Retro MX Reviews #5: 1993 Honda CR 125
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Taking a look at the 1993 Honda CR 125 - one of the machines that embodied the peak of Honda's 125 dynasty. We had beautiful conditions at RIverdale Raceway for the review, and because I've had this bike for a few months you can also find more footage of it on my channel. Thanks to my friend Chris for letting me ride his late model YZ 125 so that I could compare the power back to back. Both of us rode both and our verdicts were that the peak power of the '93 is very, very close to a current YZ 125. So enjoy the braaap -- nothing like the sound of a 125 with a PC shorty! Oh, and I do want to correct myself - at one point I mentioned that Suzuki had twin chamber forks in 1993 - it was actually 1994, my brain wasn't up to speed yet! Feel free to leave comments or tips, and thanks for checking out the review!
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Nice! Riverdale Raceway. I’ll be there a lot this summer. I have a 2005 CR125 and a 1984 CR500
Had a 92' CR125 and man it was fast...Hit hard in the middle and shrieked on top...cornered great too...However late in a moto you'd get that crazy headshake as soon as you let off the throttle on a fast straight...Scary when you're tired and pumped...Man the headshake was bad but it was a fast bike and it was literally faster than every fully modded 125 of that time...
I have a mint 92&a 93 mint and these two bikes are rip-pas boyyyyy ‼️ Nice brotha
I just bought a 93 cr125 after not racing or riding for 15 years, wish me luck!
You are going to love it - really one of the most fun 125s I’ve owned!
Back in the day when i wrenched for my brother his 1993 cr125. 13/53 gearing and 250 clutch springs . Made the bike a rocket.
I remember the ‘93 being a lot more pinkish than this. Granted, that was a lot of years ago. I rode with a fellow in ‘93 who had a brand new 125 and another fellow with a ‘92 250, which looked identical. Beautiful bike - I’d love to get my hands on one and completely restore it.
Had one back in 96 and a friend who raced rode it and said it was faster than some 250s he rode
I have a 1992 CR 125 and almost the same. Your review was about what I would say about my 1992. Got all the same add on's too. Was glad to see this video.
That one-two-five is ripping!
It was a rocket - great motor!
90s hondas are still fast! I have a 94 cr250, it blew my mind after not riding or racing for 20 years!🤣🤣🤣🤣
Great vid and great bike! Thanks!!!
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I had one of these in 93 after my 91 rm125 bottom end blew apart. Man I wish I still had it today.
Thanks for letting me take a few laps on your CR125 Mark.
That bike feels as good today as I remember it was in the 1990s and your chassis and suspension settings are very good.
Thanks Chris -- I knew you were digging that bike after about half a lap, because you dropped the hammer and started to motor away from me lol!! It's great to have another perspective on it too!
@@markswartmx56 please can you give me some more information on how you made the triple clamps fit.
@@aaronhopkins405 you will basically need clamps, forks, front wheel and axle off of a newer one. I tried to make the 93 wheel work but I couldn't find a bearing that could make the diameter of the new style axle and the old style hub work (they went to a bigger axle in 95.) Then with the clamps, the stem on the aluminum frame models is a little longer, a few mm. So I added two shims underneath the top clamp so that it would work. This does slightly raise the handlebar position, by the way. Another option would be to have a machine shop press out the old stem from your old lower clamp and press that into the new one. The 97+ fork tubes are a larger diameter. I guess you might be able to have the old clamps machined out to the larger diameter, but that might affect strength. Hope this helps!
@@markswartmx56 that’s brilliant thanks.
@@markswartmx56 did you have to change the front brake?
I recently bought a 93' that I'm about to restore. I just received my 47mm twin chambers from an 06' CRF450.
I also have a 1993 cr 125. The components aren’t as in good shape as yours but the motor is in great shape and has lots of power
Same I just bought one a week ago it’s a beast I love it I’m taking it tomorrow to get everything fresh I told the shop I’m putting a 1000 cap down so have fun and make me happy lol
Just bought one of these bad boys today! 750 bucks ( motors locked up ) super excited to tear into the engine and get to work ( pray for me that it’s not the crankshaft) . Hope I can return it to its original glory.
Sounds like a fair deal, good luck with the build!
Had one of these was fast in the sand and in the sand I had no head shake. Bit it's in like beach sand. It hooked up and pull through with good torque shocks are harsh but as a kid I felt no pain I remember never worry mechanic al about it always reliable.
i had one in 96 (matched ports and casings. boysen rad vavle. full pro circuit. talon hubs exel rims) it was so fast it was my first bike felt like it was gonna rip my arms off so hard hitting. great vid brought some memories back
Thanks man, I appreciate that, I was hoping these videos would be fun like that. Your 96 sounds like it was trick!
@@markswartmx56 Yeah it was good it was a 93 same as yours it was an ex up and coming riders bike hence all the trick parts.
Nice review man. I've recently bought a 93 CR125 as well and must I say this thing is amazing. The only downfall is the suspension, but that could easily be solved with some 47 mm TC Showas or maybe even Ohlins.) Compared to my 07 CR125 the 93 has more top end, the motor pulls longer than the 07 one, but is slightly less powerful down low. Needless to say it corners like nothing else I've ever tried, even better than my 07 CR125.
Thanks! Yeah I have the 47mm TC on mine as well - the stockers were blown when I got it so I just upgraded then - I've never ridden the stock ones but I'm sure they are way soft. I have a V Force on mine and I think it was worthwhile. It has been a fantastic bike, I'm painting the frame now and am going to do it up with a Honda of Troy tribute look. Thanks for watching!
Mark Swart what other mods did you have to do when you put on the 47mm forks (brakes, front wheel, trees,etc.)?
I got a mint 2001 cr 125 . Wish I could find a mint 93-97, liked the hpp motors. Also have a mint 2000 cr 250 that I absolutely love. All I need to find is a cr 500
I had a 94 125 & 250. I loved both of those things.
Ditch that shorty & get the standard length silencer. The "shorty" silencers totally kill top end & over rev. The dyno & seat of the pants will confirm it. You'll be surprised.
The bike also seemed to get pulled down off the pipe pretty easy. Could be the jetting or it could be the gearing. If the main is a little lean, they fall on their face super easy & don't pull as strong as they should.
If the jetting was good, it could've used an extra tooth on the rear sprocket for that track but you could also let that bike sing more on top. Youre shifting a little early for that engine. Short shifting those makes them hard to stay on the pipe. It's too easy to get them pulled down into bog city if short shifted.
But awesome vid & sick bike!!
Good ear - after I did this review I actually noticed it had a 1 tooth larger countershaft sprocket. Was quite a bit easier to use after I went back to stock.
@@markswartmx56
Woah!! One tooth extra up front is massive!! No wonder it was pulled down off the pipe so easily.
I edited my original post with some extra stuff. Not sure if you caught it or not. Your reply was there when I hit the post button.
BTW I actually sold that bike over a year ago, I’m on that 03 YZ for my 125 fix nowadays. But I sort of wish I had kept the CR, it was pretty exceptional.
@@markswartmx56 poop?
Those were some sick bikes but that yz is probably a better all around bike.
If we could only keep them all. 😁
@@keithpeterson3447 definitely! Yeah I have a 3 bike limit and I wanted the newer YZ so I could ride it regularly as a training tool to try and keep my lazy four stroke habits under control. Plus the 03 is still eligible for AHRMA and Daytona vintage. Definitely a better chassis than the old Honda, motor is easier to use too but not really more peak power from what I can remember.
i miss mine !
Love this video. Just bought a 93 Cr 125 and I’m so pumped on it. Curious where you found the white decal for the tank? Mine is a lil yellow. I plan to get a new tank in the future, but until then I’d like to cover it. Awesome video(s)
Hi Matthew, congrats on the buy, you will enjoy it. V Force is a great upgrade. I found those graphics through Ebay, they were somewhere in Eastern Europe. Took a few weeks to get to me, but they were legit and have held up well. I'd like a better looking tank at some time too!
Mark Swart thanks so much for the reply! I appreciate it. Keep up the vids!
@@matthewdoughty5309 I'm building up an 04 CR 125 for my little brother, I'll be working on a review of it in the coming months. As for your tank, try a green scotch brite pad and some Soft Scrub. You should be able to get a lot of the yellowing out of it with some elbow grease. Someone tried to paint the tank on mine and nothing I tried would take it off, so I was stuck with the cover-up method. Yours might clean up okay with some work though!
Oh, and when you rebuild the motor, make sure to adjust the powervalves to spec when you put it back together. They have to be adjusted properly each time or you'll get a weird hiccup in the midrange.
Mark Swart tha is so much for the tips! I greatly appreciate the info and look forward to the ‘94 rebuild! I will definitely try the scotch brite. Really appreciate it!
A lot of people do NOT know , the that this year 125 is noticeable when ridden to be FAR superior to any other bike EVER made ..
Its super fast .. I Repeat ......
IT'S NOT SUPER FAST ...
But the Mutha sticks like its on rails. !!!
Its ridiculous to say.. i know.. 2021 and it is BY FAR still the best handling 125 i have ever owned and/rode...
I want to find a couple more of em
And put a
KTM SX125 engine on every one i find.
Then id have superbike 125's ..
The track wasn't deep I would learn how to corner properly before I made a video I could say some really good line from the track and you just was not taken on yes you have a lovely bike
Well if you want to share tips, I would probably have some videos on my OWN TH-cam before I talked smack to someone about their riding, but that's just me.🤣
Ive got the 93 125 and shes like new
How does it compare to the modern YZ125? Just restored a 96 cr125 and working on a 95.
Best bet for grabbing a set over 98-99 powervavles is searching for a used cylinder on Ebay.
I feel like it's weaker in low-mid but very close upper RPM. I'd also say the chassis doesn't feel quite a precise as the YZ - and nothing really compares to the SSS forks on the YZs of course.
Where did you get the replacement plastics. For the 1993 cr125r
Ryansrcadventure' s they are on ebay, they are aftermarket. UFO makes them
i just bought one recently but wanted to know if i can put any newer style plastics on it ?
You could figure out a way to put a modern front fender and numberplate on it, then do a modern seat cover and maybe switch up some of the plastic colors. Pre printed numberplate backgrounds would also modernize the look a little. But there isn't an updated plastic kit that I know of. I think that's just for the 02-07 modles.
Funny thing is that i own one and i love it
It's hard not to love!!
Is he going to give it a Doug Score?
THIIIISSSSS is the 1993 Honda CR 125. Here are its quarks
I bought a CR 125 '95 last month, 1st ride was disaster, throttle sticking wide open even on a closed throttle, threw me off the back, snapped rear fender and bent bars.
Just done a carb repair kit from All Balls Racing and new throttle cable. I will clean out throttle housing and install the proper plug ( I noticed the NGK one in the bike is not the one the manual says it should have)
I will let u know how 2nd ride goes, do u rekon it will be a carb issue or anything engine/powervalve related?
I think it has to be carb slide sticking or a throttle cable issue. Definitely not a powervalve issue. I also don’t think that an engine air leak would cause anything that severe.
@@markswartmx56 Thanks, we'll see. I get jealous of u guys in USA or Canada picking these bikes up for $500 then restoring them. Here in the UK they are about £2000 and thats for a project !!
@@busby905 if it makes you feel any better, those days are pretty much gone now and deals like that seem to be few and far between. Between Covid pricing and people just wanting to snap up old two strokes for vintage and/or dream race type of events, the prices are up. If you see my video for the 03 YZ 125 I just reviewed, I paid over $2K for that one and it needed tires, plastics, cosmetics, fork seals and really a bunch of other odds and ends that added up.
@@markswartmx56 I'll check it out. A good CR 500 now in the UK is £10,000 !!! Its nuts.
Front suspensión is 1995
Could anybody give me the best gearing for one of these, mine has a 13T front and 49T rear, which I dislike
Stock is 13:51, maybe go back to that? The 49 would give you more top speed, but would be hard to keep on the pipe on most moto tracks.
Mark Swart mine just had a 49T on it when I bought the bike but I instantly knew I needed to change it as I had to be on the clutch everywhere
Sounds like it falls off the pipe now and then . maby add a few teeth on the rear sproket.
Good ear! So ... funny story.... when I got the bike the chain and sprockets looked good, so I just ran what was on there. The back sprocket was stock size and I just assumed the front would be too, right? Well when I did my winter refresh last month, I discovered that someone had added a tooth to the front!!! So the gearing was way tall. I switched it back to the correct size and it is a lot easier to keep on the pipe now (although I have to shift even more now haha!)
Is it the magic 105mm sag on these ?
Race Tech recommend more like 95, I think the linkage ratios were different then.
@@markswartmx56 Thanks
Is the 93 the same as the 94
Very similar, I believe there were some suspension changes, but basically the same machine.
Intrested in selling this cr?
I think it has 6 gears?
yes they did mine did