HONDA CB125S FELIX
HONDA CB 125 S« Félix » Behind this Honda Scrambler are a 1974 CB 125, a rather special request – and above all, a poignant story.
Its 17-year-old owner initially started doing the conversion on his little CB 125 himself, until he realized that this sort of job requires a certain experience and real know-how. Having neither, he came to Garage de Félix to see the project through to produce from this starting-point a Scrambler worthy of the name.
Initially rather reluctant to take over a job that had already been started, as well as to encourage its owner to invest in it a sum that might be considered excessive for a 125 cc, we were so touched by his story we allowed this young man to talk us into it – and as you will see, his final argument clinched the matter.
His father had passed away a few years earlier, and this bike was a sort of link between the two men. So the son was really eager to complete its conversion, whatever the cost, so as to maintain this link – strongly encouraged by his mother.
Now you no doubt know that Garage de Félix was named as a tribute to the father of its founder. So he couldn’t fail to be touched by such a father-and-son story. All the more so when he learnt that the young man in question is himself called … Félix!
From there, it seemed only obvious that this 125 CB had to pass through the hands of the “Garage” so it would be able to serenely embark on its second life. It was agreed that the budget would be kept down and that many hours, indispensable as they were to this project, would not be counted.
So the bike came to us as a frame with its two wheels, along with three huge crates full of all sorts of parts: engine components, wheels, frames, etc., some of them duplicated, so it might be possible to use them to build a second bike.
Our sole imperative was to produce a great bike to meet the simplest set of specifications: a scrambler with original tank, black frame and wheels, and a brown seat.
So after a great many hours’ work, here’s the result. This CB 125 gets a second youth thanks to meticulous reconditioning down to even the tiniest components, a Garage de Félix exhaust line fabricated and welded by hand, a magnificent leather seat by seat-maker Vincent Bouffort, and a tank as authentic and sublime as the original one.
And lastly, the superb paintwork on the tank by Anthony at 1PEC bears the signature that is a tribute to Thierry Vidrequin, young Félix’s father.
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