1990 RM125 Guy Cooper tribute bike

I got the clamps on ebay they are off a 2007 RM125 and I made the carbon fiber silencer. I did look at the 280mm EBC front rotor, but the Gafler rotor just looked better and besides, 270mm is more than enough to stop you on a dime. Thanks for your comments

Regarding leftover parts, this was a very clean almost original bike when I got it (to include the kickstand and original plastic, but unfortunately, people do not like to pay for bikes with all the trick parts (unless you give it away), so I will probably ride the bike a couple of years then put all the stock parts back on it then sell it and then sell the cool aftermarket parts.

Another view of the carbon fiber silencer although I will likely come up with another that look more like the factory silencer.

I was able to score an opaque (clear) works front numberplate and it looks awesome (see photo). I just installed the rear wheel Excel Pro Series G2 with a Renthal sprocket/Gafler wave rotor. I was also able to locate a set of Answer Aluminlite 2 bars! I have a couple of the Technosel seat covers, but they do not have the cobra grip on them so I am going to have probably cut it out of another seat that has it and have to stitched in.

Just mounted the 280mm oversized front brake rotor (see below pics). I have a couple of misc brackets and what not to get for the brake line but I'm real pleased with the results so far. Stock forks were 41mm and these puppies are 47mm (so when you couple these forks with the oversized brake rotors I should end up with a bike that will put a smile on just about any riders face. I am also going to modify the carbon fiber silencer so it looks more like the factory silencer. I will also use the Answer Aluminlite bars for photo ops for use the Renthal fat bars for racing. More to come Mike.

Stock shock however it has been rebuilt using modern technology by Factory Connection.

FINALLY ABOUT FINISHED...YEAH! Here are some photos and the bike is pretty much done, all's left to do is put the correct Tecnosel seat on it, the Answer Aluminilite bars, seal the fuel tank and clean up silencer a bit. I can't wait till the weather clears up to see how this thing runs. I want to give a huge shout out and thanks to “Honda88L” as it was his generous offer and time taken out of his day and going to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame and getting the measurements off Donny Schmidt’s works bike to help me identify that I do indeed hav a works exhaust, which by the way was no easy thing to install as I had to use a different radiator hose (way to tight). This also explains why the works pipe does not use the lower frame mount. I weighed the stock pipe and a Pro Circuit pipe and the works pipe is 6 lbs lighter than the stocker and 2 lbs lighter than the PC pipe. Also, when looking at this bike if you think it’s a litter shorter than the stocker then you would right as I lowered it 1”, but not so I can reach the ground, but rather I did it because this bike and the 1990 KX125 always seemed to sit too high to (it was like I was sitting on the bike above it rather than in it…if that makes sense). Since the 1990 RM (like most of them back then), turned on a dime, I figured lowering the suspension combined with the steep head angle should make this bike a lot more fun to rail corners as well as provide a bit more overall confidence. Factory Connection has assured me I will be happy with the setup and that I’ll likely have the best suspension on evo bike at the track! However in the event I am wrong, I can also add the 1” in back. Enjoy Mike

One more photo

Thanks everyone and this bike will be a racer (not a garage queen)…can't wait to get it on the track!

Forgot about the photos of the hubs and pegs!

Shawbridge Husky,

You are correct, it took a lot of figuring/money as I initially purchased the wrong Excel wheel rings (had one G2 Pro series hub and one Pro series hub), which lead to the wrong rotors. I was able to work through the rotor issues at little cost (shipping) but I wasn't so luck with the Excel wheel rings (so I'll have to sell them on ebay or something), but all in all, my goal of building a wheel for this bike with using the latest technology was accomplished!

Vecchhia Scuola,


No Airtime would not have had these brakes (I don't think they even made a 280mm front brake back then), but as I mentioned when I first started this topic, I was not building a replica I was building a tribute bike. As I recall Suzuki had basically stopped making full works bikes by the late 90s, and most of the parts for these later bikes are available (if you look hard enough and can afford them). So my personal choices were to either build a full on works bike (which would take a lot of time and money...I wasn't going there) or build a tribute, which allowed me to build an improved version of the bike while sticking to the basic build format the factory used in 1990. This meant I could use a newer fork that was unavailable in 1990, bigger brakes, better wheels/hubs and a bigger motor (144cc), however the basic look of the bike is still very much Guy Cooper 1990. I hope that makes sense, but I really liked this bike back in 1990, but I had a vision of what it could be using some choice modern parts is all. Mike

By the way, I know this is backwards as most people start with what the bike looked like before they restored it, but here is what this RM looked like when I got it (it was clean and almost all original with only the rear brake pads, handlebars and levers being the non-stock parts). I rarely get lucky like this as most of the bikes I start with look barn fresh...Mike

RacerX930,

I'm planning on being at MX Rewind 2015 and it would be awesome if Guy Cooper could put some laps down on this bike! (I will also have the correct Tecnosel seat cover on it by then)...Mike