Hongduo??

[short_ass]

Hi

Wondering if anyone here has a hongduo?? (think thats how u spell it!) Or any reviews you have heard, as i am thinking of getting it as my 1st geared bike.

Thanks

[Josh|RD125LC]

Think mchaggis may have one, or some other import replica thingy.

They are basically a manufacturer that makes replicas of bikes that have been produced by Honda I think, the CG being the main replica. I'm pretty sure Hongdou make a rep of the CG, but please feel free to correct me.

If this is the case, then better off buying the original CG if thats what your on about.
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Honda MBX50 | Yamaha RD125LC | Suzuki RG125F Lucky Strike | Suzuki GSF600S
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[The Tot]

I rode a Hongdou for my CBT - OKAYish machines for learning and maybe for the odd delivery job, but in my 4 hours on that thing, the tach was spinning its way into oblivion and gear display (yes, they have LEDs which change with respect to whatever gear your in) was stuck on 2. Anyway, poor finish on the bikes didn't detract how easy it was to use. HTH - Original CG better or even better CB Twin.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[short_ass]

Yeah its an import replica of honda. I wasnt looking at the CG tho i cnt reach the ground on it hence my name lol Was looking at the other 125 they have out its £990 new

Thanks for your reply

[short_ass]

Sorry little dumb whats a tach???

Thanks for your reply

[The Tot]

Tach - Tachometer = rev counter - most non sporty 125's dont have them, but my hongdou did - would have been OK if it worked, but since i know that most 4stroke 125's redline at 8-10k rpm and produce linear power, it wouldn't have made any use. Learning to judge revs by ear is good (being a musician - it's pretty easy)
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

[short_ass]

Oh thanks for clearing that up I tried some sportier 125 bikes but i can not fit on them

[Josh|RD125LC]

That one you just posted looks like a CB250 Superdream. You sure its a 125? If you want something low, as Titz said, the CB125 and CB125 Twins are ideal, also have quite punchy engines as well. More powerful than the CBR125 engine I believe.

Here:
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Honda MBX50 | Yamaha RD125LC | Suzuki RG125F Lucky Strike | Suzuki GSF600S
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[short_ass]

Yeah sure thats the 125 went to see one the weekend was exactly like it. As for the bike you posted its not my style but thanks anyway

[mchaggis]

I've got that exact model in fact. It's based on the Honda CM125.

Bad points first:

Tachometer packed up and left the circus after around 500 miles. I fixed it by taking it to pieces, but I forgot that spinning the needle on the spindle would make it fall off. I can't be arsed fixing it again with the stressed and work hardened metal.

Speedo has been forever fluttering and showing too low values. I replaced the cable for no change. I'm thinking it might be the drive at the wheel.

Left hand fork got pitted exceedingly quickly. That might be the fault of the L-plate on the front touching it and causing water to stay on it.

Having assembled it myself (I'm sure that's a major contributory factor), I lost various nuts and bolts along the way. That one looks as though it has pillion pegs rather than floorboards so the securing bolts shouldn't go AWOL.

The chrome is very rapid rust. I've managed to clean the exhausts up mostly, but the luggage rack is a mess underneath, as are the mudguards.

Front caliper siezed up at the first hint of winter. Not that I noticed for a good while.

Front suspension dives something chronic. You can depress the front suspension almost to its limits just by pushing on it. The bike does not steer quickly, and wallows (think pogo stick on the front end) given a decent rate of lean on a fast corner.

Rear suspension is too hard for the weight it has on it. Put a pillion on it (a light one at that!) and it compresses almost completely. It is adjustable though.

Spare parts - ? Most will come from the CM125, there is a modern version with a front disc like that, but the engine is from a CG125 and too small for the twin exhausts. The bulbs for the spotlights are made from that special metal unobtanium. (I successfully bodged a double filament one of the same wattage to only shine through a single filament).

TOO SLOOOOW!! That's the same with virtually any four stroke 125, but worse with this one. I put a larger front sprocket on it, 15-> 16 teeth and it can just about reach 60 with a hill to help. I can't actually tell since the speedo is playing about. You'll get bored on fast A roads and get traffic up your arse all the time.

Some fucker stole the toolkit I got with it, it's in a 'STEAL ME!' box, with no lock or anything.

Resale value? What's that? I'm not anticipating selling mine in a hurry, simply because the depreciation from new is nasty, and mine's worth even less due to crash damage.

Some clown put the connectors for the rear light cluster underneath the rear mud guard. Cue me riding 50 miles back home in the dark with no tail light.

Good points, there must be some..

Comfortable. Very comfortable. I did two hours blatting about over the Peak District a few months ago and could happily have gone and done it again.

Sounds very nice, quite loud for a 125, with twin exhausts and dubious Chinese engineered silencing is quite enough to give you a headache after having been on full throttle for a while.

Crashproof (mostly) I've binned mine twice, done a superman impression into the verge with it, crashed (unknown due to unconciousness and amnesia), and dropped it several times. The damage was limited to scraped footpegs, mirrors and levers. The mirror it has been dropped on several times has now lost all it's ability to stay put, but some Araldite or something should fix it.

Engine is unbreakable (to begin with at any rate, breaking it is a work in progress). Mine has been thrashed mercilessly for thousands of miles without a hiccup. Just change the oil every 1000-1500 miles and it's happy.

Valve adjustment is a piece of piss as it's a simple case of pushrods, rocker arms and locking nuts.

Front brake is quite effective, even full of air and with a siezed caliper. Enough to fully compress the front suspension, and I've yet to stoppie. Front and back work well together.

Gear indicator is very useful for learning, and has worked flawlessly so far on mine. It's not a common feature.

It's got a luggage rack as standard. Very useful.

The OE tyres really don't inspire much confidence in wet and slimey conditions (you can feel the whole bike squirming and sliding - the suspension gives you a good idea of what's going on with the tyres), but are fine in the dry.

Excellent fuel economy being derived from the CG125. Can get c. 200 miles from a tank, though I normally fill up at around 180-190 because I can't see the fuel anymore.

Did I mention it was comfortable?



In essence, a nice looking bike, bound to get attention just to find out what the hell it is, making the sound it does and looking like it does. Rapid rust, though I'm sure if I'd paid more attention and care to it over the winter the fork wouldn't have pitted and the chrome of the rack wouldn't have gone manky underneath. The tachometer especially is dodgy, and some of the rest of the electrics are a bit suspect. Slow with wallowing suspension, but it's still much more sophisticated than a rattley CG or similar lighter 125s.

If you can get a relatively new one cheaply and you've a thick skin and have a little electrical nouse, then go for it, but expect people to take the piss a bit. If you can roll with it, then fine, but explaining it to people can get annoying. Still, it's something to talk about. I'm not sure I'd really recommend it at full price, I know I could have done better for the money, but that's with the benefit of hindsight and considerably more knowledge now.

You might well get annoyed with bits falling off, but all the bits which do stop after a while if you make sure the bolts are tight enough. Parts needn't be a problem so long as they aren't a part which only Hongdou produce and aren't from either the CG or the CM.

I've grown really quite attached to mine, it's a great little machine with no lack of character. It has a fair few features which are very nice to have on a little bike, such as the spotlights, gear indicator and tacho (when it worked). I am biased. I'm not planning to sell it even when I get a larger bike. I have not seen another one yet.

Hope this is some help. If you've any questions, just ask.


Actually, shove that. For the price, you'd be almost bound to find something you can sell on for what you bought it for. The Hongdou is nice, but I don't think I'd do the same if I knew then what I do now.
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Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[short_ass]

That was a very detailed reply thank you.

I think that answers all my questions. I am desperate for a geared bike but i dont think this is the one for me. If anything went wrong i wud b clueless what to do to fix it!

[jimster]

I can recommend getting a Honda CG125.

I've only had mine a few weeks and done 450 miles, but so far - it all works flawlessly. I too am a low-knowledge guy so if anything serious does break I'll have to fork out for repairs (or risk buying a tool kit and going mental for a few hours) but the way things are, I don't think they will.

It's dead easy to drive. Doing u-turns for the test is simple (unlike on my moped, when it was difficult) they're simple to use and the lack of features means there's less to go wrong.

Most importantly they're cheap and there's a big demand for them - I paid £550 for mine (2000 model, Turkish built modern design with 24k miles) and I don't think I'll lose any money on it when I pass my test and sell it on.

I wouldn't waste money on a Hongdou unless you want to keep it for ages - they'll be hard to sell with steep depreciation, and you don't know whether you'll be able to get parts easily.

[Josh|RD125LC]

See look, I said mchaggis had one


Karma please.
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Honda MBX50 | Yamaha RD125LC | Suzuki RG125F Lucky Strike | Suzuki GSF600S
RD125LC Pictures