1997 RM125 restoration

Chuck936
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Chuck936
Edited Date/Time 2/19/2015 2:28am
Hi Guys, I've been following a few of the restoration threads for quite some time (good way of picking up a few tricks along the way) and decided on a 125 practice/fun bike to keep the hours down on my 250f - I've always been a Honda man, but there's been a bit of a saturation of Honda al frame builds, and many of the steel frame oem parts have all but dried up, so for something different I hunted around for 96-98 RM125, thanks to an interest in how the conventional forks would compare to the new gen of air forks, and also a relatively good supply of oem parts online.

With not much available, a 97 was the best I could find, with all the usual flogged out parts, lack of maintenance and mixup of bolts, but the chassis is true with no damage, and it runs quite well - I'm going for the 96-97 oem look, and have already sourced the plastics, seat cover and graphics, but was hoping to gain some more info on the motor/forks, having no prior experience with these bikes - apart from a general freshen up (oem parts where possible) with aftermarket exhaust and reeds, what made these motors really sing? And is it worth hunting down a pair of 98 forks? I've read in past threads that they are a much improved design, but trying to find a decent set is quite a challenge. Any info would be much appreciated. Cheers!

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Chuck936
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Chuck936 2/13/2015 3:27am
2/13/2015 3:27am


This was the look back in the day - a lot more bright and cheerful than today's bikes!



Different way to bring it home - thanks to a "mate" borrowing my trailer (cheers Camo)









Stripped apart for assessment

Thijssie
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Thijssie 2/13/2015 3:54am
2/13/2015 3:54am
I had a '98 at the time. Was a great bike! Smile . See if you can find any gearproblems, I had al lot of them. The gearbox isnt the most strong part of these bikes.

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Kidkawie
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Kidkawie 2/13/2015 7:40am
2/13/2015 7:40am Edited Date/Time 2/13/2015 7:41am
I bought a 96 RM125 for my kid for his first bike. It's THE Best chassis I ever rode. I had a blast on that bike the first time I took it to the track. Turns on a dime and the suspension soaked up the hit every time I came up short, ha. Sadly, I had to sell it to fund a newer bike (teenagers-lol) but I'd love to get another one someday. Bike was easy to work on, mine was lacking a little in power though. I did race a friend of mine on a sand track with it, he was on a 450 and couldn't pass me. The only issue I had was putting the forks back together. There's a specific procedure or the bottoms pop off.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Jeekinz/RM125/IMG_0086.jpg
barkhard696
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barkhard696 2/13/2015 4:49pm
2/13/2015 4:49pm Edited Date/Time 2/13/2015 4:59pm
What was always so strange to me was how far apart the 125 and 250 were, and for a long time, with Suzuki.

I have had two very low hour 97 RM250s, and the motor is all low-mid with noticeably less power than the CR250 of the same era.

The RM125s, on the other hand -- '93, '95, '96 '97 were all super fun bikes with no real performance gaps against other bikes of that time (ASFAIK).

I still think that this series of bikes (the 96-8 RM) are potentially the best bike Suzuki ever made (great chassis, great brakes, great forks, SUPER good looking).

Here in Texas, most folks ride anything Honda puts out and call it a day. But there are a few of us who have always had a soft spot for Suzuki. And all the Suzuki guys I know here LOVED their '96-8 RM125s.

>And is it worth hunting down a pair of 98 forks? I've read in past threads that they are a much improved design, but trying to find a decent set is quite a challenge.

Yeah, it is. The '98 forks are the same design internally as the TC Showas Honda put on their entire MX line from about '97-'08, so you really don't have to worry about parts availability (one configuration is conventional, one is USD).

The '96 Showas have too much underhang, the '97 greatly reduced this ('97-8 have the same underhang), but what you're getting with the '98 is "modern" fork internals, so you have a lot more options in terms of modding the forks, maintaining them, etc. Jason is right, though, working on a Twin Chamber conventional fork is a PITA.

I have I think 6 pairs of low hour '98 forks. They are the ultimate conventional forks that will ever be made.
Chuck936
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Chuck936 2/15/2015 6:21pm
2/15/2015 6:21pm
barkhard696 wrote:
What was always so strange to me was how far apart the 125 and 250 were, and for a long time, with Suzuki. I have had...
What was always so strange to me was how far apart the 125 and 250 were, and for a long time, with Suzuki.

I have had two very low hour 97 RM250s, and the motor is all low-mid with noticeably less power than the CR250 of the same era.

The RM125s, on the other hand -- '93, '95, '96 '97 were all super fun bikes with no real performance gaps against other bikes of that time (ASFAIK).

I still think that this series of bikes (the 96-8 RM) are potentially the best bike Suzuki ever made (great chassis, great brakes, great forks, SUPER good looking).

Here in Texas, most folks ride anything Honda puts out and call it a day. But there are a few of us who have always had a soft spot for Suzuki. And all the Suzuki guys I know here LOVED their '96-8 RM125s.

>And is it worth hunting down a pair of 98 forks? I've read in past threads that they are a much improved design, but trying to find a decent set is quite a challenge.

Yeah, it is. The '98 forks are the same design internally as the TC Showas Honda put on their entire MX line from about '97-'08, so you really don't have to worry about parts availability (one configuration is conventional, one is USD).

The '96 Showas have too much underhang, the '97 greatly reduced this ('97-8 have the same underhang), but what you're getting with the '98 is "modern" fork internals, so you have a lot more options in terms of modding the forks, maintaining them, etc. Jason is right, though, working on a Twin Chamber conventional fork is a PITA.

I have I think 6 pairs of low hour '98 forks. They are the ultimate conventional forks that will ever be made.
Thanks for the info barkhard, exactly what I was chasing - Glad to hear that they were a good handling bike to ride - it was interesting Suzuki switched from USD forks in 95 to run conventionals for three years before swapping back - I recall reading years ago in MXA magazine that they believed the conventional forks were far superior, but people had the perception that USD forks were newer, thus better then the old-school design, and eventually Suzuki bowed to consumer demand. I'll source a set of 98 forks - I used RG3 for my 250 suspension, and was pretty happy with their work/service, so I'll find a set in the states and have them shipped directly across to them.
Aceofspades 2/15/2015 6:31pm
2/15/2015 6:31pm
I had a 97 rm250 and i could disassemble both forks in about three minutes. Easiest forks ive ever dealt with. Go for all yellow plastic if u can because it looks great on those bikes. I cut off the fork guards and ran fork boots. Looked a million times better to me.
Aceofspades 2/15/2015 6:34pm
2/15/2015 6:34pm
Btw: I keep hearing that 98 forks are better than 97 forks, but to my eyes they were exactly the same internally. They WERE better than the 96 forks tho.
Chuck936
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Chuck936 2/15/2015 6:40pm
2/15/2015 6:40pm
Thijssie wrote:
I had a '98 at the time. Was a great bike! :). See if you can find any gearproblems, I had al lot of them. The...
I had a '98 at the time. Was a great bike! Smile . See if you can find any gearproblems, I had al lot of them. The gearbox isnt the most strong part of these bikes.
Cheers Thijssie, I was planning on soda-blasting the crank cases and re-painting the clutch cover, so it's a good time to break it down and inspect the gear box - if they had design flaws back when they were new, I could only imagine the condition 17 odd years of abuse has left it in..
Chuck936
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Chuck936 2/15/2015 6:49pm
2/15/2015 6:49pm
Aceofspades wrote:
I had a 97 rm250 and i could disassemble both forks in about three minutes. Easiest forks ive ever dealt with. Go for all yellow plastic...
I had a 97 rm250 and i could disassemble both forks in about three minutes. Easiest forks ive ever dealt with. Go for all yellow plastic if u can because it looks great on those bikes. I cut off the fork guards and ran fork boots. Looked a million times better to me.
I jumped in early and have already purchased the plastics, so I'm stuck with the white plates - although I must admit, I'm quite partial to the standard front guard - ugly or not, it makes the Suzuki's look different to every other bike :-)
Chuck936
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Chuck936 2/15/2015 6:54pm
2/15/2015 6:54pm
MadMatt579 wrote:
Here's one.

good luck mate.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/penrith-area/motorcycles/suzuki-rm-125/1…
Haha, must admit I'm a bit of a Gumtree lurker myself mate - your thread is one of the ones I followed for quite some time, never was a great Kawasaki fan, but yours is one of the nicest I have seen - really makes you appreciate the time and money some guys invest in their bikes
Chuck936
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Chuck936 2/15/2015 7:01pm
2/15/2015 7:01pm
Kidkawie wrote:
I bought a 96 RM125 for my kid for his first bike. It's THE Best chassis I ever rode. I had a blast on that bike...
I bought a 96 RM125 for my kid for his first bike. It's THE Best chassis I ever rode. I had a blast on that bike the first time I took it to the track. Turns on a dime and the suspension soaked up the hit every time I came up short, ha. Sadly, I had to sell it to fund a newer bike (teenagers-lol) but I'd love to get another one someday. Bike was easy to work on, mine was lacking a little in power though. I did race a friend of mine on a sand track with it, he was on a 450 and couldn't pass me. The only issue I had was putting the forks back together. There's a specific procedure or the bottoms pop off.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Jeekinz/RM125/IMG_0086.jpg
I always assumed they wouldn't have a huge amount of power (people always used to rate the CR and YZ as the bikes with good motors) but Suzuki must have got the figures right with their frame geometry - I was chasing a fun bike to practice on, so I'm pretty happy that people generally have good reports on them
husky125
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husky125 2/16/2015 9:09am
2/16/2015 9:09am
Chuck, the RM's of this era are great bikes! I raced Mid-Ohio Vintage on mine last year and won the 125 non-current class. I'm a big dude (6'3" 200 lbs.) but this bike pulls me around just fine.



Mike P.
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Mike P. 2/16/2015 9:31am
2/16/2015 9:31am
I don't have a 98 125, but I do have a 98 RM250, and I can tell you the fork works excellent! Don't know how the 97 fork worked, but the 98 is all good. There was an issue with the carburetor on the 250, which I don't know if the 125 suffered the same fait, but my 98 250 has an issue in that once it's warmed up, if it shuts off, it takes forever to get it started. I have heard that the issue was with the carburetor for the 96-98 models. Don't know if the issue carried over to the 125s, but just thought I'd throw it out there…Mike
Aceofspades 2/16/2015 1:45pm
2/16/2015 1:45pm
Mike P. wrote:
I don't have a 98 125, but I do have a 98 RM250, and I can tell you the fork works excellent! Don't know how the...
I don't have a 98 125, but I do have a 98 RM250, and I can tell you the fork works excellent! Don't know how the 97 fork worked, but the 98 is all good. There was an issue with the carburetor on the 250, which I don't know if the 125 suffered the same fait, but my 98 250 has an issue in that once it's warmed up, if it shuts off, it takes forever to get it started. I have heard that the issue was with the carburetor for the 96-98 models. Don't know if the issue carried over to the 125s, but just thought I'd throw it out there…Mike
I never had an issue like that on my 97. Sounds strange.
MadMatt579 2/19/2015 2:28am
2/19/2015 2:28am
MadMatt579 wrote:
Here's one.

good luck mate.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/penrith-area/motorcycles/suzuki-rm-125/1…
Chuck936 wrote:
Haha, must admit I'm a bit of a Gumtree lurker myself mate - your thread is one of the ones I followed for quite some time...
Haha, must admit I'm a bit of a Gumtree lurker myself mate - your thread is one of the ones I followed for quite some time, never was a great Kawasaki fan, but yours is one of the nicest I have seen - really makes you appreciate the time and money some guys invest in their bikes
Thanks mate.......... Ive had a few thoughts of doing a RM250 myself once i finish my CR250.......maybe a 92 with that crazy colour scheme. I never had one, but raced against some bitd.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have some feedback on the 92 RM250?

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