Honda Varadero 125 ( 2011 ) - max 8500rpm - help

[muruburu]

Hello,
Just bought Varadero 125 11 plate , and discovered some restrictions ?

At 4 and 5 gear cant get more then 8500rpm , and Vara is bit weak.

I found possibly problems

[Polarbear]

Unless I'm being thicker than usual, why would you restrict a 125? Aren't they limited to 14kw or something stupid anyway?
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[muruburu]

Maybe are somehow limited. but my friends Vara 125 easy get 65mph and 11500rpm , and my Honda at 8500rpm just starts choking if you know what I mean.

[Fladdem]

Here we go.

I had a 2005 Baby Vara.

The reason the carbs are jetted differently, is because, despite being watercooled, the rear cylinder will still get hotter than the front, so it needs a tiny bit more fuel to assist cooling. Don't worry about it.

Mine was standard, I took the bung out, all it did was make more induction noise, so it went back in. I got 80mph down fairly slight hill, I got off the clocks down the biggest hill in the area, and a smidge over 75 on the flat. I was at the time 6'3" and twelve and a half ish stone. Now, 6'5" and about 13 stone. Something is wrong with your bike. My dad is 17 stone and he can still cruise at a touch over 50 at 8,000 RPM.

Maybe cutting the restrictors out the exhaust may help, but you need to be able to weld and understand the physics about gas flow and exhaust design, or performance will be hindered moreso. And after-market pipes, not the silencer, but the front pipes, are engineered in the same way, something to do with it being a replacement, rather than a performance enhancer.

To get rid of the cat, get a big stick and smash it down the tail-pipe, then take it off and shake the bits out.

Don't do that. I was joking. Do it.

The engine will never rev out in the top gears, it just doesn't have the torque to pull the gearing. Mine wouldn't get up to 10,000 in top. I would guess it stopped revving at about 9,750RPM, on a flat.

Maybe someone has change the gearing, and made it too tall for the engine to pull. I'm not sure what the standard gearing is, but maybe if you checked yours, and I checked mine we could have a look.

Does the engine make any noises? Smoke from the exhaust? How many miles has it done? What sort of range do you get to a tank? Maybe the air filter is dirty, and the bike is running rich, does she bog under acceleration? Did you check the filter while you were in there removing the bung that does nothing, apart from reduce air turbulence, thus giving better induction due to smoother flowing air? Or perhaps the rings are going? Possibly stretched valves... Maybe something simple like the brakes are rubbing slightly. Do they get REALLY hot after a ride?

Don't take it the wrong way, but are a you heavy person? It does have low torque and only about 14.5 BHP, weight could be the cause of the problems.

Mines just done 15,500 miles, I sold her to my dad, and the head gasket appears to be going in one, or maybe both, of the cylinders, oil in the coolant, coolant in the oil, and slightly down on power. I think it's because it sat for a year then got ragged mercilessly.

Anyway, I don't think that you should bother messing with it too much. If the bike has been serviced correctly, it should be quite a strong engine.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[muruburu]

[Wonko The Sane]

[Wonko The Sane]

[Fladdem]

[gbrand42]

Something definitely not right here. I'm around 125kg and my Varadero sits happily at 65-70 on the flat, will hold 55-60 up quite reasonable slopes if I drop a cog to 4th and cane it. If its only revving to 8500 I'm wondering if its not a UK spec bike. I've heard of foreign spec Varaderos having a different ignition system computer thingy that restricts revs (possibly for the German market although not sure).

Maybe a you could ring a friendly Honda dealer to get them to check the VIN?
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Yamaha RD50M, Honda C90, Yamaha RS100, Yamaha RD125LC, Honda XL125 V9 Varadero, Honda NT700VA, Honda VFR800X, Honda CRF1000L, Honda ST1300 Pan European

[_mjs_]

Another fat 'Dero owner reporting in, mine would do 75mph and it was a neglected shed.

To see if the gearing has been altered, count the teeth on the front and rear sprockets, stock gearing is 14/44.
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Previous Bikes: 2006 Honda XR125L > 2003 Yamaha DT125R > 1996 Honda CB500
Current bikes: 1997 Kawasaki ZZR 600 E5 > 2006 Honda Varadero XL125V

[P.]

Look at gearing, perhaps consider checking the injectors for crap, get them cleaned.

My 77,000 mile 07 Vara never had an issue and pulled to the max revs every day for 20 miles.

[muruburu]

[iooi]

Have a look here
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[muruburu]

Hello,

Front sprocket is 14. So I have 14/44 .

Without rubber bung in the airbox and with unleaded 97 in the tank, Varadero drive much much better... but still not perfect :/

But I can drive 55mph easy. No wind in my face - 60mph.

Im waiting for new air filter , if it does not help then only option will be visit some Honda dealer. Maybe they help me. But it will be expensive I think.

[Andy_Pagin]

Start with a full service, plugs, oil, filters. Check the HT leads aren't corroded or otherwise obviously knackered, they should be fine at that mileage, crappy electrics account for an awful lot of engine problems.
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Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[Wonko The Sane]

I used to squirt a small amount of fuel system cleaner in mine every once in a while and generally run it on cheap supermarket fuel
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[muruburu]

This bike is really well maintained.

I got 1 question guys , cuz you are much more experienced.

What you think about exchange this Honda for:

1. Suzuki GZ125
2. Yamaha WR125X

Both are similar prices, and generally it could be good deal for me.

I am just not sure about Suzuki as I am 6`3"
If anybody tall or taller then me has Suzuki , tell me please is comfortable to ride ~100miles ?

[Fladdem]

I wouldn't bother swapping really.

I love the Varadero's I wish there was a 400. Closest thing is a TDR 250. It'll be comfier than both of those, and should be faster too. At least on par with the WR. It kept up with my cousins YZF-R125, he only had a touch more top-end though. But I paid 1700 for mine, he paid 3,500. So I win. And he struggled going round cones on his for the mod 1, mine was easy. Alas, I digress.

I think ,maybe, it just needs some love. Have you tried just changing spark plugs, oil, oil filter and air filter? Just basic maintenance can sometimes do a world of good. Although you said it's well maintained.

The GZ would be a comfier choice, perhaps, butbeing tall, like me, you may struggle with the bars in your lap and knees round your ears.

But a WR has a skinny seat, but you're a teenager, like me so you're probably man enough/stupid enough to just put up with it. I know I do on my TTR. I get cramps after about 40 miles, I put 120 something miles on the old girl yesterday, it was tiresome on a 250 single with no wind protection, but like I said, I'm just too stupid to stop.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[P.]

[Fladdem]

[muruburu]

Ok, thank you for your opinion.

The bike been checked by local garage aswell. They told me its briliant condition and everything works perfect...
I just cleaned and lubed chain last weekend.

So, I will wait and 1st I will check new air filter ( when it comes )

It just make me sick when I cant drive even 50-55 mph just cuz some wind in my face or small uphill :/

[Yaka]

strange that you are strugling for speed, im no expert my ive done 65 on my 2007 vara, im 22 stones
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Current Bike : 2008 Varadero XL125
mod 1: passed 16/02/2015
mod 2: passed 19/02/2015

[muruburu]

Try to drive no more than 45-50mph on A roads... will be long tail of cars, with angry drivers behind you , then, you will understand how it can piss off, when they try to overtake.

And the point is that I travel a lot , I think ( for example - last Thursday , I did around 200miles, Yesterday - 70 , today - who knows ... ) And sometimes, I just need to be a bit faster.

Anyway, I visited Honda dealer yesterday... They have no idea what is wrong with my Honda... they can take and check this bike, but earliest, they can do it... is middle of may. ( cuz they are busy )

And it looks that I lost a lot of time and money...

I just can not wait :/ . So decided to exchange Honda. I am not sure , what I will take... we will see tomorrow.

Please don`t attack me , I don`t say that Varadero is a bad bike... Its really really comfortable and beautiful bike... but this one just pissed me off...

[Teflon-Mike]

This might sound daft, but... have you tried changing down to 3rd... get the revs almost in the red, up to 4th, let it rev into the red, then hook 5th?

Very common newbie niggle, this...

To get past 60mph, Learner-Legals need all the power they can make; trouble is, they only make enough at peak power revs. Lower down they have a fair amount of oomph, and newbs will often 'short shift', and get into fourth or firth gear before about 40mph.

Thing is, you only need about 3-4bhp, as much as a moped has, to go that fast, so letting the motor labour in the lower revs where thats all the engine has, they feel fine...

Then they pass a the NSL sign, and open the throttle....

3-4000rpm, engine has enough power 'spare' to accelerate a little, but then they hit a wall, where as road speed increases, so does wind resistance, and at about 50-55, that wind resistance is more than the force the engine can make, and the bike 'tops out', and seemingly wont go any faster; simply because the force the engine is making at those lower revs, and in that high a gear isn't increasing as fast with revs as wind resistance is with road-speed.

Change down, thrash the knackers off the thing.... two things many more cautious newbies are reluctant to try... but, gets the revs up where the engine can make the force to over come wind resistance at higher speeds.

Might not be a thing wrong with the bike; and if, as you believe, the bike is in good, well maintained standard condition, ought to be able to get up to 70ish, so this is the more likely.
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[Pete.]