Project SMX [Pic Heavy]
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@calum Thanks bud, I have a vision and lots of shiny new parts already waiting to go back on, once I've got the frame and wheels sorted, it's smaller bills from there on mostly - well hopefully.
The previous owner had a lot of work done to the engine. It's running a Mitaka head and has had a rebore, but there's a serious oil leak at the back of the engine. So I think I'll have to play it safe and strip the engine down and start over? Sadly that will add lots of time and more expense, so this build is most likely gonna take me into 2019 now!!!
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@ninja The Mitaka kit is the cheaper replacement pattern part of the market.
I did have both Mitaka and original Gilardoni Barrel and the casting is night and day between the two. The OEM is far superior.
What that means in real world performance will most likely be negligible and there is no reason why the Mitaka barrels cannot be reworked.
The oil leak coming from the gearbox or the RAVE. Pretty common to see them out the RAVE. A new gasket would sort that out.
Although given these engines proven performance, and ergo, reliability. I'd recommend an inspection and the minimum. If the engine is out, seriously do at least the minimum.
Main bearings (not special bearings like the DTR so these are cheap for Koyo's) £20 and the primary gears (£30). They are the usual culprits.
I'd inspect the crank for play. I recently "rebuilt" crank I acquired out an MX engine I got had zero play in the crank. Good, but literally, had zero play in the crank (bad). There should be some float. So this crank will need rebuilding.
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@calum I'll take some close up pics of the engine in the morning, there's oil all under the carb area, around the rear shock & spring is covered in oil and black gunk.
I will most likely see what funds allow, but maybe a full bottom end rebuild whilst the engine is out would be prudent. And then when I've sold a kidney may be a 140cc kit , Zeeltronic, 34mm Delli, Carbon reeds, Scalvini exhaust, new power valve, etc. etc.
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@Minia This swing arm is brand new, I got it off a dude in Finland for a bargain £100 delivered. The originals are anodised, so I have stripped that off and sanded it down to bare metal. Then I've rubbed it down with wet n' dry, decreasing in grade and finally hand polished it. It still needs some work as I have stated, but she's very shiny compared to what she was originally. :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:
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I had a very busy day today, multi-tasked like a mo-fo and got quite a bit done;
I polished the crap outa my Deli;
I also got the frame back the other day. I had her oven baked, lightly shot blasted, zinc undercoated and then orange powder coated to finish - she looks mint in her birthday suit for-sure!!!
And I also cleaned up a bunch of bits and resprayed them in sexy black and smokin silver of course;
So I'm finally making some progress, I have a few more bits to clean and then spray up, so hopefully I'll have a rolling chassis on the go in the next couple of weeks!!!
:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :face_with_stuck-out_tongue_winking_eye: :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: -
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@Calum 3K for an SX is a bit steep, I think he would be lucky to get 2-2.5K for it. The bike does look mint and well looked after tho. SX 125's generally go for less than MX's if the condition is similar. Although the SX is a newer model it's not quite as good as the MX, both in handling and power-wise, Ie. steel swing arm opposed to ali, softer suspension all-round, smaller front brake disc and less power from the Rotax 123 lump. The SX also has more restrictions due to the Euru3 laws, but they can be easily de-restricted for more power.
Lovely bikes tho, but I prefer the MX for it's better looks, better handling and higher power, plus the MX requires less work to reach it's maximum potential and of course it's a classic too!!! :grinning_face: :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes: :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:
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@NINJA Well I'm not being funny, it's worth 3k for the kit you're getting out the box, regardless whether the MX is better.#
Not saying I'd pay that for it, just that it's a solid bike.
I don't think that is running a 123 engine? Besides, from my understanding, yes it's an inferior engine than the 122, but we're talking minute power differences and they'd pull the same if you spent money into them. The 123 engine can be modified to take the 122 barrel.
But Ally swingarm is a must, I suspect it could be retro fitted to it mind you. Although having had a decent look at it, I think that one is ally.
I didn't realise that was a 2010 model. Even more so why it's worth a more premium price tag. One of the lasts.
Don't forget, that Zeeltronic make an ignition system for this engine that will bypass all that Euro3 malarky, allowing you to get top power out of that beast
Seriously that'll be a sweet little ride I reckon.
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@Calum I agree with ya, you do get a lot of kit for your hard earned cash, but considering that the SX was £3,099 brand new back in 2010, a 3K asking price today for an eight year old bike is pricey. The RX (Enduro) and SX (Supermoto) which were produced from 2008-2011 had either the 122 or 123, dependent on engine stocks. I think that the SX's had mostly 122's in them, but heavily restricted and obviously some RX's were converted into SX's. The SX is also 7Kg heavier than the MX, not a huge amount but still it's a bit of a disadvantage.
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/aprilia/aprilia_sx_125 09.htm
The new model released in this year now has a 4 stroke engine in them, it's the same lump from the RS4 and costs £3,399. It's made in China and not Italy, so whether that improves the overall quality of the bikes I'm not sure? It's also 12Kg heavier than the MX, so the newest model is getting to be a bit of a porker in 125 terms.
https://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/aprilia_sx_125_2018.php
The swing arm is definitely steel as a lot of owners swap it for the MX's ali version. The forks have softer springs and although I'm not 100% sure I think that the MX has a steeper head angle, which makes the steering sharper and gives it a more racier, twitchy feeling.
http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/aprilia/aprilia_mx_125 04.htm
I know that no single review can ever give a straight back to back comparison, as all reviews can be subjective and an element of personal opinion does come into it from the reviewer. But if you compare these two reviews then there's a lot of like_for_like comparisons to weigh up;
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/aprilia/mx125/2003/
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/aprilia/sx125/2008/
And OK I accept that one bike is more restricted than the other, so it's not a direct like_for_like comparison, but at least you get to see both's bikes pro's and con's.
Interestingly the bike advertised does not state it's mileage, but it does say that it has been rebuilt from the ground up. Which raises the question of why has it been rebuilt? And yes a Zeeltronic would release it from it's shackles for-sure, couple that with an aftermarket exhaust and a few engine tweaks and you'll have her pulling super hard. So yeah I would agree she would be a sweet little ride for-sure!!! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: :face_with_stuck-out_tongue_winking_eye: :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
