I began sourcing parts immediately for this neglected and - in it's day - unpopular KX125. When it arrived it came with a few parts in a box, but I didn’t even have a motor for it.

Undeterred, I sent the fuel tank off to the USA to a good friend and renovator called Phil Cox who did an amazing job of restoring the plastic tank to better than factory fresh.

I restored the chassis, had the brake hub inner re-sleeved with steel as it had completed disintegrated, sourced wheel rims which were anodised in period correct ‘light’ gold and laced them with stainless spokes.

The fork stanchions were re-chromed, legs polished and original fork boots (totally unobtainable) sourced and fitted. The rear shock was rebuilt and the spring powder coated in matching kiwi green

I’d posted a few pics on Facebook of the progress and by sheer luck a friend had contacted me, advising me they had a spare engine for this bike. After a year of teasing, they finally agreed to let me have the engine. The results of my efforts with before and after pics of two identical builds are clear.

Having rebuilt the engine with a lot of hard to find parts, it was installed and the search for an exhaust began.

I wanted a 'new old stock’ one if possible and this was eventually found in Sweden, and was bought using Google Translate as they were not an overseas seller.

All new plastics were sourced in 100% matching green from another contact.

These really began to transform the look of the bike.

Even the airbox was restored with genuine factory rubbers and of course a ‘Twin-Air’ period correct air filter.

Graphics were fabricated by the fantastic Suzy Thornton at Evo MX Ltd with the number that was on the old bike when I got it; this seemed fitting.

I could not find a silencer, but again another contact put me in touch with someone in the USA who fabricated an alloy silencer.

It just fitted perfectly and looked magnificent.

A lot of hours on every other component meant that not one detail was overlooked and overall, the finished bike looks incredible.