I'm a little confused, couple questions.

[gargamel]

First off - yes I have a manual. I'm new to dirtbikes, not 2 stroke motors. Been riding and fixing all my own stuff for years. The bike in question is a 2001 RM125 that I have just bought. I have only rode it for like 1/2 hr being it is cold out. The person I bought it from said it has a new clutch basket and top end, but that means nothing till I tear into it :)
Ok the questions-
1. I let it warm up (starts 2 kick in like 15 degree weather) but when I put it in gear it makes a loud clunk then dies, unless I rev the piss out of it and put it in first. I got mixed messages when I read the search cause some said it is like that cause of the cold weather and others said basket notched??? When it was 40 the other weekend and I rode it for that 1/2 hr it got better warm but it would die when come to stop with clutch in and in gear. Out of gear it idles fine. There is no way it will start in gear with clutch pulled.
2. The manual says and the cases say 750ml to fill tranny, then the manual syas to fill till it comes out the fill hole. Well 2 quarts (1600ish ml) later no where near the fill hole. I couldn't tell how much I drained due to the bucket already was half full. Which is it??? I don't want to overfill and mess something up.

I hate buying used but I got a hell of a deal $950 for it. Sorry for the long post but I want to get it shifting so I can dail the jetting in to go ride it. As of now the clunk into first sounds loud but I am use to working on Banshee's and 250r's. I pulled the head off and the piston looks new so I think the guy I bought it from is most likely not saling me a lemon, plus I know where he lives :p

Thanks

 

[1rkcooper]

I don't know about the Suzukis but my old CR has a bolt/screw in the sid eof the left case for the oil level. If the manual says fill till it comes out of the fill hole then I would think that is a mistake. That would be far too much oil in my opinion. Check for an oil level bolt/screw on the left side.Recheck the manual as well.

As for the clunk, I would pull the clutch cover and have a look into that side.

 

[ellandoh]

you can probably see the basket by looking in the oil fill plug, looking at the fingers to see if theyre notched. how much freeplay is in your clutch lever? should be just enough to fit a nickel between the perch and handle.

 

[chevy383cid]

Maybe your clutch plates are warped?? Almost 2 quarts is way to much,My 98yz125 has a fluid level check hole on the right side of the engine<it is a 8mm threaded bolt about half the way up on the clutch cover.It takes almost a full quart to fill it up,My kx has a sight glass in the same location<it too takes almost a quart!! If the basket is indeed new,and the clutch lever is properly ajusted,and the cable is not stretching,then I bet your plates are warped!!

 

[sick 96 250]

is your clutch adjusted properly? Thats all that your prob really seems like is its not adjusted right. You may even need a new cable just to be safe. On all my RM's I use ATF type F oil, has never done me wrong and has always seemed to work better that othere. Drain all the oil out and throw close to a qt in there and you should be fine. My buddy runs a full qt in his RM125 and never had any problems. It just sounds like you need to properly adjust it and you will be fine

 

[gargamel]

OK went and looked back at the manual and there is a lower hole to check not the fill hole, I read it wrong. Thanks

you can probably see the basket by looking in the oil fill plug, looking at the fingers to see if theyre notched. how much freeplay is in your clutch lever? should be just enough to fit a nickel between the perch and handle.

yea I did the nickel adjust trick. From what I can see through the hole it don't look notched. I'll take it out and warm it up real good and see if the new oil helped.

 

[gargamel]

thanks for the suggestions

I drained, flushed, then filled it with ATF and went for a ride. Works good now, must of been the cold and old oil :)
Got it jetted at the ORV park and it runs great now. If you ride in Spokane at the OVR park look for me. I ride alone (non of my friends ride) on a rm with a thumb throttle you can't miss me.
Thanks to all that helped and didn't know it though the search :)
Time to go ride in the morning for more then an hour.

Later

 

[ComradeMikhail]

If when you put it in first and it clunks out, do you mean it acts like your clutch is not disengaging? Like your clutch is not working at all? If it's acting like that, I have a feeling it's just because it's the cold weather and the bike's cold.. I would think if you let it warm up, it should warm the clutch/oil up and should work fine, though. Kinda weird. I know my bike did the same when I got it started for the first time. We couldn't figure it out. Thought maybe we (my dad and I, mostly my dad, lol) had some sort of error reassembling the engine, as we had just put some transmission parts in. Turns out the oil wasn't warm enough, and the clutch wouldn't disengage.

Sorta ran in circles with that, but I think I got it out, lol. Also, I don't know that much about mechanics, I'm only 15, so don't quote me on anything :P. That's just what I'm pretty sure I remember about it.

 

[gargamel]

I think it was because of cold oil/motor. The night it was doing it was 15ish. Today it was almost 40 and it did fine. I expect a bit of a lerch but the other night it was bad! Changed the oil out and filled it with ATF and it could even be started in 1st after warm. Guess this bike is cold sensitive :) I'm learning, it goes with trying something new.

Thanks

 

[sick 96 250]

you have a thumb throttle on your RM?? Why?

 

[gargamel]

you have a thumb throttle on your RM?? Why?

I hate twist throttles, they are dangerous for me. I grew up on atv's and snowmobiles and twists always end up poppin a wheelie over the rough stuff. I don't mind them on a street bike cause I'm sitting. Get on dirt fine till I stand then hit a bump, fist full of throttle and wheelie or eject button everytime. I got way better throttle control with a thumb = safer. I'm not a hard core dirtbike guy. I race atv's. Just been playing on this one cause I had a chance to pick it up cheap, very cheap :cool:
I know :blah: people say it's dumb all the time but I like it way better.

 

[Peer Lovell]

My guess is that with 2 quarts of oil it was never warming up.
Sounds like you have found the problem.

 

[thing2_and_thing1]

I know :blah: people say it's dumb all the time but I like it way better.

It's you bike. Ride it how you want. :aj: