Buying a 1983 RM125

[aphelion79]

I'm looking into buying an '83 Suzuki RM125. The bike looks worn out from being nearly 25 years old obviously but it doesn't look like its ever been thrashed on or anything structurally damaged. I'm completely into the idea of rebuilding and fixing it up because it is something I really enjoy doing.

However, I was wondering if there are any things that I should look for that would be mucho $$$ to fix?

Thanks guys!

 

[MXer666]

man i love to restare older bikes, the main thing is to watch out for discontinued parts. Critical parts like the crankshaft, connecting rod, bearings, all the nittygritty parts, the one part that makes the bike work can be discontinued. So before you buy the bike make sure u do a good run through with is mechanical state.

 

[FistFullofDirt]

Rims prob need replacing. Hard to find. I say go mid - late 90's. You cant really tell how a bike was ridden by looking at it. It has prob gone through a lot of top ends and now needs bottom. Really inspect it, good luck.

 

[MXer666]

oh and expect alot of down time with the bike, once you start tearing into things you find other things that need replacing but the Honda factory will need to manufacture your part then ship it out to your dealer. This could take a long time, so expect some parts to be on backorder for a while.

 

[aphelion79]

I hope Honda isn't making parts for my bike! :)

lol But I get what you all are saying... everything so far seems to be okay with it and parts still seem to be available to an extent.

E.G. the hard parts like the crankshaft itself, etc are discontinued however the bearings, bolts, nuts, odds & ends, etc. are all still avaliable.

I'm not expecting to buy it and tear it up... I'm expecting to buy it and tear into it! :cool:

I restored an '82 Jeep CJ7 a couple of years ago and I enjoy doing things like that... however the after market for Jeeps is like one thousand times bigger than any after market I've ever seen, lol.


Anyway, I'll let you guys know how it goes!

 

[FistFullofDirt]

I reccommend ride it slow at first and test it out. Dont want to hit a jump and the front wheel falls off. So you already bought it?!

 

[aphelion79]

No I haven't but I'm planning on it for sure! Most of the parts I'm looking for I can still find for it... and the parts that are discontinued I'd either A.) Be able to check visually B.) Would keep the bike from running, or C.) Would fall off when I move it, lol...

So far it checks out okay, I'm going to do a more thorough inspection on Tuesday and then if that checks out I'm going to buy it the following week!

If I have any questions about the bike I'll post up! I will look into acquiring new rims though, that seems like it may be important lol.

 

[HhawkK1292]

any pictures?

 

[aphelion79]

Look for those at the end of next week...

 

[FistFullofDirt]

thats a good 500 bucks for rims

 

[aphelion79]

If anything I'll probably just need spokes or the spokes tightened... the tolerance for new rims is only 2mm out of round though lol... So we'll see on that one...

At any rate, the guy dropped the price for me, seeing as the front shock busted an oil seal... looks like a front fork rebuild kit is in the works too lol...

 

[aphelion79]

Update for pictures... none are available ATM since my camera doesn't seem to want to work... lol (That and the fact I completely forgot my cellphone can take them, albeit quite crappy quality.)

So... with that being said I'm planning on picking it up on the 15th so stay tuned for pics and I'll be documenting the rebuild on it! (Also something I enjoy doing! :))

In the meantime if any of you care:
Aphelion79's Jeep CJ7 Page <--Click For Page

It will be something like that ^ :D

 

[wake_rider]

Check the bottom of the frame really well for stress cracks and welding repairs.

 

[aphelion79]

I have and it looks fine... I'll need about 150.00 in parts to get it running well... (rebuild the shocks etc)

Then another 200 for the exhaust and another 300 for rims (if the rims are needed but they ARE available though).


Now I've just gotta read up on Jetting :cool:

 

[kx125412]

I did the same thing with an 82 RM125 it was fun for the 10 rides i got out of it before it exploded. I replaced everything except the bottom end and the main bearings flew apart and destroyed the motor. I bought a fox shock, re did the forks, cables, everything you could think of and it really wasn't worth it at all. They're fun old bikes but boy are they money pits.

 

[aphelion79]

Well I'm actually checking all of that myself anyway so it will be fine unless the casted case is broken. :cool:

Checking the main bearings and the bottom connecting rod bearing etc. are very high priorities in such an old motor!

 

[aphelion79]

Ok guys I've got the bike! Stay tuned for progress updates (if anyone cares, if not... too bad lol!)

http://www.aphelion79.com/

http://suzuki.aphelion79.com/

 

[CRazy250]

check out www.vintage-suzuki.com

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

The pics did not work,could be my firefox browser??? Rims can be straighted,spokes go to Buchanan wheels. The guy at vintage suzuki is pretty good to deal with. Seemingly you are going through with this adventure,and as a previous poster has pointed out,do not take the bottom end for granted! If it was me and the previous owner swore on his mothers grave that the bottom end was fresh, I would be a fool not to rebuild it!

 

[aphelion79]

No your Firefox browser is perfectly fine... its just I don't have any pics ... yet ... lol

I'll have it fixed up by next season for sure! :yikes:
(And yes I'm going to go through the entire engine especially bottom end! :))

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Yeah,a guy with tools and sense! Unbelievable! First one this year!

 

[aphelion79]

Considering the year is nearly over I hope I'm not the only one :nener:

Once my backyard is no longer a mud pit I'll roll my bike out and snap some pictures for you all!

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Well to bad you do not know where you live. But ,yes it is a swamp again around here,but I can hope Redbud dries out for this weekend!

 

[aphelion79]

Oil Fuel Mixture

What should I run the Oil mixture at? My Clymer manual shows it should be run at 20:1... most people on here like 32:1 and the guy I bought it from used 40:1.

I don't have an actual owners manual to use as a reference though :bang:

 

[2strokerfun]

All the older bikes were supposed to be at or about 20:1. Using modern oils, however, 32:1 is safe and less costly. You may have to rejet a bit. If the previous owner(s) didn't rejet the bike, it will likely be jetted a bit rich. And 32:1 or 40:1 is actually richer than 20:1. First order of business is to take the carb apart and clean it and each jet in it very, very well. And make sure it has fresh air filter. When I picked up my old bike, it didn't even have an air filter on it. I was going to rebuild the engine anyway, or I wouldn't have even considered buying it.