My current motorbike

[Ev0 4 drifter]

It's a 1990 Honda CG125 BR-J, bought it for £400 with 28350.x miles on the clock in May this year for when I turned 17 on June 2nd.


It has kickstart, drum brakes all round and no rev counter, but being Brazilian made it does have 12v electrics


It regularly acheives 120mpg, 80mpg if i push hard, over 130mpg if I'm very gentle. It does have a few minor cosmetic blemishes but is mechanically sound, engine fires up on the first kick usually, sometimes if its wet or cold it cuts out or takes 2 or 3 kicks to get it started, but has never required the use of the choke to get it running.


Last week it hit 32000 miles on my way home from college, its due a good service I imagine, and when I get the time I will do an oil change, air filter etc

Any comments/criticisms are welcome, I would like to know what people think of it

 

[homeforsummer]

It's awesome. CG125s are great new-rider bikes and when I get around to doing my CBT it's the first sort of bike I'm going to go out and buy. 32k miles is barely run-in by CG standards. 130mpg doesn't surprise me either, CGs laugh in the face of the government with their ridiculous taxes on petrol. Can't moan about £15 road tax per year either. And kickstart only is a good thing, as you won't have to worry about electrical and starter gremlins.

Good one on the price too, that's the sort of budget I'll have for a bike, so it's always reassuring to know they're available in that kind of condition for that kind of price.

When I eventually get mine, it'll be ridden to develop my skills for a year or two, and then turned into a mean cafe racer like this one:



Or along the lines of this one, which is based on the older CB125:

But yeah, :up: for CGs.

 

[Duke of Pendle]

Here are some of our steeds, past and present, (the girly one's are the wife's )

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

cheers guys, i plan to keep the bike for a little bit, its still doing around 120 miles per week and i only ever put £5 in it at the pumps (got a 5 litre can of spare just incase i get caught short) that cafe racer cb125 looks awesome! i like the fact it has a disc brake, the drums on the cg are slightly woeful! would i be right in guessing the cg got a pushrod engine whereas the cb got the overhead cam version? those are some fairly awesome bikes you got there Desmo, if i can find a pic of it i had an '84 TS50X which did 45mph and to the best of my knowledge it wasn't big bored or anything, it lasted 1 year without a major overhaul, hand on my heart, it broke down 3 weeks before i was going to move up to the cg its in bits in my shed now :'(

 

[Motominded]

Great for you. Motorbikes are a great thing to have as a hobby.

To Desmo: Have more pics of this one and tell a little about it?

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

cheers, mines sort of a hobby crossed with my only mode of transport XD i love vfr's btw i wouldnt say no to a 400 when i pass my test, but will more than likely go for a cb500, my friend steve races his sounds really mean

 

[Duke of Pendle]

Great for you. Motorbikes are a great thing to have as a hobby.

To Desmo: Have more pics of this one and tell a little about it?

That's my wife on her Honda VFR400 (NC30) at a racetrack in England called Cadwell Park - often referred to as a mini Nurburgring. Twisty, with lots of gradients and very technical to ride. I have more photos, but they were before we got a digital camera.
The bike was a Japanese grey import, and was a pocket rocket.
Why your interest?

 

[ripping_silk]

Or along the lines of this one, which is based on the older CB125:

thats a nice looking bike.👍 I got a soft spot for CB125's too, they race well!
mine:

 

[homeforsummer]

would i be right in guessing the cg got a pushrod engine whereas the cb got the overhead cam version?

You are indeed right in thinking that 👍 It's much more robust than the overhead cam engine, and in a lesser state of tune. You could also get a twin in the CB.

@ ripping_silk - it really is a nice looking bike, I'd love one like it, or like the one in the video I posted. Much nicer than any of the modern 125s And yours looks ace! Bet it's performance belies it's capacity...

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

how far could i take the engine tuning wise? i just want it to have a bit more poke is all, it does about 73mph as it is but acceleration is a little sluggish, a lad i go to college with has the br-s version, the first one to have cdi ignition, hes got a new exhaust and a cone filter, he says its made it much faster but im not convinced, i was thinking about having the ports polished (if its even possible) just to make it run smoother

 

[ripping_silk]

You are indeed right in thinking that 👍 It's much more robust than the overhead cam engine, and in a lesser state of tune. You could also get a twin in the CB.

@ ripping_silk - it really is a nice looking bike, I'd love one like it, or like the one in the video I posted. Much nicer than any of the modern 125s And yours looks ace! Bet it's performance belies it's capacity...

it is kinda quick for what it is. Just over 100mph on the right gearing. CB100 head, CG125 valves, ported, polished, XJ550 piston, blue magnum carb on avgas. Was one of the quicker bikes around for the bucket class, and gave the 500cc classics a good run for their money, despatching a few along the way..

 

[homeforsummer]

how far could i take the engine tuning wise? i just want it to have a bit more poke is all, it does about 73mph as it is but acceleration is a little sluggish, a lad i go to college with has the br-s version, the first one to have cdi ignition, hes got a new exhaust and a cone filter, he says its made it much faster but im not convinced, i was thinking about having the ports polished (if its even possible) just to make it run smoother

Note: None of the following is first-hand knowledge - it's all things I've read from different forums, the internet in general - but the information should nevertheless be fairly accurate.

I hate to break it to you, but there isn't a single generation of the CG that is particularly tuneable. The engine simply isn't designed to be tuned, it's designed to be unfailingly reliable, last in harsh conditions, and last even though in some areas it might not get serviced that often. Plus, pushrod engines aren't as tuneable as the OHC engine in a CB might be anyway.

You're right not to be convinced about the guy you know at college - I'd be very surprised if he's found a single horsepower with those modifications - though I'm sure it'll sound nicer.

For one thing - a new filter and exhaust will improve the breathing on the CG. Without changing the fuelling it'll probably now be running lean (the CG runs lean anyway). Of course, a CG's engine isn't highly stressed so it's probably unlikely to get any detonation from running a little too lean (though you never know) but it won't be doing it any good either.

I've heard that some people swap with an earlier engine to make a little more power as they were less constrained by modern regulations, but then chances are an older engine is also a bit knackered by now in terms of making it's quoted power, so not really worth it.

If you're looking at port polishing, it is possible, but be careful. On the inlet side, polishing out lumps and deformaties is fine, polishing out the textured surface is not - the turbulence caused by the texture helps mix the fuel and air more effectively. The exhaust port however can be perfectly smooth - in this case, it helps prevent carbon build-up on the walls of the port.

You can do some things to improve your speed a little though - if you find that at your top speed you're at lowish revs, then theoretically it's over-geared. You can fit a larger front or smaller rear sprocket to shorten the gearing. It should improve your acceleration, and if it allows you to use more revs in top gear then the top speed might be higher too - though it'll decrease your cruising fuel economy and you'll be revving the nuts off it everywhere at top speed

You could try and find a thinner head gasket to increase compression... but not something I'd recommend from an engine life point of view, and valve clearances would need to be changed.

You might gain 1mph from losing some weight Both from yourself, and the bike Basically the CG is not the bike to ride if you want performance. Your 73mph is pretty good (though I assume you're talking indicated speed - it's probably a true 65ish). It's only really going to be worth tuning at all if you're planning on keeping it for years and not moving up once you've passed your full test. For that reason, I'd recommend saving your money for something bigger later.

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

Thank you very much for that information, I found it to be very easy to understand. Would I be finding the top speed is higher because im using a tyre with a larger sidewall? The Conti City that is currently fitted was on the bike when I bought it, i know it isn't the correct size for the bike, but it fits without fouling the frame in any way. By having the larger sidewall I assume I have increased the outer circumfrence of the wheel, effectively making it slightly higher geared, allowing me to get the speed indicated while still not screaming the nuts off it. I intend to keep the bike for a while, what with fuel prices and all, so may consider asking a friend of mine who builds engines if he could do my exhaust port, really just to clean it up a bit
As far as I know the bike is standard except for the over sized rear tyre, it's running 14/41 sprockets because I changed them a month or two ago. I have noticed it uses oil a little bit, around about 1litre/1100-1200miles, i havent changed the oil yet, but i did get a syringe and piece of hose and removed around 300ml of old oil, then topped up to the max mark (it was about half full of oil at the time)



@ ripping_silk: is the exhaust on you cb ceramic coated? looks really cool in white

 

[homeforsummer]

Having a taller sidewall will increase the gearing a little, though it does depend on the increase. If the tyre is only a little larger it probably won't make a significant difference.

As for getting the ports polished, it's probably worth taking the engine to bits anyway (or getting someone you trust who can put it back together again afterwards to!) and giving it a thorough service - after all, it's an 18-year old bike with over 32k miles, so the most effective way of increasing performance is to give it a jolly good service - cleaning out all the crap from the exhaust ports, giving it an oil change, doing the filters, maybe giving it a new spark plug and even a new head gasket, giving the chain a good oiling - just stuff to freshen it up and make best use of what you have. It'll probably feel like a new machine.

Other than that, I wouldn't really worry too much about performance. The sprockets are probably the best route to a bit more go, and if you find you don't like the new characteristics, you can always swap them back.

Then you can sit back and enjoy the versatility of the bike - beyond standard ones, I've seen everything from the gorgeous cafe racers above, to ones turned into scramblers, to bobbers, to rat bikes, racers and everything in between.

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

to be quite honest I need the bike every day pretty much as I have college 3 days a week (30 mile round trip per day) I changed the spark plug the other day as it happens, havent looked at it for 3500 miles lol (I had to change it soon after i bought the bike) I'm training as a mechanic so I keep up the general maintainance, chain oiled every week, every month I crack the air box open and have a look (believe it or not the air filter is as good now as it was over 4000 miles ago! I've noticed that if i let it use most of the oil before the min. mark and then top it up all the way it runs/ starts much better than if I just top it up every other day, I guess this is because its cleaner oil when I add lots? sounds like high time I flushed the system and changed the oil

Those modded CG's look awesome! I love 'em the orange scrambler is probably my favourite its the dog's back wheels!

 

[Dragonistic]

Well well, who's just done their CBT on a 57 plate CG125

It was a nice ride to, worked just fine for me (first geared bike I've rode), very easy to get used to and ride, I was happily riding around within my first hour with it. Of course being a relatively new bike (coming up 9,000 on the clock), it started first time in wet conditions and everything worked perfectly. Great first bike I reckon, but I just want something that little bit more special myself, I don't have the time and effort to put in customising a bike. The engine ran great, plenty of power without being excessive, it happily sat at 70 on the dual carriageway and the throttle and clutch were very friendly as was the bike overall. It handled pretty well in general to, nothing to worry about at all really. It does absolutely everything right without being excessive, great commuter or first bike I reckon.

As you guys may have read I'm aiming for a Yamaha DTX 125, it's nowhere near as eco friendly as the CG but it has that 2 stroke screamer and I hear 70-80mpg isn't to difficult. My budget is quite high though so I can afford to pay a bit extra for something suited to my tastes.

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

NEWS!

I got a screw through my back tyre shredded the inner tube, but luckily it was quite cheap at £45 to replace both the tyre and inner tube, and have them fitted. Will try and post up pics of the new, smaller, tyre

 

[Dragonistic]

Look forward to the update. My bikes been running great so far, not a blotch on it's record. 2 weeks after I got it and I still grin just thinking about it, it is just fantastic fun with a good compromise for sensible mileage and cruising when neccessary.

Would highly recommend a DTX to anyone who's into that type of bike and is looking for a good solid 125.

 

[Dragonistic]

Well my bike has now been taken off me by the feds, it came up as stolen on the computer with 3 different checks and I'm deeply gutted. Should be able to get my money back if it turns out to be confirmed stolen but I was registered, insured, the works and none of them knew it was stolen, but aparently so. It was reported Feb last year and I have it 2 weeks and get pulled over. What a joke, a certain dealership is going to get a very angry phone call and should they not refund me, a lawsuit against them.

 

[Hyper-Dan]

Well my bike has now been taken off me by the feds, it came up as stolen on the computer with 3 different checks and I'm deeply gutted. Should be able to get my money back if it turns out to be confirmed stolen but I was registered, insured, the works and none of them knew it was stolen, but aparently so. It was reported Feb last year and I have it 2 weeks and get pulled over. What a joke, a certain dealership is going to get a very angry phone call and should they not refund me, a lawsuit against them.

Ouch man, that sucks. Feel for you there.

 

[Dragonistic]

The thing bugging me is I really loved that thing and it was such a struggle to find. To good to be true I guess...

However at least I'm not liable, and who has the logbook, chassis number, registration, tax, insurance, MOT, receipt of purchase and 2 sets of keys?

 

[homeforsummer]

Ah that's really crappy luck, and as you say it took so long to find the one you wanted too. I guess it's situations like this we use the "too good to be true" phrase. Good luck on getting it sorted.

 

[Dragonistic]

Very much so, we'll see what happens, I'm hoping for one of two things.
Either
1) the bike ends up not reported as recovered at some point, thus remains mine (ideal)
or
2) the bike is stolen and the insurance company payed out to the owner it was stolen from, thus is the insurance companies bike and they allow me to purchase it from them with my refunded money, or own money should my refund take time to come through.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Did you not check the bikes records before buying it? HPI check or something similar?

 

[Dragonistic]

Buying from a dealer I was pretty confident, plus I have the logbook which has no real record, neither did anything come up when i insured and registered the bike to myself. I've also passed multiple traffic cops and so on but it was just this one who had me cause the alarm bells to go off. Either way because of me owning literally every important piece of information, I can get my money back should the bike not end up as mine. There is literally no evidence of me knowing the bike was stolen, and plenty to suggest otherwise, a court case would be a walkover for me as a friend (lawyer) has told me.

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

I'm glad that you won't lose out in this, just sucks that you had to lose a great bike.

 

[Dragonistic]

It's not over yet, it could still fall into my hands, which considering I have the logbook and other documents, is a very possible solution.

 

[Ev0 4 drifter]

OUCH! sounds like a real kick in the goolies there all the best anyway.


On a brighter note my bike is back on the road, I got the tyre fitted the other week, scrubbed it in on a 130 mile round trip, it cost £45 for the tyre, inner tube and for the tyre and inner tubes to be swapped over and disposed of

 

[Dragonistic]

It's back, I went to collect my bike back again, absolutely ecstatic.

They didn't explain what happened (bets on the cops just didn't remove it from their system ?) but I don't care now, I got my baby back