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3,047 Posts
I had head gasket issues again but they were quickly repaired, I began to suspect the acorn nuts that were provided in the new engine fastener kit were bottoming out against the studs when torqued. I went back to the original nuts, re-torqued and never had another issue.
I'm pleased to say that the little bike worked great all weekend. The weather was cold, wet and miserable but I enjoyed participating in the event. The 300km route from Nelson to Nakusp, and back around again was fun and adventurous. There were fuel / rest stops along the way and a 90 minute lunch break which included bike maintenance and repairs. The road trip was broken down into 4 legs, if you couldn't manage at least one of them without hitching a ride in the chase trailer, then you couldn't compete in Sunday's event.
I kept it under 6 grand for the most part and just took in the scenery. It's a bit thirsty with a small tank, I'll keep a jug of fuel in the chase truck next time for peace of mind. The transmission shifts flawlessly, I was initially worried that it might be a little fragile.
Having survived the endurance part of the rally, I figured there was no shame in blowing it up during Sunday's hill climb. I re-torqued the heads, adjusted the chain and we were good to go. We were greeted with another cold day and light rain. I never got a chance to check the course out before it was my turn to go, however I was fine with initially taking my time until I knew where I'd find the hair pins, rough pavement and other concerns. We had a permit to close the road but had to release public traffic every 20 minutes, this meant an army of volunteers with radios to watch the corners and hold the public at the top and bottom. Each heat started with 4 riders abreast but we were released in a stagger, 5 seconds apart. This reduced some of the passing on the narrow road.
The wet header wrap always resulted in a sauna when stopped, like waiting at the starting line, which resulted in fogged glasses. The power to weight ratio just isn't there, not with only 125cc and a full sized adult, but it sure was fun. Those pipes cackled off the exposed rock and dense forest. It howls pretty good at 7500rpm. We weren't the fastest but weren't the slowest either. My 2nd run was much better, I was more confident in the corners. I was really looking forward to my 3rd attempt, but our permit ran out at 3pm.
I couldn't be happier with the results, I got a 45 year old Suzuki back on the road. I thought it would be going back on the shelf right away but sometimes its fun to drive around the block and smell like a lawn mower.
I'm looking for a new project for next year's event, I'd like to find a '67 Suzuki X-6 250 Hustler, they were a 2 stroke twin and were notable for their 6 speed and 100mph top end.
I'm pleased to say that the little bike worked great all weekend. The weather was cold, wet and miserable but I enjoyed participating in the event. The 300km route from Nelson to Nakusp, and back around again was fun and adventurous. There were fuel / rest stops along the way and a 90 minute lunch break which included bike maintenance and repairs. The road trip was broken down into 4 legs, if you couldn't manage at least one of them without hitching a ride in the chase trailer, then you couldn't compete in Sunday's event.
I kept it under 6 grand for the most part and just took in the scenery. It's a bit thirsty with a small tank, I'll keep a jug of fuel in the chase truck next time for peace of mind. The transmission shifts flawlessly, I was initially worried that it might be a little fragile.
Having survived the endurance part of the rally, I figured there was no shame in blowing it up during Sunday's hill climb. I re-torqued the heads, adjusted the chain and we were good to go. We were greeted with another cold day and light rain. I never got a chance to check the course out before it was my turn to go, however I was fine with initially taking my time until I knew where I'd find the hair pins, rough pavement and other concerns. We had a permit to close the road but had to release public traffic every 20 minutes, this meant an army of volunteers with radios to watch the corners and hold the public at the top and bottom. Each heat started with 4 riders abreast but we were released in a stagger, 5 seconds apart. This reduced some of the passing on the narrow road.
The wet header wrap always resulted in a sauna when stopped, like waiting at the starting line, which resulted in fogged glasses. The power to weight ratio just isn't there, not with only 125cc and a full sized adult, but it sure was fun. Those pipes cackled off the exposed rock and dense forest. It howls pretty good at 7500rpm. We weren't the fastest but weren't the slowest either. My 2nd run was much better, I was more confident in the corners. I was really looking forward to my 3rd attempt, but our permit ran out at 3pm.
I couldn't be happier with the results, I got a 45 year old Suzuki back on the road. I thought it would be going back on the shelf right away but sometimes its fun to drive around the block and smell like a lawn mower.
I'm looking for a new project for next year's event, I'd like to find a '67 Suzuki X-6 250 Hustler, they were a 2 stroke twin and were notable for their 6 speed and 100mph top end.
