87 vs 88 CR125

Jamal#440
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Jamal#440
Edited Date/Time 5/16/2020 4:22am
The magazines all said the 88 had an electric powerband. Was there really much difference at all? My 87 hit right from the bottom and went well into mid-range, that seems pretty electric for a 125.
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tuggy450
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tuggy450 10/24/2018 8:19pm
10/24/2018 8:19pm
The 88 did not hit off of the bottom. I had one. boyesen dual stage reeds and the atac exhaust chamber spacer helped a lot. Was a great bike.
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 10/25/2018 10:09am
10/25/2018 10:09am
The 87 was much better than the 88. The 87 did suffer from cold seizures however.

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Brett Campbell 10/25/2018 12:36pm
10/25/2018 12:36pm Edited Date/Time 10/25/2018 12:39pm
I had an 87 back in the day. It had very little bottom end but did have a great mid and top end. I even added the atac exhaust chamber spacer and Boyesen reeds.
NoMuff2Tuff
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NoMuff2Tuff 10/27/2018 11:13pm
10/27/2018 11:13pm
I ran a 87 and a couple friends I rode with had the 88 and 89, all great bikes. basically the same motors but did run a little different from year to year. The 87 and 88 used the same cylinder and exhaust pipe. 87 and 88 had different cdi boxes and cylinder heads. I think the 88 had less compression and timing curve causing the bike to be smoother and not hit as hard as the 87. The 89 had different cylinder, head, cdi box and pipe from 87 and 88. The 89 was softer on the bottom but revved higher then the 87-88, the 89 would never stop pulling.

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NoMuff2Tuff
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NoMuff2Tuff 10/27/2018 11:17pm
10/27/2018 11:17pm
Oh and all 3 of the bikes the stators went out, Honda did have issues with stators going out back then.
Jamal#440
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Jamal#440 12/4/2018 9:57am
12/4/2018 9:57am Edited Date/Time 12/4/2018 9:59am
Thank you for the replies guys its all coming back now..My 87 seemed to hit off the bottom (but then I was light) and yes it definately had a monster mid-range, crazy I never got hurt on it being my first tiddler and all. Got it in 88 and wanted to keep it for 89 but my pops somehow talked me into an RM125..lol not bad except it was pipey and took a while to learn how to ride it. My buddy had an 89 CR and said it revved and revved but thats all it was good for.
mxrose3
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mxrose3 12/4/2018 12:19pm
12/4/2018 12:19pm
The 87 had some issues with the small end (piston pin) bearing. They fixed that in 88' with a larger piston pin / bearing / connecting rod. You can update your 87' with those parts and make it more reliable.
Manbearpig
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Manbearpig 12/4/2018 11:18pm
12/4/2018 11:18pm
I'm in the middle of restoring an 88. I had an 89 and loved it minus going through stators... I'm having to replace cases, water pump etc. Due to the infamous magnesium corrosion but it should be a fun bike. I'm also wondering what mods were the ticket to the 88?
Mixon848
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Mixon848 1/8/2019 6:09am
1/8/2019 6:09am
I owned and raced both (actually have own and raced 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988), the 1988 was more mellow in the power range. It felt like a little enduro bike stock. I felt like I didn't fall off of the pipe as much on the 1988 where as the 1987 was a light switch. You would get it swinging in the midrange and on the top end but if you made a mistake your were done, and would have to clutch it back into action with a lot of clutch fanning. On the 1988 when I would fall off of the pipe I felt one single stab of the clutch would get it back into the meat.

One thing I noticed was when I let my friends ride my 1987 Honda CR125 they all said that it felt fast and hit hard. Those same friends said that the 1988 Honda CR125 felt slow. The motor just turned over with more torque in my eyes instead of more "zap" of the 1987.

After getting my 1988 Honda CR125 ported and the head work done via an Motocross Action Magazine article it felt more like the 1987 and I didn't like it as much with the port work and head work and sold it 2 weeks after spending all of that money getting the work done.
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sandman768
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sandman768 1/8/2019 8:20am
1/8/2019 8:20am
I have the MXA test of all the 88 125"s...they picked the KX as the winner...said the 88 CR went backwards compared to the 87, but that could have been the Pro opinion....


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Chopin
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Chopin 5/12/2020 9:40pm
5/12/2020 9:40pm
So, I brought home a basket case 1987 CR125 that has a buckled down tube on the frame. So, I'm looking for a new frame and curious if anyone knows if the 87 and 88 frames are the same? I'm starting from scratch and totally new to these bikes so any input is appreciated. Thanks guys


mxrose3
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mxrose3 5/13/2020 8:19pm
5/13/2020 8:19pm
Chopin wrote:
So, I brought home a basket case 1987 CR125 that has a buckled down tube on the frame. So, I'm looking for a new frame and...
So, I brought home a basket case 1987 CR125 that has a buckled down tube on the frame. So, I'm looking for a new frame and curious if anyone knows if the 87 and 88 frames are the same? I'm starting from scratch and totally new to these bikes so any input is appreciated. Thanks guys


wow.. how did that happen I wonder??
and yeah, other than the deeper red color, I don't believe there are any differences in the 88' frame from the 87'.
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Chopin
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Chopin 5/14/2020 7:42am
5/14/2020 7:42am
mxrose3 wrote:
wow.. how did that happen I wonder?? and yeah, other than the deeper red color, I don't believe there are any differences in the 88' frame...
wow.. how did that happen I wonder??
and yeah, other than the deeper red color, I don't believe there are any differences in the 88' frame from the 87'.
Good question. It's a bit spooky honestly...
Regarding frames, I understand the 89's are different to accommodate a different shock. But share the same engine and not much else. Maybe someone can confirm.
Brett Campbell 5/14/2020 9:22am
5/14/2020 9:22am
The part numbers on the frame between the 87 and 88 are different, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't work.
Chopin
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Chopin 5/14/2020 4:53pm
5/14/2020 4:53pm
Brett Campbell wrote:
The part numbers on the frame between the 87 and 88 are different, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't work.
Have received on good authority that the frames are the exact same minus the color.
Chopin
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Chopin 5/15/2020 12:16am
5/15/2020 12:16am Edited Date/Time 5/15/2020 12:17am
Brett Campbell wrote:
The part numbers on the frame between the 87 and 88 are different, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't work.

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Brett Campbell 5/15/2020 4:52am
5/15/2020 4:52am
Brett Campbell wrote:
The part numbers on the frame between the 87 and 88 are different, but that doesn't necessarily mean it won't work.
Chopin wrote:
Have received on good authority that the frames are the exact same minus the color.
Good deal!
Bent206
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Bent206 5/16/2020 4:22am
5/16/2020 4:22am
The frames are nearly identical. The ‘88 has gussets at the swingarm pivot that the ‘87 does not.
You can just make out the gusset behind the brake pedal return spring.
‘88 pictured.

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