I've found holes in the brass floats by putting them in the freezer, taking them out and holding them under extremely hot water. The cold, sucks air inside and the heat will cause a bubble to form where the hole is. Always had to think out of the box with these things. Something you're an expert at. Glad to see another old bike running again :)
Thanks so much for this video, I bought this exact bike as a 15 year old kid brand new with money from working at a Exxon gas station after school and on weekends. What a wonderful machine it was, my dream bike was a Elsinore 2 stroke race bike but it was too expensive for me. I took all the lights off and put knobbies on it, then I put a 28mm Mikuni carb and hooker side pipe exhaust with Koni rear shocks. It was my version of a poor man's Elsinore. Had the time of my life on that bike, use to take out in the snow and do full lock donuts with both feet on the pegs what a blast!
My mother NEVER wanted for me to get a motorcycle, so AS SOON as I turned 18 (midnight, actually), I bought a 1975 XL125 off of one of my buddies. I used to throw on a snowmobile suit and headed into a snow-filled field and just do doughnuts; to train myself to keep my feet on the pegs - it was SO much fun!
Hondas of that era had a centrifugal oil separator which was the part you couldn`t identify on the crankshaft end, it just needs cleaning out each oil change and works in place of an oil filter.
I don't know when this was recorded, but I just found on ebay the kickstarter gear itself for the xl 125 or the complete kickstarter shaft with all the gears on it ready to drop in or a few complete bottom ends that you can take out what you need, keep looking cause a factory gear is your best bet not some rando that says they can machine a gear for you. If your willing to spend the money and time to go get these bikes then it should be no big deal to spend a few extra bucks to get the parts needed to make it right to maximize profit, parts are still out there you just have to keep looking and don't give up when the first search fails. I been doing the same thing you do for 40+ years buying fixing and selling so I can say I learned a few things in those years. Be well Joe.
All well and good to get OE parts but a good machinist ( not a dude with a china lathe and 2 yrs run time) will make a gear far superior than OE and last 10 times longer.
Joe that bike deserves a complete gear fix after letting you ride him.just saying fix it proper joe.then grandfather to some sick or dying kid with cancer for his last fun smile out of life.if anyone can do it easy u can.😊😊
I'm 65 and remember these bikes well. This is what I think of when someone says "dirtbike". That bike is in excellent condition. I would put it in storage till I found a doner engine. I was shocked it started. Nice work Joe.
This brings back a lot of memories. I had the 1978 xl 125 when I was a kid. I do remember the bottom of my foot being bruised from kicking it over but had a lot of good times on it.
All Hondas of this era didn't need the battery to run. They had separate coils in their generator. One set for ignition and another one for lights, blinkers, horn. So the battery could easily be removed and the only "problrm" was that you didn't have indicators and brake lights in low RPM, and the horn sounded like... cicada without it.😂
I love that you just go straight in. I bought one of these with a few problems and I bought the manual and made notes before turning a bolt and you just open her up.
You'll have to take that gear to a machine shop and get someone to re-machine it. The bike is really in too good a shape to get rid of it on account of that kick start gear. You could call it mint if it had the air box boot and the dent were pulled out of the tank. As far as that weird part connected to the oil pump... that was called the centrifugal oil filter. Instead of using a filter media to trap oil deposits, it would use centrifugal spinning to trap solid deposits to the edges of the centrifugal oil filter housing. When you did your oil change, you would pull that cover off and wipe away any solids trapped to the edge with a rag. I have a vintage Honda CB350. Wiping out the centrifugal oil filter housing it part of the oil change maintenance. I don't know why they did it that way because they had cannister filters already. I guess they thought that cannister filter on the engine would be ugly.
Was thinking the same heck that dent should come out with a toilet plunger sucker or air hose sealed into tank spout,hell maybe fish a crowbar in there might even do it.dont know why he didnt try.i say joe do that bike right n fix that kickstarter.😊😊😊
What's funny is I live within 2 hours of him, and the market here for all this old stuff is usually triple what it's worth for destroyed junk, so it's either not real prices to keep the mystique. Or he's got some insane hookup
@@letmehearthatguitarsqueal He must have "I buy dirt bikes/atvs running or not" advertisments everywhere...or some kind of strategy. Maybe he buys trade-ins at the tractor, power sports, and lawn mower dealerships, as well as the repair shops? Unbelievable how this guy finds this stuff. Maybe a bot app that responds first on FB marketplace. This is the great mystery of TH-cam.
I can't believe the deals you find! I restored a '75 XL175 a few years back. The problem I've found with these old XL's is in fact the kick-start mechanism.
I searched Google for "1974 xl 125 kickstart assembly" several listings came up for 1977 on eBay. One for actual 1974. You may get lucky and the 1977 shaft assembly interchangeable with 1974, probably likely as i don't think Honda changed much in those engine over those years. Great find on the bike its really nice and wishing merry Christmas to you and your wife.
They are JIS specification fasteners. Get a JIS driver/bit. Working on Japanese machines as much as you do, I thought you would know this. Try reading an assembly manual for the bikes you work on. Might make your videos more interesting.
Best place to ride a dirt bike when it snows is in the sand; either a sandpit or on the beach. We used to run ours from Salisbury, MA to Seabrooke, NH. on the beach with the Atlantic Ocean right there. Great workout for the forearms!
I live within 2 hours of him and the market for this old stuff here is usually triple what it's worth for destroyed junk, so it's either not really what he paid to keep up a mystique, or he has some insane hookup
@@benny8300 i doubt its staged, all you have to do is lowball the people, or go and look, point out all the issues, offer what you want it for and be prepared to walk away. I once went to go lowball someone for a $1000 quad and they literally said im a nice young man and can have it for free WITH paperwork.
Joe that bike is the exact same make and model I had when I was a kid .I rode mine to school in junior high. A bunch of us kids had various small bore Hondas street legal. Man good memories .and a great deal at 200 bucks
Check for the kick starter shaft for other early Honda models like the CL 125 or SL 125 most of the parts are interchangeable. I believe mid 70’s they changed the top ends but the bottom ends should be the same.
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Joe, love snow but I'll take my 81 degrees with no clouds here in Tucson AZ. Today. Think I'll take a dip in the pool today!🥵
"YOURE TEARIN UP THE GRASS JOE!!!"... -Jade... lol! Just moved from northeast PA to Georgia and theres no season change down here. 3 weeks of "winter" (more like 3 weeks of early fall back home) then back to summer temps. Miss seeing the snow. Was great to see this, especially just before Christmas. Happy Holidays to you and the family Joe (pooches too)!!!
I fixed my buddies Kawasaki Mule with a welder and a grinder because the parts are Not available. It had several broken teeth on gears and a broke case. That was 4 years ago and still going strong. One of the gears was a hypoid bevel pinion gear,,the teeth were really hard to form but it came out nice when done.
@@5153flashyou need to find some way to harden the repair..otherwise it'll just fail again..this time the welded material will grind up additional things..making original problem that much worse..
Was going to say the same thing. Find a decent machine shop because I’m sure you will need it from time to time. In the field I use to be in, we had multiple machine shops that could reproduce shafts, gears, weld aluminum, etc.
It's always a treat to watch these projects. In all the time I've been watching, though, I've never heard you talk about Japan Industrial Standard (JIS) screw drivers or bits. In my experience of working on these old bikes, you almost always find stripped out "Phillips Head" screws because the JIS screws and bits are cut differently than the american standard Phillips head. There's lots of good information on line about the differences. If many of your viewers, like me, still dabble in repair projects like this old Honda, I strongly suggest investing in a set of JIS drivers and bits. Thanks for the projects, Joe. All the best to you and your family!
I bet Sean from Bikes and Beards could hook you up with an NOS part since he buys container loads of old stock. Your channel helps me understand my Zuma 125 and my CTX700DCT ND much better and has inspired me to fix my own power tools and machines.,
Thanks for the video. I have seen old school welders build up, and grind down broken gears that are no longer made. There are ways to repair broken parts that are no longer available if you want to. That bike is worth saving.
I would love to see you do a video on what you do with all the machines you repair. Maybe just a pic or clip of the machine, what you did to repair and then what you did with it. You might even add what you paid and then what you sold it for. I love your approach and what you do.
You can find the pinhole by submerging the float in boiling hot water the heat slightly pressurizes the float and you will see the bubbles from the pinhole.
A little tip that helped me. For plowing with an atv, I cut up some pieces off a blue 55gal drum and added little wings to my plow to help throw the snow wider out.
you can do a reverse lockout bypass on the honda foreman pretty easy and temporarily if you wanted... just need to have something to "pull" the cable all the time so you can just press down on the shifter from N to go into reverse. i did it on my 1987 trx250 and it made a world of difference for plowing.
Cool bike. FYI if you do the tear down and find the exact part broken there is a good chance it could be repaired. Getting to it and seeing exactly what it is and if all pieces are there would be first. Then either weld the parts together and do some grinding/machining/filing/etc on the repair to make it serviceable for the job, or can even weld in metal if it is completely missing and then machine/grind/etc to shape. New or used working condition parts are always best, but it is really common to repair a part on old bikes like this one where nothing is available.
How do you find all of this stuff so cheap? Where I’m at that would be up for $1500. Makes it hard to find cheap stuff just to learn how to troubleshoot and repair things like you do. That said, seeing a new video of yours is the best part of my work day 😂. Keep it up!
JOE being a long time mechanic of many types of machines I’ll let you know a machine never fixes itself. It sometimes just covers up the problem but the problem never goes away without intervention
This is a really clean bike. $200 is ridiculous. I've always liked the SL series bikes, especially the early 70's versions because they came out when I was about 10 years old. They didn't have very much power but they were still fun to ride. I always wanted to get an SL350 but never did.
damm Joe, nice score , i have a 72 tc 125 ,and a 75 ts 100 suzuki,s i got 150. each (works in progress) ,neither was as complete as this honda well done
I’ve had many of those bikes. Cam problems are common and stripped out plug hole. All the electrical runs of the stator system and don have batteries. She is clean nice find. I would have bought that for sure. I was thought how to ride on one by my older brother that took his life 12 years ago but those bikes bring back great memories
I had a 72 honda SS125 and you should know that the front fender is on backwards. The rubber flap should be at the bottom. It's there to keep the mud and road grease off of the engine and frame.
Wow. When i was in probably 5th or 6th grade i got a book from the book mobile that was about motorcycles. This bike was in the book and man did i love this bike as a kid. My mother wouldn't let me ride motorcycles so it was only a dream back then. Cool to see one. Hope you can get her fixed up more. She runs nice.
A lot of SL125 motor parts will swap over to that. I got a XL 125 that is a year older than yours from a friend who bought it new. When he got it home he took off the speedo, tack signal lights brake lights and all of that. I have a speedometer that shows all of 3 mi. Right now the bike is in parts. The muffler did rot right where it meets the head pipe.
@@DunnMotorsluckily my driveway was a steep hill, so I'd just push it up like 1/3 of the way and roll down and dump the clutch worked like a charm every time. I remember riding to a friends house and everywhere there was flat so I rolled down the passenger window on his mom's grand prix so I had somewhere to hold on and he towed me on the flat to pop start it😂. we always used to joke around about hoping you didn't ever have to try to leave in a hurry😂
Hi Joe...that is common for these old Hondas for the kicker shaft and gears to be trashed. I've got a dozen or so of the these bikes/motors...those should be common on the xl/sl/cb/cl 100-125 platform. I'll give you $300 for the bike and you won't have to worry about it? I enjoy your videos and keep 'em coming.
I Love this Channel !! An avid motorcycle enthusiast, I have owned many of what I believe to be the Best. And like you, many of what I believe to be the most challenging.
I had an XL 175 from ‘76. Such a fun little thumper. It was NOT FAST! LOL! Scary to drive on the road really. I mostly did trail riding with it. Also had an ‘86 KX125 that I raced and an ‘88 Hurricane 600 I loved driving on road and track! Miss my motorcycle days!
I had the Honda TL125 when I was 13, similar parts to yours, road it most nights after school and every weekend, never had a kick start issue but did have cam chain issue once, regular oil changes etc, I thought it was just me but I struggled with the Philip screws on the clutch cover, my uncle got them off with a larger screw driver,
You said you read all the comments in a couple of videos. I’ve watched most of your videos and right now I just turned 13 and I have a quad out here that I’ve had for like 6 1/2 months and I’ve put all my effort in working into it and it’s still not running And I was hoping that if you could take a look at it or give me advice cause I have no clue I put all my money and everything into it and my dedication. I put a lot of effort into this paragraph and I just hope you acknowledge it and read it And other people that read this please try and get the most likes on it so he could see it I don’t know how it really works for him to see it or if it pops up first, but I hope you read this and I have a lot of respect for you and your TH-cam channel and it’s fun to sit down and watch your videos and it helps me know a lot of things so I appreciate your efforts and all you put into your videos so just keep going because you’re gonna make it in the TH-cam career.
I’ll keep looking back and see if you replied and if not, or if you don’t have anything that can help me on it that’s fine cause I get you’re busy with a lot of your videos and editing and everything but I just hope you take the time to read this
Nice work but that front fender is on backwards The rubber thing is there to protect the engine from debris but still be flexible to not get stuck on rocks and logs and things
No smoke out of the exhaust on first start up. That's impressive. And once again it seemed like you had that thing running for a long time with the garage doors shut, but maybe the other door was open and we couldn't see it.
Topper Machine is over in Spooner Wisconsin. Not sure where you're located. And how about some pdr for that tank dent? See a number of people using hotmelt glue.
Good video Joe, its would make a good video to split the case and replace the bad gear if you find one on E bay or get one custom made. $200 for that bike was a steal . Happy holidays.
I can't find this kind of deal around Indy where I live. I was looking for a winter project and even an old wore out 185 Suzuki with missing parts people want a thousand dollars. So no winter project.
Like watching you work out a stuff I am elderly like your talent you are a very smart man you do it right and don't curse and play music easy to understand you hope you and your family have a merry Christmas god bless.
What a beautiful specimen! Those rear turn signals are worth $200 each! BTW, be careful, I'm pretty sure it's a 6v electrical system. I don't want to hit it with 12v and blow out all the lamps.
I've found holes in the brass floats by putting them in the freezer, taking them out and holding them under extremely hot water. The cold, sucks air inside and the heat will cause a bubble to form where the hole is. Always had to think out of the box with these things. Something you're an expert at. Glad to see another old bike running again :)
I Will give that a try!
I love comments like these. Positive and informative.
Great work! Not many people can get a comment from this man.
A machinest could make that part for you if you decide to invest time into that bike@@2vintage
Thanks so much for this video, I bought this exact bike as a 15 year old kid brand new with money from working at a Exxon gas station after school and on weekends. What a wonderful machine it was, my dream bike was a Elsinore 2 stroke race bike but it was too expensive for me. I took all the lights off and put knobbies on it, then I put a 28mm Mikuni carb and hooker side pipe exhaust with Koni rear shocks. It was my version of a poor man's Elsinore. Had the time of my life on that bike, use to take out in the snow and do full lock donuts with both feet on the pegs what a blast!
That Elsinore 250-275 was a beast back then . That sucker was scary powerful. It put me on my back a couple times . LoL
My mother NEVER wanted for me to get a motorcycle, so AS SOON as I turned 18 (midnight, actually), I bought a 1975 XL125 off of one of my buddies. I used to throw on a snowmobile suit and headed into a snow-filled field and just do doughnuts; to train myself to keep my feet on the pegs - it was SO much fun!
Awesome!😊
Hondas of that era had a centrifugal oil separator which was the part you couldn`t identify on the crankshaft end, it just needs cleaning out each oil change and works in place of an oil filter.
I don't know when this was recorded, but I just found on ebay the kickstarter gear itself for the xl 125 or the complete kickstarter shaft with all the gears on it ready to drop in or a few complete bottom ends that you can take out what you need, keep looking cause a factory gear is your best bet not some rando that says they can machine a gear for you. If your willing to spend the money and time to go get these bikes then it should be no big deal to spend a few extra bucks to get the parts needed to make it right to maximize profit, parts are still out there you just have to keep looking and don't give up when the first search fails. I been doing the same thing you do for 40+ years buying fixing and selling so I can say I learned a few things in those years. Be well Joe.
All well and good to get OE parts but a good machinist ( not a dude with a china lathe and 2 yrs run time) will make a gear far superior than OE and last 10 times longer.
Joe that bike deserves a complete gear fix after letting you ride him.just saying fix it proper joe.then grandfather to some sick or dying kid with cancer for his last fun smile out of life.if anyone can do it easy u can.😊😊
@@allensnook7760totally agree if I was in that situation I couldn't keep my hands off it until it was fixed.
I'm 65 and remember these bikes well. This is what I think of when someone says "dirtbike". That bike is in excellent condition. I would put it in storage till I found a doner engine. I was shocked it started. Nice work Joe.
This brings back a lot of memories. I had the 1978 xl 125 when I was a kid. I do remember the bottom of my foot being bruised from kicking it over but had a lot of good times on it.
Your channel is nailing it. You love what you do and have fun doing it. Props to you.
All Hondas of this era didn't need the battery to run. They had separate coils in their generator. One set for ignition and another one for lights, blinkers, horn. So the battery could easily be removed and the only "problrm" was that you didn't have indicators and brake lights in low RPM, and the horn sounded like... cicada without it.😂
Battery needed for horn and blinkers; headlight, taillight, brake light, and ignition will run off of magneto/generator.
@@jameshampton3969 brake light usually runs from the battery as well
Always liked the shape of those fuel tanks. Same shape used on Honda's old Elsinores.
I bought a honda 1976 xl350 new . Most dependable bike I ever owned. The xl series was awesome ❤
My first dirt bike was a 1978 Honda XL75 I was so excited when my dad surprised me with it.
I have s '77 that my uncle bought new and taught me to ride on in the 80s. I've since taught my wife and both kids to ride on it.
Fabulous and very thoughtful gift.
Joe, the 74 XLs had a 6 volt system. Be careful. It's easy to burn the ignition system out with 12 volts. Didn't know if you knew.
Yeaaa....idk. I just watch things like this guy, mustie1, and all but even I know a lot of 70s and earlier bikes had 6v.
@@Zerstoror I'm pretty sure Joe knows, but having seen others find out the hard way, I thought I'd give him the heads up, just in case.
I love that you just go straight in. I bought one of these with a few problems and I bought the manual and made notes before turning a bolt and you just open her up.
There are several XL 125 Kick Start gears on the UK eBay ranging from around $30 to $90 !
Lets hope Joe can get one!
@@Skidderoperator Great idea. I'm not sure why is it that you can still find this stuff across the pond, but not in the States.
My love for these old Hondas will never die. Just like the Hondas themselves
You'll have to take that gear to a machine shop and get someone to re-machine it. The bike is really in too good a shape to get rid of it on account of that kick start gear. You could call it mint if it had the air box boot and the dent were pulled out of the tank. As far as that weird part connected to the oil pump... that was called the centrifugal oil filter. Instead of using a filter media to trap oil deposits, it would use centrifugal spinning to trap solid deposits to the edges of the centrifugal oil filter housing. When you did your oil change, you would pull that cover off and wipe away any solids trapped to the edge with a rag. I have a vintage Honda CB350. Wiping out the centrifugal oil filter housing it part of the oil change maintenance. I don't know why they did it that way because they had cannister filters already. I guess they thought that cannister filter on the engine would be ugly.
My first bike was a cb 125 twin, what a fun old bike it was
Was thinking the same heck that dent should come out with a toilet plunger sucker or air hose sealed into tank spout,hell maybe fish a crowbar in there might even do it.dont know why he didnt try.i say joe do that bike right n fix that kickstarter.😊😊😊
Rather purchase an original gear.
I have a clean, red, dent free tank from a '76 Honda Elsinore that may fit the bike, reply back if interested. DON'T GIVE UP ON THAT BIKE!
200 dollars? You really live in wonderland
What's funny is I live within 2 hours of him, and the market here for all this old stuff is usually triple what it's worth for destroyed junk, so it's either not real prices to keep the mystique. Or he's got some insane hookup
@@letmehearthatguitarsqueal He must have "I buy dirt bikes/atvs running or not" advertisments everywhere...or some kind of strategy. Maybe he buys trade-ins at the tractor, power sports, and lawn mower dealerships, as well as the repair shops? Unbelievable how this guy finds this stuff. Maybe a bot app that responds first on FB marketplace. This is the great mystery of TH-cam.
@@1176hambonehe could start another channel on his buying and selling process
@@letmehearthatguitarsquealHe often just writes a price way lower to people and they say come grab it. If you listened in his videos :)
I live in NC and buy junk and or non running vehicles of all kinds for under 300 every day so it’s not out of the realm of possibility guys!
I can't believe the deals you find! I restored a '75 XL175 a few years back. The problem I've found with these old XL's is in fact the kick-start mechanism.
What was your fix..for the kick starter..??
@@jerrybigrig I found a good used part from ebay after months of searching thankfully. The only thing you can do unfortunately.
I searched Google for "1974 xl 125 kickstart assembly" several listings came up for 1977 on eBay. One for actual 1974. You may get lucky and the 1977 shaft assembly interchangeable with 1974, probably likely as i don't think Honda changed much in those engine over those years. Great find on the bike its really nice and wishing merry Christmas to you and your wife.
Cross head screws with the dot on the head are special Japanese assembly line ones which is why they get mashed up trying to use a normal driver.
They are JIS specification fasteners. Get a JIS driver/bit. Working on Japanese machines as much as you do, I thought you would know this. Try reading an assembly manual for the bikes you work on. Might make your videos more interesting.
Best place to ride a dirt bike when it snows is in the sand; either a sandpit or on the beach. We used to run ours from Salisbury, MA to Seabrooke, NH. on the beach with the Atlantic Ocean right there. Great workout for the forearms!
Something worth sharing might be that screws with the little dot are JIS screws and a JIS bit works better than a Phillips.
AND, you use the impact tool on EVERY phillips looking screw !!!
Hey 2 vintage, Larry here. I hope you get it to start.
I had a 1975 Honda XR 75 that was that bikes twin. I rebuilt the carb on mine at 9 yrs old. Very good bikes.
You seem to get the best deals on motorcycles that I've ever seen in my life
I live within 2 hours of him and the market for this old stuff here is usually triple what it's worth for destroyed junk, so it's either not really what he paid to keep up a mystique, or he has some insane hookup
@@letmehearthatguitarsquealit’s all staged I’m sure
@@benny8300 i doubt its staged, all you have to do is lowball the people, or go and look, point out all the issues, offer what you want it for and be prepared to walk away. I once went to go lowball someone for a $1000 quad and they literally said im a nice young man and can have it for free WITH paperwork.
I want one of these so bad. Excited to see you tear it down!
I had a 1976 Honda TL125 back in the day. Pretty similar to this XL. Was a pretty bulletproof engine.
They only made the TL 125 in 74 & 75.. the 75 & 76 was the 250. I had them all bought and sold a dozen of them
Joe that bike is the exact same make and model I had when I was a kid .I rode mine to school in junior high. A bunch of us kids had various small bore Hondas street legal. Man good memories .and a great deal at 200 bucks
Check for the kick starter shaft for other early Honda models like the CL 125 or SL 125 most of the parts are interchangeable. I believe mid 70’s they changed the top ends but the bottom ends should be the same.
Joe, love snow but I'll take my 81 degrees with no clouds here in Tucson AZ. Today. Think I'll take a dip in the pool today!🥵
"YOURE TEARIN UP THE GRASS JOE!!!"... -Jade... lol!
Just moved from northeast PA to Georgia and theres no season change down here. 3 weeks of "winter" (more like 3 weeks of early fall back home) then back to summer temps. Miss seeing the snow. Was great to see this, especially just before Christmas. Happy Holidays to you and the family Joe (pooches too)!!!
The battery is designed to sit on the side of the actual air box that should take up that space behind the carb under the seat area.
What is great about your podcast is everyone rooting for you……
You can weld the gear and regrind it for a fix. It is not easy but it can be done.
I fixed my buddies Kawasaki Mule with a welder and a grinder because the parts are Not available. It had several broken teeth on gears and a broke case. That was 4 years ago and still going strong. One of the gears was a hypoid bevel pinion gear,,the teeth were really hard to form but it came out nice when done.
@@5153flashyou need to find some way to harden the repair..otherwise it'll just fail again..this time the welded material will grind up additional things..making original problem that much worse..
Nice find
...Hard to believe that bike was only 200 most guys out here would ask 4500
Joe, A CNC Machinist can remake you a gear. God Bless
Was going to say the same thing. Find a decent machine shop because I’m sure you will need it from time to time. In the field I use to be in, we had multiple machine shops that could reproduce shafts, gears, weld aluminum, etc.
Now that's a bike I've been around in my youth for sure, I think that my brother in-law still has one stashed away somewhere.❤
It's always a treat to watch these projects. In all the time I've been watching, though, I've never heard you talk about Japan Industrial Standard (JIS) screw drivers or bits. In my experience of working on these old bikes, you almost always find stripped out "Phillips Head" screws because the JIS screws and bits are cut differently than the american standard Phillips head. There's lots of good information on line about the differences. If many of your viewers, like me, still dabble in repair projects like this old Honda, I strongly suggest investing in a set of JIS drivers and bits. Thanks for the projects, Joe. All the best to you and your family!
I bet Sean from Bikes and Beards could hook you up with an NOS part since he buys container loads of old stock. Your channel helps me understand my Zuma 125 and my CTX700DCT ND much better and has inspired me to fix my own power tools and machines.,
You could maybe build an awning on the side if your garage to park some of your toys under. Great fix video.
Don't you just love it when it snows enough to get the guys toys out lol. Looks like you are having fun with it 👍❤️
Thanks for the video. I have seen old school welders build up, and grind down broken gears that are no longer made. There are ways to repair broken parts that are no longer available if you want to. That bike is worth saving.
Joe, you really could do with a roller starter to get these old bikes running at first
couldnt get a broken pit bike for $200 in the UK lo
Haha know that to well people want 300 pluss for a blown up pitbike im in Kent Faversham prices are stupid nowadays
I would love to see you do a video on what you do with all the machines you repair. Maybe just a pic or clip of the machine, what you did to repair and then what you did with it. You might even add what you paid and then what you sold it for. I love your approach and what you do.
Your an awesome mechanic you always manage to get these old bikes running i really enjoy the videos im hooked lol
The weird round thing on the crank is the centrifugal oil filter
Plenty of very talented machinists available. Abom, Topper, who lives in the northern states, Keith Rucker, to name a few.
Been watching you for years, Happy Holidays to you, your wife and little one
You can find the pinhole by submerging the float in boiling hot water the heat slightly pressurizes the float and you will see the bubbles from the pinhole.
It's a Honda, It will run!!
Lol but wont hold a candle to YAMAHA!
I'm in the process of restoring two Yamaha sleds from 89' and 90'. So I'm always looking forward to that snowmobile content.
Sometimes you can find a hole in floats by submerging them in water. The air in the floats would bubble through the hole.
A little tip that helped me. For plowing with an atv, I cut up some pieces off a blue 55gal drum and added little wings to my plow to help throw the snow wider out.
I have an excellent running 1980 xl 125 in the shop, kids ride it a lot when they're home. Fun to ride, put a 150 top end kit 2 yrs ago. Great find.
I put a 1971 Honda SL-125 motor in a 1977 CR-125 frame. Bored and stroked to 160 CC's hot cam and ported head by Powroll.
RZR's are a blast in the snow. Can't wait until it snows here in WV so I can get out RZR XP 1000
Appreciate the gaze into your winter wonderland but the snow shoveling part makes me glad I live in South Texas 😂
you can do a reverse lockout bypass on the honda foreman pretty easy and temporarily if you wanted... just need to have something to "pull" the cable all the time so you can just press down on the shifter from N to go into reverse. i did it on my 1987 trx250 and it made a world of difference for plowing.
Cool bike. FYI if you do the tear down and find the exact part broken there is a good chance it could be repaired. Getting to it and seeing exactly what it is and if all pieces are there would be first. Then either weld the parts together and do some grinding/machining/filing/etc on the repair to make it serviceable for the job, or can even weld in metal if it is completely missing and then machine/grind/etc to shape.
New or used working condition parts are always best, but it is really common to repair a part on old bikes like this one where nothing is available.
How do you find all of this stuff so cheap? Where I’m at that would be up for $1500. Makes it hard to find cheap stuff just to learn how to troubleshoot and repair things like you do. That said, seeing a new video of yours is the best part of my work day 😂. Keep it up!
Like a good neighbor, 2vintage is there
Another cool video.. quick tip. Stand up on your pegs for stability when in the deep stuff or woods 👌
JOE being a long time mechanic of many types of machines I’ll let you know a machine never fixes itself. It sometimes just covers up the problem but the problem never goes away without intervention
This is a really clean bike. $200 is ridiculous. I've always liked the SL series bikes, especially
the early 70's versions because they came out when I was about 10 years old.
They didn't have very much power but they were still fun to ride. I always wanted to get an
SL350 but never did.
damm Joe, nice score , i have a 72 tc 125 ,and a 75 ts 100 suzuki,s i got 150. each (works in progress) ,neither was as complete as this honda well done
I’ve had many of those bikes. Cam problems are common and stripped out plug hole. All the electrical runs of the stator system and don have batteries. She is clean nice find. I would have bought that for sure. I was thought how to ride on one by my older brother that took his life 12 years ago but those bikes bring back great memories
I had a 72 honda SS125 and you should know that the front fender is on backwards. The rubber flap should be at the bottom. It's there to keep the mud and road grease off of the engine and frame.
I would love this bike year I was born great video again😊😊 have a lovely Christmas you and your family
Wow runs strong! Another nice find! Hope you see the comment with used kickstart shafts available in the UK.
I restored a 71 sl125 Honda and I had to replace the same thing. They look very similar. Might want to check it out
Very satisfying seeing you ride out on that beauty. Awesome video.
I can never help but wonder why the front of Joe's house looks like it should be the back. Another great video, Joe!
That thing still looks mint for 1975 200bucks crazy
Wow. When i was in probably 5th or 6th grade i got a book from the book mobile that was about motorcycles. This bike was in the book and man did i love this bike as a kid. My mother wouldn't let me ride motorcycles so it was only a dream back then.
Cool to see one. Hope you can get her fixed up more. She runs nice.
A lot of SL125 motor parts will swap over to that. I got a XL 125 that is a year older than yours from a friend who bought it new. When he got it home he took off the speedo, tack signal lights brake lights and all of that. I have a speedometer that shows all of 3 mi. Right now the bike is in parts. The muffler did rot right where it meets the head pipe.
You may find a TH-cam machinists like "this old tony" that can make a gear
I was going to mention a machine shop for making parts. Might be the only viable option.
My thoughts exactly.
little cross channel promotion, while solving the problem.
How about "Cutting Edge Engineering" in Australia? That is actually a part that could be mailed easily.
@@cenccenc946 Absolutely. Curtis is an excellent machinist.
Hell, I push started mine for 3 years.
Me too for 4 years 😂
I had bikes that only started that way 😆
Lol, I think this is true just about any guy over the age of 50 who rode in their youth
I pushed off my sl 70 for years I couldn't afford a new kick starter
@@DunnMotorsluckily my driveway was a steep hill, so I'd just push it up like 1/3 of the way and roll down and dump the clutch worked like a charm every time. I remember riding to a friends house and everywhere there was flat so I rolled down the passenger window on his mom's grand prix so I had somewhere to hold on and he towed me on the flat to pop start it😂. we always used to joke around about hoping you didn't ever have to try to leave in a hurry😂
Hi Joe...that is common for these old Hondas for the kicker shaft and gears to be trashed. I've got a dozen or so of the these bikes/motors...those should be common on the xl/sl/cb/cl 100-125 platform. I'll give you $300 for the bike and you won't have to worry about it? I enjoy your videos and keep 'em coming.
Brother, it's like you entered a time machine.. Great video
I Love this Channel !!
An avid motorcycle enthusiast, I have owned many of what I believe to be the Best.
And like you, many of what I believe to be the most challenging.
I had one of these. And the xl250 too. Those 2 bikes were the standard that all bikes since then are judged.
Those XL Honda bikes were built to last forever. Great video, Thanks and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I had an XL 175 from ‘76. Such a fun little thumper. It was NOT FAST! LOL! Scary to drive on the road really. I mostly did trail riding with it. Also had an ‘86 KX125 that I raced and an ‘88 Hurricane 600 I loved driving on road and track! Miss my motorcycle days!
Just heat float up till it leaks out.
Just did it on a snowblower .
Pin pricked the hole and soldered it up.
Worked great, no more leak.
C'est une très bonne petite machine Joe ! 💯👌👍😉
I live in Florida. I kind of shook my head when you said ( it’s 25 out here, not too cold) LOL
Yeah, like those in Alaska when it's -18 degrees and they say "it's getting warmer out, going to be a good day" .........
I had the Honda TL125 when I was 13, similar parts to yours, road it most nights after school and every weekend, never had a kick start issue but did have cam chain issue once, regular oil changes etc, I thought it was just me but I struggled with the Philip screws on the clutch cover, my uncle got them off with a larger screw driver,
You said you read all the comments in a couple of videos. I’ve watched most of your videos and right now I just turned 13 and I have a quad out here that I’ve had for like 6 1/2 months and I’ve put all my effort in working into it and it’s still not running And I was hoping that if you could take a look at it or give me advice cause I have no clue I put all my money and everything into it and my dedication. I put a lot of effort into this paragraph and I just hope you acknowledge it and read it And other people that read this please try and get the most likes on it so he could see it I don’t know how it really works for him to see it or if it pops up first, but I hope you read this and I have a lot of respect for you and your TH-cam channel and it’s fun to sit down and watch your videos and it helps me know a lot of things so I appreciate your efforts and all you put into your videos so just keep going because you’re gonna make it in the TH-cam career.
I’ll keep looking back and see if you replied and if not, or if you don’t have anything that can help me on it that’s fine cause I get you’re busy with a lot of your videos and editing and everything but I just hope you take the time to read this
@@TTV__CALEBMCJ Hope you get it running little dude 👍
Thanks man I’m trying
Come on Joe help this young dude out.
❤
Yes, please, old snowmobiles!! Love your content:)
Nice work but that front fender is on backwards
The rubber thing is there to protect the engine from debris but still be flexible to not get stuck on rocks and logs and things
No smoke out of the exhaust on first start up. That's impressive. And once again it seemed like you had that thing running for a long time with the garage doors shut, but maybe the other door was open and we couldn't see it.
Topper Machine is over in Spooner Wisconsin. Not sure where you're located.
And how about some pdr for that tank dent? See a number of people using hotmelt glue.
Great content as usual!
Good video Joe, its would make a good video to split the case and replace the bad gear if you find one on E bay or get one custom made. $200 for that bike was a steal . Happy holidays.
I can't find this kind of deal around Indy where I live. I was looking for a winter project and even an old wore out 185 Suzuki with missing parts people want a thousand dollars. So no winter project.
Like watching you work out a stuff I am elderly like your talent you are a very smart man you do it right and don't curse and play music easy to understand you hope you and your family have a merry Christmas god bless.
The xl100 ct125 cb125 cg125 kick start gears might fit yours have a look in to it i think they do good luck
Love these videos. Great editing and camera work!
Nice lil piece of history n was so cool seeing ya buzz that thing around n hope you git the Kickstart straightened out!!!
What a beautiful specimen! Those rear turn signals are worth $200 each! BTW, be careful, I'm pretty sure it's a 6v electrical system. I don't want to hit it with 12v and blow out all the lamps.