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Review of the 1988 Honda NX 125:A Good starter bike for the UK roads! |
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Author: Jim Speir, 2011-07-25, viewed 570 times. | ||||||
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The Honda NX 125 is a single cylinder , 4 Stroke SOHC enduro bike. Having had it for 2 years now I have replaced almost every piece on the bike due to a bad owner before me... | ||||||
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The owner before me had used the bike as a trails bike so it was horrendusly kept. When we first went to view the bike (me and my dad) we found that the previous owner had treated it VERY badly. He had kept it outside with NO COVER , nuts which were lost got replaced with square nuts which rusted easily and were a pain to get out and the poor bike was in need of alot of TLC. So with no expense spared we bought her and we gave her a good clean for my test. We stripped her down , powder coated the frame , repainted the engine and the petrol tank and various other parts , we replaced the gear lever , all the wheel and headrace bearings , replaced rusted bolts/nuts with new ones and got her back on the road on the day of my CBT. Got back home having passed my CBT and took her out on my first ride. I was smiling ear to ear with it. It felt underpowered to me , having been on the back of my dads R6 or my mums Bandit 600 for most of my life but the enduro tyres really helped around town. The suspension soaked up the bumps like it was a flat road even though there are potholes EVERYWHERE near where I live. The bike is so light that it felt just like having a ride on a heavy bicyce , you could throw it around and shed just love it. When I got her to the high speed roads I found that the highest speed i could get out of her was 60mph and that was with the wind behind me , but no matter since id only be using her on slower roads anyway. In traffic the bike excels alot of other bikes from the 125 range mainly due to its high seating position , which takes alot of getting used to , and the light feel helps you know whats going on all around you and lets you take off in front of all the merc drivers , leaving them with green faces on the packed streets :). The bike has very short gears and once you get a feel for the bike you will find that you use the throttle like an on off switch and your left foot will be busy constantly on the city streets. Now for the technical part. As I said ive replaced almost every part on the bike myself and what I can say about this bike is its so reliable after you have it working , youll probably never need to touch it again. That said however , if something is to go wrong then with the help of a multimeter or a connection tester a simple knowledge of electricity will mean that you pretty much KNOW any electrical fault before it happens. Things to look out for: 1. Handlebar bolts , very prone to rusting also they are extremely hard to find in the UK , I suggest ordering a pair as soon as you get the bike. 2. Sidestand - If the engine starts cutting out when you are riding then the problem could be this. When the stand comes down in any drive gear the engine will cut out. Sometimes if the sidestand switch is faulty this can happen out of the blue. You can bypass the whole system but you need a soldering iron and most likely a multimeter. 3. Silencer - The pipe between the end can and the exhaust gasket (where the exhaust clamp is) is HORRIBLE for rotting. The bike kicks dirt right onto the exhaust which is very bad , especially on UK roads where grit is used in the winter. I thought of making up a sheild for it using a coke can or a bit of an old bandit exhaust but seriously its so bad for rotting its worth it. If a hole is discovered make sure that there is no rust further up to the end can and keep an old bicycle nearby in case you need a bit of exhaust made for it XD 4. Wires - On my NX there were wires running under the rear mudguard for the taillight/stoplight and indicators. Make sure these are kept clean as they are very vulnerable in there. There is a cable tidy built into the rear mudguard on an oem mudgaurd which brings the wire to the taillight but not to the indicators. 5. Body Panels - Make sure you keep some cable ties with you at all times if you are a new rider. The body panels are held on by pegs which are easily snapped if there is too much weight on them. I was leaning my bike on my hip one day and one of them snapped but i suspect it was another botch job done by an old owner. All of that said the bike is amazingly reliable. Keep a set of enduro tyres at home for winter and it will pull you through anything! Overall a great bike for a learner! However underpowered but could be a deterrent for the loonies XD If you treat this bike well it will treat you amazingly , keep her nice and shell pull you through thick and thin. |
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