1972/3 Honda SL125 x 2 rebuild

[Laava]

So I have had this old SL125 in the shed for years and it used to run ok but I couldn't get the points cover screws out so when it needed a tune up, it just got left to sit. I dont name my bikes or give them a male or female status, but this bike was called Peanut. I can't remember why... Anyhow, the time had come, lockdown precipitated a project and over the years I had scored another parts bike that sat outside in the weather where it looked like it had spent it's entire life anyhow. So I decided to do 2 bikes, one to be a minter, road legal, and the other to be a roughy just to use up the rest of the parts. This bike is going to be called Grandad. I have a reason for calling it that but cant be arsed explaining it!😆😆😆
First thing was to strip everything and prep the frames for paint.

[Laava]

Next on the agenda was to paint up as many of the useable bits as possible. Having a sand blasting cabinet makes this job a lot easier, more than could be said for getting paint during lockdown! I reattached Grandads swingarm with new shocks and replaced the rusted steering head bearings and fitted all the freshened yokes.
Mocked up the frame with some new tyres. May need to widen the swingarm and offset the chain drive a bit!

[Laava]

So my current issue is trying to find a good fork tube! I only need one!
If anyone has one and wants to sell/barter/gift please let me know

[Laava]

Cleaned, blasted and painted hubs.

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[Laava]

Cleaned, blasted and painted hubs.

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Took delivery of many bits and blasted and painted a heap more. Then laced up the new rims to the refurbed hubs.


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[Laava]

Fitted new wheels to Peanut and a bit of bracketry etc. Had to temporarily use old forks until I have a good pair...
Grandad is on the bench waiting for brakeshoes and dry paint!


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[tigertim20]

Nice work fella. Keep the pics coming!

[Laava]

Have been hand-linishing the fork lowers. I slid them over a branch of timber anchored in the vise and set to it. It will have clear coat applied so will finish quite close to factory finish. I managed to find 2 brand new fork tubes in France. Not sure if they are oem or aftermarket...will know when thry arrive I guess...

[tigertim20]

small linisher belt (turned inside out) + drill + skateboard wheel or similar.
thank me later.

looks good though!

[F5 Dave]

Yeah following this.

[Laava]

Anyway, cleared my bench to start pulling motors down and noticed a big welding job, either side of where the cam chain runs on what I would have thought was the good motor! I rode this bike for a bit but never noticed it

[Laava]

Right so pulled the heads and barrells off. Grandads innards were seized with gunge. I poured a bit of wd40 in there and started on Peanuts engine. It came apart properly and then I could view the damage. It looks to me like at some point the front cam chain guide has been steering the chain sideways into the barrell and crankcase where it has had quite a feed at some point. This was in the distant past and was operating normally prior to this stripdown. Grandads camchain at some point has done similar but only a small amount of wear. With new chains and guides, I think we are good to go!
photos 4&5 you can clearly see how much meat has been removed by the cam chain. What sort of animal keeps using a machine that must have been sounding like a concrete mixer? (Oh! Of course, a Ducati rider with a dry clutch!...) pic 3 you can see the difference in the gasket surface where the ditch chewed out in Peanuts crankcase must be 5mm deep!

[Laava]

On one of barrels the wear from camchain is significant, in fact this has explained the welding job on the outside of the barrell. It is astounding to think the machine was left to flog itself out like this but...
You can see in one of the photos the wear has gone right through into the cavity between chain run chamber and cylinder. There must have been oil pissing out everywhere for quite some time before the welded repair! FFS!

[Laava]

Was a heap of schmootz and a large piece of kickstart retun spring in Grandads belly. Peanuts was surprisingly clean! Had to make a tool to remove the 4 peg type nut in the oil sediment collector thingy on the end of the crankshaft...

[MD]

Well done Laava I'm following this too and keep the pics coming.

I owned two SL125 trail bikes in the mid 70s for dirt riding. They were cheap as so when the first one was looking a bit battered and sad I flicked in on for a better one. Then wore that one out. Sometime in the early 80s I got another one for commuting. I loved those SL125s