Hi can any one help my speedo has stopped working I bought a new cable but stilk isnt working and when I hit 7000 revs it seems to stuggle to pick up the speed any ideas thankyou

I BOUGHT THIS 2006 XR-125 L6 FROM A HONDA DEALER FOR £1600 AND I NEVER HAD A SINGLE PROBLEM WITH IT. ON THE OTHER HAND MY DADS PIAGGIO NRG HAD 1 PROBLEM EVERY MONTH. IN THE END HE GOT RID OF THE PIAGGIO AND BOUGHT A HONDA NOW HE IS SO HAPPY. I BOUGHT A VERY LARGE 65 LITRE BACK BOX AND FITTED IT TO THE BACK AND I CAN CARRY ABOUT 5 SHOPPING BAGS INSIDE IT. REALLY GOOD BIKE, HANDLES DIRT, WATER, MUDDY, GRASS. POSITIVES: VERY ROBUST ENGINE SUMMER OR WINTER VERY LARGE TIRES VERY VERY VERY COMFORTABLE BOUNCY BIKE QUITE SPEEDY ACCELERATION SILENT EXHAUST 200MILES FOR £15 (£1.39/LITRE) NEGATIVES: NOT ENOUGH TOP SPEED - MAX 55 MPH ON FLAT ROAD

Ok, I'm a 40yr old new to biking and am a big 18st+ and at 6'4" needed a bike to reflect my size. After some research I looked at the Yamaha WR125R, the big enduro style bike, which I really liked but was put off by the price. So for a second hand reliable learner with some size I went for the XR125L. It's not a true enduro bike, its a four stroke with a permanently restriced engine (11bhp), you'd need to buy some after market parts to increase the power. Now I'm a big fella so the likelihood of getting 60+ on this bike was only going to happen when a downhill bit came and there was a relativley strong storm behind me. But I'm learning I don't want a bike I am likely to kill myself on, but something forgiving and steady that I can keep up with traffic on the 'A' roads. This bike does all those things, its nippy up to 50 with some practice on gear changes and will crack up to 60 with some patience, though I normally get 55 without too much effort, the engine has more, but is never going to give you it. This is a good thing, you know then that it will last. Gear changes are smooth when you do them right, and clunky when you don't engage the clutch properly, you can engine brake without using the brakes successfully with some good clutch work, you get to use all of the 5 gears, which is also good practice. Its pretty comfortable, it took me time to establish that sitting right up to the tank was the best riding position for comfort and balance and the bike will give you plenty thorugh the meanering country lanes. In the town, you get a rugged commuter that will out accelerate most cars and safely get you out of trouble. This is a kindly bike for the inexperienced biker, which to be honest as a learner is what you need. I'm doing my direct access pretty quick and intend to keep hold of my XR for the rest of it's life. My daughter is 17 next year and it will be her learner bike too. I'll still go for silly little jaunts too, while spending a bit of money on hiring the different styles of bike, experiencing them all and then buying myself something new. If you like a bit of gentle green laning then this bike is perfect, its not set up for heavy off roading, just a bit of fun. Overall you have a great entry to biking, with versatility, stability, reliability and low fuel consumption, the insurance is just a tiny bit more than the average scooter, so give it a try, you won't be breaking land speed records but you'll have a bike that looks the part, other big bikers respect and gives you a commanding position on the road, look after it and it will look after you for years after you have passed your test or to the next person you gift it to.

i had had this bike on a 07 plate with tax and test it was just 1000 pounds!! it has never let me down to get to work and back all weather only lil problem is its a bit weird to ride in the rain with the nobly tires but apart from that it is a very good bike Honda CG engine that goes on for EVER! my biker mate swears by Honda and i see why! DO NOT BUY THEM STUPID CHINESE PEACES OF DUMP they might cost 2000 pounds new but it will fall apart before 2 years go for Japanese the real bike makers! any real bikers will tell you its true. Anyway i gotta go for a ride A++

Handling:
well its designed for onroad and off use, but i would strongly not recommend taking one for heavy off road use as the front tends to really wash-out when pushed and the suspension is VERY "splodgy"! but on the road it is really good is very smooth and handles speed well, i had 65 with a modified pipe!

brakes:
very good front discs and rear drum does the job... just!

engine:
you wont be keeping up with any really high perfomance on road bikes, but you wont be keeping up with much more than a pitbike off road!

overall:
if your in the market for a 4t enduro and have a "reasonably" low budget and enjoy doing some LIGHT offroading (legally obvcourse!)but will spend most on the time comuting then this is the bike for you! but if you want much more than this then increase your budget and look elsewhere!
many thanks
kavan helps

I brought a 03 XR125 L-3 with 9,100 miles on the clock over 19 months ago. In them 19 months I have covered nearly 13,000 miles on the the little beast! It has NEVER let me down!

I have ridden the bike in all weathers and it just keeps going and going. The engine is solid and will never let you down as long as you keep it topped up! MPG of my bike is around 75-85 depending how you're riding.

I went on a month long tour of England in the summer where I covered 1800 miles in a month!

I believe these are very under rated bikes. Iv done a lot of green laning on my bike and it handles great off road.

I give my bike a little service every month to make sure the oil levels are good and the chain is oiled. I give my bike a big service once a year before it's MOT. Oil change, new spark plug, clean the crabs, new fuel line, new pads ect

Been riding bikes for 22 years and this is one of the most fun bikes iv ever ridden. Top speed of my bike (with my 6feet 16stone stone body on it) is 65mph slightly down hill. Tends to hold 60mph on the flat with no problem!

Get a Honda it will always get you home!

hey when i was riding my xr i was doing 50 in third gear and thats with factory settings.
does this sound about right?
i don't know if it'll give me anymore in fourth and fifth cos i haven't had it on a long enough road

I have had honda xr125 bike for one year. it is a good little bike, very reliable, cheap to run and fun for using it on or off the road. the only bad point seems to be the gear when you stop at red light, sometimes it is difficult to get it into neutral or sometimes into the first gear. i have been told this is because the bike is new.

i have an 03 Honda XR125 and i hear people say that their new models will only do 55 to 60 mph. mine does 75mph i had an engine change to an 06 year and used that front sprocket and it did 55 so i change it to the 03 if u want it to go faster put an 03 sprocket on, i have used my bike on and off road i it keeps me happy apart from power.

My son has had this bike from new for 3 years and in that time has covered 28k which is a lot of miles on 2 spark plugs and the original oil. It was used it every day regardless of weather conditions and it has never and I really do mean never let him down. He has religiously ignored service schedules failed to replace worn out consumable parts and never cleaned it. It's been stolen twice -so you can assume it has been seriously abused as well - It has, however generally been ridden sympathetically and that may be what has kept the machine going despite all attempts to destroy it.
Maybe just maybe Honda know how to build motorbikes and they have a good idea who they are building them for.
I have recently inherited the bike (well I did pay for it)
It's had a wash and an oil change and a few non essential items like wing mirrors, brake levers, indicators and light bulbs replaced and passed it's first MOT no problem and the bloke at the garage offered to buy it from me (trade of course). Anybody looking to buy a learner legal 125 would be mad to consider anything else. Forget the rest. Go and get one now.