I attempt to ride a £2000 AliExpress race-engine Honda Vision moped from London all the way to Edinburgh!. A 425 mile journey that pushed both me and the bike to the limit. What started as a sketchy engine swap quickly turned into one of the toughest (and most questionable) adventures I’ve ever done.

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This is my Honda Vision. And today I’m going to attempt to ride it from London all the way to Edinburgh. [Music] This little Honda started life with a 50 C engine. Slow, sensible, reliable. But let’s be honest, we’re not here for sensible. So out came the old engine. And in went a 2,000lb 125cc racetuned motor. straight from AliExpress. [Applause] [Music] And surprise, surprise, before I could even properly test it, it broke down. [Music] Unbelievably, the culprit was a faulty spark plug. I then took the AliExpress powered Vision to Santa Pod to find out just how fast it really was. [Music] Yep, it broke down again. Although, this one’s on me. I forgot to check if it came with transmission oil. Oh dear, there is no transmission. The damage. Shredded bearings. Totally destroyed. It’s fine, though. In true AliExpress fashion, I ordered a replacement case with bearings included. £55 delivered. It actually looks decent, which honestly surprised me. The engine as a whole surprisingly well built. A little tacky around the edges, but it’s allowed to be. Let’s get it bolted up, sealed, and back together. And hope these bearings last a bit longer than a/4 mile. Because now this questionable little AliExpress miracle is gearing up for the ultimate showdown. We’re currently stood outside Buckingham Palace and I’m going to try and ride this all the way to Edinburgh Castle. Buckle up because this is about to get seriously real. Let’s go. I’m very nervous. What am I doing? We’re headed off on a an absolute epic. Oh, I need to go down there, don’t I? I genuinely don’t know what to expect. I don’t know how far we’re going to get. It’s such a long way. Such a long way. Stressing big time because I haven’t ridden this bike on the road properly and I’m about to try and do 4 and 25 miles. I’m going to try and take it easy for most of the way. It’s belt driven. It’s a race engine, so I need to be very gentle if I’m gonna make it 425. 425 miles. Oh my god. Achi kindly sent me this GPS navigation system. It should hopefully get me all the way to Edinburgh. I’m going to leave a little link in the description if you fancy getting yourself one. But yeah, as I say, they were kindly able to send me that to help me with this epic, epic, epic journey. Here we are. Marble Arch. Look at this. Look at this. We’re taking in the sights. We are taking in all the sights. This is This is probably one of the most dumbest things I’ve ever tried to take on. I mean, trying to reveal the Honda Blackbird from your driveway was pretty silly. I think this is a level up from that. As a tourist, I think London’s one of the greatest cities in the world, and it’s just worldrenown, isn’t it? Let me know in the comments section below. What do you think’s going to happen? Do you reckon I’m going to make it? Do you think this is going to be able to do 425 miles today? Oh, it’s questionable. It’s questionable. Oh me darling. Oh me darling. I wonder how many miles sort of gallon we’re going to get. I actually don’t know the size of the tank. I’m thinking it’s about 10 L at a push. And obviously once we get onto some of the a roads I can pick up some speed and start chewing away at those miles because yeah, we’ve got a long way to go. I’ve mentioned it multiple times now, but it’s this is one epic one that Absolute outrageous epic today. I’ve just pulled over very quickly because I want to just inspect this little Honda Vision and make sure we’re doing all right. So, I’m looking for leaks. Transmission oil is all good, keeping things nicely lubricated. And uh yeah, the wheels are still attached. So, um that’s a good sign, too. And we continue. This is going to be the real test now because uh we’re holding the engine at a pretty constant RPM. The belt drive system is going to get very hot. The pulley is going to be cooking away. There’ll be some roundabouts that come up from time to time which will allow us to slow down a little bit and hopefully allow the engine to just cool off ever so slightly. All right, so we’ve almost covered or circa 50 mi and I now need to fill up the bike with fuel. is absolutely munching petroleum. So, I’m gonna have to fill this jerry can up because obviously I need to mix oil with the fuel. There’s going to be a little bit of uh faf 5 L. I’m going to mix up about 150 mil of oil. Sure it’s all mixed up nice. Want to make sure that engine stays lubricated because we’ve got a long way to go still. Cool. So, yeah, that’s fine. Now, another full tank of fuel. And then I’ve got a jerry can brimmed. Ready for another fuel stop because we want to try and munch up some miles now. Really get as far as possible. I’m going to settle in now. We’ve still got 377 miles to go. So, uh yeah, let me settle in. Let me settle right in. From here, it’s just me, the open road, and the constant paranoia that the next noise I hear could be the engine eating itself alive. But for now, it’s actually kind of brilliant. Every 50 mi or so, I pull in, top up the tank, and then it’s straight back out there. A slightly ridiculous routine, but somehow the vision just keeps thumping along. [Music] How is it still running? 225 mi remaining. I was expected to have blown up by now. Incredible. Thing is, I need something to eat and a coffee because right now, even I’m struggling. There’s still such a long way to go. Will it make it? Who knows? [Music] I don’t know how I’m surviving. I thought the bike would give up before me, but I’m staggered. Cruising along at 45 50 just trying to get the miles in. Get this food in me. That’s another reason we can carry on. Halfway through this journey and it’s not the bike that’s falling apart. It’s me. Every mile feels heavier, every stop a little harder. And right now, this cup of coffee feels like the only thing keeping me going. This is where I want to thank Bike Shaw for covering this epic journey. So far, Bikeaw have been a regular supporter of bikes of ride. They’ve ensured many bikes that feature on this channel. You see, they can tailor quotes to your personal needs, which is perfect for me because when I ring them up and I tell them I’m riding a moped with a silly AliExpress powered engine conversion, they’re like, “No problem.” Whether it’s something standard, something classic, or something completely ridiculous, they get that not everyone rides the same way or the same machines. And that’s exactly why I’ve stuck with them. I highly recommend Bike Shaw. You can simply give them a call and see what they can do for you. Thank you as always, Bike Shaw. Deary, deary me. Look at all of this. Also, I can see discoloring going on. Obviously, it’s got so hot, but yeah, the oil is getting absolutely everywhere. And that thing has carried me 225 miles so far. The little 10-in wheels thing with the fuel tank, it’s like 5 L. So, you’re forever having to top the uh tank up. Slowing us down a little bit, but it is what it is. Mixing up two-stroke oil on the forkourt is incredible stuff. I’m losing a lot of fuel as well. Look, should have got a funnel. I’m very, very wired. Don’t know how I’m going to do the next half of this journey. I genuinely don’t know how I’m going to do it. I’m so shocked to find myself still riding this Honda Vivision. A part of me even wonders if I can achieve this 225 miles remaining because well over half the day has disappeared already. However, I’m not going to give up. This is the most silly mode of transport. You wouldn’t want to ride it to the well, you would just about want to ride it to the shop, let alone London to Edinburgh. Interest conservation. We’re doing sort of like 4550 average and it seems to like cruising at that speed. I reckon this Honda Vision will do 85 90 mph if you really opened it up. But if I did that, I’m just worried that I might do some damage. I don’t want to stress it too much. I do genuinely want to make it every 50 miles. Same old story. Stop, fill up, carry on. It’s not such a bad thing actually because I think every time you stop it allows the engine just to cool off a little bit and let the transmission cool off a little bit. Maybe that’s why we’re getting so far. Maybe that’s the secret. [Applause] [Music] This thing has been going all day. It’s just non-stop. It’s driving me absolutely cuckoo. Fuel stop. Fuel stop. It’s relentless. [Music] 10 hours in the saddle and every part of me is screaming. My back aches, my hands are numb, and the constant drone of the engine is rattling through my head like a hammer. The miles don’t feel like progress anymore. They feel like punishment. That’s all right. I’m sure it is. What are you sitting at? 45 45 50. Not sure yet because we don’t know if we’re going to make it. We didn’t plan to book anything. So, if it makes it just like a random hotel or something, aren’t we? Yeah. If you need anything, I’ve got a workshop up the road if you want to if you need anything. Are you all right? I think so. Yeah. Couple more jerry cans and then we should be at Edinburgh. Made it anyway. Listen, you’re only about what, 90 miles from here? Yeah, there abouts. Yeah, nearly there. Cool. Well, good luck. seems a little bit too revy at the moment. Transmission could be a little bit tired, but anyway, don’t want to jinx it because we’ve come so far. We might just make it honestly. What has just happened? What has just happened? This is not a good sign. That was not a good sound. It just went died. I’m going to try and kickstart and see what happens. I thought it was game over. Oh, why? [Music] Let’s just carry on and see what happens. Look at these beautifully straight long open stretch roads. We are making up them miles one by one. They are ticking on by. Sun is setting, but we don’t mind. 83 miles remaining. We’re on the home run, baby. Home run. Talk to me. Okay, it’s just conked out again on me. This time I think we are in trouble. Didn’t sound very good at all. I think it’s actually blown up. [Music] Don’t know why that person was honking but broken down mate. I have broken down or not. Oh, it’s still running. What the hell? I’m going to carry on. I’m going to carry on. I’m going to carry on. It’s not running very well at all. Too close now. The car fail. I know it’s still running. So, [Music] I’m just going to carry on. The thing is, 75 miles is actually a long way for something like this. If it was to break down now, I would actually forgive it. 56 miles to go. I’m going to put a whole jerry can of fuel back in the tank. That should almost get us to Edinburgh, but that is the fuel. The engine is another question. It’s feeling rough like it’s revving or the RPM seems significantly higher or maybe I’m just going cuckoo but it just seems so much higher and I’m struggling mentally, physically. Yeah, it’s hard work. But I just think we might be able to manage to get this vision to Edinburgh. full tank of fuel it is and then we’ll yeah we’ll just carry on. Two breakdowns, 14 hours of punishment and a body that’s barely holding together. But somehow we’re still in this lift. It breathes. It wants to make it. Oh, [Music] [Applause] Edinburgh is close now. Close enough to taste. And no matter how battered I feel, this final stretch is going to happen one way or another. Look at that sign. Read it. It says, “Welcome to Scotland.” Oh, yes. You might have broken down twice, but you still made it to Scotland at least. Oh, it’s a beautiful evening. [Music] I am so cold. That is something else. Oh, special. The sun sinks low, painting the sky in fire. And still the little machine refuses to give in. It carries me forward mile after mile. Man and machine side by side. Unstoppable. Or at least that’s what I thought. Oh no, we’re 12 miles out of Edinburgh. Listen to the exhaust. What is that? Oh, it’s rattled, bro. Those bolts have come loose. Yeah, it was so loud. I was like, “What the hell’s happened?” I could honestly hear it from like half a mile away. This cannot be this close. Whole thing has rattled itself loose. I am so frozen as well. Like I’m shaking all over. I think from adrenaline more so than anything else. But stick the whole seat bucket out. One of the nuts has worked itself loose. This one’s loose at the bottom here. Should be an easy fix. Should be an easy fix. Just going to borrow a nut from somewhere else and just make sure that exhaust is sealed up nice and proper. And we might have got away with it. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] Let’s get her to Edinburgh Castle, baby. Talk to me. Come on, baby. We’re going to make it. And here we go. Less than a mile to complete our mission today. to think we set off from Buckingham Palace at 6 in the morning and it’s now currently 2 minutes past 10. Deary me, good grief, how have we both managed this? Nobody here would believe me if I said I set off at 6:00 this morning from Buckingham Palace on this. They’d all think I were crazy. If I asked a stranger that’s what I did today, they’d be like, “No, don’t believe you.” Oh, it still sinks. Given the 425 miles, it still sinks. And I just realized I was riding without my headlight on for a moment there. Here we go then. We’re pulling right into Edinburgh Castle. This is it. We’ve done it. We’ve achieved the absolute impossible. Here we are. This is Edinburgh Castle. We’re here. We’ve made it. We’ve succeeded. So, there you have it. Edinburgh Castle as a backdrop. We made it. We made it. Unbelievable. I am lost words. Honestly, I’m a broken man. That’s for a fact. To think we set off at 6:00 in the morning. And it is 1000 p.m. and we made it. 425 miles and we’re here. The AliExpress Honda Vision didn’t fail us. Didn’t fail us at all. Against all odds, this ridiculous little AliExpress powered moped carried me all the way to Edinburgh. And maybe, just maybe, it’s actually kind of reliable.

44 Comments

  1. My brother had a 1987 Kawasaki AR50 with sports exhaust, filter and some other stuff done and would do 50+ two up all day, great little bike

  2. Well done laddie. You're as mad as a box o' frogs, but you did an fantastic thing there.
    Hats off to the AliExpress engine! OK, you had a couple of hiccups, it happens to the best of bikes, but it was nothing to what could have happened.
    A tear down video would be very cool, to see how bad the engine is after that thrashing. I did wonder if the plug would last the journey?
    Again, well done!

  3. I'd literally chop me left nut for that lill Honda vision right now. Would really help getting to see my 2 babies. But funds are tight at mo. Brilliant series of vids on this lill Ali express special. 👊🏻

  4. My genuine guess is, if revs are high and hanging would be carbs starting to clog or the air filters got gunk built up due to the the premix your running I think, maybe running not so much oil , 110-120 ml of oil and buying premium ( E5 ) would’ve helped that bike out a ton I think! My aerox was the same !

  5. Next time you try something like this…
    use a cheap Facet style low pressure clicky-clacky in line fuel pump…
    and suck the fuel from just after the vacuum operated tap at the bottom of the tank,
    run it thru the clicky-clacky,
    then force the fuel through a decent EFI car fuel filter to the carb fuel inlet valve port….
    and make a return line with a restrictor orifice so "excess" fuel not consumed by the carb recirculates back to the tank….

    This means a constant fuel feed of CLEAN, cool fuel…..

    Smarten up your 2T oil mixing…
    get yourself a decent well marked small beaker (say for baking/cooking ingredients) and measure the oil precisely.

    Shake that fuel can in all orientations to ensure a good mix.

    I took a 1972 Honda CB125S showing 28k miles on the clock that had not run for years since the owner died (of natural causes),
    recommissioned it for the road,
    and went on a 500 mile 14 hour "test run" to show the son that Dad's bike was stll as good as he remembered it…using 1 litre of Mobil 1 oil on the journey (it was a 4 stroke of course).

    The next year it went on a 1000 mile 3 day trip….no problems.
    8000 to 9000rpm all day….

    P.S. A sheepskin over the seat (but secured by bungee cords) makes almost any seat a very comfortable seat for touring…

  6. You don’t have a clue about bikes and engines. It appears you are a lightweight biker, maybe listen to Matt Hudson might improve your knowledge. You don’t fix anything, just buy parts and bolt them on. What a waste of time. Maybe stoop bloody singing (loose term) and making yourself appear so childish.

  7. For a 1980s scooterist, hundreds of miles on a completely unsuitable, under powered two stroke was just a standard weekend. No backup van, no phones, no sat nav. Spend two days drinking and dancing all night then ride home ready for work on Monday.

  8. Yeah all the 2000 dollar motors smoke like that. They all idle that high. They ALL cut out like that. So what if you can't even finish a single quarter mile lap I mean the smartest thing at this point would be a road trip right? What do you mean you want to fix the bike so there is no permanent damage? Cut the body so it doesn't melt and catch fire?????? What do you mean I am so dumb that I probably forgot to put the choke back down (close it when I reached up way behind the body and opened it YET never closed it) hence why it smokes, has no power, cuts out and in all runs like a sack of crap smells………………..bad!

    Yeah your about as sharp as a bowling ball!

  9. You should made it waterproof and drill two screwable hole on the case (one on the top and one on the bottom) so you can fill it with transmission oil because in normal moped or scooty this is how it works.

  10. He's driving through London and all you see is Arabic on the shop front signs. 🤔

    The English have lost the England, no weapons were even needed to invade them.

  11. So 5 litres of unleaded every 50 miles + half a bottle of 2 stroke each refill over 425 miles = £60 in unleaded at the very minimum using expensive truck road filling stations + the cost of the oil, on a scooter that does max 40 mph and weighs slightly more than a packet of fags. That engine was knackered or you didn't have it set up right. My old PCX 125 would easily do 150 miles on 5 litres and cruise at 60 on the flat and was a LOT heavier.

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