Parts for 1959 RT125/3

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I have decided to lavish some time and money on the RT125/3 which I bought several years ago as an uncompleted project. Despite its looking pretty good in the picture, it needs quite a lot. I've been looking around at the various online suppliers for the type in Germany. Before committing my hard-earned to one or more of them, I thought I'd ask here if any of you have experience, good or bad, with parts suppliers for these old bikes.

http://oldtimerteile-haase.de will not ship outside Germany so I've crossed them off the list as I am in the US. Others currently under consideration include http://ost2rad.de, http://mz-rt.de, and http://oldtimer-teileshop.de.

Feel free to send me a message through the forum if there's information you'd prefer not to share in public.

[therealche]

Thats a sweet little RT! I'm in the UK and have used Ost2rad and found them very good.

[metric]

The parts I ordered for my RT125/3 have arrived, taking 11 days from the time I placed the order 'til arrival here in rural New York State. I chose to buy from http://mz-rt.de/ because of their broad parts availability and their willingness to ship to the US. Quality of the parts seems quite good; the order contains a mix of reproduction, used, and new old stock parts. I corresponded by email with the proprietor, Klaus Kühn, in English. Klaus was able to accomodate some special requests for items not specifically listed in the online catalogue, and to answer my technical questions. I'm sure I could have bought some of the items less expensively on ebay.de or from other suppliers, but for me the "one-stop shopping" was important. Everything on my list was available for immediate shipping. Packing was well done, and nothing was damaged during shipping.

[Stuart109]

Hi
I have just acquired a 1961 RT125/3 and have got my first load of parts from mz-rt.de. Mainly electrical as they seemed the only place to get the bits I needed.

I have been in correspondence with ost2rad.de about engine parts and they have been most helpful. I will get some bits from them as they are cheaper for many items.

I also got a replacement engine side casing on German ebay. Seller shipped to the UK without difficulty.

I see you have new fork bushes. Have you had any success getting the forks apart I have really struggled with mine?

Keep me posted with your progress on the rebuild.
Stuart

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Here is a picture from the parts catalogue:

Remove the wheel and the front mudguard.
Unscrew the cap screw 17 and remove the washers 18 and 19.
Release the clamps 42 from the boot 40 and push the boot down the fork.
Remove the grease fitting 6.
Unscrew the nut 34 which screws into the bottom of the outer tube 5. I used pliers for this, not the best solution but it got the job done.
Leave the screws 8 tightened.
Pull downward on the inner tube 24 or 27; the assembly of the inner tube, Pertinax bushings, and springs should slide out of the outer tube 5.
It's possible that the bushing 35 could stick in the tube 5, but tapping lightly with the inner tube should help it come out.
You can then remove the springs from the inner tube 24 or 27, possibly by removing the pin 29, but I simply unscrewed the spring 30 from the fitting 28.
Now you can remove the screws 8 after which the outer tubes 5 can be removed downward from the steering head.
The sleeves 2 in my case stayed in the steering head. Rubber rings 39 fit at the top of the headlight brackets 3 and 4, rather than at the bottom as shown in the picture.

For me, reassembly was the reverse of disassembly with these particular points:
I had to make new spacing washers 36 and 37 as they were missing from my bike. Tolerances of the inside diameter of 37 and the outside diameter of 36 are small as both washers fit against a shoulder 0,5 mm wide.
Install the spring assemblies in the inner tubes. Then place in the tubes, in this order: 40, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39. Tighten 39 on the upper Pertinax bushing. Then slide the entire assembly into the outer tubes 5 (parts thoroughly greased). Tighten the nut 34.
Insert the assembly into the steering head, pressing upward until the outer tube is seated in the upper bracket 15. Compress the springs by pushing upward on the inner tube 24 or 27 until the screw 17 can be started. Turn the inner tubes 24 or 27 in the direction of tightening screw 17 until you feel the dogs at the top of the spacers 32 enter the slots for them in the upper bracket 15. Turn the outer tubes 5 so that the grease fitting 6 is oriented appropriately (I faced mine rearwards) then then tighten screws 17 and 8. Then do final tightening of the nuts 34.

I think that's all there is to it. If it's not clear, just let me know.


carter