$500 Vintage Racing Dirt Bike Find (Rare 1980 Survivor)

[@steveboudas9287]

I dig your work. 65 years old so many of your projects come right out of my bike history. It's like therapy for me to watch. Thanks maaaaaaaaaan. 😎

[@scottcupp8129]

I love theses 2 strokers. I still have a few toys myself. I have a Yamaha IT490, A Honda CR480R, CR500, and an ATC250R

[@stevethefishingsanta7771]

Maybe one day he will pick up a Maico 500! Awesome bike to race. vibrated so much

[@CoralReefkid]

Joe has an awesome skill for sure

[@97420Chris]

@@scottcupp8129 I'll take that ATC 250R off your hands.

[@allyearrounddeckspergolas9647]

Rm125N i reckon.around 1979 ,1980

[@clutchitsystems100]

That particular bike was famous for its handling. That is, it was great at going thru turns. I rode a well setup 1981 and I still remember the experience from 40 years ago. If that 1980 had its suspension renewed to factory specs it would easily handle turns with the best of the bikes of today.

[@lawrencefranck9417]

😂 no it wouldn’t.

[@clutchitsystems100]

@@lawrencefranck9417 Words...

[@clutchitsystems100]

@@lawrencefranck9417 I can see you have never ridden one of those Suzukis. Absolutely effortless to go thru turns with. Think it and it is done. Especially any turn with a well-defined berm or a rut. You would have had to experience it to know....

[@lawrencefranck9417]

I had one 125 and 100

[@AleTravi]

Do you actually believe a 1980's bike can outperform a modern bike? You are out of your mind sir

[@CharlieRice-eq5hb]

When the float bowl comes off, you can look into the bottom of the jets and see daylight where the slide used to be if they are clean.

[@MegaGoogoohead]

Dude that takes me back I had the same model back in about 83 I think! I rode the wheels off that bike! I bought my son an 89 rm 125 and I rebuilt the engine and he restored the rest of the bike and it turned out nice! The old bikes have a grittier sound than the newer 2 strokes with the old pipe configuration.

[@bobhemphut4011]

^^^^^^ 👍

[@Coach4.5.0]

I found a beat up barn find 91 rm80. The 91-92 rm models are the nicest bikes they ever made. 86-96 is the best 2 strokes !

[@zachfarkash6430]

Jeff Ward one of the top Riders in the 80s and those are chromoly handlebars

[@spudgossie]

chromium and molybdenum alloy, very strong

[@bobhemphut4011]

Almost won a Indy 500 too. Dude was a multi disciplined motorsports competitor and champion.

[@GTO1111111]

Jeff Ward is the little kid doing the mini bike wheelie during opening scenes of On any Sunday motorcycle movie 1971. I bought a brand new RM250 in 1981, last year before watercooled, it was an amazing bike. I'm in 60's but still have a 1974 xl350 Honda.

[@jayaustin3096]

Can't kill the old 2 strokes. I had a 79 back in 1983 and loved it. You brought back memories on this video. Thanks for sharing.

[@michaelschlup-c5o]

i restored a 1977.... pretty similar condition....piston slap sounds a little bit loose ... when they idle, they are not too bad as far as wear ... when they get loose they don't start and do not idle easily ...run a non resistor plug ... B9ES ...plug caps on those have resistors built in...

[@michaelschlup-c5o]

i have a rear wheel set a little cleaner than what you have... if interested ?

[@listenupfools731]

One of the best handling,turning,jumping 125s ever produced!!had a 78,and an 83,a 99,a 2004,all great bikes,I'm an rm fan

[@prophez23]

I had a 1980 RM 80 back in the early 80's it was almost new when I got it. I ended up blowing up the engine shortly after getting it and never got another Suzuki after that. Stuck with Yamaha and Kawasaki and a couple Hondas but I raced mostly Yamaha. I had a 85-86 Kawasaki 250 that had been turned into a death machine and it was one of the fastest dirt bikes I had in the day. I loved motocrossing so much but I ended up breaking my back on a huge jump riding my Honda 250 and I'm disabled today because of it. But I have no regrets and it was the funniest times of my life. That old RM 125 really brought back the nostalgia lol.

[@tonymontana2.037]

I have a Suzuki Rm 80 1979 that i'm gonna restore,got the frame,tank and swing sandblasted last year so the plan is to paint the frame this summer💪

[@davidstubbs809]

I used to race one of these, The one I had was called an RM125c. My father souped it up polished ports The ports were like looking into a mirror, we corked every hole in the crank and ran it on aviation fuel. The bike was an absolute rocket ship even compared to today's standards, I was on the back wheel constantly without trying. My father used to say you will never win races riding around on the back wheel. The noise that bike makes really brings back good memories. Great work. Keep it up.

[@empiresrikesfat]

yo my childhood friends (back 30yrs ago) dad supplied him with aviation gas, man that stuff stank riding behind him kx 80's

[@PaintedByMouth]

Love that vintage 2 stroke sound. reminds me of the good ol days

[@evanpetersen4016]

Your videos are educational, it's awesome. This is a sparkplug eating devil machine though. It will seize up every 20 hours unless you mix the gas so heavy that it eats spark plugs for breakfast. Great vid as always.

[@arson_4068]

Something special about those air-cooled 2 strokes.

[@daveco1270]

You have to respect a seller who's honest and says I got it for 250 a couple days ago and thought I could make a few bucks doing a quick flip.

[@stevemelior1819]

I learned something from you today. I have a suzuki intruder vl800 and the clutch slips a little bit especially when it's cold been that way since I bought it two years ago. I've been using car oil I didn't even know there was motorcycle oil for wet clutches. I'll bet if I get the proper oil it'll stop slipping. Keep up the good work young man. I been watching your channel for like 4 years and seen your progression learning and teaching others .

[@harrypalmer291]

Car oil usually has friction modifier additives that will make wet plates slip. Put a brand name motorcycle oil in your gearbox and should stop slipping. If not, change out again. Still slipping it has contaminated the plates. Replace.

[@reggiexp69]

i mean i ran slipping clutch in my aldy 300 (trx300ex) for 2 years cause friends kept saying its this its that.. i changed my clutch and all problems gone :)

[@XJonAye]

10 w 40 non synthetic oil, from wally world, it's usually by where they keep the off road helmets and stuff

[@TomSmith-io9uk]

Young man I've been watching your channel for years and you have become much more proficient and overall a much better mechanic. Good Job and God Bless.

[@razvanalx8093]

I just selled my yamaha dt 125 lc 10v from 1982, had fun working on it and a lot of fun riding it, it had enduro tires and every accessoirises/electronics removed

[@sunspiral79]

I didnt get a good look at the bars but they are likely Jeff Wards. The ignition case cover is magnesium I believe

[@that1fisher]

got a 1977 suzuki pe250, awesome seeing these bikes still kickin'

[@puff427]

What memory's that bike has ..o boy..love the 80s..bikes chick's and buds..had same bike rode it 2 school when could..Great bike 2restore..b safe.peace

[@georgedragojlovic4832]

This was the same bike I learned to ride on when I was a kid. I'm 42 now and just bought a new 300xc from KTM. Love the content keep up the good work

[@Kram2525]

I had a 77 RM125B I bought in 78 for $200. That bike ripped! Great memories.

[@trblemkr1d106]

I have a photo album with me racing this bike in 1980 . It was my second bike after an RM 250 that I also bought new and raced 2 classes . I know I'm 62 but the title of your video makes me chuckle . That was one tough 125 and even though I raced it in 4 different states it never failed me . Those were awesome days . PK

[@anthonyrufo9113]

I love those vintage dirt bikes. I had a Suzuki TM 400 back in the day. I always had my repair manual open when ever I had to do a rebuild on the engine. I'm amazed that you never need to use a manual or schematics.

[@MeeshGuitar]

My first bike was an '82 RM 80. I loved it dearly and it cranked. I took so much pride as a kid taking it apart and putting it back together. Love your vids man.

[@chrisrosenberg863]

A Great find for $500 and with a fresh top end you will have it running perfect. I had a 1979 Yamaha YZ125 that was similar to this air-cooled motor. Then in my sophomore year of high school I bought the new 1981 Suzuki RM 125 that was liquid cooled and had the new full floater rear suspension and it was a night and day difference from the older ones, you may have had one of those at one time if I am remembering correctly. Nice work on this one and I really enjoy your content.

[@jasonpardoe1408]

You ever thought of going live and chatting to the subs? Possibly about problems others are having with bikes etc😎 Another great project 👊❤️🇬🇧

[@mikehudg2209]

Very very cool 😎 Joe !! I am all about vintage motocross, I race everything from a 77 yz400 to a 1992 ktm mx 500 !! I race yz 's , can-am, cagiva, Husqvarna's and my beloved 83 maico 490 etc , I love the old bikes !! As for your bars they are pronounced chrome- Molly , I have many lol 😆 sweet find and an incredible video , thank you for entertaining us and your drive to keep these old gems going !!! They deserve it and at one time we're the bikes to have !!! I have been racing mx since 1977 and still going strong 💪

[@davessparetime83]

Use flexible bumper bondo for the gas tank. The bolt is missing that holds the clutch shaft down in the side case.

[@jonathandeoliveira2108]

That bike could so easily be restored people say those were the best handling bikes back in the day. Maybe you could do the same thing you did when you did the cr80

[@yokomzare201]

Please use a larger adjustable wrench to remove the jets.

[@Dirt_Bike_Dave]

Oh Man !!! this was my very 1st Dirt Bike and they are pretty bullet proof except for the reed cage/ intake tube and stators wear out.... Very Cool find.

[@pjay4972]

had a Yz 465 what a bike. also had a Rm 250 very good bike . these bikes where rode hard back then.

[@ST-tl3mv]

Who else owned one of these RM 125 c's and cracked the crankcase when the chain jumped and bashed down on the gear shaft. Great video and lots of fond memories of this beast of a bike, cheers for the vid mate

[@franciscolopez3229]

Funny may I add. I did the same thing when the B9EV on my 1979 Elsinore fouled out, I took a sparkplug from my moms' car and off I go again. That's what I love about this vintage bikes, it doesn't take much to get it up and running again aside from it being easy to maintain compared to modern bikes.

[@sandmanbub]

Raced my 78' YZ250 into the ground. Had it set up like Bob Hurricane Hanna's. The bottom of the frame was riddled with stress cracks when I retired it. I'd planned to replace the damaged section of frame or replace the frame when I was able to, but when I returned for it, It was gone. Mom didn't want it stored in dad's shed any longer and she gave it away. I miss that damned bike. Not as quick as my current race bike, but it was much more fun to ride and that overstuffed seat!

[@862057]

Nice, it's going again. I had a early '70s TM125 and I would just hold her open and let it "sing". Once the spark plug gets a coating of black soot on it, it's done. Watch closely at 44:42, as you are testing, the spark is short circuiting and traveling up the insulator porcelain. Be careful using the wrong plug in a high-strung motor.

[@bryanpersig3055]

Awesome find bud. My first bike was a 84 RM 80 and I rode it for 3 years and then got a 83 RM 125. By far my favorite older bikes

[@dennisbagatin4480]

Not bad for $500 can't wait to see what it does with a rebuild 👌✌️

[@keithfenwick5502]

Original exhaust and silencer and shocks amazing great buy 🍀👍🙏and the frame rails I missed that cool 👍

[@grabir01]

Nice bike. I owned the RM400c Decoster. Loved the power!! Out ran all the new bikes in a drag race every time.

[@oldjarhead386]

I grew up around RM125s. Who doesn't love the sound of that engine at full RPM?

[@orionwarren4244]

That bike was 'well used' to say the least. I was gonna say, "Beat to 💩" but I'm trying to be nice. I give you credit, Joe. That d-bag doubled his money, sold you a fugitive from a scrap yard, yet you remained cool and just took it in stride...and got it up and running! LIKE A BOSS!👍😎

[@68-72mmALKYstyle]

Bro, if u put the front tire of the bike in the left or right Corner of the box, all u have to do is put the ratchet straps on with the slightest tension. Once they are evenly tightened move the rear tire wherever u may need it to shut the tail gate or not. I promise u just lightly tighten the straps and that bike won’t go ANYWHERE and not have to mess with the seals leaking forks when u get it home. I’ve also saw basket ball between the front fender and tire..

[@dominickserignese8837]

The thing runs pretty good! Definitely worth five hundred bucks! When I was 14 years old I had a brand new Suzuki DS100! I had so much fun with that bike! You never see those bikes in KZbin world. It was orange and it had a square headlight.

[@Nighthawk1966]

Been a fan of you Joe for about a year now, I never miss an episode!! Love your work my friend!

[@hawkeye681]

1980 RM125T. Second year with the “newer” 12” suspension. Got the bigger uncle to this in my garage , 1979 RM250N. These bikes are a ton of fun to ride. I’m turning 60 this year and still ride after 46 years, can’t escape the kid in me

[@cr250rrcflyby3]

Dude !!!!!!!!! Where in the wide world of vintage are you finding all these gems 💎 seems like every fricking week you find yourself another cheep piece of a bike worth restoring!!!! That’s it !!! Enough !!! …. No More for you ! …. LOL ✌🏼

[@NemesisGrowz]

It did have spark about every ten kicks 🤣 I had an rm 125 from a scrapyard once got it running blew up after a couple weeks mine was a 90s though

[@snowyowl7042]

Nice, I love the classics. The cheaper the bike, the more expensive the repairs

[@neuchigen]

I used to have that same bike about 25 years ago or so. I've had an '89 Rm-125 for about 20 years now. It's been sitting with a flappy head for at least 10 of those years. Feeling the itch to fix it and ride again!

[@smoknjoe73]

On the clutch or any other similar cable you can simply dremmel a slot in the nut you want to add and pass the cable thru that slot and thread it on. There is plenty of material left for it to function.

[@craigcolburn8016]

Brings back a lot of memories when I was fifteen I had a 79 RM 400 thing ripped but it like to vibrate everything loose. Even after changing first and second gear and a couple shifting fork s and top-end rebuild.. I was always turning around. Nice find though

[@davidwoods358]

I had one of these many years ago, it was a fantastic bike, reliable 1st kick starter. Comfortable and handled great. Sorry I sold it.

[@peteschannel508]

I like old vintage dirt bikes! Cool find, with them being from the 80s they are pretty much bulletproof once they are running right.

[@mattsloop2736]

Gotta love the sound when it comes up on the pipe like that.

[@aaad01]

Brings back memories. I owned the '81. Thank you for the video.

[@vicholm1000]

Sitting here watching you test ride your bike, I can smell the two stroke exhaust and it’s reminding me of Good times.. 😎👍

[@Stephen033]

Nice, I like the older dirtbikes like that. They don't make em like they use to. Anymore the new dirtbikes and stuff are just ment to be thrown away after they are well used. They ain't nothin like the older dirtbikes.

[@jasonpardoe1408]

Kids out there with bike and no farther to pass on the knowledge. Keep em coming 😎

[@jerryiwanski256]

I had the 1980 RM100. For an old beat up bike it doesn’t sound bad!!

[@slickricktheruler]

Hey bud use Por 15 for the crack on the tank. Coat it from the inside works wonders. One quart of the stuff will do several tanks. Try it instead of buying new tank. It would make a great video.

[@juliarose8593]

I saw you trying different plugs to check fire.I never see you youtubers use the screw driver trick. All I do is make sure the tip of the screwdriver is getting a good connection with the plug wire, the insulated handle helps with some safety. I have been zapped. but in a pinch it gets the job done. like the videos btw

[@jeffreyness9741]

I'm also 65 years old and up I think that I turned you onto the oil in the cylinder to check the rings compression, you're welcome.

[@BeenSittin]

I have a 1975 Yamaha YZ80B that I am getting ready to start a restoration series on. Just waiting on a few parts to arrive.

[@listenupfools731]

A fresh top end,boyson duel stage reeds,a clark tank ,a new brake arm lever,plastics,grips,cables,bona-fide rippa!!

[@danielgilbert7289]

Hey that's awesome Joe! Interesting timing seeing your video as this last Saturday I rode a 1977 RM100 which was a blast because I grew up riding my first dirt bike an 1979 RM80. I love your videos man!

[@c0munguyforcaz]

It looks pretty minty for a 43 year old bike! Great find

[@jackwood8307]

Fell in love with the RM 125 back in the late seventies. Italian friend of mine raced semipro and was provided one for racing with track support from the Italian dealer. Saw Marty Smith race Gaston Rahier in a 125 GP, Smith rode for Honda and Rahier Suzuki, utterly amazing how fast they were!

[@taftbruce7975]

Old school ,,, brought back good memories!! Thanks 👍

[@boe4448]

The colors on that RM seem to be of older bikes maybe 1978ish. i do know in 79 Suzuki added some blue to the bike. I had a 78 RM400 and it was a fast dependable bike and same color scheme as your 125. Boe

[@kamppaaa]

Really excited to find one of these 80s suzukis on YT again! I personally have a (Finnish import) 1988 Suzuki EPO (PV50), really rare bike not wondering if no one here has heard of one, and a Suzuki DS80's engine that ive swapped into another bike (never had the DS chassis)

[@ManiacRacing]

I have a parts engine for a 1976 RM125. It looks like a fresh rebuild that got caught in a flood. Bottom end is full of mud and sand. Top end looked excellent. I still have most of it, including the pipe and silencer

[@111000100101001]

Love the video and bike! Those pre power valve engines were soft on the bottom and fouled plugs if you didn’t ‘ ride the powerband hard’. My 1980 RM250 was high strung but man did it foul plugs quick if you eased around too much trying to sneak home after hard riding in the woods.

[@troyrosenbaugh9935]

Get yourself a universal spring kit and keep it around cause you just never know! We go through ots of em here, the junk salvage bike we usually take all the hardware we can off them before we send them to metal scrap yard. Got buckets of bolts, etc. around here. I have a kid that works for me during summer break and that's what he pretty much does all day, tear down scrap bikes, old mowers, etc. During winter I'm alone most of the time, I do that daily to keep lights on. Lol. Love your vids bud! My apprentice guy has that bike, been overhUled a few times but still runs like crazy. Vintage MX racer. Fun stuff.

[@ryangreen3292]

I love the sound of this old bike when it is running

[@troyrosenbaugh9935]

Sounds like an old-school loud 2 stroke Suzuki to me! Unique!!!

[@mattsloop2736]

All those old 2 strokes sound like they rattle inside lol.

[@TroyRosenbaugh]

Gotta love the early ones, mechanical brakes no bleeding...nice bike

[@watermelonwatermelon6513]

insane that it started, and that it has no visible crank play, but the main crank bearings are very corroded, this sandpaper noise you can hear is coming from them, had a few engines like that, once you rebuild them, they just sing!

[@joshmoore8488]

my dad had 1980 250 Honda and he like it he had sell it for me and my brother when we was little

[@sandmanbub]

With a little freshening up, new tires, a boot, filter and air box lid and a new plug (that short one dropped the compression ratio a bit), that front wheel will head for the sky when you change gears and pin the throttle, in each gear.

[@davidperryman1759]

Those are Jeff Ward bars... he was a famous factory rider back in the day. Super cool.

[@markhooper5824]

Brings back memories that sound does.

[@billinom8s]

where do you find these jems? Bikes in the UK cost a fortuune and there are zero bargains to be had. Top job sir.

[@marcmoreno9192]

Great pick up joe!! I picked up a 79rm125 bout ten years ago and finally restored it and finished about 2 years ago shes alil ripper for sure I picked up a 1980 rm125 last year have yet to start the restore Im in the process restoring my 86yz250 and start a 80 cr80r for my son

[@coyoterick75]

This was a great video. Brings back memories of my old RM 250. I can't remember the year exactly, but it had a metal gas tank. Man she would rip. Great video brother.

[@DH-mf2lv]

Do you recommend having an inline fuel filter between the tank and the carb?

[@TwoGunToast]

Someone's got a 1970 Yamaha CT175 for sale where I'm at for like $200 because they think the engine might be locked up. Think it's worth looking at? Was thinking of maybe buying it to work on

[@johnvender]

A Suzuki I would really love to see you work on is the RG500. It was never sold in the States but it was in Canada and apparently few managed to make it south of the border and somehow get registered. It had a very unusual engine, basically two two cylinder engines joined up. It also had the gearbox mounted in a way which allowed it to be swapped in a few minutes. Being a road version of a racing bike it needed quite a high level of skill to ride it fast. A friend had one in the UK a long time ago and still raves about it. Pity you would have a hard time finding one and the price is likely to be through the roof.

[@johnvender]

My friend had a lot of work done to his and had a custom exhaust. He claims his had more power than the factory racing version Barry Sheene won world championships on in the late 70s. Nice RG500s in Australia now go for upwards of AU$50k (approximately US$33k).

[@nantodutchie1305]

I think those early 80's ones have a different reed setup that makes it particularly easy to foul plugs. I know that bike there shares the same bottom end as my pe175 and if i let it idle and free rev too long it will floul the plug and it will spark to the inside of the plug and not the end! really weird stuff! The reed setup allows for more bottom end torque.

[@dominicwebb8000]

RM125N or a ‘T’. Every schoolboy MX riders top bike at the time. The YZ’s were just becoming water cooled at that time and the Honda CR still needed a couple of years to become great. The KX125 was a very close match for the RM. Making big money in the UK nowadays.

[@markhensley9378]

I love the smell of 2 stroke in the morning!

[@TroyRosenbaugh]

After you've been out ripping it, kinda jard to say first ride. Love it!!! Sounds great. Adjust the air fuel mix a bit shes on.

[@JohnnyVinthe813]

Had a 1980 RM 80. That engine sound is Legendary!!!

[@nicks2wheelchannel920]

Sweet bike . That was my first dirtbike and I also paid 500 for mine too

[@clutchitsystems100]

Lol. .reading all the comments...yeah THAT BIKE AND ITS BRETHERN (up to 1985?) were head and shoulders over all other 125s. Then the 1986 cr125 came out with low to midrange power that looked like...sounded like...a 250cc. Another SUPERB bike.

[@brentosten2965]

Love it! I had a 1980 RM400 with a PE250 in it. I absolutely loved it. My best mate still owns it now.

[@jayjudd6518]

❤ Hate to say but there all starting to look alike. Ha Ha. Been a lot of yellow. It is a Pleasant when they run. I hear Vinny wanting to run.