Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

HondlI's1981 CR125R hils less mid range power than ita predecelUlOr and is heavier, but is fastar and hIIndl.. better. Suspension is excellent. Impre6&ion: 1Q011-1onda CR125R Paper promi6e6 of an ultimate MXer By Terry Whytal Photos by Gail Kober. Terry Pratt and Whytel Honda's ~dvertisingcampaign for the 1981 El: sinore line of motocross bikes should begin on the moon. These watercooled single-shock wonders are as spacey-looking as a Buck Rogers motodream and just as hard to have imagined a few short years past ' The '81 CRI25R'IS a 1most completely changed from last year's eighth-liter Honda. The new model is r; faster, but has less. midra~ handles ~tter, yet IS heaVl!'r than Its '79 COUSln, and offen a SImple sus· pension and complicated motor c~l. mg ~tem to further confuse trackslde pundi.ts: .. Individual specificatlODs may be contradietory, but the to~1 package is greater than the sum of Its parts. The CRI25R works on the track, and that'a where i~ counts. Pro-LinJt is Honda's trade name for piOgitaiwe linItaF rear auapmai_. It'a powc: 6 the single major reason for the bike's quick lap times. It would appear that Honda engineen took a long look at other single shock ~nsions, then chose to innovate. their own design rather than try to improve on other ideas. The result is amazing in both sim. plicity and effec.tiveness. Although the shock location is similar to that of Suzuki's Floater and Kawasaki's 'UniTrak, the Pro·Link·s simple linkage is mounted beneath the swingarm near the piYlX point with no need for vuInerable, complex and heavy struts to carry the swingarm forces to the top of the shock. Most important, however, are the rising rate capabilities of the system. The greater the rear wheel movement. the faster the shock piston travels, thereby creating a soft initial spring and damping rate that becomes progressively stronger as wheel movement incr~ases. On the track this means comfort and control to the rider. Truly vicious stutter bumps can be ridden over with the pilot seated and the rear tire biting for traction. The test riden were all in agreement that the Pro-Link offered a plusher ride than any set-up short of Ohlins mounted on a Husky or Maico. High speed stability was equally good since the single shock had most of its damping saved for the final six inches of wheel travel. Despite repeated attempts to bottom the suspension on a set of double jumps, the little Honda remained stable and controlled even though the riden' weights varied by 40 lba. The shock is adjustable four different ways: preload, rebound damping, air pressure and oil volume. Honda's nicely done owner's manual clearly and easily explains how to perform each adjustment. On the other end of the CR rests the finest front suspension unit currently available for lightweight motocross mounts. KYB manufactures the units, not Showa as is customary with Hondas. Despite a few raised eyebrows, the 11. 6 inch travel suspenden are positive, nearly flex-free and are virturally identical to the forks found on Suzuki's new RM125. The superior suspension and SO' steering head angle translate to precision on the track. Neutral steering chracteristics make the bike easy to comer on inside lines or sweeping berms. Changing lines or squaring a tum were done effectively. This is a particularly good advantage for the rider on tracks where a single good line is used by most riden. Turning the Honda to the inside, even jumping across the main berm, could give the CR an advantage on the competition since the Pro-Link would soak up even the wont ruts and whoops and give the rider a chance to edge ahead at the end of the straight. The rider's skill was tested most by the Honda's narrow power delivery. Drag races with other brands showed the Honda to be at or near the top of the class, but exits from slow turns had to be performed flawless1y or the CR feU on its face. The test riden aU de-

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