Faults:

I would like to point out that all these faults were due to the age of bike, but mostly lack of care for numerous years from the previous owner. On closer inspection when buying the bike, it was quite obvious the previous owner had a small crash sideways, and had not bothered to do anything with it afterwards.

The 1st thing to go wrong with the bike, was the CDI box blew out.

2nd thing to go wrong was a relay had fallen out, which stopped the indicators working.

3rd thing was a loose connection to the brake light, which meant it stopped working briefly.

4th thing was something to do with the engine revs, which I never got told what caused it, but basically meant it over revved when stationary.

All faults on the bike were very easy to fix, and the cost was very low.

General Comments:

This little gutsy motorcycle is fantastic! Despite a few faults that have popped up from time to time, it has always been hugely reliable, and has only let me down once on the way to work, when I had to push it back (CDI box incident).

The seat is fantastically comfortable. Can literally ride it for hours upon hours.

Handling is near perfect.

It looks super pretty, and with the red and chrome mix, very retro!

Downsides are that it really, really, really hates hills. Go up any gradient of hill, and you notice the speed change almost immediately. If you have been riding for a while though, and the engine has had time to properly warm up, then hills are easier to manage, as the engine will perform better.

Another downside is it doesn't like the cold either. It takes longer for the engine to warm up, which means getting up to full speed takes time. In my experience, the best you'll get to start with is 40, then depending on how long you're riding, you'll eventually reach 50.

Final downside is the brakes are not amazing. They're not dangerous in any way, and not unreliable, but they could be a little bit more responsive in my opinion. Nothing bad enough to cause anyone not to buy the bike.

Back to positives; the bike is truly amazing to use in the summer. The heat and sunshine means you'll be able to hit 60 with great ease (that's the fastest I've ever been able to get it without going down a hill).

As proof of my love and knowledge for this bike, I recently rode it down to Netley Marsh in the New Forest, Hampshire, for the 19th annual Carol Nash Eurojumble. From where I live, it's about a 53 mile journey. Because I still have my L plates and not a big engine, I stayed away from highway roads and stuck to the rural routes (much better for journeys anyway). Apart from some gigantic hills to deal with, the trip was amazing! The bike performed beautifully, and hit 60 a majority of the way.

Faults:

This is my second GN125 1983. The 1982 gave me no trouble, but the 83 seems to have this issue that could be either the clutch or the gears / trans.

Anyhow, it starts easy, but idles high. I think the diaphragm might be acting up, even when warmed up. While idling at normal RPM, it has loud banging sounds from the engine, and once the clutch is pulled in, it seems to only do it maybe 5%. If you put it thru the gears, it still makes lots of those hard noises, and stalls the engine with a hard mechanical stoppage; something binding, getting stuck.

So I am disappointed with this, and don't know what it really is. If anyone had a similar experience, please share your success with me. Thanks.