So i did the dumbest thing, i know. Now i need to work out how to solve this dilemma. Can i drill out the bolt and tap the hole, or is a new set of forks the only way out of this mess? If the later, are there any easier to source forks that drop straight in or am i doomed to trawling for a set of mk2 forks?

Irwin tools do a nifty stud extraction set , that involves drilling a hole and then screwing in a left hand drive extracting bit .You can aid the process by getting the fork leg off the bike and into a vice upside down to get some release agent working on it before hand .
If you are feeling really brave ,drill a small hole , say 3mm down parallel to and just touching the sheared portion of bolt remaining in situ , then fill that hole with release agent and it gets right into the threads .
Once released you are free to reuse the existing threaded hole , and the fact that it has a small portion of thread missing is neither here nor there , however ,if it does bother you unduly , fill the 3mm hole with some liquid metal of some type .
Regards Mike

Thanks bud!

Did you metion that your fork was bent?

Yeah, I had to replace the front disc and when i put it all back together, there was a 5mm gap between the speedo drive and the fork leg. My first thought was that i'd lost a spacer but when i phoned leisuretrail they said it didn't have one on that side so i gave it all a good check and when looking straight down the right fork you can see it's slightly off. Seems to be bent away from the axle rather than front to back which is a bit odd though.

So this is why you are looking for new forks?

CR 125 forks will generally fit though you need to raise them in the yokes as longer than original. - Much better though

Don't get 250s as too strong springs & damping.

125 forks? The only 125 forks i've seen were all right way up not USD. I'm about 9st so some softer forks would be a great upgrade if the right price. The suspension feels quite tired both ends to be honest. I actually stiffened rear preload to about 1inch from the end of adjustment.

The CRM suspension might suit you as everyone complains how soft and underdamped the original suspension is. It is the major weakness of the CRMs.

Your rear shock is probably overdue a service.

See -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CR125-1996-Forks- ... 286.c0.m14" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-CR125-FORKS ... 286.c0.m14" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-CR125-1994- ... 286.c0.m14" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Need to check no marks on chrome. Overwise a basic service to check they are OK and you're off............

Sorry didn't read your post properly! Thought you meant CRM not CR.