GP’s Classic Steel #62: 1986 Honda CR125

For this week’s GP’s Classic Steel we are going to take a look back at the 1986 Honda CR125R.

For this week’s GP’s Classic Steel we are going to take a look back at the 1986 Honda CR125R.

From the outside, the 1986 Honda CR125R appeared little changed from the ’85 model.  On the track, however, it was a whole different animal. A major boost in power transformed the CR from bridesmaid to bell of the ball in ’86.

At the dawn of international motocross, it was the big booming thumpers that stole all the headlines. These massive machines were a handful and only the bravest and most skilled riders could make the most of their brutish performance. Then in the sixties, the lightweight two-stroke made an appearance and 250 class started to gain prominence. In the seventies, it was the high-revving 125’s turn to shine, as America’s youth was drawn to the inexpensive and easy-to-ride tiddlers. With the traditional European manufacturers content to build high-profit big-bores, the Japanese upstarts cranked out 125’s by the thousands.

While the Japanese had been producing small-bore “scramblers” since the late sixties, it was not until 1973 that they really got serious about the 125 class. The revolutionary Honda CR125M Elsinore made obsolete every small-bore that came before it and created an explosion of interest in the eighth-liter division. After the incredible initial success of the Elsie, it was up to Suzuki to make the next big splash with their new works replica RM’s. From ’75 through ’79, the yellow buzz bombs from Hamamatsu dominated small bore racing with torquey motors and supple suspension. In ’80, it was Yamaha’s turn to steal the title of best tiddler, before once again surrendering the laurels to the incredible Full-Floater RM’s in ’81 and ‘82. Nineteen eighty-three would see a return to glory for the old girl who started it all, the Honda CR125R. The CR’s reign would be short lived, however, as ’84 would see the rise of the 125 class’ perennial whipping boy, the Kawasaki KX125. After a solid decade of mediocrity, Kawasaki would unveil an absolute monster of a motor, which would leave the other 125’s sucking its vapor trail in ’84 and ‘85.

For ’86, Honda made a number of small changes to their 125 power plant that paid big dividends. The CR’s mill barked off idle and pulled into a rip-snorting midrange blast, before tapering off on the top end. It pulled the strongest from gear to gear and offered the broadest power spread of any 125 in ’86.

Coming into ’86, three of the big four 125’s were licking their wounds after a two year drubbing by Team Green. The ’85 Honda was a solid bike, but it lacked the ponies to run with the KX.  The Suzuki still offered its renowned Full-Floater suspension, but like the Honda, spent the year eating roost from the barking Kawasaki. Worst of all was the Yamaha YZ125, who MXA famously accused of not being able to outrun a Toro lawnmower. It looked like if anyone was going to take back the crown of number one 125 from Kawasaki, they would need to find a way to bring a few more ponies to the corral in ’86.

For Honda, the ’85 CR125R had been only a motor away from class dominance. It was the best handling, best suspended and best built. If it only had a little more power, it would have been impossible to beat. For ’86, Honda looked to refine their proven package with a list of incremental improvements, all designed at unseating the reigning tiddler champ.

At the end of ’85, longtime Husky privateer Micky Dymond was tapped by Team Honda to take the spot of departing 125 National champion Ronnie Lechien. While Dymond may have seemed like a surprising pick at the time, he rewarded Big Red with back-to-back 125 National Motocross titles in ’86 and ’87.

For ’86, Honda retained the same basic engine package it had used in ’85, but made several small refinements to bump up the power. It kept the same 124cc displacement and 54mm bore and stroke from the previous year, but mated it to a new single ring piston and revised porting. The exhaust pipe was new and featured a revised version of Honda’s ATAC (Automatic Torque Amplification Chamber) system. The ATAC retained the same basic design it had had since ’84, but featured a slightly larger resonance chamber to help increase bottom–end power. A quicker pull throttle, new six pedal-reed valve intake and a larger airbox topped off the motor changes for ’86.

On the track, the ’86 CR was a transformed machine. Where the ’85 CR had been soft down low and mellow through the rev band, the ’86 barked off idle and blasted off in the midrange. It jumped from the first crack of the throttle, revved fast and pulled like no CR125 before it. The motor hit hard and easily lofted the front wheel out of turns and over obstacles. On top, the CR pulled well, but slowly tapered off towards the rev limiter. It was basically a carbon copy of the meaty KX powerbands that had dominated motocross the two years before.

Originally introduced in ’84, Honda’s 124cc ATAC mill was known for its smooth power and easy-to-ride nature. For ’86, Honda transformed this mellow personality into the powerhouse of the class. At just over 26 horsepower, the CR’s broad torque curve and strong midrange power gave it an advantage on the track that no other 125 could match.

While Honda was giving their 125 a major power injection in ’86, the previous champion was making a major misstep. For ’86, Kawasaki unveiled their new “Works Replica” KX125 and screwed up their previously unbeatable engine package. The KX traded off its hard-hitting low-to-mid mill for a hard-to-ride high-rpm screamer. The “Works Replica” had none of the previous two years torquey delivery and required the KX pilot to keep the motor pinned at all times. It was fast, but hard to ride for anyone slower than Jeff Ward.

The Last of the Mohicans-1986 would see the last stand of the venerable drum brake by Honda. The ’87 CR would bring with it a completely new design and a spiffy new rear disc binder to go with it.

In the yellow camp, things were looking even grimmer, as Suzuki introduced a complete turd for ‘86. The all-new and all-blue RM mill used an ATAC-like exhaust valve molded into the cylinder head and lacked anything resembling horsepower. It was gutless at any rpm and useless as a racing motor.

What a difference a decade makes. In 1986, Dirt Bike Magazine brought 1976 125 National Champ Marty Smith together with 1986 125 Champ Micky Dymond to compare each other’s title winning bikes.   Both riders came away amazed by how much the bikes had changed in a mere ten years (compare that to now, where bikes barely change at all from year-to-year). Both Micky and Marty were impressed with how much power the ’76 RC still made, but suspension performance was predictably grim.

With the Kawasaki and Suzuki out of the running, it came down to a surprising upstart contender to challenge Honda for the best mill of ’86. After several years of absolute dogs, Yamaha came out swinging in ’86 with a completely new YZ125. The new case-reed Yammer did away with old bikes’ listless delivery and replaced it with a punchy midrange blast. There was little power above or below its explosive midrange, but when it went, it went “right now”.  It had the hardest hit, and most burst of any 125 in ’86.

In ’86, two-stroke “power valves” came in three basic configurations: The variable exhaust valve resonance chamber (ATAC and ATEC), the variable height exhaust port (HPP and YVPS) and a hybrid combination of the two (KIPS).  In the case of the ATAC, Honda used a small sub-chamber off the exhaust manifold to boost head pipe volume and as a result, low-end power. It was simple and easy to work on, but less effective than more sophisticated designs like the Honda’s own HPP system.

In the final rankings, the potent YZ put up a valiant fight, but was no match for the Honda’s awesome combination low-end response and meaty horsepower.  Also hurting the YZ was its notchy transmission and cranky clutch, which made every upshift a hit-or- miss affair. In ’86, the Honda offered the most power, over the widest spread and combined that with the smoothest gearbox and a flawless clutch (beefed up with an additional plate for ’86). It did not pull as hard on top as the KX, or explode as violently as the YZ, but it never missed shifts or fell off the pipe like the other two. For ’86, Honda went after Kawasaki, and ended up beating them at their own game.

Nineteen eighty-six would see the last of the Honda’s remote reservoir shock designs. In 1987, Big Red would go with an odd piggyback reservoir that mounted the canister on top of the shock, directly behind the top shock mount. After this design suffered from premature fading, Honda would switch to the “milk bottle” reservoir design still common today in ’88.

In the suspension world, the really big news of ’86 was Showa’s remarkable new cartridge fork system. After over a decade of abysmal performance, the works style internals found on the ’86 CR’s gave Big Red a huge advantage. Unfortunately for CR125 pilots, however, the lowly 125 was not deemed worthy of the magic legs. In a strange decision, the CR250R and CR500R got the good stuff, while the CR125R soldiered on with Kayaba’s non-cartridge internals. Instead of the high-tech wave washers of the Showa’s, the little CR had to make do with what Kayaba called its Travel Control Valve (TCV) damping system.  The new TVC design used a “poppet valve” to control damping and was supposed to offer finer control than previous damper-rod designs. On the track, however, the new TVC forks were harsh and far less plush than the Showa’s on its big brother. They worked decently on small hits, but tended to hydraulic lock on slap-down landings and G-outs. They were raceable, but no fun for the wrists.

After the ultra-exotic works RC125 raced by Lechien in ’85, Dymond’s production ’86 racer actually looked rather mundane. The only visual clues to its potent performance were the works rear disc brake, HRC engine covers and Factory pipe.

Without a cartridge in the field, there was no real run away fork winner in ’86. All the 125’s had issues, but in the end, it was Suzuki out front. Following the RM in second was the KX, which offered a decent ride and passable performance. In third and fourth, we had the TVC twins of Yamaha and Honda, who both used the Travel Control Valve technology to similar results and a last place finish.

While the rest of the CR line got Showa’s new “works style” cartridge forks for ’86, the 125 had to soldier on with old style KYB damper-rod units. Although they got the benefit of Kayaba’s latest “Travel Control Valve” technology, they were light years behind the cartridges and mediocre at best in performance.

In the rear, the CR125R used its trademarked Pro-Link rear suspension and mated it to a KYB remote reservoir shock. For ’86, Honda changed the rising rate of the linkage to offer a more progressive feel and bolted on a revised shock that offered 16 compression and 22 rebound settings. The new rear end was a decent performer overall, but many faster riders found it too soft out of the box. While it was plush on small bumps, it tended to bottom harshly on G-outs and big hits. Much like the forks, most riders preferred the smoother ’85 set up.

For ’86, Honda revised the KYB shock and linkage on the CR125R in an effort to provide a more progressive feel. Unfortunately, most testers preferred the ’85 setup. The ’86 version was plush over small bumps, but tended to blow through the stroke and bottom on hard hits. For anyone faster than a novice, the CR needed help.

In the shock department, it was once again the scrappy Yamaha pulling to the front. After years of banging and bouncing rear ends, the new Y-Zed’s “Ohlins style” set up was the cream of the crop in ‘86. In second, we had the smooth Suzuki, followed by the too-soft Honda and bucking-bronco Kawasaki.

State of the art- In 1986, these were the best brakes in motocross. The twin-piston caliper wonders on the CR offered the most power, best feel and least hassles. Good stuff.

While the CR125R had been somewhat down on power in ’84 and ’85, the one area where it took a backseat to no one was handling. The little CR was a scalpel on the track, with incredibly sharp turning response and a light feel. No line was too tight and no corner too tricky for the red machine. For ’86, Honda limited its chassis changes to the addition of a head stay to increase rigidity. As a result, the CR was still the same tight handling package red riders had grown to love. The flip side of this razor sharp turning, was of course, a bit of oscillation at speed. Headshake was a common occurrence on Honda’s of this era and the little CR was no exception. At high speed and in the rough, the CR could shake its head bad enough to yank the bars clear out of your hands. While it could be sketchy if the rider was tired or caught unaware, this twitchiness was considered a fair trade off for the Honda’s incredible turning.

The CR125R would be the last of Honda’s motocrossers to use the original ATAC (Automatic Torque Amplification Chamber) system. In ’87, Honda would redesign the CR mill with a case-reed intake and completely new ATAC design.

In the 1986 handling derby, it was the Honda that collected the most votes. While it could be a handful at speed, a majority of riders preferred the Honda’s tight manners to those of the others. In second, we once again had the new look YZ, with a package nearly as sharp as the CR’s. In third sat the Suzuki, with a middle-of the-road package that was neither as exciting nor as terrifying to ride as the Honda. In last, we had the Kawasaki, which really steered off the rails in ’86. The KX stood up in turns, climbed berms and tried to eject its rider at inopportune moments. It was a bit of a mess and by far the worst handler of ‘86.

Probably the most famous ride of all on the ’86 CR125R, was Johnny O’Mara’s incredible performance at the 1986 Motocross des Nations. On an incredibly high speed and hilly track, the O’Show ran down the reigning 500 World Motocross Champion Dave Thorpe (no slouch himself, Thorpe had waxed the field the year before in Germany) on his little CR125R and beat everyone but his America teammates both motos.

In the details department, the Honda stood head and shoulders above the others. Its twin-piston caliper front binder was both the strongest and most progressive of all the 125‘s. Its rear drum was the best of the lot, but it did lack the all out power of the KX’s rear disc. It had the best airbox and stock filter (both the YZ and RM sucked dirt with the stock units), as well as the easiest to service chassis. The bars, grips, plastic and ergonomics were all top notch and a step above the others. On top of being the fastest bike, the CR was also the most reliable. The motor and chassis were completely bulletproof in ’86 and far superior to the KX and RM, both of who were known to have many costly reliability issues (broken frames, seized cranks and cracked rims).

The 1986 Honda CR125R was not the perfect motocross bike. It shook its head at speed and its suspension was mediocre, but oh that engine! It barked, it brappped, it roosted and it romped on every other 125. It was the best built, fastest and sharpest handling 125 in ’86, and for most tiddler pilots, that was an unbeatable combination.

In 1986, Honda came out with its best CR125 to date. Without the benefit of the Showa cartridges, it lacked some of the suspension finesse of it big brothers, but it made up for it with that rompin, stompin motor. In the 500’s or 250’s, its mediocre suspension might have cost it the title, but in the 125’s, motor was King. Like the Kawasaki the two years before, the Motor of Doom was enough to cover up its other sins. It ripped, it snarled, it diced and it sliced. The Honda CR125R was a serious motocross weapon, and the best 125 of ’86. 

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