1982 Honda CB125s "El Matador" Build
- Thread starter T.Stanley
- Start date
WhereTheHellIsJames?
New Member
1975cb125s
New Member
Sorry to resurrect this post but some of you wanted to know about the Lifan 200 swap. My engine blew and to fix it at the local Honda shop wouldve been 800$-- if I could find a replacement engine. I searched for an original and nothing was cost effective. I ended up taking my chances with a guy selling a 2008 LF200iii engine- which with shipping was about 250, including the rec/reg coil and all parts of the wiring harness. Figured Id give it a shot and with this forum and other online research I was able to do it with no motorcycle knowledge whatsoever. Of course, it was an amazing learning lesson and Im super excited with the results. You can google this donor Lifan motorcycle and see that it looks completely different that the cb125 but I did a lot of online research and found that the motor was supposed to be a direct swap. (and for the most part it was). The engine mounts exactly except for the lowest area of the center post in the frame. I had to grind out a semicircle of metal about the size of a quarter to get the clearance for the bulbous bottom, but all in all looked and feels to be structurally strong. The top mounts would fit perfectly but if you switch the mount brackets upside down it fits perfectly with a drilled hole. If anyones interested the main things to watch for is- as i said, the clearance in the center post near the lower rear engine mount, the spline and size of the drive sprocket, and electricals for the new 12v upgrade. The postives are that I now top out around 65- which is scary as sh#% on a bike this light, the motor has a push button start, and i have a ton more low end torque- plus no oil leaks. It was a fraction of the cost to locate ship and install a 40 year old original honda motor.I really grappled with this as I wanted to save this bike and I didnt want it to end up in the junk yard as it was the perfect bike for me and what i do with it around town. I used the original exhaust and muffler so the jet size needed to be changed and I now run a 96 main. The carb came with the engine but its a cheap chinese one- its called a PZ 30 carb. Works perfectly but i needed to get a new intake manifold for the carb due to the pod filter I wanted to run and the bend it required to get it to fit. I still have the original air filter on my shelf- just in case something happens to the breath. Good thing about these little bikes is I did the motor by myself and that was almost 6 months ago now. Bike runs extremely well- all electronics work well and any adaptations required are made very easily with low cost parts. I hope this helps a little and if you have questions let me know. Good luck!
