Project FUR

[mikeycee]

Afternoon All!

Hope you are doing ok and enjoying the increasing amount of freedom we are all enjoying now

As some of you probably know, I've not long completed a full RGV Resto and now with the imminent arrival of a sprog in August, I needed to get my ass in gear and get another project in place before the time comes where I have no cash whatsoever to put into one.

I'm pleased to report that the mission has been completed, and the 'investment' has been made

So, back in 1996 when I was able to get on a 125cc instead of blowing all of my savings on fags and Booze (That came later) I stuck a deposit on one of these:

1994 Suzuki RG 125 FUR


It cost me £3k..... and really was a bit of a mistake thinking about it as within 6 Months I was really desperate to move to a bigger engine which is where the RGV then came in. So I ran it for a while, Loved it then sold it off, cleared the finance and went on to the next thing. The bike went to Spain and I think suffered a nasty end in an accident... Rider was fine thankfully but sad to see the bike meet the end of the line, as it really was a minter.

So..... Just like with my previous project, Some 25 years later and I come across a wrecker that is in pieces and the lightbulb of inspiration pings above my head and project FUR is up and running (Well it will be on Friday when I get it at least!)

Here it is in all of its Rusty, Shonky glory......









So, Its in a bit of a bad way - Its been sitting for years with the intention of being restored but it has just sat, and sat, and sat. The thing is mostly in pieces as you can see but it is about 95% Complete with all of the really hard to come by bits all present from what I can gather. Engine has not run in over 10 years but was stripped and apparently seems ok. Crank is fine which is a good sign.

There really isn't many of these about now from what I can see, so looking forward to getting this one back to its former glory. They really were great, nimble and actually quite fast little 125's when derestricted but at the time became very quickly overshadowed by the newer, sleeker and more desirable Aprilia's in their fancy pants MotoGP Replica colours.

This will be a very slow burner I think, but there is plenty for me to get stuck into from the start. First job will be to pull it back to the bare frame, see whats happening and then go from there.

Will be documenting on here as I did with the last one, so any hints and tips the collective mind can provide would be greatly appreciated!

First impressions coming soon

[KungFooBob]

What's the difference between a FUR and a FUN, is it just the year code?

[mikeycee]

What's the difference between a FUR and a FUN, is it just the year code?

Correct

There was the FUN, FUP and FUR which mirrored the RGV Revisions.

There was no real big changes to the chassis or engines on the 125's however, It was pretty much all cosmetics.

[KungFooBob]

I always though FUN was the model name, because, you know, it was FUN!

Never heard of one referred to as a FUP or a FUR.

[Supermofo]

Nice, I'd love to do this with a TZR 125 but I have the mechanically ability of a blind aardvark, with no arms and legs

[mikeycee]

Nice, I'd love to do this with a TZR 125 but I have the mechanically ability of a blind aardvark, with no arms and legs

The TZR's are making good money now, I had one back when I was 17 and absolutely loved it. To be honest the engines are so simple to work on you would be fine to just get stuck in and see how you get on!

[Yorick]

Will there be a resale demand?

[Supermofo]

Nice, I'd love to do this with a TZR 125 but I have the mechanically ability of a blind aardvark, with no arms and legs

The TZR's are making good money now, I had one back when I was 17 and absolutely loved it. To be honest the engines are so simple to work on you would be fine to just get stuck in and see how you get on!

Yeah they are. Mine was my 2nd bike at 18, after I passed my test funnily enough. I had a KH100 before that, passed my test but could only afford a TZR125. Only had about 8 months maybe a bit longer before I got a student loan and got the 250.

[mikeycee]

Will there be a resale demand?

They seem to make OK money and ones I’ve seen pop up on EBay from time to time that have been restored do seem to sell and are not hanging around for months on end like some do.

This won’t be a concours resto however, Just a sympathetic job to get it back to a decent all round position once again with some new paint as the final touch.

I doubt it will be considered for sale at any point when complete.... But don’t tell the missus that

[mikeycee]

Evening All!

So, The day has come.... It has arrived.



First Impressions are that (Thankfully) it is totally straight although it has been down the road - And it has been stood for a long time.... A Really long time!

Everything is there, but the previous owner had taken this on as a project and has partially stripped it down before other things got in the way and the project stalled. So the work already done has saved me a few hours work at least.

First impressions:

Forks are shot to pieces, need new springs and oil at the absolute minimum. Stanchions are a mess but possibly salvageable


This Disc, The Rear Disc and the front and rear tyres have all been fitted brand new and never been used and have just been left to rot. Its not even been used once. That said, the only place it will be going now is in the bin.....


The 20,000 Miles on the clocks match the Logbook - But it looks like its been around the houses a bit!


Engine is not seized, the bore and piston are good and there is good compression. The Gearbox seems ok and gears are selecting fine but this will need some proper inspection work which I may pick up on first in the list of work to do....


This, I am not looking forward to!


All of the Bodywork is OEM - But its been painted by someone who really should not have been trusted with a rattle can and there is some damage repair that has been done. Need to assess this properly and may consider a Chinese kit if the cost to get these to an acceptable standard is too high.... Will have to see.








So, I wanted a project that would keep me going for a while and you know - I really think I have got one!

First job will be to sort all the boxes of parts out, work out whats good and whats not and put them into storage whilst I pick up on the major bits first and form a plan.

Initial thoughts are to look at the engine first, make sure there are no nasty surprises hiding in there. Get it in to a position where it can be run and then move on to the chassis..... Then I guess the rest will take care of itself!!

Will keep this updated as I move forward, But in the meantime I hope you all have a great weekend!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The rolling chassis looks alright in the photos, but I'm used to 80s Yamahas

[mikeycee]

The rolling chassis looks alright in the photos, but I'm used to 80s Yamahas

Yea to be fair the chassis is ok overall and just needs minor attention.... It’s just everything that bolts to it that’s going to be the issue I think

[Scuffmark]

Crackin little project by the look of things

Can't wait to see it progress.

[demographic]

So is the frame aluminium or steel painted to look like aluminium on those?

[mikeycee]

So is the frame aluminium or steel painted to look like aluminium on those?

Pressed steel made to look like Aluminium, They looked ok originally but this one has been repainted and is looking a bit rough so will need to be stripped and either repainted or powdercoating I think.

Made a start on the engine yesterday.... It was interesting. One chewed cylinder head bolt that needed butchering to get off and bent Powervalve cover screws which needed some persuasion also.

This thing really has not been looked after well..... But to be fair, at 17 I was probably carrying the mechanical sympathy of a hammer and all this niggly stuff seems typical of a long line of people who were the same as I was at the time of ownership.

[demographic]

Ahh, if I remember right Suzuki did a TS125R? That had a powervalve system, long time ago but I think Performance Bikes tested one and there was a wire you could disconect and that derestricted it?

Can't remember if there was a washer in the exhaust as well but it wouldn't surprise me.

Would that be the same engine?

[mikeycee]

Ahh, if I remember right Suzuki did a TS125R? That had a powervalve system, long time ago but I think Performance Bikes tested one and there was a wire you could disconect and that derestricted it?

Can't remember if there was a washer in the exhaust as well but it wouldn't surprise me.

Would that be the same engine?

I vaguley remember on my cousin's restricted(?) RG there was a chamber but no power valve fitted so the standard mod was to knock the washer out of the exhaust and slide a bit of tube in to where the power valve went so it was max power all the time

Yes - This would have likely been the same engine more than likely Demo, The most common way to derestrict the engine to allow full power was to fix the Powervalve in the open position which gave full power at the upper end of the rev range, but at the sacrifice of any Midrange power there was.... Not that there was a lot to start with, but the idea of the PV System (Suzuki's AETC in this case) was to provide the most efficient power output across the entire rev range by altering the Exhaust port shape to make it easier for day to day riding and operated on a closed, Half and Full opening as the revs increased to allow the gasses to be expelled easier to avoid power drop off at the top end.

Correct on the washer, but it appears that on this model it is welded in place part way along the downpipe as opposed to on the collar which is a complete PITA. This one has not been removed as I should be able to see evidence of the cut, so I am either going to have to cut, remove and re-weld or get another pipe.... Which I am not sure is worth it TBH.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

There are some New Old Stock clock surrounds for one of these on Facebook if you want some - search for Chilly Hill

[mikeycee]

So the engine inspection started this weekend - and I am bloody glad I did this first off! Not taken a proper look at the bottom end yet, I pretty much had my work cut out with the top end over the couple of afternoons I got on it so that will be the next job on the list.

So although the bore and piston were in a serviceable condition which gave me confidence initially, I was a little less confident of how things have been in the past with this engine. One of the cylinder bolts was absolutely wrecked which took some serious work to remove. Both the Head and Cylinder gaskets were rotten and two of the four Powervalve cover bolts were bent and I had to be extremely careful removing these so as not to cause any damage to the threads - All of the screw heads were destroyed and the whole process just took so much time.

The PV Cover was on upside down so the vent was facing upwards, which completely missed the point of the drain being there in the first place as there was nowhere for the excess oil to go so the PV assembly was just sat in its own gunk - Not a pretty sight.



Need to get a battery on to this starter motor at some point to check it still turns - Note the huge self tapping screw that used to secure the live wire to the terminal.... Definitely OEM


Luckily I was able to get some grips on to these before getting the drill out.


Mmmm.... Yummy!


I removed as much of the sicky, part burned oil as I could whilst the PV Assembly was in place and then started to dismantle the mechanism so that I could remove the three piece blade assemblies for inspection


So..... Years ago, when I said to someone I was thinking of getting an Import RGV as a bit of a project, One of the first pieces of advice I was given was to not - Under any circumstances, try to start the bike up without first (and at the very least) pulling the engine out and performing a full strip and inspection of the top end. And for the full benefit of any of my 2T Friends here and anyone considering a 2T Project at any point this is the precise reason why.....





This is the Slide Guide and the largest piece of the original design, Three blade valve assembly. The operate in a pair and are linked with a rod and slide in and out of the cylinder head to adjust the exhaust port size to optimise exhaust gas flow and power output across the rev range. The original design was not ideal and more often than not the assembly would fracture, fall apart and the blades would become detached and drop forward in their ports, into the cylinder, make contact the piston and blow up the engine..... Which is exactly what this one was about to do. Top end would have been wrecked and the detritus of the meeting of the piston on the valve head usually all falls into the bottom end and screws that at the same time too.

Nowadays there are billet, single piece items available now which perform better and are far more reliable but this looks to be the original OEM Part.

So, If this engine had not have come out of service when it did it would not have been much longer before it went pop leaving a mountain of expense.

Remainder of the assemblies are absolutely fine which is good. To replace this part from Suzuki is around £80 but thankfully some kind soul has a couple of these surplus to requirements and has offered to send these in the post to me at no charge which is a great result which I am massively grateful for. I would like to maybe at some point get the one piece billet items, but at £170 I just cannot justify it at the moment so the plan will be to use the replacement that is on its way to me and purchase some new return springs and go from there.

So, an interesting experience with the top end so far and constantly learning..... The head will go for re-plating at some point but not yet. Next on the list will be the bottom end - I cant wait to see what lies in store for me there

Have a good week ahead!

[mikeycee]

There are some New Old Stock clock surrounds for one of these on Facebook if you want some - search for Chilly Hill

I will definitely do that as mine is a bit worse for wear.... Thanks!