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03 RM125 for Woods riding?

By Treesmacker,
in Suzuki 2 Stroke

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MrHankey

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It will be similar to the 85L , except with bigger wheels.

A bike that old...you will need to go over all the bearings, check clutch basket, make sure it has the counter sprocket case protector on it.

You will be having to run it nearly wfo , for 4 hours.....so everything will have to be top notch ....or your son will be doing some pushing.

I have an 05 125.....but am a little over the weight limit on it.....so I just use it for hard pack HS races...I stay away from deep sand and mud....just to keep from killing the bike.

But I am sure a teenager, should do fine on it.....but like I said ....you will just have to go over it real good ....

05-03 should be the same basically.......mine handles great....runs great.....it took a beating from the PO.........I got it relatively cheap....and rebuilt it.....it still has original crank.....and HAD original sprockets/and piston still in/on it ......when I bought it.

Comparing the suzuki 125 to the other brands.....would be like comparing the 85's to other brands........they're all about the same.....I have been on suzuki's starting with a 98 250, and liked it ....sprockets and stuff , will interchange....so have just stuck with this brand.

Good luck.

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Grand Master

Doug Fugly

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All Suzy's have soft clutch baskets and the hubs aren't much better. Their pressure plate is kinda flexy too.

Go with an aftermarket basket when the OEM one shows notching, OEM hubs are cheap at about $60 so we just replace as needed. I've never gotten off my wallet enough to go for the aftermarket pressure plate... just choose to live with some clutch drag, but a thinner automotive ATF (type F) will help with the drag.

I rode/raced small bores for years, sooo much fun, so flickable, so light, and even at 53 years old I'm still quicker on the 125 than on my 250. Just gotta stay busy with the left hand and foot. For woods riding I'd add 2 teeth to the rear, if he's a pretty advanced rider maybe just 1, or even stock.

Low-end reeds and adding a few washers before sliding the pipe into cylinder (more headpipe length) will help produce low-end. Never liked more flywheel weight on a 125... too slow at getting 'on the pipe' IMO.

I've owned all the Jap brands, (even an ATK406... uggg) and Suzukis handle the best IMO.

Have fun!

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BEND

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RM125's are great for woods riding. Keep clean oil in the transmission. Go for an aftermarket clutch basket. A friend and I bought two new 2001 RM125's years ago and road them in the woods almost every weekend for 3-4 years. We replaced the top end every year. We were both right at 200lbs each. Never any issues with either bike. They turn great and have plenty of power. A shorty silencer does help the bottom end a little too.

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Grand Master

rpt50

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I have an 04 RM 125 used exclusively for woods racing and riding. The 03 is basically the same chassis, but the motor has a slightly different bore/stroke, but the differences are not noticeable in the woods, as I used to ride my friend's 03 all the time. I've put a ton of hours on mine over the years, and here is what I've learned:

1. Like others have said, the clutch is a weak point. You can get away with filing the fingers when the basket gets notchy, but budget for a replacement. The cheap Tusk clutch kits seem to work fine for plates.

2. Buy a big tank (e.g., IMS). If you are doing long races, it will save you a ton of time in the pits. If your son is fast, he will suck that stock tank dry quickly.

3. The stock suspension is serviceable in the woods, but this is a case were money spent on a revalve is money well spent.

4. Buy an extra set of linkage bearings now. We have multiple bikes, but the RM design just seems really subject to water and mud intrusion.

5. Run a 51 rear sprocket.

6. Remove the countershaft sprocket cover to prevent mud packing.

The RM is really a great bike. My son is on a big wheel 85 now, but when it comes time for a full size bike, I will definitely snap up any good-condition RMs!

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jamesrm125

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i ride my 1999 rm 125 with many race mods on it and i love it

the only thing is change the clutch basket out from the stock one i just had to file mine down because it started to groove

my friend that i ride with rides a 98 cr 125 and he hates the woods

and my other friend with a 04 cr 125 also hates the woods on his bike

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Grand Master

Doug Fugly

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i ride my 1999 rm 125 with many race mods on it and i love it

the only thing is change the clutch basket out from the stock one i just had to file mine down because it started to groove

my friend that i ride with rides a 98 cr 125 and he hates the woods

and my other friend with a 04 cr 125 also hates the woods on his bike

Filing is not good. It expands the gap and causes plates to bang against clutch fingers hard, possibly causing the basket to break, causing big-time damage to many clutch components. When replacing a basket the plates should be replaced too... for same reason.

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jamesrm125

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Filing is not good. It expands the gap and causes plates to bang against clutch fingers hard, possibly causing the basket to break, causing big-time damage to many clutch components. When replacing a basket the plates should be replaced too... for same reason.

see i actually didn't widen the gaps between the clutch baskets fins/fingers since there was groves in it all ready was all ready hitting at that level i smooth-end it out with the file to make it an evenly flat surface to the deepest part of the divots/grooves so it still the same distance as i started just all the way up and down the clutch basket fingers

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