The Honda MBX 125 was never the top learner two-stroke, but the fact it didn’t achieve the pin-up status of the Yamaha RD125LC and the off-road Yamaha DT125LC meant that it’s a potentially better and more unusual choice.
The Honda MB and MBX road range and MT and MTX off-roaders were introduced in 1979, and the MT50 would survive in the Honda range until 1997. Engine sizes were 50cc, 80cc, 125cc and 200cc for the MT, with various revisions until most of the range slowly disappeared with the MBX stopping in 1993.
The MBX125F was to learner motorcycles what Spandau Ballet were to heavy metal. It certainly looked the part and had all the toys, including water-cooling, a 16-inch front wheel and even a bean-can silencer (earlier 50s were air-cooled). The problem was that it was slower than the other sports 125s, and the usually de-restricted RD would murder it once out on a dual carriageway. It’s a shame as the MBX did look good parked up outside the chip shop.
Fast forward 30 years and the once-abused Yamaha RD125s are being restored, with some even carrying the standard exhaust. Finding a Honda MBX125 to renovate is a much harder challenge. In addition to relative obscurity, pretty much all 125s had a tough life. The mechanical torture of being held at 70mph with the rev needle buried into the redline, before being left for dead once the L plates had been ripped up, didn’t make for a long life. Especially as teenagers aren’t noted for mechanical care and sympathy.
Surprisingly it turns out a wide range of MBX parts are available on eBay. And for a few hundred quid in many cases, you can grab yourself a bit of classic two-stroke history… if you’re patient enough to wait for one to come up for sale at the right price.
Nice trip down memory lane ‘i traded a 1987 homda h100 mk 2 against a nearly new 1986 kawasaki ar125 lc “full fairing full power :when i got it it had bigger main jet ‘micron :racing reeds ::was it fast ? Crouched down the speed was not shy of 90 mph ::afterwards you had to around the bike and tighten all the fairing fastners :shook loose eith vibration ;:beautiful bike in black red ‘and silver :the young secondary school girls loved it ;; it was a monster on petrol ‘ir the petrol light wasnt coning on it was the two stroke light ha ha :i used to burn off my friends mk 1 rd and another guys powerbalve td ” but as all things come to an end :one summers evening i was going out to the girlfriend “flat out 4 th gear and climbing waiting to get another cog ::a car decided to cut across my path from a carpark the ar was wrote off scattered across the road :frame bent ;fly wheel shaft bent ;;;i got i back on the road again :but it never drove right after the accident .” I sold it and nought a renault 5 :the girls like to be dry dont ya know ha ha ?☺?☺?☺