I just purchased a bike (1989 Kawasaki KX 125) after many years of not working on one.:rasta:
My last bikes were Yamaha IT 175 and a Honda Elsinore CR250. I am looking for some web sites with good technical info and possibly schematics/exploded views of the parts. I found a good website with some exploded views (www.buykawasaki.com), but they could be a little better. Looking for info on specifications like: stock F+R sprockets, plug type, oil types + capacities, etc.
I just ordered a Clymer manual and want to start working on the bike before the manual gets here next week.

I was also warned (after I purchased it :flipoff2: ) that this model bike may have the chromed cylinder wall and that you cannot hone the cylinder and go up a size on the piston. What this means is that everytime you scratch the cylinder wall, you need to replace the cylinder. Is this true for this model + year?

Thanks,
JohnL814
J814@engineer.com

Stock gearing I would guess to be 12/48

Kawi service manuals would be the best way to go, but they are a dealer part and $$$

Plug is a NGK BR8ES, if I recall

Use Bel-Ray gearsaver in the gearbox, it should hold between .7L-1L

Use a good oil to mix, Amsoil, Klotz, may seem like overkill for a old bike, but it will run better, and you know it's getting lubed.

This is all off the top of my head, so you will want to back it up:)

www.bikebandit.com

They have exploded views of everything on the bike.

Buy a manual, there is everything you need to know in there. The cyclinder is Nikasil(sp?), which is not bore-able. You can sleeve it though.

I hope you still have the IT and CR, both classics. It will be like going from a 57 Chevy to a 92 Grand Am. Yea the Grand Am is faster and handles better, but has no character.

I think this is the first nice thing I have said to anyone in here.

By the way, Lame is just taking a wild guess at the plug. 90% of 2 stroke MX'ers take a BR8E.... thats why he threw it out there. Your scooter actually takes a B10EG.

He should have known.

Originally posted by Yo Mammy Boy
By the way, Lame is just taking a wild guess at the plug. 90% of 2 stroke MX'ers take a BR8E.... thats why he threw it out there. Your scooter actually takes a B10EG.

He should have known.

Really, what do you run? Same high dollar NGK as the MXers have been running for a few years.....

the chrome plated cycl. are awesome if you take care of it like clean the air filter every ride and do the the rings as often as they need it which for me was every other week depending on how much i rode other wise you would have to bore it every time you rebuild it and that takes time and more money this way is much better:beer:

Yo Mamma Boy,
Thanks for the info on the cylinder. It probably needs a ring job because it hasn't been done in over 2 years but the bike hasn't been riden that much. The compression seems OK to me, but I haven't messed with the bike much. Thanks for the info on the Air Filter, luckily I checked it out when I got it home and noticed that it was SHOT, so I picked up a UNI filter today. I also have a manual on order for the bike.

My next question is the shifter seal. It is leaking around the shifter shaft and I picked up a new seal. What is the easiest way to pull out the old seal without splitting the casings?
Can I place a bent screwdriver in there and pull out the old one or what?

Unfortunately the other bikes that I mentioned are no longer mine. The IT 175 went to my brother and now he has a reason to fix the silly throttle cable (pretty weak excuse:smokin: ). The 1973 CR250 Elsinore HOG was sold to a local guy. I needed to get rid of it and it broke my heart. At the time I had only 2 weeks to move everything out of my parents place (2 barns full of stuff) and had no room for the bike.