[solo 2]

So I hang out on multiple forums as many probably do but this one seems to be the best one to document this build as it's Suzuki and off road. If this is not the place let me know.

I've always been a 2 stroke fan, all Yamahas so far and had been considering restoring a classic dirt bike when I came across this sad looking classic. Suzuki has always been my favorite brand and my first bike was a 1975 Suzuki RM125 (first year). The RM370 was a huge step forward in open class MX, always dominated by the European makes...until then.

While I'm going to try my hand at vintage MX next year, this winter I hope to bring this bike back to it's original glory. Stay tuned.

 

[solo 2]

While it looks pretty rough, it's actually fairly complete and shockingly is still on the original bore. Parts are reasonably easy to find if you're good at looking and vintage MX is getting pretty big so that helps. Aftermarket plastics are available for nearly any MX bike you can name. The big problems are the shocks, tank and exhaust. Luckily the exhaust is in good shape, but my metal working skills are going to be put to the test on the muffler(unobtainium) and tank(aluminum). I plan on rebuilding and updating the original non-rebuildable shocks hopefully with the help of Racetech parts. I'm thinking of acquiring a Caswell Copycad kit to do the bolts and metal parts as no one around here does Cadmium plating.

 

[solo 2]

I've gotten into this bike pretty hard now so I guess it's time for an update. The most exciting thing happening so far is DIY zinc plating, no kit just lots of research and a lot of time, but the results are awesome and it's actually fairly easy to do.

I should have taken more before pictures of the tank as it was pushed in badly on the side not shown. I carefully cut it apart along the seam and spent about 3 hours with a hammer and dolly beating out the dents from the inside. I got it to the point where there will be very little filler in it. There's a club guy here who can weld these tanks back together perfectly, it's pretty thin aluminum.

I did the same procedure with the exhaust can, surprisingly (to me) the steel was much harder to form then the aluminum, not because of the hardness but because the steel stretches when hit hard enough to shape. I took a while to get it close enough without deforming it too badly. I will repack using stainless wool instead of the fiber packing it had.

Luckily the rubber parts and bearings are available as 40 years of weathering have taken its toll. I have the shocks all apart and bought another set to scavenge the shafts. I've done a bit of machining on them so as to make them totally rebuildable with the intention of modernizing them a bit without changing their appearance. Forks are getting heavier Racetech springs, not sure about emulators yet. Pics to come.

 

[Ironhead401]

Nice! Looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[1Slowrider]

+1..^..How'd I miss this.........Moare please!

 

[Ironhead401]

The zinc plating came out great on that first part. And for the exhaust didn't they come painted black back in the day?

 

[solo 2]

The zinc plating came out great on that first part. And for the exhaust didn't they come painted black back in the day?

Yeah it's going back black, just have to weld it back together and do a little filling with high temp epoxy.

 

[Ironhead401]

I've been looking for a while for an older bike to work on. Mostly just browsing craigslist. Can I ask what you paid? What was the mechanical condition of the bike? Did it run?

 

[solo 2]

I paid $500 which is a good price up here, they are pretty rare, it's in pretty rough shape but it's all there and like I said before the pipes on the old MXers are hard to come by in good condition. Original bore which is amazing but it isn't getting a spark. It seems once you get past 1975 the prices drop off drastically, early Honda CRs in good condition fetch the biggest prices of the Japanese brands.

Today I picked up a 1975 suzuki RM125 in running,good condition for $1000. These are first year and very rare, I've been told I got a steal on it but it doesn't matter, it was my very first motorcycle nearly 40 years ago.

 

[Ironhead401]

I paid $500 which is a good price up here, they are pretty rare, it's in pretty rough shape but it's all there and like I said before the pipes on the old MXers are hard to come by in good condition. Original bore which is amazing but it isn't getting a spark. It seems once you get past 1975 the prices drop off drastically, early Honda CRs in good condition fetch the biggest prices of the Japanese brands.

Today I picked up a 1975 suzuki RM125 in running,good condition for $1000. These are first year and very rare, I've been told I got a steal on it but it doesn't matter, it was my very first motorcycle nearly 40 years ago.

Nice! Those prices seem about what I've been seeing. Make sure you get some pictures up of the RM125

 

[oldgixxer]

Whoa,I remember the 370 when it came out. I was 8yrs old and already had a subscription to Dirt Bike magazine lol...I remember plastering the walls in my room with pictures of the RM370 and all the other Suzuki MX bikes.

That looks like an awesome project,I'll be following looking for updates. That DIY Zinc plating looks amazing,what a night&day difference.

 

[Ironhead401]

Just found a decent looking and running RM125B for $900. I'd love to pick it up but I have my wedding and honeymoon coming up in December.

What did the B designation mean?

 

[oldgixxer]

Bad ass lol

 

[solo 2]

Just found a decent looking and running RM125B for $900. I'd love to pick it up but I have my wedding and honeymoon coming up in December.

What did the B designation mean?

B would be a 1977 model, nice score if you could get it. Last year of the aluminum tanks I believe.

 

[Ironhead401]

B would be a 1977 model, nice score if you could get it. Last year of the aluminum tanks I believe.

Yeah unfortunately I don't think I'm gonna be able to.grab this now. Here it is btw.

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/5293890799.html

 

[solo 2]

Yeah unfortunately I don't think I'm gonna be able to.grab this now. Here it is btw.

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/5293890799.html

That wouldn't last a day here

 

[oldgixxer]

Wayne huh? Hmmmm....maybe need to take a roadtrip this week if it's still for sale

 

[chrisgo]

I used to have one of these RM370's. Mine was also a 1977 left over model. I bought it brand new from the dealer in 1980.
I used it for hare scrambles and hill climbing. It had a deadly powerband that felt like a 100hp nitro shot. That thing was a blast to ride, I had it for about 3 years and then sold it to buy a PE400 then sold that to buy a YZ490. They liked to shake themselves apart so keep an eye on fasteners. As far as the no spark issue, they were notorious for eating stator coils, I would check that first...I put 2 of them on my bike over the 3 years I had it.
C.G.

 

[chrisgo]

I haven't been on this site for almost 2 years, but I still get email links about topics on here and the RM370 just happen to catch my eye and really stirred up some good memories of that beast!

 

[solo 2]

Thanks for the info on the stator coils.