Posts
298
Joined
1/2/2019
Location
Merced, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
7/15/2020 4:31pm
I just got a 1990 KTM 125 who is Chesterfield. 
However-back in the day those KTMs were known to have serious durability issues. You might need some more dollars to get her up and then to keep her running
By the way: in 1990 they already had uspidedown WP forks....
WP is a big maufacture of suspension.
GP(Grand Prix) is world championship in MX, and Chesterfield was a sponsor (like Redbull and Monster today)
So a "GP Chesterfield team bike" would be special.
Try to contact Andre Hovarts in Austria, or someone else that know older KTM.
you should get info on what to look for, before you do anything on the bike.
If it is a GP bike, it is worth much more than you gave, and anything else than a proffesional restortion might ruin it...
On the other hand, it probably is a ordinary KTM with aftermarket seat.
Evo-mx in the U.K. makes reproduction decal kits as it’s pretty popular for guys who restore this era of KTMs to want to do a Chesterfield replica bike.
I think you got a great deal and what’s there looks really clean and in decent shape. KTM won the 125 World Championship in 1989 and the 1990 was known to be a fast bike. Lots of parts are on eBay very cheap. I’ve recently seen complete gasket/seat kits for 15 and new piston kits for 25.
What’s interesting to me is that back then nobody had those seats unless they were on the team, and KTM 125 were very rare in the US those years. Makes me wonder if that is an old practice bike of Bob Moore or Mike Healey (America GP riders who were from California but raced Chesterfield KTMs in Europe)
The Shop
The 89 250 had great compression. But it was obvious the prior owner stopped riding it due to the corrosion eating into the clutch side cover and rotting out the pump itself.
Here’s a link for you to find owners manuals and parts list.
KTM Manuals 1984-1997
My suggestion is have someone who knows 2 strokes and what to look for as it relates to the current state.
Finding parts will consist of doing a word search with the year and model and make and either the part number or just the name of the part you need.
It will be helpful for you to research what years were the motors the same as to possibly use parts from newer years.
Try to get as much history on the bike from the prior owner. I would go as far as asking are they sure you received every part for it.
Also looks like the front end has maybe been swapped out with some mid 90s KTM conventional forks. Post a pic and I can probably identify them.
I’ve been through a couple early 90s KTM 125s. You can find everything you will need in the states pretty easy.
Go here and you can see the parts diagram for an 89 to get part numbers for anything you need. Get your numbers and check with any KTM dealer.
http://www.ktm495.mxbikes.com
Here is mine
You could probably sell those for 3 times what you paid for the bike.
The bike looks stock it’s just interesting to me that it has a pretty rare seat cover
Likely the only one of its kind in the USA and a nearly exact rep of what Trampas Parker rode in 1989. He lived in CT, so I dont know how it made its way out to CA, but anything was possible, he sold it in 1991 or so to a guy name Jim who could well of sold it off to lord knows who. But his bike had those Marzocchi forks.
French 125 GP 1990
Good luck with the bike!
All the other markings you’ve described are common on all stock KTMs of that era. The front rim is different from the rear because somebody along the way mounted a stock 1997 front end.
Somebody mentioned preprinted numbers but those are not. They are a standard background that Malcom Smith sold that had a little ms racing logo printed in them.
You got a good deal and it’s a cool bike, not to burst your hopes but I think it looks like a stock bike with a rare seat cover. I’d still be curious about it’s history though. Coulda been a practice bike of Moore or Healey and then went through a few owners. I’d try to get as much info as you could from whoever you got it from.
Also there are a lot of single posts in your thread with no interaction, you may ask ADMIN to combine them or delete some of them so that in the future when people find the thread it is organized and professional looking and they can find the valuable information quickly and easily.
I should have some extra cash next week. I maybe giving you an offer, but remember I know what you paid for it. ;-)
It does seem as if you are having a conversation with yourself in this thread. Persons who could offer you help may feel it will be in vain. It is as if youre texting someone and doing it with one sentence and hitting send. Your thoughts seem scattered and all over the place. Not hatin just trying to help you see what many already see.
You really should listen to some of the posts offered here already. Really think about embarking on doing a restore. These restores may only make sense if you can do a great deal of the work yourself, have the time, and lastly disposable income. Depending on how far you go and the type of restore will ultimately determine how much money you will have in it. Typically thousands of dollars in doing a complete back to original showroom.
Older KTMs can be even more costly due to fewer bikes sold in the US and such fewer parts.
Yes you got the bike on the cheap. Maybe it was cheap since the prior owner realized the difficulty in restoring it.
Use the links I sent you or others posted to you to create a shopping list. I would only focus on getting the bike running and those costs involved. I would be surprised if any shop would do that for you due to its age. You don’t need a shop to do it anyways. Obviously you have access to the internet and you are resourceful. Check out the dedicated KTM forums for more assistance.
Here’s an image of a bike I recently sold for $250.00. No way you could get that running without a huge amount of luck and time. Extremely difficult to locate parts. Not saying you won’t but I knew with that 250 it was way more work then it was worth. Even after all that repair I would still have a bike worth very little.
That bike was only good for the limited amount of its usable parts.
Pit Row
I want to believe it has some history only based on some of the stickers I see on it along with the seat cover.
But be aware that even guys back in the day wanted their bikes to look like the factory bikes. I could easily accept that this is what occurred with yours.
I would be looking for some customization beyond just the forks. Professional riders typically have someone caring for their bikes even their practice bikes.
I would try getting the serial number ran to point of origin here in the States. Cop buddies can run this with little effort since you’re not having a persons name ran. You normally need some PC to run a name. Not so with a vin. Not saying this will give you all your answers.
Go to the KTM forum and post as many images in a single post as you can. Don’t suggest anything as to its history and simply ask can anyone offer any insight into what I have. Those guys there would enjoy speculating over the actual heritage of that bike.
Good luck.
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