Sound up for the first minute. Can a 1995 Honda CR125 still hang with today’s bikes? Justin Lee took Jay Clark’s ground-up restoration to Glen Helen to find out. This is the same model Steve Lamson won the 1995 125 National Championship on. Jay rebuilt this one with his buddy Brent at Factory Race Coatings: powder-coated frame, Cerakote engine cases, steel-braided brake and clutch lines, an FMF pipe, Race Tech hard-anodized fork tubes and shock body, rebuilt masters and calipers, a V-Force reed cage, and a Pro X bottom end with fresh bearings, seals and rod kit.

Jay explains why he kept the engine stock and reliable instead of chasing a big bore, and why a build like this should be a passion project, like your dad’s old bike or the one you had as a kid. Plan on five grand minimum. Justin was warned it would be twitchy with strong power. Both were true, but it never got out of hand, and he came away saying it can still compete today. What bike from your past would you restore? Let us know in the comments. Big thanks to Jay Clark for letting us ride it, and to everyone who helped with the build.