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Is it reasonable to flog a CG125 on an A road?

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BusterGonads
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PostPosted: 08:57 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Is it reasonable to flog a CG125 on an A road? Reply with quote

I bought a 17 year old CG125 with 12000 miles on the clock about six weeks ago. It had spent 12 years in a guy's garage and done about 400 miles in that time. It is in good mechanical condition, especially now that I set the tappets properly and have put a decent chain and sprocket set on and adjusted them properly. The oil is new and of far higher spec than the bike was built for and it will be changed at 1500 mile intervals. It runs great really, but being weaned on 1950s Brit Beeza iron at the end of the 1960s, I have an aversion to driving a bike at 3/4 and full throttle for anything but a brief top speed check.

Most of my riding involves toddling about on C class hilly roads around where I live, half way along Hadrian's Wall, but if I want to go down to Newcastle on the bike rather than the car, I have to put her on the A69 where average speed is 55 - 60 mph and you can't reasonably sit on there and drive at 45 mph without being like the total dick heads who cause curses and fury by toddling along there with a horse box or a tractor and make a five mile long queue.

The bike has had short gallops of a few miles at 55 -65 along there and she will hold that speed regardless of the wind, but the throttle is either wide open or three quarters open at that kind of speed. Will having a wide open throttle or nearly wide open throttle for thirty miles kill the CG or is she built to do that?
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Holdawayt
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PostPosted: 09:05 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know where you're coming from, I have too much mechanical sympathy to hold an engine at full revs for extended periods of time.

That said - the CG125 engine is bomb proof. I very much doubt you'd do any damage at all.

Tom.
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Ste
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PostPosted: 09:07 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Flat out all the way. Mr. Green
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P.
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PostPosted: 09:43 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I rode from Maidstone to Bromley every day on my old Varadero which was a 125 twin, pistons smaller than my penis, and that was fine at 11,000rpm the whole way, pinging off the limiter. I finally got rid of it with over 70,000 miles on it.

It'll be fine.
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kgm
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PostPosted: 11:59 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mine gets flogged relentlessly all the time and hasn't ever really given me any issues. 39k on it at the moment. It's the only way you can ride it in the open road.
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Rob Fzs
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PostPosted: 13:12 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mine wore itself out doing a 60 mile round trip to work , it's false economy compared to work lost/ repairs when it eventually does go bust.
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Hahadumball
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PostPosted: 14:59 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rob Fzs wrote:
Mine wore itself out doing a 60 mile round trip to work , it's false economy compared to work lost/ repairs when it eventually does go bust.


kin ell rob i thought you died
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woo
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PostPosted: 15:51 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

i rode my 125cc almost flat out from London to Scotland and back which was about 1000 miles.
my 125cc redlines at 8.1k rpm and i was mostly at 7k rpm

bike should be fine so long as its in good working condition.

if you can sit comfortably at 55mph then do it scew everyone else whos being an arse on the road

my 125cc sits at 60mph comfortably at 7k rpm
(mine is a honda msx which is not as ancient at yours but same thing in a sense)
if mine goes pop ill cry and take it to the mechanics hope that never happens lol!
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MCN
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PostPosted: 17:04 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not the most enjoyable thing to ring it's neck for an hour solid but it will not do any harm.

If you duck down behind the dials you can get 73.4MPH out a CG125. Cool

The issue with riding at 55 is you will get impatients queuing up behind you and that's more risk of getting a shunt.

Pin it to Win it.
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ADSrox0r
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PostPosted: 17:10 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

The only reason Tef has not yet responded is that he's still writing the response...
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MCN
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PostPosted: 17:17 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

ADSrox0r wrote:
The only reason Tef has not yet responded is that he's still writing the response...


Ouch!

Smile
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stevo as b4
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PostPosted: 18:37 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Drop your oil changes to every 1000 miles, as there's no proper oil filter fitted, and you can use some cheap oil, no point in fully synthetic race oil in a CG, though it shouldn't hurt it either.

I took my CG from 12000- 21000 miles, flat out all the way. It loves it! Just keep on top of your servicing, I checked the valve clearances every year, and put a new spark plug in and washed out the air filter etc.

My mate took his 91 J plate CG from about 20000miles to 37000. His bike was faster than mine and ran well. But he didn't change the oil as often and a main bearing broke up at this mileage. We stripped it down to fix and the top end was in really good condition, honing marks on the bore, valves looked fine and the big end was ok too. He couldn't be arsed to get the bits for us to re-build it with and he got a used engine from a breaker instead.

We swapped it in, and after having to change the stator over and replace the carb rubber, it ran fine for another 2000miles until it got nicked.

Its far more comforting and reassuring to thrash a small four stroke all day every day, than it is to brave full throttle on a tuned stroker for long periods. I've only ever blown 2strokes up, never a four stroke, so that might sway my opinion. Laughing
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 19:07 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd bump the service intervals too. Cheaper oil, changed frequently.

I've also seen several CGs over the years work a tappet adjuster loose to the point it came off altogether which is more likely to happen with sustained high revs. So checking it a bit more frequently would be the key to success.

If your Brit iron was well set up, it wouldn't have had a problem either. I run my Enfield Bullet at wide open throttle pretty much all the time (on account of it being about as fast as a CG125). I rode it down 260 miles of motorway a couple of weeks ago. Stopped once. Footpeg nuts have worked loose following the return leg and it used a good pint of oil but other than that, hunky dory. Passed its MOT today.

If you're overrevving it, the valves will float.
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kgm
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PostPosted: 19:19 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mine gets oil every 1k, valves every 3k along with air filter. I reckon that's about right as the tappets do loosen off a little around then. Did mine today, still reasonably close to spec but needed a little nip up.
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BusterGonads
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PostPosted: 19:44 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent. Thanks for the reassurance gentlemen. Much appreciated. I'd pretty much heard this kind of response before, but I wasn't sure it wasn't just bravado from some lad who didn't care about his engine.

I must say - mine smoothes out at over about 60 and all goes kind of zen and calm. She vibrates a bit about 55.

Thanks again. Oil change remarks noted. That is what I did do back in the early 1990s when I had a Honda 250RS. I used to pull teh sump plug on the dot of 1000 miles and fill her up again, but modern oils are a lot better than they were then when it was SC/SF and not the modern semi synthetics and so on. You can't even buy those old spec oils now I don't think.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 19:50 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

tony1951 wrote:

Thanks again. Oil change remarks noted. That is what I did do back in the early 1990s when I had a Honda 250RS. I used to pull teh sump plug on the dot of 1000 miles and fill her up again, but modern oils are a lot better than they were then when it was SC/SF and not the modern semi synthetics and so on. You can't even buy those old spec oils now I don't think.


True, but they do rely on there being an effective paper filter to remove any gross contamination/carbon particles etc. Your bike doesn't have one.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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BusterGonads
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PostPosted: 20:05 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:
True, but they do rely on there being an effective paper filter to remove any gross contamination/carbon particles etc. Your bike doesn't have one.


Yes - got that. The old 250Rs i used to have in 1990 was a case in point. lots of that model went to the bike grave yard because bad oil caused the plain bearing camshaft to destroy itself. The camshaft ran in the ally head without any bearing I think. If you neglected the oil changes at all they were toast pretty soon. I took my ten year old son and a load of camping gear on mine from Newcastle to Turin and back. As the odometer ticked towards 1000 miles I was ready with a new litre of oil and looking for a place to change the oil. We did two oil changes on that one trip.
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 20:08 - 18 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

As above with the oil and tappets, and consider running a colder plug, i.e. a NGK 9 rated plug rather than an 8 (DPR9EA-9 / DPR9EIX-9).
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BusterGonads
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PostPosted: 18:36 - 19 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

UPDATE:

Had to drive down to Newcastle today from 20 miles east of Carlisle. It was a great morning so I chickened out of the A69 dash and took the scenic route around C and D roads. If there are D roads - not sure, but some of the route was so narrow I had to pull onto the verge when confronted by an oncoming car. This added 30% to the distance to be ridden though, so when I came back, I just went for it down the A69. First twenty miles is dual carriageway and I sat at about 58 - 68 all the way. 58 up hill and once hit indicated 68 down. The bike seemed fine and dandy. After that there is another 18 miles of single carriageway with some goodly hills. There was also a stronger headwind here and on occasion the speed fell down nearer fifty, even in fourth gear. Had one or two doubts that she might be overheating, but I settled on the idea that the combined hill and gusty headwind was the cause, which was proved right when the ground leveled out and the speedo went up above sixty again.

I think the trip tired me out more than the bike, but I was never harrassed by drivers on the single carriageway part although I was holding up a truck for a couple of minutes until the hill ran out. He kept well back - a true gent - probably a biker.


Last edited by BusterGonads on 23:22 - 19 Jun 2018; edited 1 time in total
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 20:52 - 19 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Urgh, yes, hills and headwinds are kryptonite for 125s. I keep getting tempted to chop in the Ninja for an MSX125, then I remember... hills and headwinds. Sick
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mudcow007
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PostPosted: 21:25 - 19 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good on you getting them speeds from a CG Thumbs Up

Mine would only get to 50mph an that was me going full aero
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BusterGonads
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PostPosted: 23:32 - 19 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

mudcow007 wrote:
Good on you getting them speeds from a CG Thumbs Up

Mine would only get to 50mph an that was me going full aero


Definitely something amiss there unless you are a VERY big chap. Smile
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Teflon-Mike
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PostPosted: 07:29 - 20 Jun 2018    Post subject: Re: Is it reasonable to flog a CG125 on an A road? Reply with quote

ADSrox0r wrote:
The only reason Tef has not yet responded is that he's still writing the response...

No.. I was as sitting on my hands trying NOT to say:-
tony1951 wrote:
Is it reasonable to flog a CG125 on an A road?

Yes... but you'll probably get more interest from an ad on Auto-Trader.....
And longer still trying, and failing, to find a hat & coat emoticon...
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BusterGonads
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PostPosted: 09:06 - 20 Jun 2018    Post subject: Re: Is it reasonable to flog a CG125 on an A road? Reply with quote

Teflon-Mike wrote:
ADSrox0r wrote:
The only reason Tef has not yet responded is that he's still writing the response...

No.. I was as sitting on my hands trying NOT to say:-
tony1951 wrote:
Is it reasonable to flog a CG125 on an A road?

Yes... but you'll probably get more interest from an ad on Auto-Trader.....
And longer still trying, and failing, to find a hat & coat emoticon...


You should set cryptic crossword puzzles Teff, or get a job at GCHQ inventing codes. You'd have the bad boys scratching their heads trying to understand your coded messages. I have no idea what that means. Smile
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gbrand42
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PostPosted: 19:32 - 21 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paddy. wrote:
pistons smaller than my penis



I never knew it was a V12 Mr. Green
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