Riding a 1976 Honda CB125S Motorcycle

Spend 26 minutes with a mostly-original 1976 Honda CB125S motorcycle in suburban Columbus Ohio on a pretty day in May 2014. I'll describe the basics of this motorcycle, and how to kick-start and ride it around suburbia up to about 55 mph.
If you already have one of these bikes, congrats - go out and enjoy it! :-). If you're thinking about getting one as an in-town or campground runabout, or as a first bike to learn on, I can highly recommend it. They can also be styled in a small-displacement cafe racer or simply enjoyed for the fun piece of history that they are. Hope you enjoy!

[@StickShiftSquirrel]

finally a video i can show my parents! all other 125cc videos are of people riding like maniacs at top speed all of the time, way to make them seem dangerous! this video makes the bike look slow and safe, which is good when you want to convince your parents youre not gonna get killed on one! Cheers from Sweden!

[@audiblewheezinginbound9709]

I saw one of those for sale in Dayton Ohio and I've been looking for my first bike so I think I'm gonna try to get it

[@laurelzein1]

cool, did you happen to mention how many miles you have on your bike......very much like my 78 CB125, but I only have five gears. Got it from the original owner, with only 1400 miles on it, its my first bike.....just learned to ride and I just love it. I got it purely for enjoyment and I enjoy it.. My only complaint is our rural county roads in Sonoma, California are disgraceful.....already rattled a taillight loose as well as a mirror and maybe a couple of my back teeth.....

[@smccrory]

Hi Laurel, that's great you're enjoying your bike! Mine had 1200 when I took the video and it does have 5 gears, with no tach and no center stand (though I added one found on eBay). I normally don't put pods on carbs but I did on this bike, replaced the carb and rejetted it due to problems with a too-rich mixture. These little bikes have a surprising amount of power and an unsurprisingly high amount of vintage style.

[@martinusher1]

I owned one of these back in the late 70s/ early 80s. At one point due to my "proper" bike having engine trouble (it threw a rod) I was forced to ride it to work, a 200 mile trip each way. (Done weekly -- I'm not that much of a hero!) Despite its tiny motor it proved more than adequate for the task; in fact it proved to be a lot of fun to ride as you had to figure out the best strategies to get decent performance out of it, you can't just open it up like you'd do with a big bike. The bike will go a good bit faster than 50--55mph mentioned in this video but its tiny size and thin tires requires a lot of nerve to mix it with heavy traffic on the motorway (legal in the UK). I had ridden exclusively British bikes up to getting this Honda. It was the first motorcycle I owned that had decent lights.....

[@smccrory]

Very cool story Martin, thank you for that! About once a month I spot someone on a Honda Grom with modern fuel injection, better suspension, etc. and I'm told they're great fun especially on the track, but I still like the style of the CBs better.

[@thomastahaha1471]

Hello! I recently picked up a 1978 cb125s and am wondering on how you would go about upgrading it to a 12v and what the effects are on it? I found an online article that said all I needed to change was battery, ignition coil, rectifier, and the lights.. would it really be as simple as that? Thanks!

[@smccrory]

Thomas Tahaha probably but when I thought about doing it, I couldn't come up with any real advantages beyond brighter lights, and I don't ride much at night. I decided to stay with 6v.

[@alanvlogs8189]

Just bought a 1980 cb 125s and I love it

[@Aprilseahorse]

I just started a restoration on a 1975 CB125s. It is a barn find with only 844 miles on it. Cool little bikes.

[@smccrory]

That's awesome! I loved mine and kind of sorry I sold it, but he really wanted a vintage bike to learn on and I was ready to slim down my collection.

[@XTriopiX]

i like you man im subscribing!

[@nobodyyouknow222]

If you want to do How To Videos for beginners.. Please teach them to come to full stops.. with feet on the ground..and look around before going. This saves lives. that running stop is a killer about 7 min in! Just Don't Do It Ever !

[@NPMCaptain]

Nice Ride, but your bike just get 5 gears not 6

[@DeathtrapCult]

Thanks for the vid! Saw one of these on Craigslist and im thinking about picking it up.

[@smccrory]

+efedude77 I sincerely enjoyed mine before I sold it to a friend. They're super easy to work on and have plenty of performance to get around 45 mph neighborhoods and city bi-ways as long as you're not in hilly areas.

[@DeathtrapCult]

+smccrory Yeah, it seems to have a little more power than I expected! It would be a fun little bike for getting around town. Maybe I can turn it into a little cafe racer for getting around the campus and such. Just out of curiosity, what would you pay for one in decent shape with around 5,000 miles?

[@smccrory]

efedude77 In central Ohio in peak season, a mid-70s 125 might get $750-1500 depending on the condition, maintenance history, etc.

[@jeffreynelson8626]

I just recently bought one of these and i love it!! But it doesn't have review mirrors. Any idea where i could get some for low price.

[@maximus-power]

Ebay

[@segler2168]

Hi i just bought a 1977 one and my turn signal relay is broken. Do you know any websites where i can get one?

[@smccrory]

segler 21 I usually replace mine with a semiconductor unit. They don't click but they last longer and aren't sensitive to wiring and bulb resistance. I'm afraid I don't have a link handy though. I'd recommend eBay or checking with Rice Paddy in Columbus Ohio if you're in the U.S.

[@segler2168]

smccrory Alright thanks im not in the US imma try to get one one eBay

[@dominicfay4165]

Hey I'm currently looking for one of these for my first bike and I have found a project on eBay which I might buy. The only problem being is that the cylinder head is missing. My question is are cylinder heads for classics like these hard to come by and what should I be looking for? I have looked on eBay and there are a lot, but I'm not sure what too look for as some range from £25-£250. Hope you can help, thanks.

[@92camarodragcar73]

I got one for my first bike

[@dave1secondago]

nice bike and ride out

[@grational]

oh the clutch goes in.

[@dark13art]

That was great and very informative video.Thank for that..and even BIGER THANK YOU for passing your knowledge about carburettor. Can you tell me what jet size did you used???I have same problem with my bike.

[@smccrory]

I'm sorry, I don't remember the jets sizes, and later sold the bike to a friend in WV. I'll see if I kept any electronic records of what I ended up with.

[@dark13art]

Thank you!

[@nobodyyouknow222]

ok.. let's see Columbus.

[@jakekochiss4461]

Are bikes like this late 70s-early 80s with mileage between 3000-5000 rare?

[@smccrory]

+Jake Kochiss I think it depends on the area you're in. In Central Ohio we have the massive Mid-Ohio Swap Meet every year and reasonably healthy Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club chapters, so I see a few come up for sale on Craigslist and CycleTrader each year. Recent ones have been going for $1500-2500 depending on condition, or more if they're pristine.

[@Daniel-tj6mc]

+smccrory just payed 1500 for a 75 with 9k on it running titled and road worthy id say shes a 7 out of 10 and thats in san francisco

[@servicarrider]

Man I miss these little bikes of my youth.

[@jakobalbrecht1154]

I might be able to sell you one in a few months.. I live in Wisconsin.

[@SelRod735]

Where do u get your parts?

[@smccrory]

eBay mainly. First step is to get printed or electronic manuals - I have both the Clymer and the Haynes ones and find them to be equivalent, then from there just Google around for any additional manuals and once you get the specific part numbers you need, use eBay or swap meets to score the goodies. Good luck!

[@karldettling5981]

These bikes could have a gilmore belt drive installed easliey i think.

[@karldettling5981]

These bikes make sense! "F" them big harley hogs!