What options for chrome

[zippot69]

Hello I'm New here.
I have just bought a 1982 honda 125cm and its a bit rusty. I want to get it running and tidy and may even take my cbt lessons and test. Im 60 and only ever had a Suzuki ap50 when i was a teen to get to work.
I would like to do this up on a budget not looking for anything to win competitions. This is the first Bike I have done, Some of the chrome is pitted and rusty.I'm wondering what have other people done to rectify this? apart from getting it stripped and rechromed. what are my options and what have others had success with. I,m thinking just painting the chrome black or silver or just getting it the best I can and putting some sort of coating on to stop it getting rusty again.
Thanks in Advance

[dave001]

[stinkwheel]

Surprising how well it'll come up with wire wool and WD40.

If it's very far gone, painting it black is an option although paint doesn't key well to chrome. If it's just for a bit of a tart up, I'd suggest cleaning the rust off (wire wool and elbow grease or a 12-24h soak in white vinegar and a wash off), scratching the surface of the chrome with some aluminium oxide paper to help the paint key followed by a thorough clean, degrease and dry. I've had pretty good success using plastikote BBQ paint which gives a very forgiving satin black finish. You need to let it dry once applied then bake it on in an oven. Be warned, it'll stink the place out.

That said, you're talking about a 1980's CM125 so the chrome in question will be the mudguards and exhaust yeah? They've usually rotted through from the inside in my experience, usually at the highest point of the mudguards (bulging the chrome up between the forks) and lowest point of the exhaust. Nothing short of replacing them will sort that. You may well find a pair of pattern universal mudguards aren't all that expensive
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[A100man]

If not yet rotten as described by Stinkwheel, I'd wire brush them (mudguards) on the inside to within and inch of their life then underseal.. om top side silver hammerite sprayed on top of a well prepped surface usually looks OK. Did this with my A100 several years ago and it still look fine.
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[MCN]

As what Stinkers and A100man suggest.

Wire Brush and Detol then paint the auld hoowur using a silver rattle can.

Treating any rust with a rust converter before painting can help.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[WD Forte]

So,
Basically, first bike and you've bought a 41 year old non running 125
Hope you got it cheap and didn't fall for the 'classic innit mate' crap.
Its not classic its old.
With no licence it's at a new hobby stage whicb may or may not develop further.

Never mind the mudguard that's easy and relatively cheap to sort out.
"Chrome don't get you home" and all that.
Take a close look at the swinging arm, fork stanchions, spokes and inside the tank, plus the seat pan which I suspect may be pressed steel.
Corrosion here will be a longer more expensive job than tarting up a mudguard.
You also need to know if it will wake up or not.

its a CM125C not a 125cm

Don't spend any more money on it right now other than a few quid on some wd40 acf50 etc and cleaning products
Do some initial cleaning and de-greasing and de-rusting, this will help you see what you've got.
Take lots of good quality pics for reference and if you want to share online.

Heres Fowlers parts page for that bike, note many parts are NLA
but its a good place to get a refence to part numbers and what goes where and stuff.

https://www.fowlersparts.co.uk/browser/manufacturer/honda/bike/cm125c/year/1982/country/england/colour/all-colours
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bikers smell of wee

[Bhud]

Do not rectify!

Chrome is shiny and hard. To get at the rust beneath the chrome, you have to have an abrasive that's aggressive enough to remove the chrome and the copper it sits on. If you go ahead and hit it, it will look terrible unless you remove all the chrome. Patches of grey steel and shiny chrome streaked with abrasive marks isn't a good look

Painting it will also look bad, because there's an uneven surface of rust and chrome, and you will have to use a special primer to get paint to stick to chrome.

I like Jenolite Rust Converter. Smear it all over the rust, and the rust goes black but the chrome is left alone. Do that, and leave it alone, and it will show its age and the rust's progress will be slowed, significantly.

EDIT: ignore all the above if the forks are the problem. £££

[Bhud]

Anything rusty, don't throw it away unless it's rotten through.
There's a strong market for old mudguards, mirrors and indicators on Ebay.

[Robby]

Before throwing any money at it, poke a screwdriver at the frame section behind the engine, between the footpegs. It's where all the road crud goes and tend to rot away on small Hondas.

It is repairable - it's just a mixture of mild steel tubing and sometimes a bit of 2-4mm plate - but is a more involved repair than cleaning up some grotty chrome.

[zippot69]

the bike has been running the previous owner told me! it was hotwired .It has no ignition. battery or centre stand, and the seat is a wooden home made affair. the tank is extremely rusty inside and out. Cost £300 .
I knew all the faults and am happy with what I got.I wanted something to potter with rear dampers are now dismantled but have No bounce back at all. There is a spare engine but it looks in a bit of a state. I may fabricate a new centre stand and seat base. for me its more about having a project than riding it at the moment. haynes manual came today. and I don't mind using non original parts where safety's not a concern. the rust does not seem so bad just surface frame seems solid I will poke the problem areas. can I use 10-50 car motor oil for a bike is there a difference ?. also can i use a 12 car battery to test the electrics cant see a problem unless you know better.I plan to change the oil and clean the strainer filter before i try and start it. cheers for all the info Im learning so much

[jeffyjeff]

[stinkwheel]

Car oil is fine but I'd use 10w-40. As above, if it's 12v, a car battery will be fine to crank it over and for short engine runs. Don't leave it on for long runs because it'll put a lot of load on the charging system trying to fully charge it and will burn out the alternator.

If you're changing the oil, on an unknown little twin of that era, I'd clean the oil filter screen first. You have to remove the side cover to get at it, it's often neglected.

From your description, I'd say cosmetics are the last thing you need to be dealing with so spray over the rusty chrome with WD40 and leave it until you have a working motorcycle.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Bhud]

A spring/summer project with nothing to ride? Bit masochistic don't you think? Although I do understand the excitement.

I like to keep a spreadsheet on costs, and to set a firm, immutable deadline for completion. Manage the project. Get it running and make sure you've got all the parts you need before making a decision on how deep you're going to go into this. You'll need a new seat for a start. There will be other essentials as well. By the time you've got them all, you may end up looking at your spreadsheet and asking yourself if you really want get a professional to paint your tank, after you're £££ into a bike that will be worth £1K at the end of it. If you're handy, those companies that supply vehicles for film studios know a few tricks to make a sow's ear glow like a silk purse. First things first, though: the mechanicals.

[Robby]

It's a £300 bike. It's your first bike in 40 years, and you don't even have a CBT yet.

There is merit in just doing the bare minimum to get it through an MOT, do your CBT, and enjoy riding it for the summer. If you're going to spend anything on it all, get a new set of tyres from a manufacturer that you've heard of.

Then you can decide whether to spend more money on fixing it up - bearing in mind that it's very easy to go down the rabbit hole and spend 3 grand on it - or do get something else, or do your test and get something bigger.

Also, you don't need a centre stand and they're surprisingly difficult to make. I've tried a few times to make one for my 250, and always end up giving up. There are a lot of areas where 1mm is the difference between it working or not.

[zippot69]

file:///C:/Users/david/Downloads/IMG_20230430_155853_resized_20230507_110829310.jpg
trying to post a photo but cant find how too
I wont overspend on anything may try and adapt a centre stand rather than make new.
Trying to find my reg number to fill in the v62 for for a v5 anyone got any advice. I think its get a dealer to do a credit check or mot it when its finished but not sure.
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were ,here for a good time not a long time.
Old age is an honour not granted to everyone

[stinkwheel]

[zippot69]

Turns out its a 1985 bike not 82
not stolen ,hurray.thanks for That facebook link, excellent service.
Could you point me to where i can find out how to post pictures.
Thanks again
____________________
were ,here for a good time not a long time.
Old age is an honour not granted to everyone

[WD Forte]

OK 85 same bike
https://www.fowlersparts.co.uk/browser/manufacturer/honda/bike/cm125c/year/1985/country/england/colour/all-colours

It's a 12V bike with AC CDI ignition
so a car battery will be fine for testing all but the ignition
with the usual caveats of course

pics
https://imgur.com/
is easy and free

other options are available of course
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[stinkwheel]

[Easy-X]

I use imgur but the various photo sites are much the same.

Post a photo and go to the "..." menu in the top right of your photo (it's a hidden button that appears as you hover over the picture) pick "get share links" and copy out the BBCode one, for example:

[Nobby the Bastard]

If it comes out like this you're doiing it wrong.

https://www.bikechatforums.com/download.php?id=103219
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
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