1974 CL125S

On 7/9/2012 I purchased a '74 CL125s. The bike has just over 3,000 miles on it now. Its all original, & clean, & i probably paid to much for it, but i wanted something i could use to save on gas.

The bike looked great from the photos the guy sent me when buying it online, "Its Mint, Its a collectors item, etc" ... i waited 2 weeks to actually get to see the bike, he delivered & i said i wouldn't back out if he did.. I paid him his $ but the bike wasn't as MINT as expected..

The turn signals dint work, it didn't have screws & front band for exhaust cover, side cover has a crack in it & the bottom tab of the 3 that holds it on is busted off.. the white paint has a little yellowing in it from the gas dribble & the tank has a couple imperfections..

I rode it up the street & back on Monday & all seemed OK.

insurance/registration

Monday night i try to start it to go for the first real ride and its dead, battery charger got it started but when shut off it was dead again - upon further inspection the battery fluid was 1/16" lower then the "Low" fluid level.. I filled with distilled water, gave it a boost with the charger & it ran good.

I turned the fuel on, started it up & drove home. Bike is squirrel on the way out that night & more so on the way home it seems.

In the morning I had a rear flat, I just barely got it to the corner station to get air in it (in a hurry to get to Dr apt, i forgot about my air compressor at home). I put air in it on Monday, approx 45psi, & today/Thursday, its still full. maybe filling it so full compressed the leaky spot in the tire & is holding air at the moment, ID..

I've been riding it around town for the last few days, afraid to put it on the expressway still, waiting for new tires & a helmet.

Anyways, I was referred to this site by a current member & here i am... I hope it proves useful, in my quest. I have questions but I'll post in separate posts..

Thanks in advance - Welding 810

Photos of my bike

I purchased 4 screws to attach the muffler guard from Mid State bolt & screw, they gave me some nice large Phillips head screws that look correct, to fit the concave muffler guard, but they was to long. I held with vice grips & ground down the extra length with a bench grinder to fit.

I still need the metal strap for the front of the cover (guy says he will look & mail it to me but you know how that goes after the fact) for now i wired it on with SS wire & isn't noticeable

Look for a front fender for that bike
It acts as a brace for those tinny flimsy forks, really is important

BLINKERS

They didn't work when purchased, guy said it was a relay.

I looked at it, turned the blinkers on & the light will stay on/not blink. When pushing up on the female connectors that attach to the relay the wire inside the waterproof boot would spark & the blinkers would work. I wire brushed the rusty terminals on the relay & re-attached wires, the one wire closest to the battery would still spark & blinkers would work when pushing up on it.

I thought it must be a broken wire inside the insulation. I cut female connector off & just twisted the wire onto the male prong (thru the hole in the prong) .. Now the blinkers just stay on as before, maybe when i was pushing up on the female end it was also putting pressure onto the male prong & into the relay, making a connection within the relay & allowing the blinkers to work.

I hate to buy a new relay if this one will work but it has yet to do so without me messing with it...

WHERE CAN I BUY A NEW SIGNAL RELAY FOR MY BIKE? best choice? Keep an eye on ebay? NOS or are there new/new ones?

surffly said:

Look for a front fender for that bike
It acts as a brace for those tinny flimsy forks, really is important

Click to expand...

I have the fender & installed. Those photos are from before i purchased it, The guy said he liked the look of it better with it off.

I noticed yesterday that the fender & front wheel are not aligned up, Im not completly sure if the fender is off slightly or could this be the tire/forks? How do i know? I dont want to bend the fender to lign up with the tire if the tire/forks are off center.. i would say its off 1/8th"

Ill see if my phone will take a decent photo of it & attach in a few minutes

My right side cover has a crack in it & the bottom tab is busted off.. otherwise it looks good from the outside. I have a few ideas on how to repair but i would like to see what others can recommend also...

I will attach photos later

I have never seen a honda fender, on a parts bike or a $50K sandcast that was perfectly centered on the wheel.

Do youself a favor and download the FACTORY manual for the bike
It will walk you though all tune up stuff and how to aline the font end, like i said the forks are small and running without a fender can "move" things around, I think you should check to make sure everything is square. More often then not they twist in the triples a bit.

With any "new" bike you should get the manual and go over everything.
-Change the oil and clean the screen
-adjust carbs, brakes and clutch. Replace anything
-Lube/replace cables

The flasher "Winker" is an off the shelf Emgo part, about $15
I try to only order OEM parts for any of my bikes though. Honda parts direct is great
Those tires the original ones? Dry cracks? Dont care that the bike is slow, falling at 35-50 sucks plenty. I have a new set of chen shins if you are interested (New)

But above all just get it to a point that you can ride it safely and legally every day.
resist the "cafe" urge as low bars suck on these bikes, and scramblers are just freaking cool the way they are.

That red is a one year only

I got mine with 1100 miles, about 3500 now. I love mine.
I had a CB100 with clubmans and it was a torture rack

Just replace the cover, they are cheap and common.

Looking good. Hang on to that right side cover because they are rare as hens teeth. I know a fair bit about these bikes from playing with a few in the last couple years but Jag seems to know even more about them. There are quite a few guys on this forum with good knowledge you can pull from.

The tires are old on this bike, i don't think both are original as there are 2 different brands, "nito safety front, & bridgestone safety rear"

What is the "Safety" mean? i didn't find any new tires with that label..

I plan to ride this bike mostly on the street, 99% of the time, but i thought it may be cool to get some original looking tires & maybe take it down the trails once in a while, maybe find a pond & bring a fishing pole with me.. with that in mind i ordered some new tires today & would like to get your opinions on them... After looking for 2 days online for tires i decided on VEE RUBBER VRM-022 (stock 2.75-18 for front, & a little larger 3.25-17 rear) after i decided on a tire I ordered from a local store near me "Rocky's Motorcycle & Outdoors".

Anyone have any say on the style, brand, or my size choice?

It look'd like i had 4" of clearance in the rear fender, & it has a 2 3/8" rim. I didn't know what benefit or drawbacks i would have in another size tire but im only going up .25" & keeping the front orig size. (front looks like TIGHT fit between the fender)

BTW these size tires have very limited options that i could find, in this style/brand, these tires are universal front or rear tires, Is this going to affect rear tire wear on this bike? or is it to small of a bike to make a difference.

I liked the IRC TR-1 & GP-1 TRIAL tires.. but i couldn't get a matching set that fit front & rear...

How would trial tires match up with my bike? anyone with experience?

I am 6' 195lb guy, in the little knowledge i have about trial tires they have SOFT sidewalls? I thought this combined with my weight & Michigans BAD roads, would be hard on the rims/bike/etc? I didn't know if the sidewalls would be to soft for mostly street driving & maybe an occasional trail ride.

Should I be posting these entries under different topics that are maybe more relevant, if they exist? or Is it best if i keep them under my post/build like im doing?

I want a rear fender rack

RE:Surffly

Yea i dont plan on Cafe'ing it or doing anything "custom" to it.. I wanted it & like it that its ALL original, im sure even the brakes are original at the moment lol... If i do anything to it it will be bolt on & i'll keep the original parts..

I NEED A REAR RACK FOR THIS - wear can i get one? are the old ones being picked up to quick or rusted to bad? does anyone make a new/aftermarket rack?

I usually keep my topics in my build thread unless i have something i really need answered and im not getting feed back in my build.
As for tires. Those look ok for a dual purpose tire. 3.25 is on the big side but Im sure it will be fine. I run michelin Gazelles on my small bikes. I only ride on the street and they are around $20 a tire.

Give credit where credit is due

i found ffjmoore, his bikes, & his posts while searching for info on my bike.. I contacted him with questions & he told me i should come here & register at "do the ton". Said some of you are d***s tho... no but really, he said i could get lots of help here... I HOPE i wont need it but it is an old bike & im looking to make it an almost everyday driver. I want it safe & reliable ..

I have a couple manuals "pdf" & not sure if these are as close as i can get or if there is a better one for my bike:
1st is "shop manual honda 100/125 - model cb/cl/sl 100 & cb/cd125s, sl125 - printed in 1971"
2nd is "Shop manual - cb127/175 & cl125/175 - cant read copy right on front cover but 2nd page says june 25, 1974, not sure if that refers to the supplement or entire manual" - This manual says in Foreword the 125K/175K. BUT what is the suffix "K".

with these 2 manuals im sure i can piece what i need together, i could not find any info online that told me what the prefix/suffix is on these? S is scrambler im sure, trying to be an off road bike to in the day.. but what are the others & will the info in these books be more or less what i need.. Is there a shop/service manual for the 74 CL125S, or do I have the only ones?

I also have a pdf of the owners manual as well as other files i downloaded from yahoo cb124 groups/files

ffjmoore said:

As for tires. Those look ok for a dual purpose tire. 3.25 is on the big side but Im sure it will be fine. I run michelin Gazelles on my small bikes. I only ride on the street and they are around $20 a tire.

Click to expand...

where do you get your tires? local or online? do you get the wheels balanced for these small bikes? is it easy enough to swap tires by yourself?

Ill get some of those Gazelles if i can swap myself & dont need to worry about balancing.

I worked at a motorcycle shop 10yrs ago but i had a tire machine to work with & if i did a tire this small i dont remember. for the price if im able to swap tires easy enough i'd buy street & off road & swap when needed. If possible/easy?

Check out www.manracks.com - I think they do custom work too.

Fender/Forks/tire?

Here is a photo of my front fender.. is my fender bent or just off like surffly said or should i check out my forks, & if so how?

LEAK

this gasket is leaking, im sure you can see where by the photos.. what is that & what gasket or set do i need & where to get?

Photos of crack & broken tab

suggestions? i have the broken tab, i was prob going to fiberglass/resin i on & try to keep the buildup within that channel & not on the outside that fits inside the hole, prob fiberglass/resin the back of the cover also. not sure how well it will stick to this old plastic but i'll prep it well & try, its the best i can think of besides finding a new one in new condition to match bike.

74 CL125s photos

3,331 miles -

What Gas do you peps run in your 125's?

I only put a gallon it it so far but put premium with 1oz of seafoam