Australasian Dirt Bike — September 2017

148 |SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

THE HONDA CR125was

never the fastest 125 on the

marketbutitwasregardedas

oneofthesharpesthandling.

This precision made the CR an

easy bike to throw around.

Theyareslimandlight,which

makesthemaneasybiketo

control.Formostexperienced

ridersitwasjustamatterof

holdingthemwideopenand

steering them around the track,

buttheeasypowermadethe

bike easy enough to handle

for beginners.

TheCRcomeswithgood

qualitysuspensionwithplenty

ofadjustment.Whenbuying

one second-hand always check

to make sure the monoshock

linkage bearings, shock,

swingarm and steering head

bearings are all free and aren’t

eitherseizedortight.

Thesebearingscamewith

very little grease from the

factoryandneedtobe

periodically greased

throughout the bike’s life. If this

hasn’t been done, then it is

possible that they have seized.

If they have seized, then the

oldbearingscanbepressedout

andreplacedbutitcanbe

rathercostly.Ridingwithseized

bearings is a really bad idea.

One, because the bike will not

handle correctly and can put

the rider in undue danger and

two, because it can cause major

suspension components to

either bend or break.

Another thing to look out for

isaslippingclutch.A125clutch

alwayscopsahammering.

Checkthegearboxoilandmake

sure it looks clean and doesn’t

smelllikeburntclutchplates.

Ifyoucan,goforarideand

checktoseeiftheclutchis

slipping.Theeasiestwayisto

ridethebikeupahill.Start

with the bike low in the rev

range and start to wind the

throttle on smoothly.

Iftherevsstarttoclimb

quickly without the bike

speeding up, then this is a dead

giveaway that the clutch is

slipping. If the bike slowly revs

up to full speed, then this

means the clutch is working

correctly.

Thesilencercoreisproneto

falling apart when the muffler

isn’t packed correctly or all of

the packing has burnt out. The

vibration causes the core to

break, either blocking or

partiallyblockingtheexhaust

andcausingadropin

performance.

The power-valve cables are

alsopronetobreakingor

fraying. Take a good look at

them.Iftheyarefrayed,then

replacethembeforetheydo

break and the power valve

stops working.

The head gasket can also

blow.Checkandre-tensionthe

headboltsperiodicallyjustto

make sure they are always

correctlytightenedandifthe

head gasket does happen to

blow then make sure the head

and cylinder surfaces are both

clean and flat before installing

another head gasket.

Atrickforanybikeproneto

blowing head gaskets is to coat

theheadgasketinCoppercoat

gasket sealer. It comes in a

spray can and helps to seal the

headgasketalittlebetter.

Check the compression,

makesurethebikestarts

easilyandidlesandruns

smoothly.Lastofallgivethe

frame and subframe a good

once over. The aluminium

framecanoftenshowsignsor

cracking or damage if the bike

hasbeenabused.

TechnicalEditorMatBoyd

SHARPLITTLETOOL

HOW TO RIDE / ADB GARAGE / WE RECOMMEND / TECH / KIDZ KORNER / USED RIDE

REAR GUARD

NEW

2004 $8990

2005 $8990

2006 $8990

2007 $7990

2008 $7990

SECOND HAND

2004 $2400 - $2900

2005 $2500 - $2900

2006 $2600 - $3000

2007 $2700 - $3200

2008 $2900-$3500

2004 - 2008 H ONDA CR125R

ENGINE

The CR engine is prone to blowing

head gaskets, so check and re-tension

the head studs on a regular basis.

WEIGHT

The CR comes in at an approximate

dry weight of 89.4kg.

MUFFLER

The silencer core can fall apart due to

vibration if all the packing has blown out.

FRAME

The CR was the first 125cc motocross bike

to get an aluminium frame. Check it for

signs of cracking or abuse.

SUSPENSION

The monoshock linkage bearings didn’t

get much grease at the factory so they

can seize if this is not done regularly.

04-08

KAWASAKI KX125

$2600 - $3600

04-08

KTM 125SX

$2900 - $4100

04-08

SUZUKI RM125

$3200 - $4400

market

EQUIVALENT

04-08

YAMAHA YZ125

$2600 - $4400

Prices according to redbook.com.au