2002 RT 125

[samandkimberly]

I'm thinking about buying this bike:

http://nh.craigslist.org/mcy/4695985607.html

..a nice little yellow RT 125. To be honest, I don't know a lot about it, but I own a lightly modified Skorpion and like it, and I'm a big fan of "smaller is better" - my favorite ride is often my '66 Honda 160.

This is a hard bike to find info on the web, and I have some information conflicts. For example, the ad states that its a Yamaha engine, but from what I read this is an MZ developed unit. If so - are parts available? What about the rest of the bike - is it a collection of parts you can mostly source from other bikes, like the Skorpion, or is it more of an odd duck? Any surprises to look out for when buying one? Is the suspension OK as is? Do people hop these up or keep then stock? How hard would it be to find a stock exhaust?

I'm thinking $950 may be high for a Northeast US market 125, maybe something like $750 is more apropriate. Anyone have an opinion on this?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Sam

[DAVID THOMPSON]

mine is a 2002 and has almost 21,000 on it
and is not recommended for use on fast expressways in boston
but works good in my small town

if you get it you will only cry because they did not make it a 300

mine is geared down with a 52 tooth rear and does flat out 69 mph

i ran it from central PA to home in wv about 285 miles in 6 hours me 225lb at the time and at least 50 lb of camping gear

if this one dies i will be shopping for one if i can not fix mine

its an MZ motor but lot of other bike parts in side clutch plates fit a late 170's Kaw trail bike
HOT ROD efforts just make the gas mileage worse as the factory tuned it for about max with out making it unreliable
dave

[samandkimberly]

Thanks for the info. You have a Traveller too; how different is the running gear? Are the brakes/wheels/forks similar?

I doubt I'd be riding I on Boston highways, I have a K1100 with a sidecar for that, and an R80 as a backup. This would be just for back roads.

As far as hop ups - I think I'd go the opposite and find a stock exhaust to replace the aftermarket pipe. Though there is a sick, twisted part of me that likes to think about putting the CR500 engine I have into that chassis, turning a nice little bike into a vibrating, unreliable 2 stroke with too much power and horrible gas mileage.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

the traveller is nice ..
but turned in to a mistake for me ,,it runs good
but i turned 69 in september and my legs are going so i have been leaving it set
till i have time to get it ready to sell
some parts are the same but not a lot

i am just too tippy when riding it and coming to a stop
almost dumped it a couple times

i plan on keeping the saxon tour and may hang a side car on it

Dave

[stephendacosta]

Yes, because the manufacturer went out of business, $750 is more the fair price. I have paid as little
as $600 for a 125 with less than one thousand miles on it in NJ.
A stock muffler is a good idea. It actually has more power than with an aftermarket. Expensive part.
The RT muffler has a thin chorme and tends to rust pit and rust at the welds. An SM/SX muffler is
stainless, can be easily made to fit, though it will have ugly tangs that can be cut off. The stock
mufflers produce a better torque range than an aftermarket, and do it quietly. The fuel milage is
about 80 unless you are at full throttle, where it drops to 60mpg.--Steve

[DAVID THOMPSON]

my milage is lower than steve

but where i live they seem to ship us the stuff off the bottom of the storage tanks
and it does not burn very well...
i do not seem to have any problems using gas from stations in my area on this list
http://www.pure-gas.org

bike can set for long time and still start ok with out a lot of fussing with it
dave

[phoenix76rb]

I tried numerous times to contact that guy in order to buy the bike - I had an RT125 that I regret letting go, and this one would be a perfect match for my current yellow Skorpion Sport 660, plus I could teach my wife how to ride on it. Additionally, my best friend (of 42 years; sheesh!) lives just 35 miles from the guy.

Unfortunately he ignored all my attempts to contact him.