'84 RM125

Fresh
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Fresh
Edited Date/Time 9/23/2015 12:23pm
I have the chance to pick up a 1984 RM125, its in a very tired condition. Would it be worth the investment?
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barkhard696
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barkhard696 9/19/2015 3:02am
9/19/2015 3:02am
No. I did a complete restore of an 81 RM125 including a custom Ohlins shock and 43mm/DLS conversion. Lost my shirt on it.
Fresh
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Fresh 9/19/2015 3:09am
9/19/2015 3:09am
save my dollars?
MaxPower
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MaxPower 9/19/2015 4:03am
9/19/2015 4:03am
For the most part restoring any tired vintage bike is a poor investment. The bikes you lose the least on are Maico and CZs. Vintage guys go through great lenghts to live in the past or hold on to any bit of youth they may have hidden deep down inside behind layers of fat and thinning gray hair. If you have a emotional connection to a 84 RM 125 then get it. I remember them to be pretty solid machines
MaxPower
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MaxPower 9/19/2015 4:04am
9/19/2015 4:04am
barkhard696 wrote:
No. I did a complete restore of an 81 RM125 including a custom Ohlins shock and 43mm/DLS conversion. Lost my shirt on it.
That sounds like the perfect 125 Barkhard. Why did you sell it?

The Shop

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barkhard696
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barkhard696 9/19/2015 6:17am
9/19/2015 6:17am
Poor judgment, Max! We've all let go of bikes we wish we could have back .. This was one of mine.

Max your statement above COMPLETELY describes the economic aspects of this hobby. Well said sir.
ATKpilot99
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ATKpilot99 9/19/2015 8:27am
9/19/2015 8:27am
MaxPower wrote:
For the most part restoring any tired vintage bike is a poor investment. The bikes you lose the least on are Maico and CZs. Vintage guys...
For the most part restoring any tired vintage bike is a poor investment. The bikes you lose the least on are Maico and CZs. Vintage guys go through great lenghts to live in the past or hold on to any bit of youth they may have hidden deep down inside behind layers of fat and thinning gray hair. If you have a emotional connection to a 84 RM 125 then get it. I remember them to be pretty solid machines
This is true...the words "investment" and "vintage dirt bikes" don't belong in the same sentence.
notme
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notme 9/19/2015 10:31am
9/19/2015 10:31am
Fresh wrote:
I have the chance to pick up a 1984 RM125, its in a very tired condition. Would it be worth the investment?
That depends on what you want to do with it, there is very little return on "investment" on most bike resto's so expect to lose money on resale. My recollection in 1984 was the cr and kx were the better performing bikes, so performance wise you might want to look elsewhere. One thing that it might have going for it is these years of rm's dont seem to be hugely popular for restore, so you will have something unique in the end. Personally I prefer the 1989 and up rm125's.
Slingshot92
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Slingshot92 9/19/2015 11:03am
9/19/2015 11:03am
From my opinion this hobby is based on emotion and nostalgia. You hardly gain any real profit by spending most of your free time, big bugs for expensive OEM parts and hundreds of working hours restoring a bike and then sell it. I'm sure that I speak for most of people in this forum by saying that buy a bike that you love, restore it, ride it and cherish it.
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Fresh
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Fresh 9/19/2015 6:31pm
9/19/2015 6:31pm
Thank you for the feedback guys. You probably just saved my a lot of headache and money Tongue
philG
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philG 9/21/2015 3:10pm
9/21/2015 3:10pm
Its easy to save money , just do nothing, you gotta spend it on something though..

How bad is it ?
Fresh
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Fresh 9/22/2015 3:01am
9/22/2015 3:01am
philG wrote:
Its easy to save money , just do nothing, you gotta spend it on something though..

How bad is it ?
apart from all the usual stuff like plastic fade, rubber splitting/cracking, and bad bearings (wheel, swing arm, linkage, head stem...) the only thing id think would be difficult is the output sprocket is welded to the shaft Woohoo
Slingshot92
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Slingshot92 9/22/2015 5:41am
9/22/2015 5:41am
You just have to remove the old sprocket, then split the engine and change new shaft axle. I'm sure that these are available in second hand also. Nothing too technical. Youtube is a great resource for tutorials.
MaxPower
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MaxPower 9/22/2015 6:23am
9/22/2015 6:23am
I would think that same counter shaft is used in a whole bunch of RM125s
philG
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philG 9/22/2015 1:08pm
9/22/2015 1:08pm
philG wrote:
Its easy to save money , just do nothing, you gotta spend it on something though..

How bad is it ?
Fresh wrote:
apart from all the usual stuff like plastic fade, rubber splitting/cracking, and bad bearings (wheel, swing arm, linkage, head stem...) the only thing id think would...
apart from all the usual stuff like plastic fade, rubber splitting/cracking, and bad bearings (wheel, swing arm, linkage, head stem...) the only thing id think would be difficult is the output sprocket is welded to the shaft Woohoo
advert said it was mint LOL

i think there are better candidates
Fresh
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Fresh 9/22/2015 10:07pm
9/22/2015 10:07pm
I think I know my way around a motor well enough Smile
The problem is the cost of everything else



ATKpilot99
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ATKpilot99 9/23/2015 4:16am
9/23/2015 4:16am
Thats at least an 86 . Second generation full floater.
Fresh
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Fresh 9/23/2015 5:00am
9/23/2015 5:00am
ATKpilot99 wrote:
Thats at least an 86 . Second generation full floater.
Is that any better?

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barkhard696
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barkhard696 9/23/2015 5:15am
9/23/2015 5:15am
Nope. The cam linkage design was a one year only disaster. 1986 was probably the least successful year for Suzukis in decades.
ATKpilot99
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ATKpilot99 9/23/2015 6:34am
9/23/2015 6:34am Edited Date/Time 9/23/2015 6:39am
But is that for sure an 86 ? If it has a rear drum brake it is . I cant really see yhe linkage from that pic. A rear disc would make it 87 or 88.
evomx244
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evomx244 9/23/2015 7:15am
9/23/2015 7:15am
It's a 1986 RM125-chamber on the head was a 86 design only, plus it's a case reed. 87/88 were standard intake reed design.
fookyoo
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fookyoo 9/23/2015 8:21am
9/23/2015 8:21am Edited Date/Time 9/23/2015 8:21am
I would push/ throw the whole bike in a dumpster!
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yak651 9/23/2015 10:09am
9/23/2015 10:09am
fookyoo wrote:
I would push/ throw the whole bike in a dumpster!
This, pass on that...
mxrose3
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mxrose3 9/23/2015 12:23pm
9/23/2015 12:23pm Edited Date/Time 9/23/2015 12:25pm
Fresh wrote:
I think I know my way around a motor well enough :) The problem is the cost of everything else [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/09/22/105826/s1200_image.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2015/09/22/105827/s1200_image.jpg[/img]
I think I know my way around a motor well enough Smile
The problem is the cost of everything else



The guy WELDED the front sprocket and shifter on. Plus, its been sitting out in the weather rusting every nut and bolt. Your going to have to at the very least change the transmission shaft and shift shaft. I would only take the bike if he gave it to me. And by that, I mean delivered it to me for free, and gave me a case of beer to go with it.

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