We ride a fully restored 1995 Honda CR125 by ADB reader Scott Johnstone and it absolutely rips. But how would it go against a modern day 250F?
The man behind the bike is Scott Johnstone. He forked out $700 for the, then piece of shit, seized 1995 Honda CR125 and set about resurrecting it from the dead. I remember doing the exact same thing with my 95 CR250 and I’m sure that he had the same moment once he got the bike of “oh shit, what I have I done?” but that’s the beauty about doing these resto projects! You are in it for the long and I gotta say, bravo Scott! This thing looks as trick as it gets!
When Scott pulled up to the track at Briggsy’s place the 1995 Honda CR125 was glistening in the sunlight. Damn it looked pretty and I immediately felt bad that I was going to get it dirty and scratch up the graphics. He had gone over every bit with a fine-tooth comb and it looked like no detail left was unattended. Scott assured me that it was OK for me to ride the bike more than once but I still kinda felt bad because we’d had overnight rain so the track had a little bit of mud on it.
WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE
I fired it up and immediately had a smile on my face. It might have been because the ROO 100 octane fuel that Scott had flowing through its veins smelt so damn good coming out of the super short Carbon PC muffler. We let it warm up and after a while it was time to get out and play. I was pretty nervous during my first few laps around the track.
Despite the bike being completely restored, there was a tiny part of me that was hesitant to hit the jumps or really rev it out because the bike is almost 30 years old and well, anything can happen. After cruising around and getting a feel for it, I started to get more confident. The motor never missed a beat and I remember Scott giving me the thumbs up to get after it.
If the owner says it’s good to go, I might as well do what he says. The first thing I noticed was how clean and crisp this bike ran. The motor has been tuned by former KTM technician Danny Apro, and he had it running absolutely perfect. No bog, no nothing, just full power.
I’ve never ridden a 125 on race fuel before and it was a good time. It smelt awesome but the throttle response that it gives the bike is fantastic. Before the day started, I was curious to see what the power of the older generation 125 is like compared to today’s bikes and to my surprise, this little CR125 packed quite a solid punch. As long as you kept in the meat of the power and really kept on top of the revs, there was plenty on tap.
Briggsy’s track has a good mix of fast and slow sections with a bunch of U turns. It’s important that you’re in the right gear and rev range on a 125 to keep up your momentum to ensure you have the speed out of the corners to get over the jumps. You can’t just bury the bike into a berm otherwise you lose all your speed and the next straight is a battle to get it back.
I found the CR125 picked up through the revs quite fast and I was shifting gears like a mad man and loving every minute. Clutch action was super light and had good response. Scott runs a really short gear lever which I thought I’d have dramas with but managed to make it work without too much issue.
Overall the motor really impressed me. I expected it to be down on power compared to my YZ125X but I’d say it wasn’t too far off. I think with all the work that Apro has done and the quality aftermarket parts that have been fitted, this motor is about as fast as a 95 CR125 can get. I cannot forget the sound of the works Pro Circuit pipe and Carbon Shorty silencer. Holy shit that thing packs a punch for the ears.
HOW DOES IT HANDLE?
I have ridden four mid-nineties CR two-strokes before this 1995 Honda CR125 and there is one thing they all have in common. They are glued to the ground and turn incredibly well. I remember the first CR250 I rode was a stock 93 model around a choppy grasstrack and I could not believe how well I could corner through the chop and on flat turns. Something about that chassis just felt right.
Well, I was pretty damn pleased to feel that same confidence on the CR125! Scott has removed the crappy stock forks and fitted a 2006 CRF Showa front end with Applied clamps and had the shock valved to match. The bike did sit kind of high in the rear but I think that’s to compensate for the super thick and comfortable seat.
We set the sag and that was it. I motoed on this thing for a long time and with every lap, I tried to push the front end and get it to step out of control and it was having none of it. I loved this suspension setup. I’m not sure if it’s a 125 thing or not but it seems that you just can’t get out of shape on them and that breeds confidence.
You can bomb into a corner and the thing will settle in, stop on a dime and be ready for a handful of throttle. I wish big bikes could feel this way. The forks were super plush and possibly a tad on the soft side for a track with bigger jumps but for Briggsy’s track, I loved every second of it.
The bike felt super balanced and I never ever felt uncomfortable. I was throwing it into flat turns and it would just hold its line and rear wheel steer out. I never got arm pump and I would have happily burnt through every shred of Scott’s ROO 100 stash, but I am not the same fit, young man I used to be.
DOES IT BELONG IN TODAYS LITES CLASS?
As much of a fan as I am of 125s, and how awesome this bike is, there is a sad reality that there is just no way that this bike would be competitive in MX today. The modern day 250F is just too good. While you could throw much money and time into building this bike up, it would probably last five minutes before it blew up trying to keep with a stock 250F.
That goes for the modern day 125/150s as well. It takes a special kind of person to keep up with a 250F. I bet those 125/150s are built motors that make the absolute maximum power possible and last half an hour before being freshened up.
At the end of the day, are you building a bike like this keep up with a 250F? The answer, is plainly and simply, no. You build a bike like this to bring back your youth and to be the guy having the most fun.
That’s what it is all about. To bring joy to people’s souls with the sound, to make people smile and if on the rare occasion you actually pass a 250F or 450F, then you can go home with an even bigger smile and an ego boost to match.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
First of all, a massive thanks to Scott for allowing me to ride this bike. I know the time, money and effort that goes into building a bike like this and it was such an awesome experience to ride it. It was pretty cool to see him smile so much while I was riding, like he was a proud dad.
I had so much fun, the motor package is awesome and the suspension is exactly what I had hoped it to be. I would happily have this bike as my own, the sound, the smell, the look, all of it gets the tick of approval from me. If you’re looking to smile every time you ride your dirtbike I suggest getting yourself a 125 and paying a visit to a nice fun and flowing track because it will be the best kind of therapy you can buy.
