CB125: the mighty mite

Rimmy

Been Around the Block
Well, I hadn't intended on starting this project until my CB350 was back together, but it turns out I have to do some more work on my 1984 CB125S before it's roadworthy. So I decided to start my build thread to chronicle it. It's tracker inspired, so I decided to toss it in the Tracker build thread.


I went on the hunt for a CB100/125 after seeing the pics of the Deus Inari, which this build will be styled after.
Inari01.jpg

Inari02.jpg

I knew as soon as I saw it that I must build a similar bike. I kept checking craigslist for a small-bore Honda to work with and I came across a running 1984 CB125S for a good price. I snagged it, and here are some pics.
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When I bought it the initial plans were to just buzz around town on it while its sips on gasoline, saving me some cash while I build up the 350 Cafe Bike. But then I decided that the bike is far too boring as it stands and while I'm fixing the minor stuff on it I may as well just start the damn project.


Currently I just want to get it to look halfway decent and have it to ride, so I'm going mostly with aesthetics right now. After the 350 is done, I'll work on the motor and performance. (performance being a relative term with a 125cc motorcycle...)


In the immediate future I'll be...
Tossing on new dual sport tires
Replacing the bars, levers, electronic controls etc.
Need to relocate the Speedo and ignition switch. (they're just dangling at the moment)
Remove the old seat and mounting hardware and toss on a new one.
New lights all around.
New chain to match the bars (going for a little bit of gold throughout the bike in various places. Hopefully I can do it tastefully so I don't have a bunch of bling hanging off the bike)
Removing fenders/plastic/crap/relocating etc


Current problems:
Grounding issues throughout the bike
Finding a good way to mount up my new batteries (2 6V in series)
Getting the turn signals to work


Anyhow, this may be a slower build, but I hope to have some progress in the coming weeks.


-jordan
 
I forgot to mention, this bike has an interesting "problem". I am able to start it up and run it without a battery. I had it started with my new battery and jostled the bike, the battery fell out and it kept running no problems. Revved it up and all and let it sit for a few minutes. I hit the kill switch and it died, then I kicked it over and it started up again after a few kicks. Strange, but interesting nonetheless.
 
Good luck with it all.
Got a bit of a soft spot for the smaller CB's.

Got a little 2 stroke yamaha on the go at the moment, learning along the way.

Keen to see how your mite takes shape
 
Tossed on a new throttle tube and tested out the new turn signal flasher. All systems are go! Going to get the license plate tomorrow and hopefully be riding this weekend!


In the meantime I'm amassing parts, going to wait til I have most of them before I start the big tear-down.


-jordan
 
Check the wiring diagram to be sure, but I think that bike has a generator coil for the ignition and another pair of lights etc. Unlike many larger bikes, the battery is not needed to run the ignition.

I'd fit the battery for the lights etc though.
 
Yes some of the 125s will run with no battery but do need it for lights. Im almost positive its a 6 volt bike if you didnt know already. I have 2 125s and im going to try and convert one to 12 volts so i can run smaller LED lights. We shall see how that works out.
 
Never mind that yours is one of the only ones that were 12v.
It came in just one color: Turuna Red
The fuel tank pinstripes were white and dark blue
The wing decal was gray and white
The headlight was round
The instruments had just a speedometer
The turn signal housings were black plastic
The electrical system was now a 12 volt.
Engine: 123cc single-cylinder, OHC four-stroke
Ignition: Solid state CD ignition
Transmission: Wide-ratio five-speed
Seat: Long plush seat for two-up riding
Wheelbase: 1270mm (50 in.)
Seat height: 760mm (29.9 in.)
Dry weight: 99 kg (218.2 lb)
The serial number began 9C2JC1303ER010001.
 
Cool little project. I love how they advertised them for 2 up riding but didn't give them an engine powerful enough for it........:D
 
ffjmoore,


Yeah, I was really confused for a bit since all of the literature online is for the 6V systems. It took me a while to find and purchase a Honda service manual for the '84s. I also plan on slowly changing over to LED lights. Parts are coming in daily now, so it might be a big weekend for me!


Big Rich,


thanks for the complement. The two up seat is a pretty ridiculous thought on a tiny 125. It was struggling a bit getting my big ass alone up some of the hills here in central PA, can't imagine having a passenger.


-jordan
 
New bars and mirrors went on today, plus i junked some of the plastic bits and crap weighing the bike down. Waiting on my new K&N airfilter I scored off of Amazon for 8 bucks new before I remove the filter box.


After looking at this picture I realize the headlight really needs to be replaced, or at least set lower. Also, plans to ditch the stock lollipop blinkers are already in the works. I've got a decent bit of work ahead of me, but I'd like to keep the bike up and running as much as possible since I rationalized buying it as a means to save gas money...



This is just about where I left off...
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I was going to tackle the seat and relocate the tail light/signals and remove the fender but I ran into a problem. The rear fender actually sits about 2" into the seat. My plan was to just take a bit of plywood and mount it flat onto the chassis but, the rear wheel might end up bumping into it too much. I'm not a small dude, so this is inevitable really...


I was thinking about getting slightly longer shocks with stiffer spring rates, and then proceed with the seat as I've planned. Does anyone have and comments or cautions for me when doing this?


-jordan
 
Weather was pretty nice today so I decided to put some of the new parts I've received on the bike.


Got my new Posh grips, a K&N filter and some lights from my other project (since this one is going to be my DD soon). Oh, and a new kill switch.


I ditched the bar-ends since they were just a temporary solution. (does anyone have a set of Honda mirrors they want to donate/get rid of for cheap) Tossed on the new grips, wired in the kill switch. Went ahead and ditched the airbox and a few other pieces of plastic then put the new filter on. When I was removing the tail-light i got an interesting surprise. A bunch of corn fell out. I don't know whether it was a nesting animal that left it there or what. Kind of a fun surprise though. Anyhow, below are some pics of the progress.


DSCN0864.jpg

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still a good bit of work still needs to be done, but its coming along. And, the riding position is much better for me now with the lower bars. Next step is removing the brackets for the seat and making a new seat.
 
lol@corn.


Looks like a fun project. I sort of wish I had a drum on my 125. The cable-operated disc is outright useless.


Will be interested to see what route you go for tires, as I'm contemplating either a sport touring tire or a dualsport tire for my cafe.


How are you going to go about cleaning the battery tray area up? or are you just going to leave the battery exposed? I'm trying to figure out how I can hide my battery so that area is open, as I want a scrambler style exhaust to go through it.
 
Honeybadger,


I ended up going with Shinko 224's. All of the reviews say they are decent on/off road tires and they fit the look I'm going for. I haven't mounted them yet so I have no idea if they really work well or not though.


As for the battery and electronics, I plan on making a small tray just under the seat to conceal everything. My batteries are small enough to make it work, and I'm hoping it won't be noticeable at all. I'm just debating how to attach my seat before I make the tray though.


-jordan
 
Took off from work early today and tackled my exhaust situation. I recently bought an Emgo shorty reverse megacone. It came with a few sleeves and should have fit my pipe easily, but it didn't... I didn't feel like spending any more money really, so I took some sheet metal, rivets and some exhaust paste and went to town. I riveted the Al sheet down and put some paste along the length of it and rolled it up. I used a hose clamp to hold it while i riveted it into the rolled position. I then wrapped the whole sucker with fiberglass wrap and tossed it back on the bike. I'm not too sure if its completely sealed or not, but nighttime set in so I really can't do anything to it now.


I'm not sure how I like the new muffler. I mean, it looks fantastic, but its pretty damn loud... I'm gonna roll with it for a little while then decide what to do. I guess I can always repack it to try to muffle it a little more.


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I've finally figure out how to attach the seat I'm going to build, so I'm hoping to zip of the old bracketry soon and build the seat. Also, I really need to toss on the new tires I bought. I hope to get that stuff done soon.


-jordan
 
So the new can is far too loud. I had it out between rain showers a few days ago and it was just annoying. I pulled the pipe today and coaxed the baffle out. Mind you, this pipe has like an hour on it...


DSCN0937.jpg



I think someone at Emgo doesn't like me. Anyhow, I have some new fiberglass packing to toss on in the next day or so and I hope that tones it down a bit. I still worry about the backpressure situation. The bore on this pipe is larger than the bore of the header, so I don't think I'm really making any significant backpressure. I know I'm going to have to play with the carb since I added the bare element and new pipe, but I'd like my final exhaust configuration before I start on that mess.


-jordan
 
Have the same setup on 80 cb125. i had to build up back pressure to get it to run as good as it did with the
stock pipe - not quite there yet but getting close, actually still messing with adding more baffles, length and
placement of glass mat, as well as re-jetting the stock carbs.


I've used (3) sink strainers (1.5" dia) so far for baffles, hoping that adding one more will do the trick- and also
repacked it with a bag of glass mat from my local shop.


check out this article- http://www.hondacrf230l.com/index.php/topic,483.0.html
 
adeauxg2,


thanks for that link. The sink strainer idea is brilliant! I've been running around town on the little guy after I repacked and I'm definitely missing some low end power. I know a lot of it is due to the free flowing exhaust, so I'll be modifying it again soon to add some backpressure.


Anyhow, you should post up some more info on your build, there's a lot of the little bikes being built on this site!


-jordan
 
Can't believe I was on the verge of being 4 pages deep into the archives with this project...


Anyhow, my CB350 Cafe project has gotten nowhere since I can't get the wiring to work so I've decided to resurrect this one.


I'm in the process of buzzing off anything unnecessary and will get the new hoop hooked up. Next comes paint, and in the interim I'll start mocking up/building the seat. Going to grab a new mikuni to set up for E85 and slap it all together.


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Re: CB125: the mighty mite. Back at it...

So as most people here know, life really gets in the way of these projects. But over the past few weeks I've buzzed off a bunch of unnecessary crap from the frame and started putting it back together. I'm just about to get the seat in order, but I wanted to finalize my tank situation first. The stock tank just didn't look too good on it. In fact, I hated it. I wondered what the tank from my CB350 would look like. Turns out to be fantastic. I needed to make new mounting tabs for it though, since it sat far too low. I've got the front mount sorted out, hopefully the rear happens tomorrow. The tank is only primered at the moment, I plan on a cream color with either a black or red accent on it.


Here's how she sits now.
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