OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Suzuki => Topic started by: BAHNZY on March 15, 2010, 10:10:34 pm
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Well she’s finally finished. What started out as 3 various parts bikes/basket cases is now a running machine. Nearly 2 years of work and help from the following people got it to where it is.
- The drug crazed kid from Bendigo that sold me the 1st bike as a e-bay “minter”
- Rob Kent for the 2nd parts bike.
- e-bay for the basket case 3rd bike
- The OHLINS shock came courtesy of E74
- The USA customs officer that let me carry the front forks onto the plane as carry on luggage.
- Mario from Top Line Upholstery for the seat foam and cover
- Anthony & Paul from Power House Motorcycles
- Doc for the help with the Zinc Plating
- Bill for the genuine rear muffler
- The Taylor clan from NZ for the barrel
- Walter for the tips with the WP forks.
- Zorroz for the Twin Leader front brake system
- Dingo for some very trick parts. Perhaps even Yamaha at that.
First outing will be the VIPER 1st round in the Pre85 125/250 event.
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/RM125_3.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/RM125_4.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/RM125_1.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/RM125_2.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/RM125_5.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/RM125_6.JPG)
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That looks awesome would look great next to my 250E! So how does it go? Nothing, nothing them bam hits hard in the upper revs?! Thats how I remember my friends bike when they were new.
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nice rm i am trying to fit some wp forks to my rm
but they are drum brake model and i have tried
every twin leader brand and none go close
i have to track down a ktm one which is off
one model only the 1984 :'( :'(
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The front brake is a rather bastardized unit. It uses an 84 spec fork leg with the original KTM drum brake knuckle removed. At the time of purchase Walter warned me that the drum brake knuckles were fragile at best and this one was no exception. When we tried to weld it it just fell apart and was totally un-useable/destroyed. The solution was to use a 86 disc nuckle and modify it to do basically the same job, but much stronger in the area of the axle clamp (where they are prone to break) I then used a 83 Honda XR500 Twin Leading backing plate matched to the original 84 Suzuki front wheel. Spent a bucket load of time to make a torque plate and spigot to match it all up.
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First outing will be the VIPER 1st round in the Pre85 125/250 event.
Thay's one neat lookin' unit. I look forward to seeing it there.
Tex
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JEEEZUS Rod...that looks great....now i understand what you were up to!
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NICE. That thing is dripping cool.
What "kind" of plastic is the front # plate and where did you source it?.?.?.? I need some of that for my RM175 project.
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Thats a cool looking bike, the only thing Suzuki got wrong with that model was the shape of the guards......just dont look right to me, but cant take anything away from you... great job!!!.
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very nice job Rod 8)
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Thats a cool looking bike, the only thing Suzuki got wrong with that model was the shape of the guards......just dont look right to me, but cant take anything away from you... great job!!!.
Agree with you Davey...the rears i can live with but the fronts don't do it for me.
As in my RM175 project,the front is actually a UFO guard and a nicer shape (to me)
Either way Rod's bike looks the goods.
Oldmxracer...what have you got cooking???? Got any pics of the RM175?
Cheers..Mario
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I originally was going the way of genuine everything but the cost was worth more than the bike! I also looked at Vintage Suzuki but they don't do the radiator shrouds so i would have ended up with a miss match of yellows. In the end I went with DC Plastics, they wernt the best fit and finish, but they are perfect for a race bike and I was super impressed by their support and shipping. The main thing for me was that all the colors matched. And you are 100% correct, the design is far from good, but that was what they fitted back in the day,
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Bahnsy,
Great work mate.
I love that brake pedal mate real works look,did you fabricate it?
Cheers
Craig
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[/quote]
Oldmxracer...what have you got cooking???? Got any pics of the RM175?
Cheers..Mario
[/quote]
Nothing to see but a fresh painted frame right now. An 82 PE into an 80 RM125. Grind a little off the rear cases to fit the engine and we grafted the 125 stinger section onto the PE pipe to clear the airbox.....Andy
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Almost looks like this:
(http://forums.mxtrax.co.uk/adtrip_archive/users/33443/images/811931547-0_thumb.JPG)
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Craig, At a guess there is about 30 hours or so tied up in that rear brake.
The brake pedal is cut from a single peice of alloy 8mm plate that was bent ever so slightly to fit around the clutch cover. A machined boss was welded into the pivot point to accept 2 x skateboard wheel bearings (same as a KTM/Husaberg and the tip is a SHERCO enduro piece. The backing plate had both the axle support sleeve re-manafacured and the brake cam had a new phosphor bronze bush machined. The brake arm is a KX unit that has been completely re-worked to accept a stainless threaded pin rather than a pin with a hole where you would normally use a wing nut to adjust the brake. In this case the cable has to removed from the pedal and the cable turned. The cable is a re-worked 78 RM400 inner and the torque arm is an OW Yamaha part. At the end of the day it was done to replicate the 85 RM125 factory unit. Having a ex Glenn Seton fabricator on hand certainly helped with the welding.
Apparently the bikes that were used in the 84 world championship bent and by the end of the race the bikes had little or no rear brake.
This is where the original idea for the brake came from. The 1986 works Suzuki RA125 Euro GP bike
(http://www.vintageworksbikes.com/sitebuilder/images/098-890x674.jpg)
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rear brake pedal is the worst part on the whole bike
i used a 1981 cr450 fits and looks great with little mods ;)
love that works zook
i remember clipping a tyre on my rm370 and the brake pedal
bent 180 back to the pivot i laid it over and straighted with my hand
shit design shit metal but great bike
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You can be proud of your self Bahnsy , nice job . I bet you the biggest fun as designing and nut it all out . Well it all came out well . It blends in with the period and you added a bit of you to the bike . I like it . 8)
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Zorroz,
That is the exact bike that i used as a baseline. The rear swing arm is the missing link, but that is currently being worked on. Interestingly, the pipe that was fitted to the bike gave the bike an even stronger top end, something the 84 RM125 never needed. Apparently the bike was all but un-rideable on hard park but was at home on the Euro sand tracks.
Some say that pound for pound, year on year the 84 RM125 was the best RM125 Suzuki ever built. I dont particulary care either way, but i do think that it was one of the best looking bikes of the era.
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Thanks Walter,
I don't think there is a single thing on that bike that diddn't take at least 2 cans of beam, e-mails & sms's to get it right. The front end was the biggest hurdle and i nearly gave up all hope of getting it right, but "time" got me over the line.
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Looks really good mate.
Are you going to put some repro stickers on the shrouds or leave it as is?
Have you taken it for a blast yet?
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Waiting on a full decal kit. Been a bit of a battle getting original "LEE, OAKLEY, OHLINS, BELRAY", etc artwork. Have it all now and should have a kit ready to fit up after the 1st VIPER event in 2 weeks. Had one ride last weekend at PARWIN and once we got on top of the jetting i was blown away how hard it went given that i'm 6'2 and 110kg. It will be a hilarious site to see me race the thing.
The sticker kit will loosely be based on this.
(http://www.vintageworksbikes.com/sitebuilder/images/074-890x677.jpg)
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Zorroz,
That is the exact bike that i used as a baseline. The rear swing arm is the missing link, but that is currently being worked on.
Would it be possible to put a run of weld horizontally on the stock swingarm like works bike to give it that 'works look'?
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There is a complete discussion on the pro's and cons of taking an old (extruded) swing arm and modifying it by welding etc. If i remember correctly, Geoff (Geoff Morris Concepts) advised against it unless you are prepared to spend time and good money having the arm heat treated etc post the modifications.
This is where i am heading, i just need to get the axle adjustment hardware resolved first as they are the most noticable points between the standard arm and the works arm.
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Beautiful bikes guys!!! I hope my 250 turns out half as good as these beauties...
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Bahnsey, got a link to that discussion? I need a crack welded on my arm and was just gonna go with it.....Andy
There is a complete discussion on the pro's and cons of taking an old (extruded) swing arm and modifying it by welding etc. If i remember correctly, Geoff (Geoff Morris Concepts) advised against it unless you are prepared to spend time and good money having the arm heat treated etc post the modifications.
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Great result Bahnsy. It looks like a race bike......as all RM's do!
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Its nearly as nice as yours 27!
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After the 1st round of VIPER I reckon she needs a rod and piston already. Revved it to the moon & back over three races and practice and it kept on going. Newborough was a very strange day weather wise. Jetting was sorted for the 1st race, went to shite in the 2nd and was ½ reasonable for the last race. Gotta work on the gearing, probably need to go up 3 or 4 teeth on the rear to help with the cornering and need to increase the height and density of the seat foam.
Almost to out Big-K in one of the races as I had good corner speed on the 125 where he was able to stop and point on the big 360 Huskie. Gotta remember that the 125’s carry high corner speed and not to get brake checked by the big bikes in the future. :D
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Sorry if I was impolite Rod, didn't know who was what or where, just having a ball on the 360 even without 3rd gear! Can't wait for the next one where the 360 will have become a 390.
Ceers,
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Mick,
Was one of the 1st races back from lunch. The corner before the table top that takes you down to the finish line strait and i came up on you at warp speed thinking that i'll go around you and all will be sweet. Next thing i know i'm conducting oral dirt sampling, chances are you wouldn't have even know i was there apart from a buzzing 125 in your ear.
Nothing impolite at all, i was probably laughing all the way to the ground. Bring on Barrabool i say.
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NICE JOB I HAVE JUST FINISHED DOING UP THE SAME BIKE NOT AS GOOD A JOB AS YOU BUT I WAS ON A SHOE STRING BUDGET JUST FINISHED IT YESTERDAY LUCKY I HAD A MATE THAT HAD HIS OWN BIKE SHOP IN THE 80S AND DID ALL THE MOTOR WORK FOR 2 CARTONS OF VB PLUS PARTS WHEN I GOT THE BIKE IT WAS A RUSTY BEAST SITTING OUT IN THE WEATHER FOR YEARS NOW ITS LIKE A NEW BIKE NOT AS GOOD AS YOURS BUT IM HAPPY WITH THE END JOB HAD TO HOPE TO RACE IT THIS YEAR PLUS RIDE ON FREIND PROPERTY GOING THERE WITH ABOUT 60 OTHER BIKE ANZAC WEEKEND FOR ITS FIRST RIDE I WOULD PUT UP SOME PICS IF I KNEW HOW ONCE AGAIN NICE JOB GAZZA :)
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Check this one out the 84's are the best looking rm's ever!!
(http://i.ebayimg.com/06/!Bon9OQwCGk~$(KGrHqIOKioEuZmocM-sBLoJ+9OW,Q~~_3.JPG)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170467157822&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI#ht_500wt_1182
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That bike was on e-bay 2 weeks ago with a reserve of $3500. A mate of mine contacted the owner to speak about the bike & satisfied with the phone conversation went back that night to place a bid & magically the reserve jumped up to $4000. My mate felt un-easy and backed away real quick. I guess the seller thought he understated the reserve. In the end there were no bids at $4000 and it's back on for another go. Pity cause my mate would have paid close to that figure in a competitive auction.
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Hey Bahnsy I know the seller and he is s as straight as a die.Maybe he realised what its worth and didnt want to give it away. PS The seller is a member of the forum.
Cheers
Craig
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Thanks Craig, good to hear. Still strange that it changed that way. In the end my mate bought a RM125 and paid pretty close to the asking price of the current auction.
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The graphics have now been completed. If anyone is interested, in getting a set, you will need to contact;
http://www.ninetwodecals.com.au/ (http://www.ninetwodecals.com.au/)
and ask for Mick.
Note: The plastics fitted to the bike are DC items, and whilst i think there will be stuff all differences between them and other aftermarket suppliers or genuine for that matter, there might be a slight variance in the hole locations, hence why i have designed them with a much bigger hole. If you don't want all the logo's or text, you will need to tell Mick when ordering them so he can delete them from the setup prior to printing.
The "Works Replica" is a bit of a take on the Suzuki advertising of the day. Suzuki claimed that the 84 125 was a true production works replica, much like what Kawasaki claimed on the 86 or 87 KX125.
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/shroud_2.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/shroud_3.JPG)
(http://www.wideopenflatout.com/suzuki/shroud_1.JPG)
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Rod....that bike looks fantastic.....better by the day,or week ;D
Great design on the decals....retail cost?
Cheers...mario
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Looks fantastic. Where can I get some WP4054 decals?
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Nice bike, I like the 84 125 almost as much as the 500 ::)... I have GMC welded swinger and it turned out mint.
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The WP graphics were done by ninetwodecals as well. If you ring Mick you may have to remind him that they are the ones he did for Bahnsy. They are an exact copy, just little smaller, 10mm or so.