Alright folks, today I’m sharing how I tackled some basic maintenance on my trusty Honda 125. Honestly, it ain’t rocket science, but skipping it? Bad idea. Let me walk you through what I actually did, step by messy step.
Gathering the stuff I figured I’d need
First up, I knew I couldn’t just wing it. Rummaged through my old toolbox – it’s basically organized chaos in there. Pulled out:
- A basic wrench set (hoping the sizes matched!)
- That bottle of engine oil I bought ages ago, still sitting under the workbench
- A fresh oil filter – the cheap one from the auto shop down the street
- Some rags that used to be T-shirts (clean ish?)
- The bike’s owner’s manual, dusty but hopefully useful
Looked like enough. Or so I hoped.
Warming up the engine and getting messy
Right, figured the old oil flows better when it’s warm. Started the bike up, let it grumble for about five minutes. Shut it off – time to get dirty. Found the drain plug underneath, right near the exhaust. Good old 14mm wrench fit. Undid it slowly… then faster as it loosened. Boom! Hot black oil shot out straight into my catch pan (mostly). Missed a bit though – greasy stain on the garage floor now. Classic. Let that drain ’til it stopped dripping, which felt like forever. Wiped the plug clean, screwed it back in real tight. Didn’t want that falling off mid-ride.
Swapping that filter was a wrestle
Okay, filter time. Located it screwed onto the engine block. Tried turning it by hand? Nope. Stuck good. Wrapped one of those old T-shirt rags around it, tried again. Nothing. Started worrying I’d crush the darn thing. Finally grabbed the filter wrench – the adjustable kind, found it buried. That did the trick. Cracked it loose, still spilled some oil down the side. Unscrewed it the rest of the way by hand, oil dripping everywhere. Quick wipe around the area where the new filter seals. Dabbed a finger in the new oil and rubbed a tiny bit around the rubber ring of the new filter – heard that helps it seal better. Screwed it on hand-tight first, then gave it a little extra quarter turn with the wrench. Not too much, though.
Filling it up with fresh oil
Now the easy part? Located the fill hole on top, took the cap/dipstick off. Stuck the funnel in. Poured in the new oil slowly, checking the dipstick every now and then to see where the level was. Messed up the first pour – oil splashed over the edge onto the engine casing. Oops. Used about a quart and a half. Let it settle, screwed the dipstick back in properly, pulled it out again. Looked good, right in the middle of the marks. Perfect. Started the engine back up, let it run for a minute. Kept an eagle eye on the new filter and that drain plug – no leaks! Shut it off, checked the oil level one last time. Still looking golden.
Took it for a spin and breathed
Final test? Fire it up and ride. Kicked it over, started smoother than before. Took a short spin around the block. Engine felt quieter, seemed happier. Mission mostly accomplished. Garage’s a mess, but the bike feels good.
Why am I even bothering telling you this?
Remember that guy who always said his bike needed zero maintenance? Yeah, met him last week. Bragging about his Honda 125 “just running.” Saw it parked – looked rough. Sounded like gravel in a tin can when he started it. He mentioned something about a nasty engine knock getting louder lately. Wonder why… Probably swimming in old, sludgy oil. I just smiled and thought about my clean(ish) garage floor. Simple fixes, folks. Don’t be that guy.
