2009 RM85 Build

Almost two years after deciding he didn’t want to ride anymore, my son decided he wants to ride again. He’s set on riding only desert until he gets better and faster at which point he will go back to riding at the tracks again. He’s already planning which tracks he wants to go to when that time comes. 

Why we decided to go with an 85 with him being 9. Well, basically he’s a giant at 5ft tall. Much like me at his age, he’s outgrown 65’s and 110’s, but his ability has catching up to do. We were torn between a used small wheel TTR125 or new/newer KLX140/CRF125F but the TTR’s were all thrashed and everyone wants way too much money for them and when it came to the KLX/CRF’s I couldn’t justify paying almost $6k otd for a bike he may not want to ride after a year anyways. So I started looking at 85’s, specifically YZ’s and RM’s because they haven’t changed so parts are plenty and we have a great relationship with a Yamaha/Suzuki dealer. Found an 09 RM85L on marketplace for $800 with all kinds of extra parts including a second engine, multiple heads, flywheel, plastic, seals, bearings, etcetera. Asked the guy if he’d take $650 and sure enough as long as I picked it up by Monday night he’d do it. 

So my son, my dad and I jumped in the truck Sunday afternoon and made the 2 hour drive to go check it out. We already knew the bike didn’t run in its current state, but when we got there the thing had all kinds of trick parts, one motor was a 112cc done by PR2 and the other by PCM I believe. We always plan to completely rebuild any bike we buy used(only buy used 2 strokes) just for peace of mind and to prevent any potential safety issues and we just enjoy it and we always rebuild them back to stock. My son sits on the bike and even with the 19 front and 16 rear, he can still hold the bike up and touch if he leans slightly to one side. He immediately falls in love with it. So my dad and I go over every inch we possibly can, looking for cracks in the frame, any sort of issues on the outside of the cases, checking for play in the swing arm, nothing! All looks great, so we take the bike. 

I’ve already found a guy with a bunch of new OEM RM85 parts that I need including small wheels, cylinder, head, crank and pistons. We didn’t get back until 9pm Sunday evening, but that didn’t stop my son from asking me if we can start working on the bike ASAP! We agree Monday night after I get home from work, we will start pulling it apart. And we did just that. The PR2 motor will be the one we keep and rebuild as a 112, while the other motor will be rebuilt completely stock. Goal is to have it ready to go by mid January for a desert trip, but if my son has it his way it will be done by Christmas 😂 It won’t be a flashy build by any means, but it will be clean and done correctly. I tried selling my son on the restyle kit, but he said no way and loves how it looks from the factory. 

Couple photos so far