XL 125

Just bought son1 an off-roader, £210 worth of XL 125 [1], nothing
drastically wrong with it apart from what appears to be worn front wheel
bearings, possible head bearings and, as the seller says, a tapping noise
from the head, which I assume would be the tappets Most work appears
done and it appears oil-tight, though we never really got it hot. However
the kickstart appears to slip when kicking it over, but returns to same
position as before so I suspect it's the kickstart shaft internally
somewhere missing a tooth perhaps. Is this a known problem with them?

Any other known major faults with them?

I think, bicbw, that this is the same engine as the CG, is that right?

Where would be a good place for parts, info etc for this bike ?

[1] ebay 120049396763

Cheers.

 

Paul - xxx says...

It's not the same engine. The CG has pushrods and the XL has an OHC
engine as fitted to the CB125S and its ilk. I might be wrong, but I
think the cases need to be split to replace the kickstart shaft on the
XL/CB engine.

--
Lozzo
Triumph Daytona 955i SE (Black with added black bits)
GSF600SW (broked)
'I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking.
But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make certain they
are still going.' William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett, Oct 1960.

 

As it is a Honda, I would suggest David Silver Spares, one of the few
specialists who provide a stunning service.

 

Lozzo came up with the following;:

Right, thanks ... and now you say it I know you're bang on. Cheers.

Bugger about the cases, but wtf if it needs doing ....

 

Peter Jones came up with the following;:

Cheers.

 

If the kickstart is slipping then its almost certain to be the kickstart
gear that needs replacing. Requires complete engine strip, and if doing
yourself you will need special tools to remove flywheel and clutch nut.

If the head is noisy you must check that this is not due to cam bearing
wear, which is repairable but not cheap to do.

All in all it seems that this bike would probably have been best avoided, as
the kickstart gear alone is likely to cost about £200 to repair, unless you
can find s/h parts.

k

 

As others say, the kickstart problem is expensive. I'd have words with
the seller, since this isn't mentioned on the auctoin page.

So "nothing drastically wrong" - but the top end is fucked, the wheel
bearings scrap, the engine needs a stripdown, and the absence of V5
suggests it's hookey anyway.

No, it's not the same engine as the CG, though the two are
interchangeable.

If all you want is a field bike, buy a decent CG1235 engine for maybe
£75, and swap the lumps over. A lot less hassle than stripping and
rebuilding this one.

 

<snip>

Oh, and another thing. The seller's feedback isn't too good, and he's
selling another 125 dirt bike that can't go back on the road. Dodgy with
a capital D.

 

The Older Gentleman says...

Oh ffs. It's in Barnsley, you don't really expect it to be Kosher, do
you?


--
Lozzo
Triumph Daytona 955i SE (Black with added black bits)
GSF600SW (broked)
'I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking.
But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make certain they
are still going.' William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett, Oct 1960.

 

Dunno about the bike, but the seller has one neutral that doesn't look
justified and what seems to be a retaliatory neg, left by someone they
negged first?

Ali

 

Lozzo fumbled, fiddled and fingered:

Of course not .. Barnsleys more Islamic

--
Steve Parry
K100RS SE & F650
and a 520i SE Touring for comfort

(not forgetting the SK90PY)

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

OK, maybe I'm being unfair there - but IMHO any bike, especially a dirt
bike, flogged without a V5 is dodgy until proven otherwise.

 

message
Wotcha.

Now that's what you call a *big* single - I want one ;-)

 

Even if it was free, I wouldn't go near it.
Only a complete idiot would buy it.

 

Looking through the history the present seller bought the bike at the
beginning of October. And left neg feedback saying they weren't happy
with it. The response from the seller then was to knock 50 quid off
it.

And now they're selling it on.

 

<makes sign of Holy Superchargers>

 

Paul - xxx came up with the following;:

LOL, thanks for all the replies.

Trouble was, we saw it, bid for it, won it and collected it same day, looked
at it in the dark while it was raining, but the engine fired up OK and
didn't sound stupidly wrong. Must admit to not even checking his feedback,
for £200 we're not too worried ... though I realise it makes me look a right
twat now ...

So it seems I've actually bought a dog, from a dodgy geezer, and which
really needs a new engine ... could have been worse ...

I've also had time this morning for a quick looksee and a ride. Tightened
the tappets and the tapping has got quieter, though whether it's right will
be determined later when I get it into my bro's garage for a good checkover,
right now it's too cold to do anything. Front wheel bearings will be OK for
a while, I guess, but they'd not, and won't need to, get through an MOT.
Brakes, and forks work well, Pro-link has no slop or play in it and it looks
like there's new bushes all round the rear end, the sprockets haven't had
much use so I guess the chain is also ok. There's a fair amount (relative
to other 125's I know of) of torque and power from it when ridden and the
engine feels OK and is oil-tight even when thrashed from cold (test ride) in
a goood effort to break it. Tyres are shite but we reckon cheap MX tyres
will do a better job anyway.

The bike is only ever going to be thrashed around a field, woods and slurry
ponds/local MX track, so as long as it goes and stops OK, basically it'll be
good enough. Better for my lad to thrash and trash this than my Trials
bikes ...

Might also teach him a thing or three ...

 

<sniffs>