If there was a hall of fame for great 125s, the 1986 CR 125 would be in there without question. Check out the video for my thoughts and a few laps on this awesome bike!
I didn’t want to bring it back haha! The more laps I ran the more I enjoyed it, I probably ran 10 laps on it! Those bikes were magic and I am so happy to finally get to try her out!
If only Johnny O'mara is in tip top condition like he was back in '86 when he beat Dave Thorpe on a 500, I have no doubt he'll beat the guys of today on a 4 stroke. Just my opinion.
I am sure if Johnny was 20 years old right now he would be on his way up - the cream always rises to the top. But I don’t think that prime Johnny on an 86 CR would be as fast as Chase or Jett Lawrence if they were all on the same track at the same time. Technique has evolved a lot and the bikes have 10 more hp respectively. BUT… the reason that the guys of today are so good is because they have built on what guys like Johnny and Bailey developed. To bring it full circle- Johnny actually coaches Jett and Hunter Lawrence now!
Hey Mark , I’m in the search for an 86 , my buddy had one back in the day and it was awesome . Any tips to buy one and what to pay ? The engine is rebuilt with new crank and connecting rod . All stock plastics with normal frame wear . Any advice would be great . Thanks Rich
As jacked up as the market is, a rebuilt one could go as high as $2500 I’m sure. The main question is always the condition of the right side case water pump. They were magnesium and can corrode over time, causing the coolant to leak. Using Evans Waterless Coolant prevents this but you have to find one that isn’t corroded to start with. There is a guy in Australia that makes reproduction ones, but they are around $400 I believe. Other than that, great bikes and parts aren’t too hard to come by. The springs are way too soft for modern tracks of you intend to race it, but Race Tech can hook you up with stiffer ones. Happy hunting!
@@markswartmx56 thanks Mark , he’s asking 1900.00 down from 2200.00 . The water pump housing was a concern for me and thank you for addressing that for me . If I get it I’ll let you know . Thank you so much for taking the time 👍🏻👍🏻
By today’s standards yes but at the time it was the best of the best. And still really fun to ride now even though it isn’t fast. It has very easy to use power.
Nice I had the 86. 250. Takes me back to the good times thanks great video. God bless, Matt,ky
Loved mine
Mark thanks for giving such a nice review of my bike. You have ridden a lot of bikes so it is great to hear your thoughts on this one.
I didn’t want to bring it back haha! The more laps I ran the more I enjoyed it, I probably ran 10 laps on it! Those bikes were magic and I am so happy to finally get to try her out!
That's a heck of a contrast between this CR and the 74 MX125.
Pretty cool that you did them both on the same day.
Not to mention I was racing my 03 125 too, so I sort of got to see the entire spectrum!
They were called scramblers way back in my day. Pretty cool
Thumbs Up for those CR's 1986-1988!Bad to the Bone...
If only Johnny O'mara is in tip top condition like he was back in '86 when he beat Dave Thorpe on a 500, I have no doubt he'll beat the guys of today on a 4 stroke. Just my opinion.
I am sure if Johnny was 20 years old right now he would be on his way up - the cream always rises to the top. But I don’t think that prime Johnny on an 86 CR would be as fast as Chase or Jett Lawrence if they were all on the same track at the same time. Technique has evolved a lot and the bikes have 10 more hp respectively. BUT… the reason that the guys of today are so good is because they have built on what guys like Johnny and Bailey developed. To bring it full circle- Johnny actually coaches Jett and Hunter Lawrence now!
Johnny I was bad. Him and hurricane Hannah.
Hey Mark , I’m in the search for an 86 , my buddy had one back in the day and it was awesome . Any tips to buy one and what to pay ? The engine is rebuilt with new crank and connecting rod . All stock plastics with normal frame wear . Any advice would be great . Thanks Rich
As jacked up as the market is, a rebuilt one could go as high as $2500 I’m sure. The main question is always the condition of the right side case water pump. They were magnesium and can corrode over time, causing the coolant to leak. Using Evans Waterless Coolant prevents this but you have to find one that isn’t corroded to start with. There is a guy in Australia that makes reproduction ones, but they are around $400 I believe. Other than that, great bikes and parts aren’t too hard to come by. The springs are way too soft for modern tracks of you intend to race it, but Race Tech can hook you up with stiffer ones. Happy hunting!
@@markswartmx56 thanks Mark , he’s asking 1900.00 down from 2200.00 . The water pump housing was a concern for me and thank you for addressing that for me . If I get it I’ll let you know . Thank you so much for taking the time 👍🏻👍🏻
@@rich9192 happy to help! For a rebuilt one in good shape I think that’s a perfectly fair price!
@@markswartmx56 🤘🏻🤘🏻
jeez that 125 is slow.
By today’s standards yes but at the time it was the best of the best. And still really fun to ride now even though it isn’t fast. It has very easy to use power.
@@markswartmx56 but a 85 250 is still pretty fast by todays standard. I'm sure I would outride that 125 with a honda cr85...