Posts
177
Joined
12/6/2019
Location
Grass Valley, CA, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/9/2020 12:39am
I found this in a trash pile on my road with a sign that said "FREE." I saw it on the way out somewhere, and noticed the "Full Floater" on the swingarm. Thought about it all day and was so happy it was still there on the way home.
It's a 1982 RM125Z- this is the bike I wanted that year and never got. Actual hours look fairly low (original tires I think), but it looks like somebody blew it up and left it sitting in the rain for a decade or two with the cylinder off, and half of the bike is gone. Front end was a bit tweaked but frame is straight.
Picked up radiator and cylinder on E-Bay
Local shop helped me split cases. Crank is rusted out but everything else looks pretty good. I'll of course be replacing most bearings and seals.
It's a 1982 RM125Z- this is the bike I wanted that year and never got. Actual hours look fairly low (original tires I think), but it looks like somebody blew it up and left it sitting in the rain for a decade or two with the cylinder off, and half of the bike is gone. Front end was a bit tweaked but frame is straight.
Picked up radiator and cylinder on E-Bay
Local shop helped me split cases. Crank is rusted out but everything else looks pretty good. I'll of course be replacing most bearings and seals.
Bought OEM radiator sidepanels, I think it was Bike Bandit.
I'm using Citristrip, sandpaper, and wire wheel on drill for the frame, magneto cover etc. It took a few weeks, maybe 10 hours total to get the whole frame done.
This is going to be a vintage race bike/trail burner, not a museum build. I'll probably scandalize a few of the purists on here, because I am going with as few $$ as possible.
Hubs cleaned right up with a little mag polish.
Just for fun, here are some RM125Z schematics I found. (I just think they are cool).
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
I have a 2004 RM250 too, so this would make a nice sister bike.
The first thing I looked up was the crankshaft nut, which I couldn't get off. Turns out it's a reverse thread! I had a feeling it might be, but didn't want to damage it by yarding on it. Heated up with blowtorch and it came right off.
Also, I thought I would share a good video I found on transmission removal. This guy explains it really well. This is where I'm at right now. I want to pull the gear set (not take it apart) and get the remaining bearings out so I can strip the paint off the cases. This is way further inside an engine I have ever been. I think the gearshift mechanism is going to be the trickiest.
https://youtu.be/kR_jjlGFdrU
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