The Forks Return

 I picked up the forks a couple weeks back but haven't had the time to do anything with them since. Thanks again to Dave at Pro Motion Suspension, He did a great job bringing these old forks back to life.
Today I finished cleaning them up and put a few layers of clear coat on them and mounted them into the clamps.

Mounting the Shock

I Finally got the shock put back together and mounted back onto the bike after getting it Back from ProMotion Suspension. Dave did a great job with the rebuild. I had to order a lower shock bearing and got that installed this morning with the help of a home made bearing tool. 

I decided to go with the blue shock spring to offset some of the other blue parts on the bike like the seat and eventually the graphics.

The Reservior mounts a bit funny on the side of the frame, it is a tight fit with the bend of the hose being so tight but I got everything in there just right with new hose clamps and some rubber strips in place it is very solid.

1986 Race Photos

Okay yes things have seriously dropped off this last week.  Very busy schedule at home with running kids here and there and also waiting on some crucial parts to arrive.  Did finally get the bearings for the lower shock mount so that will be going in this weekend in between basketball games (we have 4 to attend). Also received the front rim but don't have the spokes yet to put that together.  I am still waiting on the forks to come back from Pro Motion, I thought I would see them this week but it didn't happen. I know Dave had to order seals and bushings so it took a bit longer for the turn around. Hope I will get those back next week early so I can move forward. Till then posting up a couple of vintage race photos.

These Photos are from the Clarksbranch MX park outside of Roseburg Oregon run by Ralph and Carolyn Huffman, I don't believe this track is used any longer though it was still there on the hillside a couple years ago when I drove by

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The Photo above is me on the left and Allen on the right after a great North West mud race. That's back when we raced all winter outdoors. The Photo on the left was taken the same day, both of them are also at Clarksbranch MX.

Photo below is Clarksbranch in the summer 1986.

New Place to Plant your Butt.

Or a New vintage seat cover.  Very nice one at that.  Another great ebay find, A place that is actually fairly local to me. Gresham, Or. I believe they do all kinds of upholstery and also seat covers on the side. I posted a link to their ebay store in the side bar if you are in need of a new cover. The one that I ordered was not listed in their store but I sent them a message and asked if they had it and yes they did. So if you don't see yours its worth asking about.

I want to keep several things on the bike that are true to the original, many of them are graphics related.  The seat had to have the correct year graphic KX printed on it.  In the 80's and still today that is a major part of being able to tell what year bike you are looking at so I want it right.

 This is the one that was on the bike, Original I believe and actually in great condition for 25 years old.  If I was not able to find a good replacement I would have been very okay with using this one.  There was a bit of wear on it and the very front of the cover was getting hard and was about to crack (it actually did when I removed it from the foam).  As you can see from the photo below the bottom edges of the cover had worn through where is rubs against the frame.

The seat foam is doing okay, it is a little flaky at the side from years of use and weather but it is still pretty soft all around so it will be reused under the new cover. 

The pan is also in very good condition. I used some electricians friction tape around the bottom edges to help keep it from rubbing through the new cover, while I had it apart I also took the time to heat up the pan at the front and bend it forward to get rid of the gap between the tank and the seat.

Perfect Fit! I couldn't be happier with how the cover went on.  Really a nice product and great fit. In the bottom photo you can see that the gap at the tank is gone.  The cover has some wrinkle left in it might be from the foam underneath or it may smooth out with a little time. All in all I am very pleased with it.

Rear Wheel Setup.

Yessss.... Finally all the parts came in for the rear wheel. Well except the new bearings but I can make due with the old for now since I am not putting any motos in. 

 It has been a very long time since I laced up a wheel and was not really sure how this was going to go.

 As it turns out it went really well, got my offsets just right and the wheel is nice and true.  Took about two hours start to finish. Take a look back at the originals  OH Crack! , well this should be an improvement. 

Went with the 19" rear instead of the 18" that this bike came stock with. Just a preference on my part.  Thanks to Rad Mfg. for the sweet Green Nipples and spokes. Cool stuff guys.

SNEAK PEEK.......

I felt compelled to put some plastic on and take a look at what it is gonna look like.  So far I like what I see except for the seat pulling away from the tank.  Can't figure that one out. One would think that it would be a bent subframe but that thing looks really good. Every thing lines up really good except the seat at the tank. I have seen some other 86's that have the same issue so I may just have to deal with it.

Also got the rear shock back from Pro-Motion Suspension today, doesn't look much different then when it went over there but the insides are fresh and new. This weekend I will make the outside look fresh and new too.  With any luck some more of the parts that I have ordered will come in and I can put some good quality garage time in.  Was going to ride this weekend but northwest weather has turned on us and it is supposed to rain and snow with temps in the low 20's over in Goldendale so I think a fire in the stove in the garage and bike work is where I will be.

Its a Gas!!!

Getting new parts that is. I know Ive said it before that I love getting new parts, well I got some more. This time I am going to share the gas tank that I got. I did get some other parts too but the assembly is not complete so I will wait till everything show up. When I found this tank on ebay about a month ago I didn't think it would be the one that I got. I found some that actually looked better in the photos but when I would get in touch with the seller there was always some kind of problem with the tank, Most usually with the inserts that allow you to bolt the shroud onto the tank. They had a tendency to get spun in the plastic. Usually this happens when the owner puts too long of a bolt into the insert and it bottoms out making it stuck and then the insert just spins in the plastic and you cant get the bolt out, rendering the tank useless if you need to change the shroud.  So this tank turned out to not have that problem, I actually contacted the seller twice on accident to ask about it and finally went for it.  To back up a little bit, I was going to bite the big dollar bullet and purchase a new tank at about $260, I found many web sites that had it for sale only to find out that they really didn't have it and could not get it from Kawasaki. Also couldn't find an aftermarket company that makes them..this tank is different then the one that came with my bike. Only difference that I have found is that it seems a little wider in the middle underneath and the tread count and pitch on the cap is different.  Now I don't know if this one is a different year or if the one that was on my bike is not an 86. I could probably figure it out with the codes on the bottom of the tank but I don't know if it makes any difference to me. It fits so that is what counts.

As you can see in the photo it cleaned up really well. I did some practicing on the old one so that I would keep from messing up the one I planned on using.  It seems to have paid off as I got a pretty good sheen on the old plastic and the amount of scratches visible is pretty minimal. There were some deep gashes on one edge of the tank and they almost disappeared.  I wish I could figure out how to get rid of the sticker shadows left over from years in the sun.  Other then that the color looks really good.

Still Working

I am still working on things, some times it seems a little slow just because I have to wait for shipping or the process of finding the parts or researching where I can get the best price or who actually has what I want even though their web site says they have it then they get back to me and say sorry we don't actually have that part and can't get it.  In that case it starts all over with the next vender. 

This is a part that I just made for myself. It is a simple part, Rear brake caliper guard. Made from aluminium, cut out no bends or welds.  I am sure it wouldn't protect the caliper very well in a side impact but the stock one is exactly like this.

Got A Shock.

Well I finally got a shock that is right and was pleasantly surprised in the condition that it was in when it arrived.  It was pretty dirty and in the photos online it looked worse. 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Here it is on the bench just before getting the de-greaser treatment. Nice to see that the bump stop was still in good shape and soft. Most of the shocks out there this age have lost them because they dry out and crack then fall out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here it is all cleaned up and ready to be serviced.  I put it back together and took it over to ProMotion Suspension to be serviced. In About a week or so I should be able to bolt it back up to the bike and move forward a little more with the assembly process.

Bits and Pieces

So these are the forks that will not work, somehow they even look a little too long but I think that has something to do with the conventional style. 

This is the right side panel that came with the bike..I was originally was not going to use it. I thought that I could buy new ones for both sides, turns out NO. you can not do that.  So cleaning this one up and as I said in a previous post I found the left side panel on ebay and I hope that it looks good, it will have to do at least until I find a better one if that exists.

 

Remember the King Dome?

This is me in 1986 riding my KX125 Kawasaki in the King Dome. Notice in the back ground how smokey the air is.  The Dome didn't have the best air moving equipment. This was my first year riding in the Dome and on a Supercross track.  I can not remember how I finished so that right there tells me I didn't light the world on fire with my performance. Oh well it was an incredible experience that not many people get.

Look past where I am on the track, the guy in the red jacket is standing on a set of supercross whoops. Those things are no joke, very difficult to get through in one piece with any speed.

Its a good look right?  Also a fantastic gate pick. Pretty much got pinched going down the start straight, that makes you a mid pack finisher right there.

I remember making a few passes but also being pretty intimidated with the whole experience, that making it pretty hard to concentrate on the racing aspect.

Whats New??

There are a few things going.  I have ordered a few parts that I hope will work out.  A Fuel tank that is admittedly better then the one that I have but not ideal.  In the pictures it looks okay but I have not seen it in person yet so when I do I hope it is better than the photos.  I have also ordered a shock that needs a total rebuild so as long as it truly is the right part at least I know what I am getting into with this one. 
I purchased a KX250 of what was supposed to be the same year thinking that I would be able to use some of the chassis parts for my bike. Well it turns out that most of the chassis was from an 83 KX250 and as luck would have it Nothin fits.  Well the forks fit the clamps but the offset of the axle is all wrong and wont work with the correct wheel.  I think I could use them if I wanted to change the rest of the front end to match up but I would rather keep it closer to original.  The shock again is not right, a little too short and on the 250 was designed to mount with the body on the bottom so the angle of the reservoir is wrong.  So no luck.  So far only the clutch perch and lever will fit.  Kind of spendy for a clutch perch.  Oh yes the triangle stand fits also (basically a removable kick stand), and the one seat mount that I needed.
Another part that I ordered that is seeming to be a very hard part to find in good condition is a left side panel that also incorporates the airbox cover. It is very specific to the 86 KX125. Only made for that bike that year.  The one that I found has been cut a little at the bottom of the number plate and one of the holes is punched out but I think I can fix that.  It will work good enough for now and if I find a better one in the future I can pick it up later.  While I have been searching for parts I also have been trying to figure out if the wheels are going to work out with new spokes.  The diameter of the spokes has grown over the years and I am hoping that I can still find spokes that will fit through the holes in the hubs.  Still planning and trying to find parts and selling things on ebay to make money for the project.  Maybe tomorrow I will get some current photos up of the parts that wont work and some of the parts I have cleaned up and are ready to go back on when it is time.

Photo from 1986 Washougal

This photo is because there isn't anything happening with the bike right now due to the lack of parts and funds.  I'm working on the funding so I can get more parts but until that happens new old pictures will have to entertain you all. This is one of the photos that I have that follows the one from the last post where I ate dirt.  This is Washougal MX park the following day. Notice the rear fender is at an odd angle due to the subframe bending when the bike flipped over the top of me. For those of you that have been to Washougal MX park in the last few years you can see that things have changed a bit since 1986, (you would hope) the jump that this photo is taken at is still in use today however. The jump you can see in the background is no longer there, instead it is replaced by a 100 foot midfield triple. The announcers tower at the right of the photo is now three stories tall and has decking around it for officials viewing and entry sign up area.

Shocking!!! It WONT Work.

This part I didn't research deep enough. I checked this out as good as I could and took a chance. I have been having a hard time finding a workable rear shock from an 86 machine and found a nice one from an 87 and decided to give it a try knowing full well that it may not work. The Frame and mounts appeared to be in identical places on the bike and the length of shock is the same as well as the mounts on the ends. The difference in shock itself is that the 86 has a remote reservoir and the 87 as seen has a piggyback.  I figured that it would work because there is room left where the remote reservoir mounts that the other can sit.  That part actually would work if I were to remove the reservoir mount tabs from the frame, the problem is it seems that the diameter of the 87 shock spring is a bit larger than the 86 must be. This one will hit the back of the motor if I were to make it fit in the mounts.  Good thing I didn't get all carried away and cut those old reservoir mounts off. Well it didn't work and it will probably go back on ebay so I can try to recoup some of what I paid for it.

Wheel Leftovers.

 

This is all thats left of the wheels after today. I got them taken the rest of the way apart and cleaned up inside and out. Now the search for replacement parts begins, or should I say continues....

Crash & Burn

That's Me, on my 1986 KX125 Crashing my head into the dirt. I just thought I would put up a picture now and then of the bike from back in the day when I was racing it.  A few things to notice in the photo.1. my awesome Bell Moto 3 custom checker helmet with snap on visor, 2. The always trendy JT Chest protector with matching JT race pants. 3. Red AXO boots, also very stylish with left heel tucked under the fender trying to ride it out. 4. Probably wearing white cotton glove liners. 5. No racing jersey, long sleeve sweatshirt or t-shirt. 6. Duct Tape on the tank of the bike, my main investor/sponsor wanted to keep from scratching it up. Better for resale value. If you click the photo it will load a larger version of it to see the detail better. Its a little blurry but still visible.

I did get up and continue on my way in this race. The bike had a bent subframe but was still ride worthy. I Also went to Washougal MX the next day and Raced, Placing 3rd I think that next day.

This Photo was In the April 1987 Issue of Dirt Bike magazine I cant find my copy of it but if you have one take a look for it. The article was about proper safety gear I believe.

I have more photos around here somewhere and as I come across them I will post them up just for fun.

Wheels....more and less

Just a quick note, I have not had a ton of time to work on things this week even though I think about what I could be doing and what I want to do with it and the parts that I haven't got yet or the ones I haven't even ordered yet and which ones I should order first....Well it will come in time, I'm just not the most patient person when I know what I want.

For the time that I did have out in the man cave I took the rear tire off the rim and proceeded to work that over.  This is what I found..-->
I have never seen the inside of a rim look like this.  That's a lot of corrosion for aluminium. The good news is I don't have to worry about cleaning it up.

The bad news is that I could only get 8 of the 50 or so spokes to come out.  The rest will have to be cut out with the saws all. I may get to that tomorrow.