Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

The CR125 has many refinements but no major changes. Suspension is now slightly stiffer. and t he frame has been beefed up. Other changes incl ude a resha ped sea t and fuel tank, redesigned radiator sh ro uds, a repackab le silence r, a sligh tly darker sha de o f red on the pl asti c and frame, a red sea t cover, and silve r-co lored ri ms. The CR1 25, 500 a nd 80 feature moderate ch anges. The CRI25 has . a new cylinder wi th port ing changes. The p isto n, wr ist pin a nd con necting rod bea ring have been a ltered to im p ro ve reliab ility. T he reed-valves are made ou t of stronger ma teri a l, a n d th e in ta ke tra ck h as been smoo thed o u t for better fue l £low. T o en hance the new por ting specs, the ATAC power-valve was recalibrat ed. Unlike the CR250, th e CR1 25, and 500, use the sa me fra me geo me try a nd sus pe ns io n desi gn as last yea r's models. H owever , H onda cla ims the fram e is stronger but lighter th an befor e. In the sus pe nsion department, the Ka yab a rear shoc k, wi t h th e p iggy back-type reservo ir, has new d a m p i n g' rates . L i nk a g e ratio remains the same. Up front, the 43mm Showa fork is th e cartridge design but: features no maj or changes. It has fro nt and rear disc brak es, a nd. like o n a ll the CRs, the front brak e cable is now mad e o u t o f lig h ter , ' p lastic-li ke mat erial. T he red seat has a sligh tly di fferent sha pe, and the same co lor design as th e 250. All the CRs feature u nfin ished, silver-colored cyli nders. . The CR500 boasts a few mo re changes than th e 125, bu t is basically th e same design as last year's model. Most o f th e changes mad e to th e mot o r were mad e to imp ro ve tractability. T o do thi s, th e 500's fourth a nd fifth gear transmission ratios a re lower than before, and a heavi er £I ywheel has been added to smoo th ou t power o u tp u t a nd to red uce the chance of sta ll ing th e mot or. The kickstarter has a different bend to improve start ing ease. T he cartr idge Showa fork a nd rear shock feature da m ping cha nges for stiffer co m p ression, and have heavier spring ra tes: . The rest of th e changes are the sam e as th e CR125 . T he CR80 is refined by goi ng to the Travel Control Valv e Showa fork, which is si milar to th e for k used on the 1986 CR 125. T h e TCV is a trave l sens itive compression system, which smoo ths o u t the fork's action. Rear sus pe nsion is the same except th at new, stronger bea rin gs and b ush in gs are used o n the shock mount and Pro -Link li n kages. Other changes include a la rger a irbo x, lar ger silencer and differen t styling:' A new kickstarter is found on the CR500. Transmission ratios . are changed; fourth and fifth gears have lower ratios. The new reservoir on the CR250 is mounted on the side of the motorcycle to improve cooling. More air can reach the reservoir than before. The aluminum silencer on the CR250 is rebuildable . Honda says the 250 will be in limited supply and available in about a month. 19

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