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The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

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  • The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

    To make a long story short: My great-uncle has a farm near LaCrosse, WI. He bought this bike new in 1974 for $551.20 (have bill of sale and title!) It's got less than 7,000 original miles. He used it to check fence lines and ride half a mile up and down the hill between his two farms.

    When I was 14, I learned how to ride on this thing, through the cornfields, long before I even drove a car. I told my dad that someday, I would own it!

    That day came nearly 10 years later, in the summer of 2009, when he offered me the title. He's in his late 70's and doesn't ride it anymore. It's been sitting for a year or two due to a broken slide valve in the carb.

    Arriving at home:




    45 minutes, some elbow grease, and 35 years of farm grime came off.





    It's a 1974 Honda CL125. From what I can tell, these are fairly rare, and parts are hard to find.
    -2002 Saturn SC2 - Clean, slow, low daily
    -2008 Saab 9-7x Aero
    -1996 Suzuki Bandit 750 swapped
    -1998 VW Golf GTI VR6 Mid Engine LeMons car
    -1986 RX7 - 275whp @ 10psi

  • #2
    Re: The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

    Been doing a bit of work on this in my free time.

    The carb rebuild kit arrived. Took the carb off the bike and cleaned the bejeesus out of it. No before pictures, but, trust me, it was all brown when I started. I wish I had a parts washer....but I don't...so a toothbrush, carb cleaner, simple green, a screwdriver/pick, and lots of scrubbing will have to suffice.



    (EDIT: Just noticed how motherfucking wrinkly mah hands are. That should give you an idea of how much time I spent on the carb. lol.)

    Rebuilt the carb with all new parts and gaskets. Replaced all the fuel lines with new ones. Should fire right up!

    Battery on the bike was very dead, and probably froze over the winter, as it was bulged out. Ordered a new one, still waiting for it to arrive.

    My dad and I have been working on this together....he drove it many years before I did, when it was brand new. He showed me how to work a carb (lol). Although I'm pretty certain I could fire it right up after I get a battery in it, I'm going to wait until he's back from his vacation. He's going to Scotland for the next 2 weeks to visit my sister, and I'm pissed I'm not going...haha.
    -2002 Saturn SC2 - Clean, slow, low daily
    -2008 Saab 9-7x Aero
    -1996 Suzuki Bandit 750 swapped
    -1998 VW Golf GTI VR6 Mid Engine LeMons car
    -1986 RX7 - 275whp @ 10psi

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    • #3
      Re: The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

      Nice little bike. [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif[/img]

      I'm going to be watching this thread. My mother-in-law still has her old orange 1972 CL175 in the shed in her backyard. She agreed to give it to my wife and I, but we haven't taken it off her hands yet because we've been busy with the new house. Neither of us have even ridden a bike before, so it should be a fun toy once we get it running again.

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      • #4
        Re: The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

        IT RUNS!

        IT'S LOUD AS HELL!

        Haha.

        The muffler is all rotted out and a new one is a couple of hundred bucks...fuck that. It's a single cylinder, definitely no louder than any harley.

        Got tired of trying to kick start it and tried to push start it, before I tried pulling the fuel line...no gas at all. Blew some air backwards into the gas tank and gas pours out. Tried push starting for 10 minutes before I remembered to un-set the kill switch...hahaha. Fired on the second kick after that.

        As it sits, it'll run for 2-3 minutes before whatever is clogging the gas tank floats back to the bottom. I'm going to pull the tank, shake it around with some bearings or a chain inside to break up the rust, and then have a radiator shop reseal it. Should run flawlessly after that!
        -2002 Saturn SC2 - Clean, slow, low daily
        -2008 Saab 9-7x Aero
        -1996 Suzuki Bandit 750 swapped
        -1998 VW Golf GTI VR6 Mid Engine LeMons car
        -1986 RX7 - 275whp @ 10psi

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

          very nice. i myself have a 71 cb350. exellent bikes
          Fail on wheels<br /><br />98 sl-slow.&nbsp; H&amp;R springs with KYB gr2 +saw tooths along with ebay WAI<br />71 Honda CB350: Future vintage racer

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          • #6
            Re: The Shaolin's 1974 Honda CL125S

            that thing is awesome!!

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