88 or 89 YZ 125

[mobius100]

Hey guys I just bought a motorcycle. According to the guy I bought it from it is supposed to be an 89 YZ 125. The bottom end has been completely rebuilt but I still need to get the cylinder resleeved. After doing some research I have found some sources that say that 1989 was the first year that Yamaha came out with inverted forks. The problem is my bike has the old school conventional forks. So this has led me to believe that the bike I purchased is an 88 YZ 125. And I looked at the VIN numbers but they have either been ground off or something because I can only make out the first 8 numbers and I'm pretty sure the 10th one is the one that gives the year. Does anyone have any ideals? The chain is also on the right side of the bike. Why? Thank guys.

 

[Speeed]

here a picture of an 89 from bikepics

http://www.bikepics.com/members/blackoutyz125/89yz125/

heres an 89 with "conventional" forks :

http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/120644/

dont know what to make of that ?

 

[MXP1MP]

Well since you said the chain is on the right side that can't make it any newer than an 85. Cause in 86 it got a new motor which had everything moved chain on the left side, clutch and water pump back to the right side so more like a newer bike. I have pic's of them all years.

http://photos.yahoo.com/joe_becher69

Under the folder YZ 125's

 

[Speeed]

looks to me like bikes sold overseas had "right side up/conventional" forks and bikes sold in U.S. had "up side down/inverted" forks (I could also be wrong)

 

[MikeT]

here a picture of an 89 from bikepics

heres an 89 with "conventional" forks : [url]http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/120644/

dont know what to make of that ?

Ya, I know what to make of it. it's a 1987 bike, possibly an '86.

I looked at some of those photos and I tell ya, a lot of them are wrong. I saw a few 1985 bikes in the 1987 category.

 

[mobius100]

Thanks guys. MXP1MP your pics helped alot. After looking at those I believe it is a 1985. I will try and look at the bike a little more closely this evening and compare the two but I'm pretty sure your right. I had already seen those pics you sent SPEEED and those pics confused me. Another question, will engine parts(sleeve and piston mainly) from the 88-89 YZ's work on the 85?

 

[Speeed]

SPEEED and those pics confused me.

they confused me also!

 

[MXP1MP]

The 83 threw 85 motors are pretty similar, The 84 - 85's where not the fastest bikes stock. The hot trick in 84 was to swap back to the much faster 83 top end parts (cylinder/head/reeds/piston/power valve) but thats an advanced mod. The 85 is pretty much in most ways identical to the 84, the slight changes or mainly in the minor chassis changes between the years. If you bike has a cable running down to the rear brake pedal just disconnect it. It's was yamaha's failed attempt at brake activated suspenion system. It didn't work suppose to soften the suspenion for braking bumps but it worked all the time you hit the brake even when ya didn't want it to. I rode CR's around this time though :)

 

[blackoutyz125]

http://www.bikepics.com/members/blackoutyz125/89yz125/


haha thats a pic of my bike!