut on the shroud graphics around the bolt hole, Thats just my OCD kicking in, But it is a truly amazing resto !