tlrider

Terry, Is your carb clean? I bought a used Tl125 S 'parts' carb, the 76 model which is much better by the way, that was so dirty the slide was stuck. I soaked it for days in carb cleaner and finally got it unstuck. With cleaner and very light usage of Scotch-Brite (the scouring pad on the back of your kitchen sponge) I cleaned all of the corrosion and varnish from both the slide and carb. It's been on the bike for at least 3 years now. On the spacer getting flattened over time, well I'm not sure about that. I have another S carb in like new condition which is not flat on the spacer side. I machined some of my own spacers which are exact copies and I made the mating surface curved. THe o-ring seals and the ears of the carb flange bottom on the outer edges of the spacer so I can't distort the body. It's been on the bike as long as the aforementioned carb. RMXBOY is correct. Re-MX has the XR75 carb which is the same except for jetting. I live close to them and would be happy to see if the carb flange is flat. Seeing an NOS carb and/or spacer is probably the only way to be certain. The SL125 carb is 22mm where the TL/XR carb is 20mm, been through that. I have heard of people using it however. I have seen repro TL125 S carbs on ebay. They are out there. THe S carb has the screw on bowl, the carb body has been thickened and a gusset added vertically along the barrel on the flange side to prevent distortion and the slide wall thickned as well. Overall a much better carb than the K model. I bought one of the repro SL125 carbs mentioned above and I must say the visual quality is quite good and the fit between the slide and barrel seemed correct. I'm sure it was from China and i'm guessing they either bought Keihens obsolete tooling or reverse engineerd it. Scooter

Biff, I have made my own spacer to TL125S specs, well as close as I can reverse engineer it anyway. You can't tell it's not stock from a few feet away. It's been on my bike for about 3-4 years now. I may be making a few more in the near future. This run will have an o-ring at the head vs. the gasket. I think it will seal better with less distortion. Also get an 'S' carb if you can find one as they are thicker walled and do not distort so easily. I have seen after market 'S' carbs on ebay and I believe the one for the XR75/80 is the same as an 'S' with different jetting. Let me know if you are interested in a repro. Scooter

Thanks for the info guys. I'll proced with my rebuild. There was no cam rattle, it and the journals in the head are perfect. The loss of this engine was from PO never adjusting the cam chain and cutting through the cam chain tunnel in the cylinder. My project is moving slowly as well due to the summer weather. I've been out doing other things.

I am rebuilding a TL125 engine due to the cam chain wiping out the tunnel. The cylinder and piston have absolutely no scoring, in fact they look almost new. This bike had low hours and was not ridden hard. Anyway, the crank and connecting rod side clearance measures about .007" with feeler gage. .005" goes .010" no-go. My Honda Shop Manual from 1974 for the CB,CL,SL,TL 100-125 engines states the following:Side Clearance 0-.01mm (0-.0004") Vertical clearance .1-.35mm (.004-.014"). Is this a misprint? Does side clearance mean between the rod and crank halves? Does Vertical clearance mean the diametral tolerance between the crank pin and rod? I would like to post a jpeg of the page from the manual to clarify my ramblings but have yet to figure out how. Any insight is on the specs or posting an image is greatly appreciated. Scooter

Michael, I have held off doing an aluminum skid plate for my TL125 for that very reason. Take a look at the BPS engineering site http://www.bps-eng.com/ and look at how they did the bash plate on their TL Pro kit. They have added steel mounting points to the frame. That is how I am going to do mine, started on it today.

Keep in mind any welds on aluminum will be soft and therefore not structural for use as a stressed member.

majestyman360, I have to agree that the small fins are a problem,however, the 200cc cylinder has much larger fins than the stock jug albeit not as large as the fins on a TLR250 jug. The larger fin size is not initially noticeable to the casual observer so you maintain a stock apperance. I ride in the mid-Atlantic region of the US near Washington D.C. and it can be quite hot and humid (90+ F, 90+ humidity) here in the summer. The bike runs ok in the summer, sometimes I need to ride around a field or parking area for five or ten minutes to cool the engine down. Currently temps are ideal at 45-55 F, the engine loves these temps! swooshdave, The heatshield on the carb is important as well. I have made replica heatshields from a fire retardant phenolic to preserve my original. It has been on the bike for several years now. A few years ago I was at an Ahrma Trial at Mid-Ohio, hot and humid. Ran into a guy with a stock TL who was having problems, his heat shield was broken. My bike was running fine, he asked about the heat shield, told him it was necessary, next loop saw him again with an improvised aluminum foil shield. His bike was running much better. I like your heat tape wrapon the exhaust, I'm sure it helps also. I have thought about ceramic coating my exhaust. Any thoughts? Yes, I know it's expensive...

I have a TL125 with a 168cc big bore, shortened 200cc cylinder, bored cases, some head work I am told. I bought the bike this way in 2003 (?) and it still runs as strong today as when I first got it, better actually since I have the carb problem straightend out. Points, plug, oil changes and clutch are the only things I've done to it. Stu I am interested in the 180kit as I am currently building another bike. Please send me more info. Thanks, Scott

I have the Sammy Miller Universal chain tensioner on my beloved TL125. As Grame17 says it does need modifications. Being a machinist it is easy for me. To the best of my recollection (bike not here so I can't look at it) I mounted it to the lower chain guard bracket just in front of the rear sprocket. I made a spacer between the guide block and the mounting arm to align the guide with the chain. I also had to make a spacer between the tensioner and the bracket on the swingarm. I drilled the nut on the mounting bracket (or is it in the chain guard) to allow the tensioner mounting bolt thru from the inside. I have sketches with the bike I scan and post if you would like. It has been on the bike for several years now. Every now and then it gets bumped and twisted slightly but it has worked well. I know that the mounting bracket for the linkage type shifter has been used for chain tensioners but I could not get the SM one to work there. There is no room for the spring. Hope this helps. Scott

Hi, I just picked up a Fraser MK2 frame (the one with the backbone/tank) for the TL125 and was wondering if anyone can give me a bit of history on the Fraser frames. I haven't been able to find much on the internet. Your 'coffin' shaped gas tank appears to be a polished TL250 tank to me. Thanks, Scott

Hello all, I thought I would say hello. I got into riding as a young teenager in the mid '70s. My parents bought me a brand new Honda XR75 and I had a blast with it for four years. What a great way to build your independence. I also had a TL125 I rode as a trail bike at the time and an XL500. In the early 80's I got very heavily (3-5 days a week) into rock climbing for about 10 years. Our riding areas slowly dissappeared as well so I got rid of the bikes. I live near Baltimore, Maryland in the US and stumbled across Mid Atlantic Vintage Trials About five years ago. MAVT holds about 15 events anually. I picked up two Tl125's, one with a 170cc conversion and have been having tremendous fun ever since! Scott