Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125972
the -Elsinore was true ; good handling, strong motor, can't miss a shift . ..a11 t hat .s- It was all t hat the d udes at Dirt Bunk and MX Traction had said, and perhaps even more. Those guys can be pretty finicky. But there have been too many unkind stones cast toward the mild mannered little XL. True, with the stock street-sty le shocks mounted, it did keep the , tester busy when he finally found the courage to traverse that first set of ' whoopdees , but he didn't keep the anticipated appointment with his m a k e r . It w asn't " even too scary, alt ho ugh he fou nd himse lf wo ndering why Hond a could n't have put good rear ' suspension units on it as they've done with the MX bike. T he difference in cost couldn't be t hat m uch , and t hat's almost all t hat it needs since t hey've already put Elsinore-like forks on it . , Before yo u fold ' up this section of your favorite newsrag, 'd ep osit it in the trashbarre l amongst the chain Iub e an d Coo rs cans, and rant/rave/etc about the idiot that writes Cycle News tests not knowi ng his posterior from a posthole; j ust listen a minute. The XL ain't s' posed to b e a jet. It's a .t ract ab le sma ll-bo re woodsbike that with a few mo difications will serve enduro duty. It won't stretch your arms w hen yo u wick it on, b ut. it'll ch ug your body up a MXer for longer than he'd normally leaf-strewn mountainside , even witho ut have been able. c hanging t he use less "semi-knobby" At a glanc e, the Elsinore exhibits only' tires. The mo tor seems to be, within a two obvious changes over last year 's few pounds of flywheel weight, model - th e different exha ust system ide ntical to the TL125 trials motor. It and a red paint job. On close inspection, p~~. , however, a host of- improvements Our testing session took place: in become evident . One of the best moves Northern , Georgia, up in th e hills ncar Honda made was to eliminate the stupid Blairsvill e. Almost every type of terrain on-off-on handlebar swrtch and replace necessary for giving th e Hondas good w ork out was available - miles of it with a conventional kilJ button on the challenging trails and the lo cal MX left handlebar where it be longs. T he course , Beesley Mountain Park, where new DID rims have undergone a change the Elsinore showed its stuff. in profile with a slight shoulder for H o n d a rep Ben Cheatwood had strength. The Iootpegs have been somehow per suaded W.C. Nelson ' of reinforced in an attempt to do away Nelso n Honda in Blairsville to entrust with last year's breakage p roblem. The no t only two of his own bikes to be engine cases have a strengthening rib at ridden , but to throw in vh i s the rear motor mount location. employee/ace MXer Terry Hughes to The fork tube tops no longer have p erform for the action photos. standard scr ew-in caps. They're replaced Earl y afternoon found the group at by an ' aluminum plug and snap-ring ' t he MX co urse. First on the Elsinore, arrangement. Strange. The new , air the Cycle News rider rode the, track cleaner element is larger than : its slowly, feeling out the bike. Gradually, ' predecessor and has none of last year's _ furry ,st u ff on it .'j ust foam. The chain as he became accustomed to the 125cc p o w e r band and ' f e l t the guide has been moved back slightly confidence-inspiring ha ndling qualities, ,closer to the rear sprocket where it t he pace quickened and he enjoyed one directs t he chain more accurately onto of the most versatile mach ines in the the lar ge r 51 tooth sprocket (as MX .b usiness, ,T h e flawless p erfo rm ing compared to the old 49 tooth item). s ix-sp e e d gearbox kept the motor The. rear shocks have larger d iameter pulling an d t he ligh t handling let t he plunger rods. Other bits and pieces physically out of shape writer' p lay i nclude brake wear indicators, a reshaped kickstarter and an extended lip on t he brake backing p late in an a ttempt to keep o ut water. Motor changes include an extra "boost" port located over the intake port, making the jug a n in e -p o r t design , and the .carb ureto r has been changed , relocating the slow speed jet-centrally for improved 't orque. • Compared with the Elsinore, the XL can' t claim much in the way of new feat ures , but the standard equipment's pretty good . Start up front, there .are CR-type forks, a front wheel speedo, a small CR-sized fro nt , hub and flexible plastic fend ers. T he Ii&:hting/instrument pa ck age is quickly and easily removable as a unit. (They still ins ist on putting a tachometer on it. ) The hand grips are good, as are the toothy footpegs and ,bra ke pedal. The air box breathes from under the seat and has a fo am d em en t. Another good point for anyone who might be tempted to use, the bike as an enduro mount is the fact that it will run with or witho ut the battery. If you don't want to hassle with it, just pull it out. All in all, Honda's put toge ther ' two decent bikes . a two-stroke gen uine MXer a nd an affab le four-stroke fu n bike. One is great, the other is good. Which is which depends on what you're looking for. ' • Honda CR 125 M 1 SPEC IFICATIONS Eng ine Type .. .. . . .. . .•.. . . .•• . ... ....:. •. .•.•. . ... . .. . . . .•. . 2 -stro ke single '.. . . •. . .. . . . .. . , . . ..•. . .. , . . 123cc, Displacement ... •. . .. : Bore X st roke ..• . . . , . .. .. . . . •. . . . .. •. ... . .. ... . . . • . . . . . 56 X 50mm Compressio n ratio , .. , • . . ...... ...• . . . . •.. ..•.... . ..... 7.6:1 Carburetor. ' , . .. . .. . . . . . .. . ... . . .• .. . . .... . •. . 28mril Keihin Dry weight . . , ..... .... ... • . . ... . . . , 46 lb. Igni tio n . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . ... . •.......... • . . .. . . , . , • . . . , .. , COl Dr ive Train Clutch :, ;, Wet , multi-plate .T ra nsm isslo n .... . .• . . • . .•... . . . . ... . , . •. " • • • , ...•. , ... , . Six-speed Sprockets (front/rear) ... .. . . . . . ...•• .... ...•. , . . .. • • .. ,. : •.• , . 14 /5 1 Terry Hughes found the new CR to be just the machine for Beesley Mountain Park's creek crossings. Fast an ' ~terproof. . , Frame/Suspension/Dimensions Frame type , • .•.. . . . . • .... ... . . . ..•Semi double cradle Front suspension Te lescopic fo rks, 7.1 in. travel Rear suspension ' , . .• • , Sw ing 'a rm/sho cks , 4 ,1 in. travel Tires (front/rear) . , • . . , •... . ..•• : . . • , ..•. •. . . , 2, 75 -21/3 .50-18 , DID rims , . •. : . :. . .. • .. ~ 1.6 gal. Fuel capacity ..• .. .. .• . . . . . . ... . . . , , Wheel base . . . . ...... .. .. .. .•.. ......... .•. .. ...• ~ . . • . • • , . , .53,5 in. Seat heig ht ...... . . .. •. , : ..•. . , , .32.5 in. Ground clea rance .. • .. ... .... , . , . , 7.7 in. Dry weight , .• ... . . •. .. , . • .•.. ........... . .... .. : .-.. ... •.. . • 181 lb. Weight d istribution (frc,lIit/rear) • .... .. . . , .82 Ib./99 lb. Ben Cheatwood's XL made child's play out of traversing the slippery leaf-strewn hillside. Chug-chug-ehug. Honda XL 125 K 1 List p rice $796 SPECIFICATIONS Engine _ Ty pe , , .. •. . . .. ... . .. . . , ,, Displacement Bore X st ro ke .. :' .. . . . . . .. . .. .... . . . .• .... Compress ion rat io '... ...... Carbu retor Dry we ight , . .. . . .. . . ..• . .. .. . .. . Ignit ion : . , ., . : .• , . ..... .. . .. . .....; ,,,,, 4 ·stroke 0 HC si ngle '• . ... .. 122cc . . . .. . .56 X 49.5mm 9.3 :1 . .. • . . . ... . . .24mm 57 lb . ... . . ... • • , Magneto , Drive'Train " Clutch . . .. . . . .. . .... •. ... .. ... . . .. •... .. .... .. . . . , . Wet , multi-plate Transm issio n : ••. , , ..Fivs-speed , Sprockets (fr ont/rear) .... . ..• .. . .... . . . . . . .• . . . .•. . .. . ... . .•. . 15/52 Frame/Suspension/Dimensions -' Frame tYpe .. . , .. . . . ..• .. . ...... .... ... .. ... , .. ... Semi double cradle Front suspe nsio n , . . , . . . . , . . , ; , . . '. . . .. • . Telescopic fo rks, 6.5 in. travel Rear suspension , , , . • , .•• . ... , . ' ,Swi ng arm/shocks, 3 :7 in. travel Ti res (front/rear) . . . . . • .. .. . . .. .... •... •. • , 2,7 5·2 1/3.50·18 Semi·knobby Fuel capacity .• . . .. ..•...•..• . .•..... : • ... . . , •• , . • , . • • . , 1 .7 gal. Wheel base , , . . , . ... . ... . . . . .. . .. ... . .. . . ... .• , , 52 in. , , , . •.. ... . .. . .. ... .. • . . • . . • , . , • .. . . . 32 in. Sea t height Ground clearance : ', '.9 .1 in. Dry weight '... ... . •.... . •. : 2,14 lb. ' . ...•. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Ib./120 lb. Weight d istribution (f ro nt/r ea rl 17