All advice massively appreciated. New to biking, at a loss

[CoolStoryBrot...]

For my first post in this forum I bring to you my tale of woe and plight.

Quick back story, bought this bike (my first bike, an NSR 125 2002) about 3 weeks ago off some chap on Gumtree. Everything seemed to be in order,a couple of weeks in when I finally had the balls to twist the throttle more than three degrees I noticed it seemed to have no power between 3,000 and 7,000 rpm. I'd stay at the same speed as the revs increased, then at 7,000 it'd take off an was quite quick.

Fast forward to last night, I struggled to get it started at the petrol station and the gears were royally FUBAR'd. I could cycle down through them but when it wouldn't go into first, the lever would keep moving as if I was cycling down more gears. Eventually got going but had no power the whole way home so I pulled into a car park near my house to see what the problem was, turned off the engine and everything seemed ok but of course I could not get it started to save my life. After trying everything I could think of I called the RAC and the engineer gave me a jump start and she started but there was still no power at all, just a lot of noise and quite a bit of white smoke.

It seems to using up the tranny oil as every time I check it it's below the min level even if I've put stuff in it within the last few days. It was the opinion of the RAC engineer that the engine was on its way out, he reckoned the piston rings were wrecked. I'm massively ignorant of all things bike and engine, I don't even know what those are.

Has anyone heard of anything like this before or experienced it? Is it worth sending it to a garage to get fixed? Should I try fixing it myself? Should I try and sell it before it gets worse?

Short version:
No power
Tranny oil used up
white smoke
How do I fix it?

(Apologies for the massive post)

EDIT:When I say 'No power' I can still drive it, just very slowly

[whitedevil]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/entries/icons/original/000/000/346/969638-cool_story__bro_super.jpg?1244744838
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GPZ500 sold ~ CBR600FS-2 sold ~ ZX6R sold ~ Street Triple R

[N cee thirty]

sounds like one of the crankcase seals are knackered,burning the gearbox oil,dunno what you have to do on the nsr to replace them but you usally have to split the engine in half which is a big job

flatspot between 3-7 could be powervalve related
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[CoolStoryBrot...]

[turkish2011]

Hi, sorry but you are not gonna like this, get another bike, take yours to the breakers and use the money to get something else, the work needed will be way beyond your abilities and do you even have a toolbox?
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Life is not about how many breaths you take but how many times it takes your breath away

[Stelmer]

Engine sounds like it needs a rebuild which can be quite involved, depending on how bad the internals are and what the damage actually is. It is not something for the novice but rebuilds on 125's are common and parts are available.

The seller must have known it needed it and I hope you didn't pay too much for it. If the rest of the bike is fine, i'd consider replacing the engine but you're best getting rid as NSR's tend to have a hard life.


If you know any local bikers or friends of friends who are handy with mechanics, ask around if they will help. You may learn from them how to do it yourself too which is always handy. Professional repairs will cost a fortune as it is quite labour intensive.

[CoolStoryBrot...]

[CoolStoryBrot...]

[Livefast123]

As an avid fan of the NSR i'd say to hold your horses and don't condem it to the scrapper quite yet.

Are you sure that you haven't got a leak from the drain plug on the tranny oil, with the position of it the oil runs down the fairing and out the back so can be a bit tricky to spot? How are you measuring the oil, it must be done on a flat surface not on the sidestand and preferably about 10 mins after a good run.

Thinking about it another possibility is that the head gasket has gone, this would explain the white smoke (water vapour) and it could be pressurising the crankcase and blowing the oil out a vent pipe. Check the airfilter and see if you have any oil in there then take the fairings off to see if there's oil splatter inside. The headgasket would also cause a loss of power, how is your coolant level?

If the crank seals are shot then you'll be able to to get a engine off ebay for less than £250 and it's a pretty simple job to fit one. A top end rebuild will cost you about £40 - 50 depending on the state of you barrell and the first time I did it it took around 2 hours with basic tools.

If your anywhere near Weston Super Mare I would have a look for you. I'm sure that somebody would be able to try and help you if they are near by. Just for ideas :-

NSR Botton end - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/honda-nsr-125-engine-bottom-end-/400240312081?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item5d302e7f11
NSR Engine - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/honda-nsr125-nsr-125-nsr125r-engine-cdi-motor-electrics-/250897067441?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item3a6aa16db1
NSR Rebuild service - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-NSR125-NSR-250-Engine-Rebuild-Service-/290604797652?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item43a9654ed4

As an afterthought check your powervalve is operating properly and the adjustment marks line up on the pulley. It should be on high at idle speed then low from around 4k to 7.5k then back to high after that. If your powervalve is not operating then that would rob you of mide range power compounded by the other problems.

I would try and fix it as you couldn't really sell it like that unless you want to sell it to me for £100
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Current ride - Yamaha MT-07

[CoolStoryBrot...]

[CoolStoryBrot...]

Ok, update. Firstly thanks to everyone who has helped out so far. If I didn't try out your suggestions today I'll have a crack at them next time. Took out the airbox and the carb to see if I could get into the top end of the engine but it was still awkward as heck to get at so I just cleaned out the filter, realised the spark plug was on a bit loose so clicked it down and refilled the tranny oil.

It started up ok but it seems like the choke isn't really doing anything now (I don't think I messed this up today, it was like this last night) I have to twist the throttle and if I don't keep some revs up early on it'll die. Quite a bit of white smoke came out of the exhaust but after a minute it stopped which is good news.

Took it out on the road and it seems fine, still lag between 3 - 7k rpm but that was always there. Got back and the gears crapped themselves again.

At least it can go over 40mph now i guess. . . .

[temeluchus]

if it is using up the gearbox oil but there are no visible leaks your crankshaft to gearbox oilseal has gone. this not only makes it. drink oil but drops compression making it run poorly.
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[Livefast123]

Right at least the bike is running now. Get a new Iridium plug in there, it will make a difference

With regards to the choke, follow the choke cable down from the lever on to the left hand side of the carb, undo the one screw that is holding the cable in a remove the choke assembly. Check the condition of the spring and the rubber O ring and finally check that when you pull the lever the plunger actually moves so you know that the choke is working.`

The transmission only holds around 650 - 700mm of oil if memory serves me correctly so you having to top it up constantly is a sign that either something is wrong or you are doing it wrong. When the bike is stone cold the oil is far more viscious so takes a while to flow down to the peep hole. Take the bike to level ground and hold it bolt upright for around 30 - 60 seconds and then see where the oil is.

The way to check your powervalve is working is turn the pulley manually to low with the ignition off, then turn the ignition on and the pulley should return to high. Start the bike and it should remain at high, give the bike some revs to about 5k and the pulley should turn to low. Take the right fairing off and follow the cables from the pulley down to where they vanish behind a plastic cover. Unbolt this cover and that is the powervalve and it should have 2 marks on it, these indicate where the p/v should be at hi and low settings.

A compression test on the engine is the next must, to determine the state of the piston and rings. Any garage should do this cheaply. It sounds like you may have bought a bike that needs some TLC, you really need to get the oil thing sorted. If it was burning gearbox oil at that rate it would smoke like a 200 a day crackhead. If you say it doesn't after a minute then it's highly unlikely to be burning it.

You really need to get a manual downloaded as explaining these things over the net is a tad difficult. Try here for more specific NSR advice and to download a manual.

https://www.nsr125.co.uk/index.php?action=forum
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Current ride - Yamaha MT-07

[P.]

Where are you from OP?

[Livefast123]

Having no bike at the moment i'd love to get stuck into another NSR

OP when times are bad just look at this

https://img69.imageshack.us/img69/5741/dscf6018v.jpg

My ex 94 NSR 125R, Italian import, sold with full top end rebuild and running like a 2 stroke should for £900.
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Current ride - Yamaha MT-07

[anthony_r6]

[Livefast123]

I'm easily hired, a nice cuppa and a bacon sarnie
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Current ride - Yamaha MT-07

[CoolStoryBrot...]

[skatefreak]

Hey there,
another avid NSR fan here,
sounds like your RAC guy dosnt know his 2 smokers from 4, the oil goes in with the fuel haha.
But yes, lots of good info on here, at the moment I'm prepping to split my spare NSR engine to throw in some new bottom end bearing and a new piston/rings/gubbins so I have a good engine and then my current engine will be pulled appart and get a complete rebuild.
Not something I would suggest you do if you've never spannere much, swapping an engine is a fair job but a top end is easier.
Parts are cheap as they are pretty much considered consumables (pistons, rings etc), getting that radiator out will help you no end in getting the top end off.

The NSR's smoke like a basterd, I'm currently running my spare top end and old bottom end, for some reason this is a smoke machine combination (checked out oil pump etc *shrugs*) but yeah, maybe the colder weather. It will litterally churn out smoke like it was made for justt hat purpose, 2 mins down the road it will clear up so I wouldnt worry to much about the smoke, as long as it clears up once warm.

Follow the advice to check the tranny oil.

Is your NSR restricted?
Also does your power valve servo move/connected? Some people cut the cables and put a screw in to hold the servo open, this gives a very weak mid range (2-7k) where the engine is tuned to run with the power valve closed, but does give it a much harder punch in the power band.

It sounds like you may need some top end work, not tricky really (some good tutorials out there, the manual covers it okay), the gearbox, they can be finnicky, especially with the age of these bikes.
How does your clutch feel, the main culprit for a difficult neatural is a lose clutch. Is there any resistance when you push the bike in gear with the clutch in, engine off? Is neutral easy to find when the engine isnt running?
More than likely ajustment than a new clutch plates jobby.

Anywho, I'm rambling now, let us know how it goes..

Best regards

-Jvr