Honda CB125E Questions & Answers

It is possible for a locksmith to make a key out of the barrel. The hard bit is to find a blank key that has the same step, length and thickness of the original. The original has a long key which may be hard for locksmith to obtain. If the locksmith has to custom made it....the cost can be high

Reds as in the ignition lights? check the main fuse, it could've been blown

Hi,
Was it dropped??. it wont start because the carburetor is flooded.

Sorry mate, I'm still on the OEM tyres (Kenda). I haven't looked into other alternative tyres yet. I believe there are better tyres out there available that will fit your need, just ask your local tyre shops for their advice.

Hi Kenny,

Did you buy your bike new? If you did, then the bike is covered by 1 year warranty.
If the Honda dealer "thought" the sound is from pre ignition (pinging), then it SHOULD BE FIXED by Honda. Don't take their words to use 98 instead of 95 (recommended by the manufacturer) and hope the problem will go away.

Tell them to check : Ignition timing, Spark plug, High tension lead, Valve Clearance (tappet clearance), Air Fuel ratio if they "thought" your bike has a pre ignition problem.

One thing to remember though, this single cylinder engine is a good old engine design, cheap to make yet well proven for its reliability and economy. It is happy around low to mid range but will sound coarse (very) when you try to rev mid to high. Many other 125cc scooters and bike sound smoother but they have not the charm of this old CB125.

Cheers,
Joshua

Thanks Joshua,I have the distinct feeling..this may be the coarse (very) sound you describe....I will take it back for a second opinion...or if I could possibly arrange to ride another one even better ...then I would know for sure if it is just normal for this very basic engine. Difficult to arrange though as I live in a regional area .Thanks heaps ...I will update when I get a result.... Cheers Ken

Hi David. Are you talking about the fuel valve? Up-vertically is ON. Horizontally is OFF and down vertically is the Reserve tank. [this site page explains it well: https://www.heromotocorp.com/en-in/rider-zone/biking-tips/fuel-level.html]

Thats the one, Thank you very much

I hope your daughter enjoys her CB125e, and motorcycling in general. Someone else asked this question some time ago, so the answers may still be there to look at. I don't know if there is a lot you can do to the frame as steering geometries and other things, like prop stand length, change if it is lowered. One thing that could be changed is the seat foam thickness. An upholstery expert may be able to remove the cover, shave the foam and recover it. You could get a little reduction in the front by moving the fork staunchions up in the triple clamps, but be careful of the front wheel and guard fouling the exhaust at full deflection. Personally, I would leave the frame/suspension alone, and just work on the seat. Having said all this, I'm not a tall bloke, and on larger bikes or trail bikes in the past I couldn't touch the ground with both feet flat. It is something you get used to - using tippy toes and then rest on one foot, like a prop stand when stationary.

Hi the CB 125 to lower you can :
1. move the tube forks by undoing the clamps and drop until the fork tubes touch the underside of the handle bars.
2. the shockies have adjustments by rotating the top you will see a set of ramps which when rotated click into place lowering the back of the bike
3. you can also adjust the brake pedal which also helps for a small person.
hope this helps it did for my wife.
regards,Peter

Thanks peter will give it a go.

How does the overheating manifest itself? Does it run poorly, seizes (tightens) up, etc. These little engines are air cooled and over this hot summer mine has been hot enough to cook an egg, but it still runs fine. Do you idle for long periods, that wouldn't help. Are you pillioning?
In order of ease and likelihood I would:
a) Make sure that the cooling fins were clear and not covered in mud/crud.
b) Check the spark plug. White and burnt means the mixture could be too lean and need adjustment.
c) Check ignition timing with a timing light. This is unlikely to be wrong, but too advanced could contribute to overheating.
In summer especially, I run 10W/40 fully synthetic oil to help cope with the heat. The little engine only uses 800ml or so at a time.
d) Check brakes aren't dragging.
Just remember, the air cooled engines do, and cope with running hot. All the best with sorting it out

There should only be a single cable no wires as there is no digital speedometer on these bikes

Yeah it looks to be a single plug with 8 wires. But the stock wire colours are different to the aftermarket speedo colours. I have what each coloured wire is for the aftermarket one but not sure what the stock colour ones are. Otherwise if I plug and play, the wires won't match up

First of all - disclaimer here regarding my interpretation of the workshop manual wiring diagram. The genuine Honda CB125e manual mostly covers an engine we don't have. Our engine is limited to an addendum of data at the end. However, I think that the wiring diagram would be correct, especially regarding the instruments. When there are two colours with a "/", the first colour is the wire, the second colour is its stipe. Green = negative (ground, or earth), black = positive (from fuse and it is live when the key is switched on).
Yellow/white is the fuel gauge but it also has black(+) and green(-), brown is the meter light with green(-), high beam indicator = blue with green(-), right indicator = light blue with green(-), left indicator = orange with green(-), neutral indicator = light green/red with black(+). Gear position indicator strip has black(+) and each gear has a light green wire with individual stripe: pink stripe = 1st, brown stripe = 2nd, green stripe = 3rd, yellow stripe = 4th, black stripe = 5th. Hope this helps, and good luck with the conversion.

No there's no such thing for this it's a motorcycle

Sorry, but I have no idea. I am guessing that there is not.
The bike already has quite a low saddle, even though you may have trouble swinging your leg over the "kicked-up-the -bum" rear end that seems the modern fashion. The CB125E is taller in the rear than a friends 80's Yamaha SR500.
Shorter rear shocks would lower the rear, but the chain would probably rub on the swingarm pivot, and the tyre may rub on the top of the guard. Lowering the front would be possible by moving the forks up in the clamps. This affects trail, and handling and you would have to be sure that nothing fouled. You could fit 17" wheels to lower it about 12 mm, but why would you. If you do any of these things the prop stand will need to be shortened. Ground clearance around corners is reduced, and any modifications like this are probably illegal.
In short, I wouldn't bother lowering it. I did toy with putting lower handlebars on the bike, but the big tank would foul with them.

I just asked a nephew in the bike wrecking business whose shop has a lot of CB125e spares. He says that they are the same all the way through from their introduction in 2012. It certainly seems that way to me as well. Any CB125e I look at is exactly like mine and I have to read its compliance plate to see how old it is. Good luck with fixing up your bike.

These bikes have not changed since they came out,check Honda for the correct part number and you'll be sweet

I got mine for 2500 on road the most you should pay is 2800 anyware in Australia on road for a year

Don't know about Newcastle, but I got mine for $2650 on road in Penrith, although they gave a sizable discount on a genuine workshop manual which covered an engine that we don't get in Australia - with an addendum for our engine at the back. However, the manual is pretty exhaustive for everything else. I forgot to mention in my review that I upped the front sprocket (from 15T to 16T, I think), after about 600km. It revs a bit less (6% less on rough calcs) when I'm in top, downhill or on the flat, saving a little wear, petrol etc. The chain length was OK, so it was a quick job and only the cost of the sprocket. At worst, it means I change down earlier on a hill, but so what. It also makes 1st gear not feel so much that it is using all it's effort to accelerate the motor, more than increasing road speed.

Hi, is the the fuel tap on ? Does the bike make any sound when you press the starter?

Yes fuel tap is on. And yes it makes usual noise when a bike tries to start the engine