Repairing bike for novice
 

Hi, i am planning a UK-Russia trip over summer on my cg125. I am a novice as far as it comes to repair, but like learning - and have done simple things lie change the exhaust and both fenders because they were rusty.

Anyway, i have 2 week to prepare for the trip before i leave at the end of June, would it be worth me taking the bike completely apart and then putting it back together to learn how it works properly, so if things go wrong on the trip i can do make-shift repairs on the side of the road???

have a haynes manual but it seems easier to look at it for guidance but learn how bikes actually work by taking it apart / looking at all the individual parts then putting it back together,

Thank you for any help / advice you may have (soz i didnt know were else to post this, hope this is the right bit),
cheers,
Rob

:helpsmilie:

Haha, was my question really that bad Pigford??? :)))
have just reread it - when i said i have 2 weeks to prepare for it - i mean i have 2 weeks of solid free time (ie. no work etc.) to prepare for it, obviously things like maps / camping stuff / other details i will plan before that (hence me posting on this great forum),
thank you to anyone who does reply :)

If the bike works, I say don't pull it apart. A thorough service, however, would be a good idea: checking the valves, changing the oil and filter, the plug, checking the brakes and chain/sprockets.

I would love to know how to fix my bike through-out but, realistically, knowing how to service you bike would be more useful. Ad hoc jobs like replacing the chain and sprocket, taking a wheel off and then the tyre, etc; these are the kinds of tasks that would be most useful to you. After that you can find a local mechanic to help out.

You can get a Haynes manual for your bike, or the generic Haynes Basic guide to MC mechanics, or just look here.

Got to agree, just change the oil every 1000miles and you 'should' have no problems, the CG is a very reliable bike.
:thumbup1:

Yeh, thats pretty much what i ahve been doing - can service all the basic stuff but thought it wouldnt be too hard to work out how to put a cg125 together and how it works, though thinking about it, thats probably a very bad idea.
the bike is 9 years old and has 40k miles - hopefully it wont break to seriosuly though - will it be realitvely easy to get it fixed / get parts for it in Eastern EU (slovenia / romania / Ukraine) - looked in russia and am pretty sure their not sold there... :(

If it runs well, doesn't use any oil and doesn't smoke, rattle or knock, just do a service, check the brakes and put on a new C & S - you're unlikely to have any trouble; make sure you can fix a flat you're away.

Only other thing would be handy to be able to do the fork seals..... In fact not a bad idea to have a go & replace them now with new fork oil & personally I'd also fit some fork gaitors at the same time to preserve them, as the seals will take a hammering on poor roads, dirt & dust and with a heavy load (all your gear).

Other than that, the Honda 125 has goota be THE most reliable bike on the planet (2nd to the C90) !!!! Good luck.

Like the guys said above ,
fork seals ,
Renew brake pads and brake linings ,take spares for front brake.
check wheel bearings ,take spares .
Renew headstock bearings ,
Check swing arm bearings ,
Replace clutch and throttle cables ,take spares .
Take spare clutch and brake levers .
Set out with new tyres .
Know how to fix flat tyres and take equipment to do so .
New chain and sprockets .
If engine is working well service it ,but otherwise ,leave well alone .[Mr Honda does not like tinkerers !]
Fit new battery .
Get a small multimeter ,learn how to use it so that you can diagnose simple electrical problems .

If you do all the above you will learn lots about your bike and will be able to do simple road side fixes .

Enjoy the ride !

Hi cheers for the nice list Dodger. I think i will find out how to do those things and from what ive read replacing pads + fork seals + clutch isnt too tricky and is good to learn how the bike works.

But is really necessary to take spares - plan is to travel light (ie. a 45 litre top box + lightweight tent+ sleeping bag) - surely if things go wrong will be able to get them somewhere??
Ive seen pictures of people taking tyres as spares etc. what would be bare minimum - would i get away with taking a spare tube for front + rear tyre and thats it??
cheers,
Rob

p.s. on a seperate note about the bike - what kind of upgrades should i do before the journey. Was going to just make suspionsion a little stiffer so its not so pogo stickiesh but more importantly for long distance riding what comfy things would people recommend???
was going to have a go at some point making wind covers for the handlebars - possibly out of milk plastic cartons as i heard someone managed to do...???

On a small bike like yours I wouldn't bother taking a spare tyre .
Wear will be less than a big bike and you should have no trouble finding a new one enroute.
Tubes are handy to take because you might wreck your existing tube and you can slip a new tube into your tyre and be back on the road faster than if you had to mess around tyring to find the hole in a tube .You can fix the hole later when it's more convenient and safer etc .I think your bike has 18 inch wheels front and back ,so you'll only need to carry one spare tube .
A couple of spare levers ,brake pads/shoes ,bearings and two control cables ,take up very little room and will possibly save days of buggering about trying to find new ones in unfamiliar territory .Control cables can be taped to the existing ones so they are ready and in place when you need them [tape the ends over to keep out road grunge ].

Keep the weight low on the bike ,use panniers ,the bike will handle better.
Stiffen the suspension .
Make sure your luggage is waterproof .
Comfort is very personal ,look at a sheepskin or gel pad for your arse.
Make or buy something like Hippo Hands if you expect cold weather [better than milk cartons].Barbour or Belstaff overmitts are dorky but work well in rain [ look on ebay for them ]
Get a good riding [waterproof] suit and a couple of pairs of gloves .
Enduro style waterproof boots are a good investment ,safety and comfortwise .
There's nothing more fricking miserable than being wet through and frozen when you've still another few hours riding to do .

I would side against taking many spares.

Wheel bearings can last a really long time if you use quality brands and are mostly riding on the road. They will wear before they totally collapse so you should have plenty of warning when you need to replace them. And they're the easiest bikepart to find even in the back of beyond as they're standard sizes used by all manner of machinery. Replace them before you go, with good brand like NSK/SKF/FAG/etc, and you should be good for 20,000miles.

Brake shoes and pads should last ages as well, fit new before you go and you'll probably sell/break/lose the bike before they need replacing.

Replace your cables before you go, and make sure they're routed well, and expect them to last 20k miles or more. Carry a spare inner cable and a solderless nipple, and you will be able to easily fix snapped cables in the unlikely event of it happening. Much more efficient than carrying complete cables. Cheapest place for inner-cable is UK cheapo store Wilkinsons - Push bike brake inner cable costs about 70p. Solderless nipples can be got from any good old-skool bike shop, normally for about a quid a piece.

If your CG doesn't have 18 wheels then it would be worth getting some, as it's surely the easiest size to get. Most old soviet made 2stroke bikes used 18" wheels. I think it's only the very old style Japanese made CG125s that used 17" wheels though. Like dodger said, one tube should be fine. In the event of a puncture nightmare you can buy replacements, though it is worth carrying a patching kit as well. Punctures seem pretty rare these days, less nails/screws/shite on the roads, even in the poorer parts of eastern europe or russia.

All the above answers are full of good advice, the only things extra I would suggest are,
The oil filter, as well as the wire filter mesh behind the big sump plug, the engine relies on a centrifugal filter on the clutch mechanism. see the haynes book of lies for details. This will be absolutely solid after several years of useage. We use the cg motor for racing, and every motor we have bought has a solid lump of clag on the clutch.
Run a high tyre pressure on bumpy roads, with the small 18"tyres, there is a fair chance of nipping the inner tube.
The cdi ignitions never fail.
Fit a good solid bar end mounted crash guards, we always notch the end of the lever by the ball, that way if it goes down the road, just the end breaks, not the whole thing.
Properly clean and pack the brake pivots with grease, they wont sieze, or fill with water then.
The cg125 is effectively a high performance honda cub90:clap:

Ok, thanks all this advice, will definately do so - apart from no idea what a good solid bar end mounted crash gayrd is - soz - novice with terminology.
Also is it really needed to carry spare levers - do they break??? - seems pretty unlikely as even when dropping the bike their protected??

All this advice has made me more confident it can be done :)

Dodger mentinoed panniers to keep weight low which makes sense - had a look and the soft ones are cheap + cheerful - they dont seem very safe - ie. if i park in a town and go to the supermarkert for half an hour / explore the city they look very knickable????

And while im asking questions - ill be in EU so im guessing apart from maybe russia fuel shouldnt be an issue (have a 150-200 mile range), should i take a 2 litre bottle fr fuel just in case, also what other things for the bike - chain oil obviosly, (brake cleaner?), engine oil (carry a bottle spare - the whole engine doesnt take more than a bottle anyway)?

Tottaly agree with it being a posh c90 - stlill simple, simple, simple but goes 10mph quicker + has a few gears - in my opinion it is an awesome bike and i cant see myself on anything else for my first moto trip :)))