Author Topic: RM'ing an 81 PE  (Read 9779 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

mainline

  • Guest
RM'ing an 81 PE
« on: July 01, 2008, 07:02:08 PM »
As I'm likely to be picking up my new (1981) PE175 from mr holeshot buddy on the weekend, I wanted to start picking brains on how to MX it a bit.

I know they were based on the RM's but how closely?

Apart from the obvious, like taking the lights off, how much of the RM stuff, like tank, seat etc is a relatively easy or direct swap?

Cheers
« Last Edit: July 01, 2008, 07:23:06 PM by mainline »

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2008, 07:20:48 PM »
I have a Pe 250 and Rm of the same year being 1980 - they are very similar and share a lot in common . With the Pe 175  the seat it is different at the rear mounts ( kicks up alot more ) - side cover is different due to size of baffle and also fixing points ( Rm tank on pe Frame fits - big gap between seat and tank) easy fix if you spend some time on it.
 

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2008, 07:24:21 PM »
thanks for that, were the pe's based on a 125 frame or 250 (or a mix)

are you using that rm tank you mentioned? ;D

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2008, 07:29:05 PM »
Are you going to be at NUDGEE on Sunday ,and how did I know you where going to ask that question.( in between mix ) 

Offline Tim754

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 4011
  • Northern Country Victoria
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2008, 07:29:09 PM »
Mainline I have a mate about to sell a fair to rough  81 PE ,is a parts bike or rebuilder as seems to have shit bigend bearing. No I do not have a price or photo and it is located in Echuca  Victoria.  Pm me if ya interested for his contact number. Tim754
I may not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
                                                   Voltaire.

Offline Noel

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 953
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2008, 08:33:07 PM »
Hi ,
I have both A  81pe175,x( last twin shock) and an 80 Rm125T(also last twin shock,)
some parts interchangeable, seat base is same part No.  but different mounts and foam, but will bolt straight on,
tanks should also bolt up with the right mount plates
engines will bolt in either frame but not all parts are interchangeable athought some internal parts cane be used
ie clutch plates are the same but PE has more plates than RM therefore clutch baskets are not the same, etc
  my RM has remote canister shocks PE standard
Rear wheel /brake setup  Pe has brakes and sprocket together on same side for quicker removal,
If you need any specific info I can go and have a look if that helps.
cheers
Noel
« Last Edit: July 01, 2008, 09:23:32 PM by Noel »

Offline Lozza

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 4206
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2008, 10:34:13 PM »
Yep all that but the real difference is in the exhaust port height and the transfers.In effect the PE is just a detuned RM which would probably make it a delight to ride.
Jesus only loves two strokes

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2008, 07:11:43 PM »
thanks guys,

just picked up a front number plate, so now all I need is the seat (possibly), tank and rear guard.

oldfart, yep I'm trying to get to Nudgee on Sunday but I won't be riding. What bike number are you?

Thanks Tim, but the bike I'm picking up doesn't need anything other than the visual makeover I have planned for it. Thanks though.

Noel, thanks very much for the info, I may have to take you up on the offer at some stage in the future.


Is there an online Suzuki parts reference anywhere?

Offline holeshot buddy

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 2007
  • sunshine coast qld
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2008, 07:18:33 PM »
paul i might have a rear guard you can have ;D
follow me to first turn

Offline Noel

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 953
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2008, 09:33:43 PM »

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2008, 07:33:11 PM »
thanks for that Noel, let the research begin!

and Rusty, are you from Syria, or are you being cruel and referring to the one already on the PE?

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2008, 07:54:23 PM »
I'll bring an Rm tank up as a loaner so you can set your seat up . Not riding this weeked as I have too much on . Be there at about 11 ish

Offline holeshot buddy

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 2007
  • sunshine coast qld
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2008, 10:21:01 PM »
no the guard i had is a petty yellow
guard that was on my rm370
i dont need it so its yours ;D
follow me to first turn

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2008, 09:17:05 PM »
alrighty, the stripping has begun (the bike not me) looks like the 125 tank is a perfect fit although one bracket is different. Rusty's seat may fit with work, and the guard is probably a goer.

I'm thinking of using the muffler i made for my YZ on the pe/rm or is it a pm? , so it looks like Rocksberg will be happening one way or the other!! , thanks guys for your help.


And can I just say, having owned Hondas, Yamahas, and Suzukis, that the Suzuki foot pegs are the best I've come across so far!! ;D

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2008, 09:38:50 AM »
Message sent with regards to guards    http://www.oemcycle.com/Item/product/1581

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2008, 01:58:30 PM »
alrighty, here's a couple of pics of what I started with and what it looks like at the moment.

Mechanically the bike was pretty damn good to start with, so apart from things like levers, throttle, and silencer, I'm mostly just doing a cosmetic rebuild. The silencer, which I pinched off my YZ project, is the one I made from an old grease gun, and it sounds fantastic.

Doc has very kindly supplied a 125 tank that I can clean up a bit and use, so I just need to find a 125 seat to match. The PE seat/tank combo don't really help when you're trying to get forward in corners. I ended up with my crack on the crack, if you know what I mean.

Also, thanks to OldFart for the advice on rear guards, the generic Cemoto one looks like it grew there.





« Last Edit: July 27, 2008, 02:00:58 PM by mainline »

Quicksilver

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2008, 03:51:15 PM »
That looks really good. Nicely done.

Doc

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #17 on: July 27, 2008, 04:38:35 PM »
Yeah, it looks really good Paul, congrats mate :)
 
love the lawn too by the way, another job well done ;) ;D

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #18 on: July 27, 2008, 06:39:41 PM »
thanks for noticing the lawn Doc  :) 

I'll have to remember to put those backing panels in the ute, so I can drop them off one day.

Offline Wombat

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 1369
  • Gold Coast hinterland
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #19 on: July 27, 2008, 07:30:23 PM »
Nice job mainline - it's looking like a bought one!
"Whadaya mean it's too loud?! It's a f*ckin' race bike!! That pipe makes it go louder - and look faster!!"

Offline holeshot buddy

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 2007
  • sunshine coast qld
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #20 on: July 27, 2008, 09:30:28 PM »
shit thats lookin good  8)
knew i should have kept her  :'(
doesnt matter its gone to a good home ;D
follow me to first turn

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #21 on: July 28, 2008, 10:06:06 AM »
at least it'll never get the ring revved out of it ;D

 Your mate was right though, it's a really nice bike to ride, and the new lower handlebars made a big difference.

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #22 on: July 28, 2008, 03:13:36 PM »
Put a thinner head gasket , and look at the rear shocks ( bit too soft ) - trim muffler  back to 50mm from  seat  bracket and remove the restrictor then reweld cone section back on .  ;)

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #23 on: July 28, 2008, 04:26:20 PM »
you'll have to explain grasshopper...

the headgasket I'm assuming will give higher compression?

the shocks seem to work ok at the speed I'm currently capable of travelling, but they're not adjustable so do I change to RM shocks or aftermarket if needed at some stage?

and the silencer is my rebuildable greasegun homemade job on loan from the YZ. It works so well though that I think I might make another. It's about 1/4 of the length of the original PE one.

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #24 on: July 28, 2008, 05:05:00 PM »
Thinner gasket gives more comp, and better performance all round .

The stock baffle works well , the trick was to remove the restrictor and shorten em up ...in there days

Next time you have the shocks off. machine extra groove's in the body @ 5mm centres 

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #25 on: July 28, 2008, 05:18:58 PM »
does old mate at RAD do these sort of mods?

oldfart

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #26 on: July 28, 2008, 05:26:19 PM »
yes

Offline crs-and-rms

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 668
  • heaven 23
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #27 on: July 28, 2008, 08:01:07 PM »
i thought i the 250 didnt have a restrictor plate in the pipe only in the sillencer its the 175 that has the restrictor in the pipe

Offline DJRacing

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 1598
  • YZ125X
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #28 on: July 29, 2008, 10:24:40 PM »
TM Bills PE RM 175 1981 PE 175 with 1980 RM 125 tank & seat ugly aftermarket rear gaurd & fox shocks  :)
And his TS ER 185 TM 125 hybrid 1978 TS 185 with 1974 TM 125 tank & 1980 RM 125 seat , Tm 125 forks and wheels :)



« Last Edit: July 29, 2008, 10:28:10 PM by DJRacing »
If at first you dont succeed, give up and drink beer

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #29 on: July 30, 2008, 04:58:24 PM »
I might have to talk to Bill about how the tank fits, look like the mounting points are different from PE to Rm. Looks like it bolts into the same point as the exhaust bracket.

and now I'm wondering whether I just modify the PE seat a bit and leave the tank as is. I'm starting to like the chunky tank look :-\




Doc

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #30 on: July 31, 2008, 03:15:34 PM »
Personal preference with the tanks Mainline. I found the PE tank feels huge when riding and after running a 125T tank on my 400C now the original RM tank now seems huge. I kinda liked the smaller tank, made the whole bike seem even narrower than it already was ;) and yup, it would appear Bill's tank mount is bolted to the exhaust hanger mount...hmmmm..might save me fabricating new mounts if it's a straight out fit at this point :-\

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #31 on: August 10, 2008, 06:07:52 PM »
Hey Doc, I reckon you were spot on about the C2/400 tank, I think it's the one.


mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #32 on: August 10, 2008, 06:24:09 PM »
 .

Doc

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #33 on: August 11, 2008, 08:46:16 PM »
It does look the goods with the C tank Paul. Will see if I can get hold of the guy with the other tank. The tank you have split along the lower edge where the small painted section is. I filled the crack with flexible epoxy but I've never put fuel in it since. Will let you know about the other tank asap but in the meantime you are welcome to use that one if it holds fuel ;)

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #34 on: August 12, 2008, 04:37:40 PM »
hey doc, put a bit of fuel in that tank and leaned it over to the split side. It sat there all day and didn't leak so it looks like you did a good job on it.

Offline cyclegod

  • Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 2530
  • Sunny PERTH W.A
    • View Profile
    • cyclegod on "youtube"
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #35 on: August 14, 2008, 02:48:45 PM »
I think suzuki already thought about this before (at least in the US market)
Ban BLACK rims NOW

Doc

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #36 on: August 14, 2008, 04:07:19 PM »
yeah we never got the RS series here (love that model designation!) There was an RS250 also but I never remember an RS400 being released. Strange mix considering the market already had the RM and rego compliant PE. A step down from both in the chassis department the uncomlianced RS series was in no mans land :-\

Offline LWC82PE

  • Superstar
  • ******
  • Posts: 6002
    • View Profile
    • PE motorcycles & SuzukiTS.com
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #37 on: August 14, 2008, 05:43:18 PM »
Both the PE and RS didn’t have compliance plates in US. Yes no RS’s in Australia and no RS 400. only 80-82 RS 175’s and 80-81 RS 250. nice looking bikes though
« Last Edit: August 14, 2008, 05:51:56 PM by LWC3077 »
Wanted - 1978 TS185 frame or frame&motor. Frame # TS1852-24007 up to TS1852-39022

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #38 on: July 09, 2011, 06:24:46 PM »
it's been a while but here's the latest incarnation. After this it'll be rebuilding the rm125n/t frame I picked up from Huskibul via Firko at CD7, and swapping all the good bits over to make a Fox RM175 just like the one that never existed back in the day ;D

excuse the pic quality, can't find my camera so had to use the phone.


Offline DR500

  • B-Grade
  • ***
  • Posts: 272
    • View Profile
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #39 on: July 10, 2011, 05:50:34 PM »
You got me thinking now! i have a Pe 175t which would look good RM style

mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #40 on: July 10, 2011, 06:04:50 PM »
handles much better too, had the first run today with the new shocks and apart from being taller, and much better over the bumps, it turns beautifully. Still slow, but that's me not the bike.

rohan

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #41 on: July 11, 2011, 09:32:50 AM »
They can look good as an RM, this is my 1980 PE. I bought an RS seat as it was only $20 on ebay. All the RM seats were around $120 however the RS and the RM have the same part number.


mainline

  • Guest
Re: RM'ing an 81 PE
« Reply #42 on: July 13, 2011, 03:49:26 PM »
very nice, I like the machined/bare metal outer edge on the hubs - a little bit worksy. I chopped the rear frame loop off mine and stuck it on the shelf just in case someone ever wanted to weld it back on