125cc Dream bike build *Budget*

[Gravy]

What's the most fun bike to ride?

I would argue it's a 125cc 2 stroke motocross bike.
*It's not the fastest, IT IS the most fun.

Why? Lightest, best handling, makes the best noise.

for whatever reason I can't wipe the smile off my face whenever I'm on one.

How many have heard the saying, "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow."

I absolutely love holding it wide open all the time. It "feels like" you're going a hundred miles an hour and it really forces you to learn to carry momentum through corners and use the clutch.

So, if handling is my goal then -Suzuki's are known to have the best turning chassis.

Begin the budget dream bike build.

2003 RM125

 

[Gravy]

First things first.
Lots and lots of scrubbing and pressure washing.
Then new plastics and graphics.

 

[Gravy]

Radiator Louvers

 

[Gravy]

New chain guide

 

[Gravy]

RK Chain and Outlaw racing sprockets



Throttle tube

 

[Gravy]

Brand new seat because the original was trashed

 

[Gravy]

The FMF shorty (bottom) got repacked and polished.

 

[Greg]

Pics in the first post are showing, the rest of them are not.

 

[Gravy]

I yanked the rear tire because it was all weather checked.
and
Soooo went to check the spokes in the rear and literally all of the spoke nipples were seized onto the spokes. No amount of PB blaster and heat could fix this.

Snip snip.




I laced up new heavy duty Outlaw racing spokes. I'll pay a weight penalty because they spoke and nipples are stainless and much thicker diameter, but for my purposes- I'd rather not break a spoke.
Torqued them and trued the wheel. I don't have a truing stand so I get all the spokes torqued the same then chuck it up in the swing arm and spin it with a sharpie against the rim and tighten or loosen spokes to get it perfectly straight left to right and vertically.
It works.
Then slapped a new tire on. I always lube my tubes with either heavy waterproof maxima grease or this time white lithium grease as it almost zeros the chance of pinch flats when used with a HD tube.

 

[Gravy]

New folding levers and grips with safety wire.


And red silicone radiator hoses.

 

[Gravy]

Leaky fork seals on the dual chamber SHOWA forks
strangely they use the same fork seals as 46mm open chamber KYB forks...

So full rebuild on the forks.
375cc of 5w in the outer chambers
you fill the inner chambers to the fill hole then press out the air.
So you end up somewhere around 178cc's

 

[Gravy]

The front fell off...



and I greased the headset linkage.


New pegs

 

[Gravy]

Pipe mounts. Kawi stuff is the same as Zuki stuff.

 

[Gravy]

This was as bad of a clutch basket as I have seen.
And then it wasn't. And it I did some mods to make it more better.
(The holes in the fingers are higher and lower to hopefully get more fluid into the clutch plates).

 

[Tonkaman]

Looks like you’ve put a lot of love into this one!

I’m not sure “dream” and “budget” can be used in the same description though

 

[boogie_4wheel]

Oh man that basket was ugly

 

[Gravy]

Looks like you’ve put a lot of love into this one!

I’m not sure “dream” and “budget” can be used in the same description though

You're probably right haha. I guess you can only replace dollars with time. I've got a fair bit of both into this one... I searched a long time for a good RM125 that I could sink my teeth into. I wanted 2003 or newer because supposedly they make a little better power than the earlier ones and the Showa fork was better from 03 on.

But hopefully this bike will be awesome. (I actually had a 2001 RM125 earlier that was too nice to keep.)(And I'm not fast enough to ride such a flashy bike).

Hopefully I can hang on to this one for a while before I get bored again.

Oh man that basket was ugly

Yeahhhhhh.
Strangly it didn't creep in nuetral or stall at idle with the clutch in (which is what a grooved basket usually does) it just didn't feel as snappy off the bottom as I would have liked. I realized when I opened it- it was because the clutch was slipping (because of the grooves I'd guess).

Very very few 250s I open have grooved clutches and many 125s do: I'd guess it has to do with the smaller physical size of the clutch pack and the amount of higher rpm clutch work a 125 needs to go fast.

 

[Tonkaman]

I love the graphics on that old one you sold

 

[glockman]

You are a madman. I hardly work on my own bike. I don't know how you rebuild 30 a year and keep up on your race bike.

 

[Gravy]

I love the graphics on that old one you sold

Thanks! It was Hydro-dipped! I really liked it too.

You are a madman. I hardly work on my own bike. I don't know how you rebuild 30 a year and keep up on your race bike.

Your have a diesel project that takes up all your time and more kids than me.