1997 Honda CR125 Specifications

The 1997 Honda CR125R's 125 cc engine was a single-cylinder engine that operated with two strokes with Honda power port (HPP) and used a liquid cooling system. A two-stroke engine uses a downward stroke and an upward stroke in order to fire once — the downward stroke pulled in the fuel and air mixture from the crankcase and the upward stroke of the engine compressed the fuel and air mixture and readied it for the ignition. The bore and stroke was 2.12 inches by 2.14 inches, and the engine had a compression ratio of 8.8:1. The bike also had a 1.42 inch flat-side reed valve in the crankcase for the fuel system and carburetor. The reed valve controlled the release of a pressurized fuel and air mixture into the crankcase and eventually to the combustion chamber. The CR125R's ignition system used a solid-state digital ignitor and an electric advance. You could start the motorcycle with a kickstarter.

The Honda CR125R's close-ratio transmission used a No. 520 chain on a gear-driven primary drive and had five speeds. The transmission was also a 12T/49T version. The bike had a hydraulic, wet clutch with multiple plates. A wet clutch is a type of clutch that allows oil from the transmission to get between the plates and causes them to get sticky and moist. Riders had to hold down the clutch to let the oil run off the plates before using the bike to keep the transmission from clunking.

The chassis of the CR125R had a seat height of 37.4 inches, and the bike had a ground clearance of 13.9 inches. The front and rear wheels used single-disc brakes, and the front brake had twin-piston calipers. The total wheelbase measured 56.8 inches, and the bike weighed 192.9 lbs. without fuel. Honda used Kabaya suspension parts in the CR125R. The back suspension was a Pro-Link suspension with a single shock and included a spring preload. Rear suspension offered 12.6 inches of travel and had eight positions at low speed and two turns at high speed. The front suspension used a 1.81-inch inverted fork, had a travel of 12.2 inches and provided 20-position compression. The CR125R's fuel tank could hold up to two gallons.