My Chinese 125

Cleaning the Brake Pads

2010-04-07T02:11:00.007+01:00

If your front brakes aren't working properly or as well as they used to, it could be that the brake pads just need a good clean! Here's how I cleaned mine:

First locate said front brake :P

You'll want to undo the two bolts that hold it to the forks, as well as the small bolt that holds the speedo wire in place.

Once it comes off you will be able to see the brake pads. There will still be the brake wire with the brake fluid on, I just left that alone as I didn't want to mess around with that and put it to rest on a pile of bricks so as not to put any strain on it.

To remove the brake pads, you'll have to undo this retaining pin shown here, which needs an allen key to remove. When it's removed just pull out the pads.

So these are the culprits eh. Time to clean these bad boys! Hah. Having read up on it, it appears using a combination of soap and water, brake cleaner and isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is the best way to clean them, followed by a wet and dry session with a fine grade of sandpaper.

And there ya have it! Just reverse the above to put it on, you'll need a screwdriver to prise the pads apart so you can put it on and then your brakes should be much improved :)
If the brake pads have reached the end of the lines down them, this means you should really replace them.

Another thing to remember is leave the brake lever alone while you're doing this! You don't want to push the piston out and ruin the calibration of the brake!

Shopping list!

2010-04-03T22:40:00.007+01:00

Ok, so here is my shopping/to-do list for the HN125 at the moment in case you're wondering or are just nosey:

GPS tracking system (can never be too safe! Good to know where my bike is at all times!)
Alarm
Crash bars - DaveRS has given us news that there will be crash bars available for the HN125-8 very soon, specifcally for the Huoniao HN125-8!
Chrome exhausts - as well as being chrome, they have no catalytic converter in them, improving the performance of the bike!
Top box - don't know which one will fit but always good to have some storage on the ol' bike.
Side panel - my panel broke after so much unscrewing and screwing in of the screw due to my tinkering. If only it was the same in life eh!
ACF-50 - after being bombarded by DavidQC about how good it is and how it can improve your life 3-fold I have decided it is a good idea to get some! For anyone who doesn't know, it is the stuff used on aircraft to stop corrosion and what not.
Jets - seems to be running lean at the moment so will be up-jetting very soon :) already on a 100 jet from a stock 90 :|
Chain - chain is rusting and could do with a new, better chain. Probably due to my non-ACF lifestyle, right David? ;) Although I'm sure the stock chain won't be the best quality chain out there.

I will be hopefully getting round to all these in the coming months, it's only a matter of money!

Fitting an Air Horn!

2010-04-03T15:36:00.008+01:00

I decided to upgrade the horn because the stock horn was dire. I ended up buying a 139dB Stebel Magnum horn off ebay for about £11 which wasn't too bad. It was just a simple swap over.

Fitting the air horn.
Here's the stock horn :)

I had to take this thing that held the Huoniao badge on before I took it off, off. I just took the two bolts off, removed it then put the bolts back on as I didn't know whether something would fall to bits if they weren't on lol.

It was held on by a bracket and two nuts, one attaching to the horn and one on the fork assembly bit. I had to undo these and it just came off.

It was connected by two spade connectors, I used a screwdriver to get em off as they usually hold on pretty tightly.

Here it is connected up and bracketed in. As you can see I had to bend the connectors so they faced up instead of horizontally as it was pressing against the frame and that wasn't good ;)

And here is the finished thing :D How sexy! Louder than stock and not as embaressing ;) Heh!
If anyone else is going to install one, remember to face the horn horizontally and slightly downwards so if any rain gets in it, it will run off it and not into it. Job well done!

2010-03-16T17:41:00.005Z

You may have noticed I haven't updated the blog in a while.
This is because I don't have much time, doing a full time uni course and working as well, so I won't be posting as often.

You can find me on the Huoniao owners club forum as 'sc2006' and I have just signed up to another forum: The Chinese Bike Forum (same username).

Update

2009-11-07T14:57:00.002Z

Not really much to update at the moment!
Bike has been running great aside from the odd sticky clutch. Have had it up to about 66/67MPH on the road - screams a bit but still gets there.
Due for an oil change soon, 100KM done, I just need a few minutes where it will stop raining for me to do it! Damn British weather!
I've had a few comments on it been a good looking bike while I've been out and about - little do they know its Chinese ;)
If anyone knows how to cover up the engraved branding on the sides of the engines, let me know as I want a totally de-branded bike - keep everyone guessing!

Waiting, More Waiting & an Oil Change

2009-10-19T23:19:00.011+01:00

Haven't updated in a while, so here it is all you Chinese lovers :)

I sent the DVLA documents off on Monday, Royal Mail Special Delivery and received them back on Friday so it was quicker than I expected.
Tax disc holder also arrived today as well. I had a hard time finding a place to put it but I ended up putting it on the bottom of the frame where the handlebars are.

I felt an engine oil change was due before I rode it for the first time on the roads (well... ;) ).
It was just a matter of undoing the bolt on the underside of the engine and catching the crap in a shallow container.

It took me a while to undo the bolt. After a lot of swearing and cursing I took a step back to analyse why it was so hard to undo. It was then I realised I had been turning it the wrong way -_- Don't be me! Turn it clockwise! Edit: Ahem, as it has been pointed out to me it's actually ANTI-clockwise! D'oh!
After I unscrewed it all the gunk just drained into the pot; took a few minutes.

Then it was just the simple step of putting the mineral oil 10w40 from Wilkinsons.
Just a simple test run to make sure the engine didn't collapse in itself and die from something I did!
After letting it run I noticed it sounded healthier and seemed to be more responsive to the throttle. Weird how a simple oil change can make so much difference really.

The oil was a bitch to get off, it got everywhere. In the pot, the funnel, the floor. Took a whole lot of washing up liquid to get rid of it!

Naked Bike Porn!

2009-10-09T17:13:00.010+01:00

Yesterday I started spraying the bike as I really don't like the Huoniao logo's and what not on it by default. Unfortunately I had Uni so I couldn't finish it the same day.
I took the side panels off and sprayed the back of it with some cheap spray paint to see how it would look and I ended up painting the tank and side panels!
Now I'm not going to pretend I know what I'm doing or tell you I bought 10 different cans of spray paint to paint it etc., it's a simple paint job for a simple man ;)

The first thing I needed to figure out was how to get the seat off, so off I went in search of my Honda CM125 Haynes manual.
Hmmm, it's attached by two bolts at the back.
So I undid these bolts:

... and the seat came right off!

Sexy huh? ;)

Anyway fuel tank next.
Surprisingly the tank is only held on to the frame with one bolt under the seat O_O
So off it came (don't forget to disconnect the pipe on the fuel tap and turn the tap off first!).

I had to be careful with it as it was still full of petrol so I made an ingenious setup to drain the fuel into my petrol can :D

Amazing :P
Although it was taking so long I ended up taking the fuel tap off and just pouring it out the hole.

There it is in case you're wondering :)

And here it is in paintage:

After that, it was just a matter of putting it all back together:
And here is the end result:

Beautiful ain't she :)
More of a stealth finish me thinks.

My NGK D8EA spark plug finally arrived today (damn greedy postal workers) so I swapped that over and it definitely sounds better. The only thing that needed adjusting was the idle screw on the carb as it was on about 1k idle revs when I had just swapped them over. It was turned about a quarter turn clockwise (in).

A Bit of DIY & Pen Pushing :) :(

2009-10-07T17:55:00.011+01:00

Had a bit of spare time today after Uni, so decided I would do a few bits and bobs to my bike.
I finally managed to get somewhere with the paperwork, booked my CBT and sorted out my insurance. £338 TPFT from Rampdale O_O
My God. I nearly had a heart attack. AND that is the CHEAPEST around. No convictions, no nothing, 1 years no claims, bike lock etc. £338!!! Three-Hundred-And-Thirty-Eight Pounds. Dear me.

The paperwork for a new bike is awful, makes me lose the will to live. First I couldn't register the bike because I needed an insurance certificate first. I then couldn't get insurance because I hadn't booked my CBT yet. It's like something out of Fawlty Towers!

The plastic bits left over from the protective crap it came in, in the speedo and rev counter were annoying me so I decided to take it off so I could get to the side of it and peel off the rest of the plastic shit.

They're just connect by one bolt and that's it, the bigger of the three bolts.
You can see here where I've taken the bolt off.

The next thing I did was spray the side panels with some black gloss paint although it looks more matt black than gloss. No primers or other sprays were used, this is a cheap DIY job for the moment :D I just dont like the bits on the tank and side panels I think they look terrible.

I ended up taking the seat off with the intention of taking the fuel tank off and spraying that but when it came down to it I just couldn't be bothered :) Maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday, see how it goes.

Test Run

2009-10-06T00:06:00.003+01:00

It was the day for the start up and test run. Scary :|
Off I went down to the petrol station with a petrol can in my hand and filled it up. Poured it into the tank of my bike - bit messy. I then remembered I had a funnel lol and used that to transfer said liquid into the tank with far less mess.

Tried to kick start it and the electric start a few times, didn't work.
Hmmmm.
I then realised the fuel tap wasn't on reserve as I had only filled it with about 3 litres of petrol. D'oh!
Next try: well it started up although it started revving quite high, about 4k. That didn't worry me though as it was its first time starting.
Eventually it settled down to about 1.5k although by this time I had to turn off the engine and let the garden clear a bit :) didn't want to top myself :P
The bike does sound like its bigger than a 125 although you can tell it isn't when its revved. Still sounds good though.

So anyway, I took it for it's first run down the lane (not on the roads as there was still a lot of pen pushing and paper shuffling to do :@).
First thing I noticed was the clutch was quite sensitive, and yes, I did stall it. Many a time :)
Took a bit of getting used to after having a twisty for so long.

I fiddled with the idle screw for a bit and began applying a grease spray to anything that even slightly resembled metal ;) don't want anything to rust! I almost used the whole can infact. Only a £ from the pound shop so no biggy.
I'm just waiting for my NGK D8EA spark plug to come and the Haynes CM125 manual and then I can most likely break my bike by tinkering with it lol.

Side Stand Switch

2009-10-05T23:30:00.009+01:00

Everyone's heard of those pesky side stand switches not working and stranding people in the worst places so I thought I best get rid of it before it happens to innocent (and mechanically dumb) ol' me :)

On with the show; it's located just above the side stand (funnily enough :P) next to the exhaust and footrest. It had two bolts holding it on and then it just unclipped from the wires.

Here's what it looked like when it was off the bike:

When I had got it off I had a fiddle with it to see how it worked. It's actually very simple. When the side stand is down it pushes the button on the right in which moves the contact plate to the left which moves it onto the green and black wires which cut out the engine. When it's moved back it moves onto the red and yellow wires which allows it to run. It's quite a funky device; just a shame it doesn't work properly!

Here's what it looks like behind the contact plate:

I didn't take a photo of it but I just removed everything to the wires (a bit of pulling and swearing will do it ;) and simply melted the two red and yellow wires together (no solder needed!) and isolated the black and green wire with electrical tape. Job done!

Just for the sake of it I re-assembled the switch and attached it back onto the bike (minus the wire connections obviously) just to complete the bike once again, probably my OCD kicking in ;) haha.

One could simply bridge the gap where the red and yellow wires go where the switch plugs in or cut the wires as short as they want and plug it back in if they wanted.
Anyway, any potential problems solved :)

Delivery!

2009-10-01T13:48:00.000+01:00

Been a bit busy lately, so I haven't managed to update it yet.
Well the bike is finished and built after many hours hard work.
Unbelievably, the guy who delivered it hasd to leave it on the road as he couldn't get it up the pavement!!

This meant undoing the crate etc. at the side of the road. I don't think there's ever been as much noseyness and interest in our road before hehe :) I got many comments about the bike and how nice it looked, and when they asked what size it was they couldn't believe it when I said 125. It really is a big bike with a big looking engine!
It dwarfs my old scooter in weight and size.
Well anyway here's how I assembled it. There's a few pictures at the beginning and some of it finished as I had to go quickly as it was quite late in the day they delivered it.

Here it is delivered:

And here is where I had to unpack it and drag it to - by MYSELF! I didn't need to go to the gym for a few days after that and I can tell you I slept well that night ;)

So the first thing I did after unpacking it was attach the handle bars which were just lying on the tank. All this involves is putting them in the centre of handlebar clamping bits and putting four allen screws in and then putting the plastic chrome covers over them.
You might want to put some loctite on these screws as I did after I had finished the build. You don't want to be riding and the handlebars come loose or at worst fall off!

The next thing to attach was the switchgear to the left side of the handlebar (the indicators and horn buttons and the clutch lever). It just comes in two pieces which wrap around the handlebar and are attached by two screws.

Next job - front mudguard. At first I couldn't find the mudguard, but then I realised it had been put on top of the rear wheel which I had failed to notice haha.
Well this was easy anyway, it just has four bolts to bolt it onto the fork legs and a rubber grommit to attach to the mudguard to hold the speedo cable - simple!

I would have taken more pictures but I ended up working into the night hours as it was, exhausted and sweaty :(

Now at this point I needed some help moving it. Luckily my neighbour was coming out of his house at the exact right moment (sucker!) :)
You will need someone strong to help lift it as it is damned heavy! After a lot heaving and panting we got it where I needed it and got my brother to lift the front of the bike up so I could attach the front wheel.
Attaching the front wheel was suprisingly fiddly. The speedo monitor and a wheel spacer go on the outside of the wheel and a bar goes through the middle of the wheel. The brake pads weren't open so I had to wedge them open to fit the brake disc through.

Next was the battery (me and acid = bad :|) I had to unscrew the yellow caps of the battery and fill the different compartments with acid from another tub. I ended up spilling a fair bit on the floor (surprise surprise!) but it ended up alright. Although the floor was another matter! :P
To fit the battery I just took the screw out of the side panel and pulled it out and attached it using a handly little belt and then screwed the black wire to the negative terminal and the red to the positive, making sure they were greased plenty (don't want them rusting).

And that was about it! I finally had a working (almost) new motorbike! I was too tired to do anything else so I caught sum z's in my bed :)

The Beginning...

2009-09-28T19:06:00.000+01:00

My first bike was a Piaggio NRG Power scooter which I owned for a year before selling due to losing my job and money issues.
I am a student at university therefore I couldn't really afford to spend much on a bike, so I had a look on eBay and low and behold there were plenty of cheap bikes on there!
One problem though, I'd never heard of any of them...! Makes like Sukida, Lifan, Skyjet etc.
The first few bikes I looked at and researched didn't fill me with any hope, basically to sum it all up what people were saying; it would fall apart in front of my eyes.
I then saw the Huoniao HN125-8 on eBay from a seller called 'cypruspounds' for £599 and £99 delivery. A further investigation into this bike revealed many good reviews on the bike;

Average Ratings for Huoniao HN125-8 125

Build quality 3.5/5
Reliability 4/5
Value for Money 4.5/5
Reviewer Ratings 4/5
Overall Rating 4/5

Example reviews:

"Had my Huoniao HN125-8 125 for just over six weeks now. Its just come back from first service nothing to report had the spark plug and oil changed, garage could not believe I paid under seven hundred quid for her brand new. Looks bigger than a 125, very good mpg, has kick start but I prefer the electric start."

"The Huoniao HN125-8 125 is overall excellent value for money,i am surprised there are not more of these bikes about,
i feel a lot safer on mine than on a twist and go type scooter.

i commute 20 miles or so every morning on it and enjoy the journey.i would reccomend one to anyone,just make sure your registration docs are' spot on' if you are registering one new(local dvla will help if asked)

an ideal bike to do your cbt or full bike test on"

Most of the reviews are like that so I decided I would take the plunge and ordered one on 27.09.09, after asking a few questions on the Chinese Bike Forum (I'm sc2006 on there if you're interested! Also props to Rogerborg, davidqc and elvgren for all their help :) )
The payment was sorted out on Monday, the following day, and the build instructions for the bike were sent via email on the same day.

Now it's just a waiting game until the bike arrives on Wednesday :)