Project Bike: 1990 Honda CR125

Pat327
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4/11/2009 12:05am Edited Date/Time 10/7/2014 12:19pm
I picked this thing up yesterday for $600. I've been looking for one for a long time and this thing happened to pop up on Craigslist. My dad had a 1990 CR500 and I've always been partial to the Hondas from that year.

Anyway, I'm going to restore this thing and get it looking and running as well as I can.



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Law 131
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4/11/2009 6:51am
Cool.

Looks like a fun project.
Wolfman
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4/11/2009 5:40pm
Thats cool. I had an RM125 that year. Always wished I would have went with the Honda.
Pat327
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4/12/2009 6:42pm Edited Date/Time 5/12/2009 12:25am








andymoto
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4/14/2009 4:50pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 11:23pm
Good catch Pat and good luck on your project. Looks pretty good already like it's ready to ride now....

At least you stuck with Honda; much easier to find OEM/accessory parts for that my friends tells me that has '83 CR250/480s....no part problems at all. Yamahas too.

Unlike a '92 RM 125 I picked up 2 months ago to have something to tinker with. Can't even find graphics and seatcover anywhere.

The Pipe sent me a price of a brand new complete stock seat he found.....243 bucks.

Never mind the seat....lol.

Good luck on your project..



The Shop

Pat327
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4/18/2009 9:31pm Edited Date/Time 4/18/2009 9:44pm
Just painted the frame with white enamel. It took a lot of prep work to get it this nice, but I think it was worth it.

Before:





After:





Wolfman
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4/21/2009 8:56pm
Dude just have it powder coated if you ever plan to ride it. Doesnt last forever, but holds up much better than paint.
Pat327
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4/22/2009 12:22am Edited Date/Time 5/12/2009 12:37am
Enamel holds up fine. It's much more durable than paint. It's what the factory sprayed them with when they were new. This was shot with a high quality HVLP gun, not a can of Krylon. Besides, it's already done, man.

Here's how the motor looks now.



Junk.

Gozar
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4/22/2009 10:41pm
Looks like it's going to be an awesome project. There is an 84 CR500 on the local craigslist that I'd like to add to the toybox, but finances won't allow it right now.
Pat327
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5/12/2009 12:20am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 11:52pm
I love getting OEM parts in the mail.





I have a front end, subframe, and airbox from a '91 model on the way as well. All for $100. Maybe some of you guys will remember that the factory bikes that Kiedrowski and Bayle rode in 1990 had CR250 rear ends on them. I'm doing the same thing with mine ('91 CR125 has the same rear end as the '90 CR250). It might require a little modding, but I think it'll work. It's worth it to achieve the factory look.

Compare Bayle's bike to the stocker.


jammin76tx
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5/12/2009 8:36pm
Awesome, I almost suggested that you do a JMB replica, cause I was thinking of doing the same. I have that same pic saved on my computer from:
www.jeanmichelbayle.fr
Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Pat327
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5/16/2009 6:40pm Edited Date/Time 6/2/2009 9:44pm
Got some stuff in the mail today. $100 for all of it. I love ebay.



Forks from a '91 model (on the left). The hard chrome isn't perfect, but it's way better overall than the forks from my '90. These things are like pogo sticks right now. The guy sent them to me absolutely covered in oil, grease, and dirt, so I spent a good hour cleaning them.







Here's the spot on my old forks that was worn through. Re-chroming them was kind of risky because there's a pretty noticeable change in the surface. They almost feel dented. Just one of these lowers costs almost $200 new.







Here's the new subframe, also from a '91 model (the top one). It's a perfect fit, so that's great. Just needs to be sanded down and repainted.







And here's the airbox. He sent it to me with a bird nest in it. Unbelievable. I spent a lot of time cleaning it because it was covered with grease, dirt, and white paint. Apparently, the previous owner painted the subframe with a rattle can and didn't bother to take the airbox off beforehand.







The stock front rim from my '03 YZ125 will work with the Honda, so I'll be using that.







Parts cabinet is pretty full.







I have a whole bunch of engine seals, clutch plates, and clutch springs coming from Service Honda. Once I get them, I can begin putting the motor back together!
andymoto
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5/16/2009 10:29pm
Is your cylinder still stock chrome and within tolerances? Or has a pressed sleeve for Bore jobs and Wiesco (or whatever) pistons?

How do the gear dogs and locks look? no rounding hopefully; shift cam/forks not all notched up and where the forks slide in don't have much wear.

Just wondering since some bike in our years wear out cylinders and some go the bore out original to press a new sleeve, which would bring it back to original and using Wiesco piston kits instead of buying a whole new chromed cylinder. Think you can get aprrox 4 bores on each sleeve; been a while.

Sounds like you got a good handle on it; just wondering how the internals of both the cylinder and gearbox are. I never owned a Honda of the like 30+ new MX bikes I bought over the years and didn't know Bayle had CR250 rear suspension stuff. How much I paid attention to Hondas.....was going to buy a '90 250 seeing how large the contingency Honda was paying for Vet Pro class during Golden State, but I woulda only gotten a few nibbles at best. I did test ride a '90 prior to buying my '90 YZ250.....thats why I'd rather have the '90 YZ instead of what I got, but for the dough, though it would be a decent fixer upper anyway.

Blab too much. Much the best to ya and your project Pat. Looks way good so far.

Pat327
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5/17/2009 12:29am Edited Date/Time 6/2/2009 9:48pm
Yeah, everything is actually really good on this thing. I was pleasantly surprised when I got it all apart. It has probably never been raced or even revved very hard. It has most likely been a trail bike its whole life. The cylinder is perfect. I'm actually going to be running a stock bore Wiseco piston in it. The tranny is perfect, too. Even the bearings are butter smooth.

The only thing that was bad was the clutch. The basket was a little notched on each tooth, but I filed the notches down and sanded them smooth. My dad used to do that on his race bikes to save some cash.

Good looking out, though! Thanks for the well wishes.

Here are some goodies I got from Service Honda.

andymoto
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5/17/2009 5:37pm
Real good news. Glad for ya!
Pat327
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6/1/2009 11:30pm Edited Date/Time 2/7/2010 8:52pm
Update!

I painted the motor. It's not assembled yet, there's nothing inside it. It has the old right crankcase cover on it in the picture, but that's just a placeholder. Looks pretty sick. The bolts will be silver again, I just have to clean them with some thinner.



And here's the exhaust.



I have a high compression cylinder head on order from Phathead Racing. Pretty exciting! This completes the motor and it's just a matter of putting it all back together.
Bret
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6/2/2009 7:24am
Pat327 wrote:
Update!I painted the motor. It's not assembled yet, there's nothing inside it. It has the old right crankcase cover on it in the picture, but that's...
Update!

I painted the motor. It's not assembled yet, there's nothing inside it. It has the old right crankcase cover on it in the picture, but that's just a placeholder. Looks pretty sick. The bolts will be silver again, I just have to clean them with some thinner.



And here's the exhaust.



I have a high compression cylinder head on order from Phathead Racing. Pretty exciting! This completes the motor and it's just a matter of putting it all back together.
Looking good. I sent every nut, bolt, and washer to Vintage Iron and had them bead blasted and re-plated. Made a huge difference in appearance. I think it was $150. Way cheaper than new hardware.
sesker15
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6/2/2009 9:19pm
nice bike. You gotta put up a video when you get done.
Pat327
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6/2/2009 9:23pm Edited Date/Time 1/6/2010 4:50pm
ThePipe wrote:
Great Job Pat! I just emailed you about this-> http://www.onthepiperacing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=24658&g2_serialNumber=2 and remember... your bike maybe 19 yrs old but it's better than any Shitty 2009 4...
Great Job Pat!
I just emailed you about this-> http://www.onthepiperacing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadI…
and remember... your bike maybe 19 yrs old but it's better than any Shitty 2009 4 banger
FACT
Haha, very true! Thanks a lot for your help and encouragement, Lee!
andymoto
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6/5/2009 10:52am
Lee is the man. I like surfing his site and seeing what he's got.

Good job Pat. Yeah, sesker15s got a good idea if you can video the finished product; pics would be good. Mine is still sitting, but hope to get working on it after August.

You gonna try and sell or is it a keeper to ride or show?

Pat327
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6/5/2009 9:06pm Edited Date/Time 6/5/2009 9:07pm
Yeah, I'll definitely make a video of it running. I only wish I would have recorded a video of it running before I tore it down. It would be a neat comparison.

It's a keeper. I've wanted one for a really long time. I'm going to ride it, too. Should be really fun passing people on 2010 four strokes with my 20-year-old two stroke.
ThePipe
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6/6/2009 11:07pm
Pat email me your addy
My new scanner is junk. ( can't pick up text)
I will go to the library and get you copies made
ThePipe
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6/6/2009 11:12pm
andymoto wrote:
Lee is the man. I like surfing his site and seeing what he's got. Good job Pat. Yeah, sesker15s got a good idea if you can...
Lee is the man. I like surfing his site and seeing what he's got.

Good job Pat. Yeah, sesker15s got a good idea if you can video the finished product; pics would be good. Mine is still sitting, but hope to get working on it after August.

You gonna try and sell or is it a keeper to ride or show?

THX Andy
I'm glad you like the site

I bust my Ass on it ever day
Pat327
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6/7/2009 12:24am
ThePipe wrote:
Pat email me your addy
My new scanner is junk. ( can't pick up text)
I will go to the library and get you copies made
Oh, you don't have to do that, Lee. I don't want to take time away from your busy schedule.

You could try snapping some photos with a digicam. Might work well enough to read it.

My email address is patrickc327@gmail.com. Thanks for your help again, Lee!
ThePipe
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6/7/2009 7:42am
It's not a hassle, I drive past the library here every day.
I need your physical addy
Pat327
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6/7/2009 11:38am Edited Date/Time 6/7/2009 11:50am
Oh, my home address?
ThePipe
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6/7/2009 7:08pm
yes
Pat327
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6/7/2009 8:07pm
Okay, check your email.
andymoto
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6/9/2009 11:41pm
andymoto wrote:
Lee is the man. I like surfing his site and seeing what he's got. Good job Pat. Yeah, sesker15s got a good idea if you can...
Lee is the man. I like surfing his site and seeing what he's got.

Good job Pat. Yeah, sesker15s got a good idea if you can video the finished product; pics would be good. Mine is still sitting, but hope to get working on it after August.

You gonna try and sell or is it a keeper to ride or show?

ThePipe wrote:
THX Andy
I'm glad you like the site

I bust my Ass on it ever day
Some nice sights for sore eyes there for sure.....you know...lol.

Seriously Lee, you've always been very cool and helpful to anyone and that means a lot to me and the others in Ol' School.

Just stating fact IMO. Lots of others as well been real gracious for advice, help, etc as well and deserve bigtime kudos as well..

Know you all are appreciated and thanks.


ThePipe
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6/10/2009 6:24am Edited Date/Time 4/17/2016 12:20am
Thx Andy
I don't mind helping folks because I wish I would've had someone to ask for help back in the day.

Instead of learning everything trial and error and ruining a bunch of things.

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