Rm125 questions

[slater]

Hiy guys

Next saturday im going to look at a rm125 with my dad

i no somethings bout bikes and so does dad but not enough to give the bike a good look over

My question is can anyone give me some ideas what to look at more importantly than other things? :)

Thanks guys your help is much appreciated ;)

 

[rpm12505]

We bought an 05 new. Raced it every year. Great bike, watched an expert win on a brand new 04 that he borrowed after he blew up his 4 stroke. The only problem we had was wearing out clutch baskets. Changed the outer with a hinson, inner ones I use factory or pro-x $40 vs. $250 for hinson inner. That is also attributed to riding style, a friend of ours has the same bike and has never had the cover off. Other than that spin both wheels and make sure the rims and brakes aren't bent. Push down on the seat to see if the rear suspension moves freely. We rusted up our linkage bearings pretty good from pressure washing. Good luck .... Paul

 

[cover3]

^ In the MXA magazine it does say that "Suzuki doesn't seem to know how to make a working clutch". Just get a good aftermarket one if you get the good old RM.

 

[mopower440]

So you can use a stock suzuki inner hub with an aftermarket basket?
thanks!
rpm125, e-mail me at cashley@united.net

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

The last time we bought an inner hub (OEM) it was about $40. Yes it works with aftermarket baskets.

 

[76GMC1500]

Put a stand under the bike so you can get the rear wheel bearing off the ground and check the swingarm and linkage bearings for slop. Try to move the wheel side to side and up and down. About a half inch of up and down is normal, anything more than an inch is starting to get excessive. Swingarm and linkage bearings are expensive to replace if you have to pay a shop to do it, and even if you don't.

 

[slater]

Any thing im paticular to look at inside the motor and what should it the bike sound like its a 98' rm125

 

[showtime586]

One of the first things that I always looked for in buying a used bike was flat spots on the bottom of the frame. Flat spots are indicative of cased landings on jumps, and can lead to frame cracks and assorted damage.
A 98 bike is going to have some wear and tear on it. I would also plan to do a top end change as soon as I bought it.

 

[kawicam250]

make sure the oil is clean( if the bike as a little looking glass on the transmission side) and makes sure the air filter is clean, check to see if the chain looks worn. any/all of these could be signs of neglected maintenance which is not what you want on a used bike. believe me, i know :nod: .

 

[mopower440]

2-stokes 4-ever, please e-mail me concerning rm cluches
cashley@united.net

 

[kawicam250]

2-stokes 4-ever, please e-mail me concerning rm cluches
cashley@united.net

2T's forever didnt talk about the RM clutches, cover3 is the one.

 

[slater]

Its allready had a rebuild and stuff, top end bottom. What will be the most important thing to look at on this rm, i wanna make sure i got a great buy :boss:

 

[kawicam250]

Its allready had a rebuild and stuff, top end bottom. What will be the most important thing to look at on this rm, i wanna make sure i got a great buy :boss:

ride the bike before you buy it, its a common rule of used bike buyers. that way, if the bike isnt what you thought itd be, youll most likely know before you buy it. i wasnt so lucky when i bought my old CR80 last year :bang: .

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

2-stokes 4-ever, please e-mail me concerning rm cluches
cashley@united.net

If I can be of some help..........I'll do it here in this thread. Post away.....

 

[mopower440]

well, i was wondering if you have a cure for the rm clutch drag? I have a 1998 rm125, just bought it, the clutch drags and it really drives me nuts, especially when going down a STEEP hill with the clutch pulled in and holding the back brake and it tries to kill the motor, and of course impossoble to hit neutral when its running..I heard about the baskets being crapy on these bikes, so i pulled it apart and to my surprise found an aftermarket basket in perfect shape, no nothing or anything. The inner hub was also perfect and the clutches and steels looked to be fine..yet the clutch still drags! What do you know?

 

[Chili]

I'll assume you've worked the adjustments on the cable and they aren't maxxed out to full adjustment? When you pulled apart the clutch were the steel plates discolored blue? Looking at the plates is one thing checking them with a micrometer is another, and then you also need to check the springs are still within their service limit.

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

Same here..........even with good basket and hub. Run auto-trans. fluid, type F. Your friction plates have gotten overheated and have a glaze on them. (neutral is ALWAYS hard to find on a Suzy, the factory does this on purpose to reduce missed shifts.) Remove friction plates, place a piece of light sandpaper on a flat surface, do about a half dozen figure 8's with each plate (lightly). This removes glaze. Clutch will work WAY better, but drag will return after you've gotten it real hot a few times. Some clutch drag will ALWAYS be an issue.......never quite perfect. I'm convinced Suzuki could use a better friction material........but haven't found any aftermarket plates that are any better. Also, change your oil every couple rides........or every ride if you're a heavy clutch user. Both our bikes have good baskets, hubs, presure plates, and steel drive plates.........but we just have to live with less than stellar clutch performance. I've had a lot of bikes over the years, handed the 125 down to my son, I take it out for a spin sometimes.......and it's still one of the most fun bikes I've ever had.

 

[earl pittz]

Bring a long twisty tie or piece of wire to use as a dipstick if there is none, if the oil is white that means that the bike has some serious coolant leakage problems. Even if the coolent looks fine don't let it fool you. I have gotten many bikes where I didn't check the oil and man was I sorry. You will want to start while you are there, if you hear a kind of pinging/slapping sound that means the piston is worn out and the cylinder could need a bore. The shifting abviously should be smooth and should shift easily. Make sure it idles well too. Check to see if the tires are cracked. Make sure there isn't any oil coming out from around the fork seals, if there is that either means there is dirt inbetween the seal and the rod or it needs new seals. It's best not to risk it, if the seals do need replacing thats a bit of money in the oil catch tray so to speak. Feel free to take it for a spin around the block. See if it excelerates well, test the brakes.

 

[rpm12505]

well, i was wondering if you have a cure for the rm clutch drag?

Beside all the above mentioned tips, make sure all the steels are going the same way. If you look close there is a sharp edge side and a rounded side. I prefer rounded side in. Barnett says it doesn't matter as long as they are all going the same way. Good luck PJM