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RM125 restoration and clutch question
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I am tired of going into my bike shed and seeing that bike parked like
it was a huge paper weight. I want to fix it... I know what I need:
- top end kit USD 160 was the cheapest I could find, PRO-X brand.
- new rear shock - I rebuild mine four times, the rebound adjust is
frozen and it is rebounding *very fast*. Found one on ebay for USD18,
it might take three times as that for shipping but still cheaper than
buying here; I won't rebuild mine again, I gave up on that.
- perhaps a new cylinder lining, I found who does this with nikasil
for about USD50 + shipping.
- plastics, but I can live with the old, dried out cracked plastic. I
did a paint job on the bike just before it seized, it is reasonably
good looking...
- handlebar. I took the Renthal CR HI it had and put on my XR... I
might get a cheapie steel handlebar of a DT180, it has the right width
and height I like :-) I'd like to keep the restoration cost under
USD300...
- change the fork and engine oil...
Also, there is the clutch. It drags badly and there is almost no free
play. It works ok, but it is impossible to get to neutral with the
engine running (amazing enough, I figured out jetting on this bike and
it idles!). The clutch lever is very very hard. The clutch disks are
reasonably new, perhaps I have five or six rides on them. Clutch
basket was badly grooved, deep notches on it, I filed the fingers, but
the distance between the fingers and plates is bigger than what I've
see on other bikes. Also, the separator steel disks were "rebuilt" by
a mechanic when I bought the bike. Seems that I need both the clutch
basket *and* the separators, right? What else I might look?
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Is the clutch cable in good shape? Properly lubed? Has it
stretched too far? Have the clutch springs been replaced recently? How
do the spec out versus OEM units or the manual tolerances? You may
just have bad springs.
I dunno how you'd "rebuild" steel drive plates, because generally
you just replace 'em if they're worn below (thickness) tolerance or
warped.
If you have the manual, check the exploded parts diagram to be sure
you're not missing a part. My '85 RM 250 has a ball-bearing behind the
accutator rod and without it the clutch doesn't function correctly at
all.
If you can't find a good used clutch basket, you can get an OEM
unit (complete with drive gear) from Cycle-Parts.com for $153.32.
individual part numbers for your Suzuki, then go here:
Cycle-Parts prices (which are the best I've found for OEM stuff).
Again, not sure if they can ship to Recife, but might be worth
checking into.
You can also get a hard anodized Moose clutch basket for your '94
RM-125 ($199 USD from Dennis Kirk), a Hinson billet clutch basket
($218.99... pressure plate also available from Hinson for $165.99),
Vortex billet clutch basket ($216.99), or a Wiseco precision-forged
clutch basket ($218.99 USD).
If all of that doesn't work, you might try a different oil.
Fred Bradford - CrashTestDummy
f.j.bradfordREMOVE@verizon.net
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Before it seized, I repacked silencer and replaced all wheel bearings,
it has new air filter, new exhaust valves (ouch, they're expensive,
old valves broke in two), new connecting rod, new engine bearings, new
engine seals, new tires, new brake disks and pads, not to mention that
I painted the frame using BMW's metallic gray and it doesn't have a
single scratch... The engine seized on the first ride after painting,
silly me, I let it run out of coolant, there was a very little leak at
one hose and I kept riding and filling, but it leaked faster than I
could re-fill...
btw, the bike is a RM125"R", model year 1994.
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