Shop Motorcycle Gear,
Parts and Apparel.

2003 Honda CR125R Craigslist Project Bike Photo Gallery

We all know someone who knows someone that picked up a cherry ride for practically nothing; stealing an iconic moto classic, swiping a fresh four-stroke or sourcing the perfect project bike.

We purchase a 2003 Honda CR125 off of Craigslist and fix it up to see if an old bike can still hang with the new motocross machines. Read the full details in the 2003 Honda CR125 - Craigslist Killer Project.

Once the bike was purchased it was a matter of cleaning up.

Having ridden the YZ already, which is a superb motorcycle is stock form, things are going to get a little crazy on the fun side on the motocross track.

Works Connection Elite clutch perch and billet front and rear brake covers add some color.

Once the hardware was complete a set of Dunlop tires were spooned on. The front is a Dunlop MX31 front tire sized 80/100-21 and out back is a Dunlop MX51 rear tire sized 100/90-19.

A billet head from Phathead Racing. Millennium tech stripped and re-plated the cylinder to remove a few scratches that came from the original meltdown.

Part of what made the Honda really feel temperamental was the clutch. Our riders noted that the new Hinson clutch was fairly stiff, which likely would have broken in after a bit more time.

The Honda was a little low with the handlebars higher. I thought this would make it harder to ride but it turned really well and was easy to lay over in the turns.

Another performance mod that wasn’t entirely necessary was the Ride Engineering 22mm offset triple clamp, which was part of the handling package that our testers liked.

Even though the bill started running higher by making it look as good as it performs, it’s still clear that the used bike market is a great place to find competitive bikes.

The Craigslist 2003 CR125R was at first a total roach, and not something you really want to ride, but I must say Jay Clark made this motorcycle look delightful.

Even a bike as light as the CR125 can benefit from better braking so a QTM 270mm front brake kit takes care of that.

A full set of UFO plastics was bolted on and covered with custom DeCal Works graphics.

Jay had put subtle things on this bike to make it work better than stock, but also make it one of those bikes you want to look twice at. It’s a beautiful machine.

FMF is known for its commitment to two-strokes.

Since the engine was apart it made sense to inspect the crank. We opted to go with a Hot Rods unit. This complete crank replaces the stock version and comes as a single piece.

The suspension was in good shape but there’s no telling what has or hasn’t been done to it over the years. We shipped it off to MB1.

Honda’s are known for their wimpy footpegs so a set of titanium pegs from Light Speed Performance were installed for better grip.

Cometic gaskets kits for the top and bottom end seal everything together and all of the new engine components are lubricated with Bel-Ray oils.

All 125s are top-end screamers that will fall on their face if shifted incorrectly. The CR is no different though it has an even narrower powerband than the YZ.

An Uni air filter feeds a MotoTassinari VForce3 reed cage.

An FMF Fatty pipe and Shorty silencer dispense the burnt VP racing fuel on the way out.

A complete rolling chassis and box of engine parts made for an almost complete bike.