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My Wife's RD125

Started by sav0r, April 09, 2020, 12:07:34 AM

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sav0r

So I bought this bike from a member of the older forum and gifted it to my wife as an engagement gift. She loved it. Well since then we got gentrified out of our neighborhood, married, had a kid, bought a house, and lots of life has happened. I did manage to get the bike running for her, but I was never happy with it in that it intermittently developed a mis and or high rev, indicated a vacuum leak.

So... that brings us up to the realities of our pandemic. I'm laid off and loving it. So I started a decent rebuild on the 125. I have a nice parts list that I will be buying from the UK, mostly an engine rebuild including the rods, pistons, and a bore. Obviously all seals while I'm at it. The wiring looks good. I have it all working, the battery charges, lights are good (working). So I'll clean up the frame, have my dad fix the left rear turn signal bracket that is bubble gum welded on, keep the build pretty basic. I'll apply some black spray paint to the frame to finish it. I want basically a stock bike here, I don't have any plans on touching the stock paint. The bike has seen some action and it is going to stay that way.

I took the old (not very original and falling off) seat cover off, that lead down a rabbit hole. The foam came off nice, it is in great shape! The pan is solid too, I'll braze up some spots and hammer it around a bit, but it's pretty solid. A new cover has been ordered. Getting that on will be a new experience. The aluminum trim strip and all that hardware isn't something I've done.

Here's a few pictures;




www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

AAAltered

I love the thimbles that are used as pistons in the 125's and 100's...

Enjoy your garage time!
1971 R5
1976 RD200
2022 Moto Guzzi V7 850 Special

SoCal250

Nice Chris.  How many miles were on that one? Nearly all the 125s I've seen through the years have pretty low miles. Some are near mint but the majority look like they've been ridden 50K miles but show less than 3K.

Have you been able to source all the engine seals? I kind of recall from one of my searches years back that there were 1 or 2 seals that are NLA.

I'll be watching this one. Good luck!
75 Yamaha RD125B   75 Yamaha RD125B (project)
75 Yamaha RD250B   75 Yamaha RD200B (project)
73 Yamaha RD350     77 Yamaha RD400D   79 Yamaha RD400F  
91 Yamaha TZR250R  89 Yamaha FZR400   05 Yamaha FZ6   
05 Yamaha XT225TC  82 Honda MB5  02 Aprilia RS250 Cup (sold)

sav0r

The bike has just under 7k. It looks about right for 7k and 45 years.

There are a number of parts that have been sand blasted and then just put back on the bike, I think I'll touch them up in the media cabinet and then powder coat them silver. Not exactly original, but unless somebody has a stash of RD125 parts laying around I'm not sure I have too many options.

I have no idea about engine seals. Yamabits sells a seal kit, but I'll probably tear the engine down before ordering. Then I can compare to what they have on Yamabits.

I'm not trying for a show bike, I just want it to run nice, stop decent, and ride okay. It's a perfect size bike for my wife, and it should be a real hoot around the city.
www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

sav0r

Got a little further on the seat pan. Brazed some new steel to the sides where it was a bit thin, cleaned it up further. Going to paint it, glue the foam back on, and hope the seat cover shows up soon. I should have taken more photos, but the cylinders are in great shape. Almost perfectly round according to my equipment. I'll put some new pistons and rings in it, but I have no intentions of a bore, at most I'll throw some cross hatch in it with an extremely light hone. I got the engine all cleaned up as well as a number of other parts. I plan to do some light sanding on the frame and hit it will the paint. I spent the first half of the day doing my taxes so I got less done in the shop than I had hoped, tomorrow i'll try to get out there a bit and snap a few more photos.

www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

sav0r

A few more photos. I have a nice collection of bits for the media cabinet. Going to clean them up and likely powder coat them. I'll need to find a new oven for powder coating as mine was destroyed in a flood... Sprockets, chain, and stainless engine bolt kit, silver/chrome powder, all ordered. I need to grab an impact screwdriver and then I can finish taking the engine apart. Once it's apart I'll finalize my order from Yamabits. I don't want to blast the entire frame, but I can't come to terms with cleaning it and painting over what's left. Maybe I'm being silly? I know lots just clean them up and hit them with the VHT or similar and get good results.









www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

Czakky

That is going to be a fun errand runner!

sav0r

Let's hope! Our grocery store is only like .75 of a mile away. So it would be a perfect little scoot for small items.
www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

sav0r

My buddy's blast cabinet has seen better days, the glass is damned hard to see through and the vacuum will hardly keep the dust down, but after a few hours of blasting and the use of his parts washer I got a decent job on a number of parts. The bonus being I bought a gigantic toaster oven off a college student. The thing couldn't have ever been used. It's clean as a whistle. The toaster oven in my household looks like a scorched earth policy took place inside it for the last 40 years. This oven should be perfect for powder coat, albeit, way too good for such things. They don't make them like this anymore. The thing probably weighs 20lbs..





www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

sav0r

That new oven worked out great. I got the black parts powder coated, and they look really nice. I forgot how great the powder coating process is. So easy, one coat and parts look awesome. Up next are a few silver pieces to replicate what used to be chrome. Unfortunately I am back to work tomorrow so time for things I actually enjoy will be a lot less. But I have a good start and if I can keep chipping away at it this old girl it should be back together in a month or so. I also got the seat pan painted up (too big for my oven), so it's looking better. This week I'll get the motor apart and order those parts.

www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

sav0r

I coated these two bits in silver. They turned out great! The license plate mount was already sandblasted when I bought the bike, so the chrome was long gone. The brake rod was just nasty. I think the results are good given the humble goals for this project. I got the bottom end of the engine partly disassembled this evening. I'll keep chipping away on that. The forks, coils, and remaining wiring will come off the frame, then I'll start cleaning and standing on it. With some luck I'll get paint on the frame in the next week or ten days, then I can go for assembly of the chassis. I'll hopefully put my Yamabits order in before the end of this week, so a mid May fire up isn't too unreasonable.



www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

NoRiders

Interesting project, good work so far...I'm in ;)

Sounds like you're fighting the urge to restore the frame....just do it, you know you want to.

sav0r

Thanks!

As for restoring the frame, don't say that! hahah. I am fighting that urge, it's killing me. I just don't want to get saddled with a big cleanup project on it and then have this thing drag out for a month or two longer as a result. So I guess I am going to see how it cleans up with the plan to be just touching it up, but if it's not going to look okay then I'll blast it and paint it.
www.chrislivengood.net - for my projects and musings.

NoRiders

Quote from: sav0r on April 22, 2020, 10:30:36 AM
Thanks!

As for restoring the frame, don't say that! hahah. I am fighting that urge, it's killing me. I just don't want to get saddled with a big cleanup project on it and then have this thing drag out for a month or two longer as a result. So I guess I am going to see how it cleans up with the plan to be just touching it up, but if it's not going to look okay then I'll blast it and paint it.

A degrease and power jet wash should have it come out clean, derust solution where necessary, quick rub down with 120 grit and a double coat of primer and away... :)

85RZwade

Chris, the 125 will look great when you're done, and watch out for Colin; he's an enabler  :wave:
I post waayyy too much