Honda XL125

[Bluemotion]

I’ve owned this little XL125 K3 for over twenty years. I have always had a 125 as a run around and for the odd green lane, I paid £250 for it back then, and absolutely loved it. At least twenty bigger and better bikes have come and gone since then, but I’ve always kept hold of the XL. When I bought it in the early 2000’s, it was really hard to obtain parts for it - exhausts and seats were unavailable anywhere; after a year or so the original tailpipe rotted away to nothing, so I put it away and replaced it with an almost new DT125R.

By 2010, pattern exhausts and other bits were available for it, so I resurrected it with a new exhaust system, and also replaced the broken mudguards with fibreglass replicas which I had moulded for me by a trials company (they are the same as the TL125 so they were happy make a pair as there would be a ready market for TL replacements) Not long after the big end failed so the engine was removed and the bike got put away again, this time being replaced by an XLR125. In the meantime I rebuilt the damaged engine with NOS crank, camshaft and had it rebored and stuck it back in the frame.

Last week on a whim I insured it (£42 per year TPFT!), changed its registration class to tax exempt, and as it no longer needs an MOT, dragged it out of storage again.

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Fantastic to see such a rare bike. My first ‘real’ bike was the same K3 1979V!! I loved the looks over the high mudguards of the ‘S’s. When I bought it the engine was noisy which I thought sounded cool coming from riding a Gilera 50 as I didn’t know much then. I learnt a lot from it as the engine blew up then I realised it was the cam chain that was shagged to start with and I fixed it with a rebore after taking the two ‘mushroom’ looking things out of the top of the piston!!

 

[Geoffm]

I use a XLR150 around the farm as a farm bike. Basically a xl125 motor with a 150cc upgrade and made in Brazil for transportation in Asia. It was sitting outside for 3 years after a hard life on another dairy farm with zero maintenance, but with fresh gas and a carb clean it fired up.
Needed new chain, sprockets, tryres, battery, steering head bearings, air filter, fork oil, front brake caliper and some other bits as deferred maintenance. Parts cost around 25% of a new bike!

 

[redlig]

Here is my slightly modified xl185 which I competed with in the mid90's Sammy Miller trail bike class. managed 2nd in championship one year . Nobody ever queried it's legitimacy so I assumed they were all a bit 'bent'.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Great bike, I think it was a Honda 125 TL i had nearly 40 years ago, Lovely swept up exhaust with a flat ally silencer, Sold it to a chap on the isle of wight.

I have just tried to add a photograph, got the message,(you do not have permission to upload photo)

 

[Domdom]

These were great bikes. Never had one myself, the closest I got was a Yamaha XT500. The whole thing about a single, from 125 to 500 is that they were really easy to tiddle around on. Good mpg, simple to fix and so on. It’s just the price that stops me now. Really silly money.

It was the same with Dads Matchless G80. 500 thumper, simple to fix, ride, etc. Whereas I had the G12, which was the Norton 650 twin version. Never as simple.

Singles rule for me.

 

[redlig]

These were great bikes. Never had one myself, the closest I got was a Yamaha XT500. The whole thing about a single, from 125 to 500 is that they were really easy to tiddle around on. Good mpg, simple to fix and so on. It’s just the price that stops me now. Really silly money.

It was the same with Dads Matchless G80. 500 thumper, simple to fix, ride, etc. Whereas I had the G12, which was the Norton 650 twin version. Never as simple.

Singles rule for me.

Absolutely . To me motorcycling was always a case of K.I.S.S. I still have my TL250 and my own built (frame) 700 Yamaha single but I have the feeling that they won't see action again.

 

[dobbslc]

What's the 700 single?
I love a good single!

 

[redlig]

What's the 700 single?
I love a good single!

Complete rebuild plus OD chassis ridden for 12 miles and decided I really didn't like riding on the roads any more . No that I did anyway but thought I would give it a try .

 

[lotus_esprit_s1]

Wow, never thought my little XL would be so admired!

As far as I am aware the K/K2/K3 were based on the slightly earlier TL125 and share a fair few parts along with a very simn

New set of wheels arrived for it to replace the rusty set on it at present.

 

[brightspark]

my TL had ally wheels

 

[mike 109444]

"and as it no longer needs an MOT"
I know this applies to cars of a certain age but what is the year that this applies to bikes ?

 

[Bluemotion]

"and as it no longer needs an MOT"
I know this applies to cars of a certain age but what is the year that this applies to bikes ?

40 so 1982 somewhere is the cut off point

 

[Greeves246]

The 1st of April following 40 years from date of first registration.

 

[GRW]

Never could get on with the lack of power in any if the XL 4-strokes, butnice-looking bikes.
I kick myself for ever parting with my Yamaha DT175MX - and ideal combination of size, weight and grunt for trail riding, and went well enough for the road ride to get to the off-road.

I still have a mongrel 1979 DT250 off-roader. A total mutt mix of DT Frame with YZ yokes, wheels, forks, tank, seat and butchered YT/DT exhaust.

The engine (which was surprisingly good and better than the stock DT250) has a Suzuki TS250 piston in it. The TS piston has no ports (tye TS being a disc valve induction motor) - so I drew ports on and cut them out with a Dremel Tile Cutter bit.
Also the Gudgeon Pin was 1mm lower than the piston crown on the TS piston, so a piece of thick floor lino was employed as a thicker base gasket to jack the barrel up and restore the squish clearance between crown and cyl head.
I've not tried to start the motor for quite a few years, but I've no doubt that it'd fire up with some fresh fuel and a few kicks.

 

[gordon stephenson]

last year there was a TL at the autojumble for sale with a sammy miller frame in nice nick the original frame was with it as well thing they wanted over 2 grand for it

When I sold mine to a contractor I worked with, I found a firm in Stockton that made daily runs to the Isle of Wight, they even picked it up from my house, just dawned the tank, Cost £12-00 but that was quite a while ago.
That is my lad with the bike (he is 52 now!!)

 

[dobbslc]

@GRW I had a road race bike with an air cooled DT250 engine, it had a YZ crank, rod and piston in it and quite bit of porting. It went pretty well for an old bike!

 

[redlig]

Different model

@GRW I had a road race bike with an air cooled DT250 engine, it had a YZ crank, rod and piston in it and quite bit of porting. It went pretty well for an old bike!

I had a freebee TZ250E and decided I would be safer competing in the singles class so scrounged a cr250 motor from work and installed that. After 1/2 a dozen bedding in laps I gave it a squirt and couldn't believe the vibration. After 1/2 a lap a piece of frame ,the size of a film cannister fell out of the middle of the frame . Stuck the TZ engine back in and flogged the CR motor. Couldn't be bothered to rubber mount etc.

 

[redlig]

Never could get on with the lack of power in any if the XL 4-strokes, butnice-looking bikes.
I kick myself for ever parting with my Yamaha DT175MX - and ideal combination of size, weight and grunt for trail riding, and went well enough for the road ride to get to the off-road.

I still have a mongrel 1979 DT250 off-roader. A total mutt mix of DT Frame with YZ yokes, wheels, forks, tank, seat and butchered YT/DT exhaust.

The engine (which was surprisingly good and better than the stock DT250) has a Suzuki TS250 piston in it. The TS piston has no ports (tye TS being a disc valve induction motor) - so I drew ports on and cut them out with a Dremel Tile Cutter bit.
Also the Gudgeon Pin was 1mm lower than the piston crown on the TS piston, so a piece of thick floor lino was employed as a thicker base gasket to jack the barrel up and restore the squish clearance between crown and cyl head.
I've not tried to start the motor for quite a few years, but I've no doubt that it'd fire up with some fresh fuel and a few kicks.

Now you mention it I installed a DT175 mx into a last edition CR 125 twin shock rolling chassis . Only rode it up the lane and some mate of a mate turned up and forced money into my hand . stupidly I accepted and regretted it ever since.

 

[GRW]

Now you mention it I installed a DT175 mx into a last edition CR 125 twin shock rolling chassis . Only rode it up the lane and some mate of a mate turned up and forced money into my hand . stupidly I accepted and regretted it ever since.

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That would have made a brilliant green-laner and ideal bike for playing the fool away from the Fire Roads in a Forestry.
On tighter events where MX style power isn't an advantage, it'd make a decent Enduro tool I reckon.
No wonder you regret selling it.

 

[redlig]

That would have made a brilliant green-laner and ideal bike for playing the fool away from the Fire Roads in a Forestry.
On tighter events where MX style power isn't an advantage, it'd make a decent Enduro tool I reckon.
No wonder you regret selling it.

I built it specifically for Enduro.s and gently breathed on the engine as the " A Graham Bell" book. It did feel good . The annoying thing was that the buyer won his first event on it.