Rebuild or new engine. ('97 RM125)

[D3luxe]

Ok..So, the problem of the locked up kickstart and bogging down has been solved..

I took it up to the mechanics close to my house, they say the entire engine needs a rebuild. He said the crankshaft, plus assembly, plus pistons & rings, and whatever else it needs will come out to about $1300, with $400 in labor..So thats $1700.

How much would a brand new engine for my bike be? Wondering if that would be the better route to go..

 

[IndyMX]

Holy crap, I could buy 2 '97 RM 125's for that price.

You should be able to get the parts for that quite a bit cheaper than that.

Check bikebandit...

 

[D3luxe]

Yeah, exactly..It's outrageous, considering I only payed a grand for the bike.

I'll check through bikebandit..Not sure exactly what I need though, all the mechanic said over the phone was a crankshaft + assembly, and pistons + rings..which shouldn't cost $1300..

I'll have to get more details..I'll go up the them tomorrow to find out a list of exactly what needs to be replaced, and go from there.

I just got off the phone with the guy I bought it from. He said, since when I bought it "as is", he couldn't warranty it..However, if I bring it to him, he'll look at it and (as long as its not something completely major..whatever that means, how much more major can it get besides a complete rebuild..) he could give me a cheaper price than the dealer..

 

[_JOE_]

Call Eric Gorr. He works with a guy who does bottom ends. Between the two you should be able to get it done right for less than half that price.

 

[D3luxe]

Who is Eric Gorr?
EDIT: Found Gorr's site..Disregard that question.


Also, where is a good place to get a new engine? Or used, as long as it's in good shape..A friend said he's seen some freshly rebuilt used engines for around $500, which is a hell of a lot better than $1700 for me..

Regardless, I'm not paying $1700 for a rebuild..thats just insane. I'm going to pick up the engine tomorrow after talking with the mechanic to see exactly what they saw, and then on saturday i'm going to rip it apart with my friend.

This place is no good for this stuff I guess..My friend tried taking his bike there to trade in his current bike ('02 suzuki 250 4-stroke..not sure what kind) in mint condition, and they offered him $1200 for it. They told him his carb was shot, and that the bike wouldn't idle..Later when he checked it out, the carb was perfect, looked like it has barely been used. And he checked the idle screw, found out that the guys at the shop unscrewed it all the way, which is what was making the bike stall. Basically, i'm done with this place.

 

[D3luxe]

So, I got the engine back.

The most expensive item on their list they wanted to replace was the cylinder..They said there was rod failure which in turn caused damage to the cylinder walls and the piston.

Well, myself as well as 4 other people looked at the cylinder walls..There isn't a single mark on them. Not even a single sign of wear.

The piston does have some minor damage to it, but just at the very top, above the ring. Could probably file it down to make sure it doesnt scratch the walls, but basically its fine.

Here is where they were right..Where the connecting rod connects to the crankshaft, it has about a quarter inch of slack. That is what was causing the loud clicking sound. I'm assuming that when we had gotten the kickstart unstuck, it broke the lower connecting rod bearing.

Is it best to just get a whole new crankshaft + assembly?

Basically all I see that we need to replace is the crankshaft, all the o-rings and gaskets, and possibly the piston..

 

[IndyMX]

You should still measure the cylinder for wear.

Don't just assume that it's fine because it looks good. It could be way out of serviceable limits.

At most, send it off to Eric Gorr and have it replated.

 

[D3luxe]

Yeah, good idea to measure it..That completely slipped my mind.

Also, with the crankshaft..Seeing as its just rod failure, down where the bearing is, is there any way to just replace the bearing? I was looking at the diagram of the crankshaft from bikebandit, it looks like you could just take out #9 and replace the bearings..

Refer to http://houseofmotorcycles.bikebandit.com/parts/Suzuki/RM125V/1997/1024304 to see what #9 is.

Is there any way to do that, or would I have to have a machine shop re-balance everything anyway?

 

[IndyMX]

You'd have to balance the crank.. but you may have to replace the crank due to wear.

Again with the pesky measuring of parts.

Or you could just do the safe thing, and replace the crank, bearing & rod and be done with it. I don't see a Hot Rod kit for that bike, but maybe Eric Gorr has a line on somethign you could use.