1975 Honda CB125S Brat Seat Foam and Gas Tank

Got a little work done today. Stripped and cleaned up the tank and got the seat foam glued on and shaped. Need to get a couple things before I can start sewing the seat cover but will hopefully get it done this weekend.

1975 Honda CB125S Brat Tachometer Plug

I think I've decided to run sans gauges. Really just for the clean look, not for any practical reason. With that in mind, I needed to plug the tachometer hole in the motor. I keep scraps of aluminum around for just this reason. I chucked some up in the lathe and got my dimensions.

Got my initial turning done and scribed some lines to locate the groove.

I drilled a 1/4" hole in the middle and then left a lip at the top to make it easy to get out.

Once I tried to fit it, I realized that the motor clearance would not allow me to have a lip on the top so I had to remove a little material. Put a little sealer on it and installed the new plug.

1975 Honda CB125S Brat Headlight

I've been really struggling trying to figure out what to do for a headlight. I knew that I wanted to use the original if I could but after looking at the options for headlight mounts, I wasn't satisfied and knew that I'd have to make my own.

I took an aftermarket mount for a CT70 that I had around because it never fit any of my bikes. I took two of the clamps off and bored them out on the lathe to 27MM to fit my CB125 forks.

I then took a piece of 3/8" rod and drilled and tapped each end to fit the 6mm bolts from the headlight mount.

Next was how to actually mount the headlight. I had some flat bar around the shop so I took a piece of that and put in on the roller until the radius matched that of the headlight bucket. I knew that if I just welded it to the rod it wouldn't have much contact, so I cut out a center section so I could sink it in a bit and get more contact.

After welding the two pieces together, I took a flap disc to the inside to smooth it out and just improve the look a bit. It's not super pretty but it didn't cost me any money and only took a couple hours to make. That's a win in my book.

Bolted the headlight to the mount and I've happy with the way it turned out. Still have enough room above to mount the speedo and it's not too complicated. Throw some paint on it and I think it'll be pretty slick.

I'm happy with how the bike is turning out. I've only spent $40 on parts so far which has got to be the cheapest I've built a bike. I'm going to be making a custom aluminum tail light on the lathe so stay tuned for that. After that's done, I'll do a post on shaping my seat foam and sewing a nice leather cover.

1975 Honda CB125S Brat Rear Fender and Bars

Time to start on the rear fender. I had planned to use a Triumph front fender on the rear however after thinking about it, I liked the idea of using the original fender and just cutting a section out of the middle, grafting it together and throwing on there. Here's how I did it.

Started with taping off where I wanted to cut both on the front and rear of the fender.

Holding the two pieces together by hand to see if I like where it sits. Looks good to me. Time to slap some weld on there and throw it on.

I welded a piece of flat bar across the hoop and drilled a couple holes to mount the fender. I like that it sits a little longer than the average brat/cafe bike. Don't want a dirty stripe up my bike while I'm riding in the wet.

My  bars also came in today. They were a bit wide so I cut 2" off each side.

1975 Honda CB125S Brat Front Fender

You've got to just keep plugging away at the little things. Had a free hour today and thought I would tackle the front fender. Most of the bikes I've built don't have front fenders and it's never been an issue except when in the rain in Portland in February. Doesn't take much of a fender to keep the spray out of your face so full chop ahead.

Grabbed the sharpie and roughed out what I wanted.

Went to town with the angle grinder and what was once 1 piece is now 3.

Trimmed it up a bit. Sanded the ends to even it out and we're good to go.

1975 Honda CB125S Brat Seat Pan

The seat pan is pretty much done.

I started with a piece of 18 gauge sheet and roughed out the shape of the seat pan.

I then annealed the sheet metal to make the middle soft where I would bend it to shape and also annealed the edges so I could round the edges to fit the radius of the frame.

Next I tacked the front portion of the original seat pan to the piece I made. I then made paper templates to box in the front of the seat pan, finished welded the whole thing then hit it with a flap disc to smooth it all out. As far as attaching it to the frame, I have become a believer in the industrial type plastic velcro. I know it sounds ridiculous but I've used it in different places on several builds and the stuff is amazing. Something like 1 inch of it ill hold 10lbs. I'll put a couple strips on the side and 1 in the back and it should be good to go. Guess the next step is shaping the foam.

1975 Honda CB125S Seat Hoop Brat

I can't guarantee this bike won't be ugly. I guarantee it won't fast. But it should be fun to ride and I'm sure it will find itself at home in Portland.

So the goal with this bike it to make it a little brat style thing. Why brat style you ask? Well, because it's the least amount of work and won't cost me much money.

I started off with my favorite thing, stripping the bike down. Out came the bandsaw and I hacked away on the frame just behind the shock mounts. Grabbed a section of 7/8" DOM and bent a little hoop, held it on there with one hand, closed my eyes, and welded it on with the other.

I think I'll be chopping the front section off the original seat pan so I get the little section that goes up and over the gas tank mount, then I'll cut out some 18 gauge to finish it up. Will post pics as I get the work done.

1975 CB125S

Well the gang is getting ready for The One Show in Portland again this year. We've learned a couple things over the years. Since we are riding cheap little garbage bikes, an extra bike is a must. With that in mind, I picked up this little CB the other day. Before it goes under the knife, I'm working with an awesome wiring diagram made by NRCB125 from dotheton.com and seeing where I can cut out even more for my build. You can see his original diagram HERE.