[fajhar.faiz]

It’s been more than 3 years since we first met. So, there’s a lot to share regarding how I find her ownership experience, engine job, restoration and a lot more. As it’s gonna be a long thread, I will be doing it in parts.



“God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.” Even if you don’t believe these words now, someday you’ll have to believe them. She’s not just a bike, rather I say, a life changer for me.

How we met:
The way she unexpectedly came into my life, I still believe it’s a fairytale. While studying in the 12th grade, my mom told me she’ll gift me a bike if I get good grades in the final exam. At that time, I dreamed of buying a new CBR 250R. My big brother had a 150R and that’s the one I used to learn riding on. So, I had a big attachment and interest in the CBR. I always wanted a bike with good refinement that would last forever. For that, the CBR was definitely the better option and because of the attachment to my brother’s bike, I really wanted one.



I loved the RXs that time. I had also ridden an RX 100 for a short sprint and like every petrolhead, whenever an RX passed by, I would stare at it and enjoy its exhaust note. At that time I had never thought that two-strokes would possess my mind even in my imagination.

After some hard work, I passed my 12th exams with good grades. As my mom had promised, she said we would buy the 250R on loan. Considering our income and the price tag of the CBR I had second thoughts and told my mom that we should wait for a while. After a few weeks, while talking with my neighbour who had 3 RX 135s at home, told me that there’s an RX 135 in the area for sale. He knew the owner of the vehicle. He had used it very well and was selling it because of financial problems.

What next?
I had an interest in buying the RX and I really needed a commuter bike at that time. Also, the price was feasible for me. So, I convinced my mom to just check the bike. I didn’t have much knowledge about RXs at that time. So, I called my friend who had one, asked his suggestions and I got a greenlight from him. So, the next thing we did was go to see the vehicle. We inspected the serial numbers has suggested by my friend and went to a nearby workshop with my neighbour who knew the mechanic. He said that there was a bearing noise from the engine, but everything else was fine. The feeling when I revved her up for the first gave me butterflies in the stomach and I decided immediately that I wanted to own her.



On April 3 2018 I brought her home.

Initial Observations:
Model : 2001 Yamaha RX 135 4s (4TL)
She had 2 years of pending paperwork and the previous owner agreed to clear the paperwork for me after the payment. Her engine was pretty smooth running on 0.50 bore, Her clutch was quite okay and gears slick. The only problem was the bearing noise. Almost 70% of the parts were OE. All of the lights' lenses had became foggy and her wiring was a mess. There was some rust here and there on the plating and a lot on the chassis. The paint was what I disliked about her. Instead of silver shades on the slider, clutch cover, etc., she had a gold like shade. I really disliked it. The stock paint was replaced with the 5S’s graphics and Candy Maroon shade. Body paint was fine except the top portion of the tank, where the red had faded into white. On the sides, the paint looked fine. The tank was rusty. She had brand new Moto-D tyres and endicer rims. The mudguards was not original and the one in the front had a broken clamp. Part of the chain cover, rear mudguard was eaten by rust.



Clearing the Fitness Test:
The first project was to clear her paperwork. With my neighbour, I took her to a nearby painting shop. We clear coated her without dismantling the applied silver paint on the rust spots. The paint job was now fit for the test. Next day, I took her to the workshop near my home which my neighbour had used to build his RX. I changed the cables, manifold, brake shoes, oil, filters, greased the bearings, cleaned her tank and carburettor and also bought a stock handlebar for the test. Finally there she was - all fit and ready for the fitness test. Got her back from the workshop at 10 pm. She had become even smoother after the service and I took her home and gave her the first wash that night itself in low light at the car shed. Within two weeks, we cleared the test and got her transferred to my name.



Picture taken on the day of fitness test.

The journey begins :



What would I do without her? Each and every mile turns into satisfaction, each and every shift turns into blushes with that roaring sound of her’s. She is the rainbow despite of all the darkness I went through in my life. Every single time I ride her, all my worries are gone. She’s definitely the “One”. Bikes will definitely come and go in my life, but this one has been with me for more than 3 years and it will always be. Does your GF last longer than that?

Project Plan
1.Fix the upcoming complaints and do some mods.
2.Engine restoration.
3.Paint job (complete restoration)

I decided to do it accordingly to when I had the money.

First Mods:
Firstly, I bought a bar handle after the test. I also replaced the headlights, indicators and metre assembly as they had become too old. I replaced the aftermarket mirrors with OE parts. Later, I also bought a auxiliary lamp. There were the first mods done.







The OE parts (in production) were easily available at Thrissur town. Aditya Spares and Cheeran's Yamaha in West Fort are the shops where OE parts are available. There are also many shops like Auto Grand, where a few OE parts can be found.

First Long Ride-First Trouble:
She didn’t give me any trouble for the first four months. Meanwhile, we also did some short trips. As it was all going fine, I decided to go for my first long ride to Kozikode on August 15 with a two-stroke club (YRC). This ride was the next major turning point in my life after buying her. I had seen their programs on social media and always loved them. Watching my friends go with them, I was so excited for this day. I found so many friends from all over Kerala with the same mind and passion. They had become a part of the family after this ride and it’s one of my closest friends circle today. The best part of owning a two-stroke is that many people try to connect with you just because of the bike.

Before this day, after 4 months with her, I actually didn’t have much knowledge about the her. Just knew af ew basics. This ride was the beginning of my learning and today I have pretty good knowledge about two-strokes. Thanks to my decision to join that ride in heavy rainfall (2018 flood beginning). As it was a quick decision, I had to borrow my neighbour's rain coat and my brother’s worn out rain paints.

It was a one day ride (150 km – one way). There were around 100+ bikes in the ride. After covering about 120 km, she suddenly turned off in the middle of the road. I tried kicking her, but she didn’t respond. I knew I had fallen in trouble. I was riding behind and nobody noticed me. Luckily, the last one to pass stopped and helped. It was the first time that we had met. He checked on her and started kicking her, but she didn’t respond at all. Afterwards, we found out that the overflow was the issue. Tried sucking the petrol from the overflow tube and pulled her in the second gear. She woke up. They told me that we’ll reach the destination soon and they will do the further inspections there. They let me go in front of them just in case she troubled me again. After a few km, she turned off yet again. They pulled her again, started her up and somehow, we reached the destination.

The lunch was arranged at a nearby resort. While going there after the meet, she turned off thrice. At first, I had to wait for 10 minutes for help. Luckily, half of the crew members were behind and they started her up again. This was the second time they had to come back for me. From there, one of them took my bike and the third time, it happened while he was riding. After many struggles we reached the resort. The stay was arranged there for those who needed it. Due to bad weather, they advised me to stay back and ride the next morning. I agreed to that as I was sure it’ll be hard for us to make home while riding in the night and the weather was becoming really bad.



The next morning I was so excited to see her waking up with the first kick and to see the sun, but the excitement didn’t last long. While returning home, she troubled me five times along with the heavy rainfall. Although, after making all this trouble, she safely reached me home by noon. From that ride, I learned how to fix her when she drinks too much.



Found the Perfect Mechanic:
The mechanic I used to take her to was not so good at two-strokes. Also, I experimented with 2 more mechanics near home. The satisfaction considering the pricing and, work done, didn’t come near my expectations.

That’s when my friend suggested that I should try the VMC workshop in Thrissur town. He had a RXZ 5S. During its initial ownership days, he went to 2-3 mechanics near his home, but nobody could improve his Z’s fuel efficiency. He went to VMC for the first time to solve this issue. The workshop is run by “Shibu”. He cleaned the Z’s carburettor, adjusted the needles and tuned it. The bike then clocked 110 on his way home with a fuel economy of 30+.



Hearing his story, I went to meet “Shibu Chettan” to fix the overflow problem after the Kozhikode ride. The main jet was the cause for overflow. As the OE part was hard to find he suggested waiting for a while before replacing it. He cleaned and tuned the carburettor, changed the accelerator and clutch cables to OE, changed the con sets, replaced the oil. Guess how much he charged? Just Rs. 300 for all this work!

I was really shocked when I rode her after the service. I really thought, "is this really my bike?" She had become 100 times better – the acceleration felt like a knife cutting through butter and I couldn’t feel any vibrations at all. That was the result of “Shibu Chettan's” tuning. From that day, he became my regular mechanic. He is the one who has done all the work on her until today.

Why did I choose him?
- He is a specialist in two strokes (also for races).
- His carburettor tuning is top notch.
- I have to travel 22 km from my home to the workshop. It takes fuel worth Rs. 100 to take her there, but it's worth it because the mechanics nearby will charge 2 or 3 times more than him and nobody gives the same work satisfaction as him.
- The genuine parts for the RX are only available in town. One of the shops is located opposite to the workshop. I always prefer OE parts. So whenever a spare is required, I can just cross the road and buy it right away.
- Reasonable pricing.
-He always wants to use OE spares like me.



More Trouble:
After the service at VMC, she was doing good until I went for another ride. This time I went with my friend to buy him an RX in Aluva. During the return the overflow issues returned and she suddenly turned off. This time, the experience I had gained from the Kozhikode ride helped. I started her myself. Luckily, she only turned off once and I took her to the workshop during the return journey. Shibu Chettan told me it was because of the main jet. I had to try finding one. If it was not available, we would go for an aftermarket one.

After a month’s search, I couldn’t find it. So, I decided to go for an aftermarket unit until I found the OE part. I replaced the jet with one from Spaco. The outcome was not satisfying, but considering the overflow trouble, I had to close my eyes to the problem. By that time, I went for the second meet of the YRC Club. It was a small meet with limited members at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor.



One of my friends there told me that one of his contacts had an OE main jet. Within weeks, he shipped me the main jet. Overall, it took 3 months to find the jet.



The moment of happiness after searching for a spare part and finding it - some of the best feelings of owning a two stroke.



Other troubles were around the corner. Next, I faced starting trouble and even 50 kicks were not enough at times. The culprit was the Powerbox and a clogged carb. After solving that issue, the battery died. I replaced the battery soon with an Exide 12V 4AH instead of 2.5AH. Afterwards I replaced the seat assembly -sponge, beading and cover. It was done at a shop called Varghese upholstery, MG Road Thrissur.

The trouble free days don’t last long with a two stroke bike. I went for my first long solo ride to Coimbatore Isha Yoga Centre. After that ride, I did the engine work. I will share the details soon.

[Mr.Boss]

Congrats on the bike and wishing you happy miles ahead.

Even with 100s of troubles these simple machines never fail to excite us. And not to forget, they make us half mechanic

[RahulNagaraj]

Congratulations on the bike.

The Yamaha RX 135 might come with its share of issues, but the simple and classic design combined with that sweet exhaust note makes it all worth it.

[mmxylorider]

Congrats. Everytime I see a thread on the RXs, I am reminded of my own 135 junking away in India.
The good part is that despite 0 maintenance, the bike has started on 5-6 kicks. That's how solid the build is and easy for a mechanic to do quick repairs.

[SnS_12]

Congratulations on the 135 and welcome to the 2 Stroke club.

On the overflowing issue, are you referring to the carburetor bowl getting overflowed? If yes, then the float adjustment needs to be done on the float pin which would be causing the overflow issue. Other way to stop it is my lightly tapping the carb bowl which can stop the flow as at time dirt hinders with the float movement.

Overflowing carb issue is more seen on the RD 350 especially when kept on the side stand.

If the main jet is causing the overflow then that is because its running richer and the size of the main jet is bigger then what is required. Normally, with every piston upsize the fuel mixture can tend to get richer as the increased piston surface area will increase the air fuel mixture suction.

How many kms has the bike done till date from 2001? Cleaning the exhaust of excess carbon can also increase power and fuel efficiency.

[sam_machine]

Reading tales of Yamaha Rx are always exciting. Wishing you many more miles and happiness of two stroke bikes. Do keep us posted with the paint job pictures.

[fajhar.faiz]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

How many kms has the bike done till date from 2001? Cleaning the exhaust of excess carbon can also increase power and fuel efficiency.

I don't know the exact kms.I have cleaned the exhaust using caustic soda last year.

Originally Posted by sam_machine

Do keep us posted with the paint job pictures.

I will share it soon.

[sree5999]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading the post.
This now rejuvenates me to get my RXZ 4 speed 1998 model restored.
Can any one please suggests a good FNG in Hyderabad where I can get my bike restored to full glory.

[fajhar.faiz]

Hey everybody, Thank you for your wishes and response. I just noticed that there’s a few spelling and typing mistakes in the thread. I apologize for that and I will try to give you a good reading experience next time. I will share the next part of our story soon. 🏁

[mmxylorider]

I am surprise aargee has not commented on this thread. He has a wealth of information on all thing RX related.!

[vw_passat]

Originally Posted by sree5999

Thoroughly enjoyed reading the post.
This now rejuvenates me to get my RXZ 4 speed 1998 model restored.
Can any one please suggests a good FNG in Hyderabad where I can get my bike restored to full glory.

Hey buddy, I just started the process of restoring my yamaha RXZ 1998 (hyderabad) last week . It was not used since 10 years. Almost successful in procuring the parts except the visor (maroon colour with stickering) and the engine guard. In a couple of weeks from, I should be able to give you a full guide in restoring yours.

[sree5999]

Originally Posted by vw_passat

Hey buddy, I just started the process of restoring my yamaha RXZ 1998 (hyderabad) last week . It was not used since 10 years. Almost successful in procuring the parts except the visor (maroon colour with stickering) and the engine guard. In a couple of weeks from, I should be able to give you a full guide in restoring yours.

Thank you, will be waiting for your update. BTW mine is Black RXZ.

[vw_passat]

Ok. Someone in the forum gave me a couple of good contacts in Delhi who can supply the required spares. It now looks like a pretty easy job.

[fajhar.faiz]

Originally Posted by vw_passat

. In a couple of weeks from, I should be able to give you a full guide in restoring yours.

I restored my bike last year. I will share that details soon. Anyway thanks buddy. Will be glad to hear your story.

[sree5999]

Originally Posted by vw_passat

Hey buddy, I just started the process of restoring my yamaha RXZ 1998 (hyderabad) last week . It was not used since 10 years. Almost successful in procuring the parts except the visor (maroon colour with stickering) and the engine guard. In a couple of weeks from, I should be able to give you a full guide in restoring yours.

Hi,

Hope you have procured the required parts and started restore. If possible can you please share the progress.

Cheers