DT 125 RE Green Laning Project
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The previous owner rather irritatingly had painted the plastics. Rather than buying new ones to trash with some hard abuse I stripped them back to bare plastic, sanded to 400 grit and then restored the colour by heating them with a heat gun and once glossy quickly dowsed them with water to prevent the melted top layer of plastic from oxidising. The before and after is night and day.
with a spare hour to kill and armed with some white vinyl wrap and some masking tape I set about recreating the standard graphics, turned out quite well for an experiment!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/42610239314/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/42610239084/in/dateposted-public/
Lastly here is how she stands as of this morning
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/41518201360/in/dateposted-public/
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@2stroke4smoke looks a very nice machine, the exact same headgasket situation happened to me, avoid the Chinese knockoffs haha. Rear caliper should be the later slider on the 04 RE and X, different to the older varient on the DTR.
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I'm liking that looks pretty tidy to be fair
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Took it out for a blast today with the GoPro, check out the link below.
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Bit of an update:
I have still been abusing the hell out of the old girl on the local green lanes and as you might expect with the dt's soft suspension, I am bottoming it out rather a lot. There is evidence of the rear tyre touching the frame https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/43278720294/in/dateposted-public/
and also the bottom of the frame and the shock linkage look like this after two months! https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/43091630755/in/dateposted-public/ -
Have also rubbed through the paint on the side of the frame https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/29059950177/in/dateposted-public/ - but i'm a function over form kind of guy.
I managed to lose my number plate whilst out on a ride but luckily I was able to re-trace my steps and find it. I always carry some basic tools and a roll of duct tape with me when out trail riding, and it was the latter of these things which came in handy! - I rode for the rest of the day with my plate taped to my ruck sack https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/30128539738/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/29059631127/in/dateposted-public/It has since become somewhat of a re-occurring theme for bits to fall off! I got home this afternoon after enjoying what the recent weather has done to the trails to find that I was missing a side panel! No idea where it is so if anyone in the norfolk area finds it, give me a shout! https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/29059685867/in/dateposted-public/
Made sure to clean the old girl before storing in the garage next to the other slightly more orange toy https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/30128565668/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/43091412375/in/dateposted-public/ -
The shopping list:
- Rear indicators - if anyone has any lying around they would like to part company with, let me know!!
- Battery side side panel - again if anyone has a spare they would like to sell, let me know otherwise I'll get one from fowlers.
- 28 mm fat bar conversion mounts. These renthal 'street fighter' bars are utterly s**t.
On a side note, can anyone recommend a longer gear lever? the stock one is a bit clunky with mx boots.
Any recommendations on some wider footpegs that would be a direct fit? again would need to be mx derived because she doesn't see road use.
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@2Stroke4Smoke I fitted Apico footrests, around £80 and angle grinded them to fit. Really simple to do.
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Been a while since I updated.
Had some play in the rear end so stripped to inspect to find that the swingarm bearings had disintegrated, particularly on one side where the bearing race had worn almost completely through.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/44511910020/in/dateposted-public/
here is what was left of the bearings
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/31389599307/in/dateposted-public/
From memory I think it took 2.5 tons of force on the hydraulic press to press them out! Forgot to take pictures of the new bearing install.
I decided to experiment with some 15W fork oil (standard is 10W). The change is noticeable when hitting a whoop section is fourth gear, the bottoming resistance is increased which has the effect of keeping the front end up. It also allows you to jump two or three in a row where as the forks previously absorbed the face of the woop. Other than that it is as you would expect, not much of a change. The old fork oil was very urmm... black!.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/45416044455/in/dateposted-public/
here is a picture pre-fork oil change of it completely bottomed out after the smallest of jumps
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/45416044915/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/45416045165/in/dateposted-public/
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Also decided to improve the ergos on the bike. The handlebars had to go so I purchased swapped in a set of pro tapers from a 2018 Husqvarna MX bike and bought a set of APICO mounts. Also swapped the piece of s*** gear lever for an Apico unit from a 99-04 Yz 125. SOOO much nicer to ride.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/46328602661/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/44511912590/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/46328602201/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/44511910930/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/46328601801/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/159452079@N02/44511908860/in/dateposted-public/
I met a guy last weekend while out on a ride. He was on a KTM 690 enduro and stopped to say hello, nice chap. He did ask if my bike had around 8hp or so and said it was nice to see people getting into riding before parting on his way. I have certainly not just got into riding (i expect the L plates and the ill suited bike probably gave him a different impression) but I decided to give chase and passed him through a whoop section' trippling a set and jumping straight past him. I met him at the end of the trail three or four minutes later and suddenly the little bike with '8hp' was quite interesting to him!
Anyway it will be up for sale soon.
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@Calum yeah I know, but 8 is what he said! Come on Calum there is no advantage here, suspension is worse, chassis has way more flex, way down on power and well perhaps I can claim a weight advantage but I would happily swap! Pro Tapers - Whatever is fitted to a 2018 Husky FE 350, they were the standard bars from that bike and I swapped them onto the DT as they were laying around in the garage as spares.
Yes i'll be up for sale after christmas. Time for another KTM - probably an EXC 250 (two stroke).
I've had my fun, and already have another KTM at home, and every time I ride it (my ktm) I see less and less point having this bike, has been a fun project though.
