[Roomy]

The desire

Two strokes, the beauty in the uncertainty of firing, the exhaust notes promising acoustic nirvana, riding bliss and orgasmic joy amongst a host of other little pleasures that are better felt than written.
I have always been a two stroke guy from learning to ride in my dad's Narmada 150 Prince to the couple of Lambretta's/ Lamby Polo's and migrating to the iconic Yezdi during the undergrad days. Two stroker's have a certain charm in them that pulls an onlooker towards them, a certain character desperately lacking in many of the modern day marvels that abound in the world.
Arriving in Bangalore in 2010, I was in heaven ogling at the prisitine RD's, Jawa's and the Yezdi's which sent a tingle down my spine every time I heard one approach, the sound reverberating through the narrow streets and evoking cuss words from the many who were trying to find some peace. Almost six months into my post graduation, I realised that I absolutely must have a two stroker to explore the beautiful city and at the same time enjoy the process. I had, by this time committed the cardinal sin of never owning a Yamaha two stroker which made me feel guilty and incompetent. Thoroughly determined to cleanse myself of this, I decided to get the Rx 135 5speed which proved to be anighmare as the ones on market were all on 2/3rd oversize and had price tags which would out the gold market to shame. To top it all of, there were 4speeds converted to 5speed(Clutch cover and gear wheel added) who insisted they were stock 5 speeds even when I could see the 4TL00 marking on the cylinder. And then my heart slowly settled on the iconic RxZwhich has always been the understyled yet flamboyant bad boy of my dreams.

The hunt

Getting one however proved to be one of the biggest hurdles I had ever faced, considering the shoe string budget I had and the sky rocketing market prices prevalent. After about six months searching for one, I decided to abandon the search in Bangalore and hometown of Kerala as the prices were simplly illogical and insane. One fine day out of the blue, while dreaming of two strokes and browsing through the net while the Prof was ranting on in class, I stumbled upon an ad for AP registred Z in an bike portal which was reasonably priced(well, atleast that's what I thought). Called the seller up,the bike was a 99 model supposedly without no accidents, wine red color, tax and insurance upto date and a pretty ok condition cosmtically. I comitted the sin of buying the bike without actually seeing it in flesh and got the bike transported to Bangalore through our reliable Indian Railways. I also got a promise that the seller would arrange for an NOC when i need to get it re-registered.

The jouney


The moment I saw the bike, I realised I'd made a bad mistake. The side panels were broken, the danger light was broken, the frame had a bent, the bike sounded like the engine was trying to chew down the bearings and so on. I took the bike to a mechie and spent close to 10k including new set of tyres leaving the cosmetic side unchanged. Fast forward to 2012 and I am done with my studies, I still have the bike which puts a grin on my face and a frown on my neighbours everytme i start my bike on a cold silent morning.

A 99 model would need to get its FC done in 2014 and I knew I couldnt get the bike to AP for the same. So, I called up the seller and to my dismay his number was switched off(remains to this day) meaning the only one contact there is inaccessible. The bike was Vijaywada registred(AP 16) and I finally managed to get hold of an RTO agent courtesy my office mate who assured me that he'll get the NOC if i send across the original documents.
To cut a very very long story short, I would summarise it as " In july 2013, I sent across the docs and by may 2014 i finally got the NOC"

[Roomy]

The resurrection
By this time, I transported the bike from Bangalore to Kerala and handed it over to my trusted mechie to begin the work. Initially I planned for a total 5 speed conversion as the cylinder kits were readily available in yamaha showroom and to get disc brakes installed too. Similar to the global financial crisis, I was facing a severe monetary shortage and I shelved these plans and opted to just restore it without any of the aforementioned stuff.
Hunted the shops in Kerala and managed to get the bodyparts without much of a hassle though I had no way to figure out whether they were the OE ones or the usual 'Deeksha' make. I was a happy man though as I had heard that the Rx Z body panels were impossible to procure. Decided to go with the third oversize piston instead of a new cylinder kit as this helped save money The headlight kit and the original tachometer(Pricol make) are the major parts pending as they are not available easily in the market.

I decided to go for a white color along the lines of a superb RxZ i saw online. The body panels I procured were the blue ones which had to repainted in White(The Apache rtr white in Dupont). The cylinder, engine case, wheel hubs and chain cover in a matte grey.
This is the bike that i wanted to emulate as an exact copy except for the golden color frame which I decided to retain in the same color as the engine.


I managed to get the sticker kit from NV enterprises in JC road, but they were not the kind I wanted. The sticker kit that comes for the blue/red model has the sticker in a white background and black in places unlike the one in the pic where the sticker has oodles of black which really brings out the beauty of the white paint.
The sticker kit I got would look like this on the bike.


I searched in the shops in Bangalore with the exact pic of the sticker kit and the reply I got was "Saar, you should be happy that you are getting atleast this sticker kit", much to my dismay. The option I have now is to get the stickers designed in a shop and get them printed, but I am wary on the quality and the finish of the end product.

Any BHPian who can help me out in getting the stickers I want? I have set my mind on the look my bikes should have and I really dont want to compromise with the sticker kit now. Please let me know if any of you have any leads on where I can get the correct sticker kit

The vehicle should be ready in a week's time when the stickers are ready, the painter is waiting for the stickers so that he can apply them and then do the final coating of clear paint. These are the picture of the work in progress.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Motorbikes. Thanks for sharing!

[SnS_12]

I guess all mallus who buy a bike from AP via the internet get swindled. Even BHPian Viju had a similar instance when he procured his RXZ from AP.

On the stickers, I just googled and I landed up on the below link

http://www.safexbikes.com/products/m...ha/vehicle/RXZ

We had a factory outlet in Malad, Mumbai, which sadly shut down and would have been the best bet.

You may even try ebay, but since you need it within a weeks time I think you have to try and source it from within India.

All the best with the build

[Roomy]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

I guess all mallus who buy a bike from AP via the internet get swindled. Even BHPian Viju had a similar instance when he procured his RXZ from AP.

Well, looks like our stars aren't aligned properly yet!!

On the stickers, I just googled and I landed up on the below link

http://www.safexbikes.com/products/m...ha/vehicle/RXZ

This sadly has the same stickers that I bought from JC Road.

All the best with the build

Thank you!! I really need all the luck I can get.

[raghu.t.k]

Nice to see a RXZ restoration thread. Love the sleek lines of an RXZ. Anyway all the best in bringing it back to life.

After discussion with fellow team-bhpian aargee, who was kind enough to explain the process and the effort( He maintains a stock RX, in ship shape). I started on this endeavor to restore my RXZ, and even got all the Vitamin M ready. But when I became a father, this had to be deferred for a future date, and the money went to purchase a new bike (a CL 500 ;o) ). So mine will have to wait a little longer.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

I guess all mallus who buy a bike from AP via the internet get swindled. Even BHPian Viju had a similar instance when he procured his RXZ from AP.

So you are saying i sould not even call this guy

http://visakhpatnam.olx.in/yamaha-rx...-iid-679048584

Originally Posted by Roomy

Please let me know if any of you have any leads on where I can get the correct sticker kit

Get a sample of your sticker to a good sticker guy and get it cut, we did the same for the Tiger sticker in our rebuild, the quality is excellent.

Let me know if you need any help, i am going to delhi tomorrow. Let me check.

Pramod

[SnS_12]

[quote=pramodkumar;3488260]So you are saying i sould not even call this guy

http://visakhpatnam.olx.in/yamaha-rx...-iid-679048584


haha.. Give it a shot, who knows you could get lucky. "Third time's the charm"


But looking at the damage on the silencer, looks like the bike was crashed and plus he is asking for only 15k???

[Roomy]

Originally Posted by raghu.t.k

I started on this endeavor to restore my RXZ, and even got all the Vitamin M ready....... So mine will have to wait a little longer.

Restoration always cost more than you expect, unless you are as meticulously planned as Viju!

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

So you are saying i sould not even call this guy

This looks like an outright fraud!! The papers are not correct, nothing else would drive me further away than this. A bike with clean papers took me almost an year to just get an NOC, I shudder to think of all the pain you'd go through to get the documents cleared.

Get a sample of your sticker to a good sticker guy and get it cut, we did the same for the Tiger sticker in our rebuild, the quality is excellent.

Let me know if you need any help, i am going to delhi tomorrow. Let me check.

I am trying to get the work done through a sticker guy in Thrissur who comes highly recommended. I am not in a position to go to his place, I have whatsapped him the picture, his initial reaction is he can get it done. Will have to call him tomorrow and see if its possible.

[Roomy]

The bureaucracy

The initial hurdles of bureaucracy were first felt when it took 11 months for me to get an NOC, but this could be attributed to the bike not being present there/the agent approach and the telengana issue which led to a lot of downtime in the offices.
Knowing very well that the NOC is only the first step and I have miles to go before I complete the re-registration process, I resolved to get the complete process done without the help of any touts/agents. With this firm resolve and a doubtful mind I headed to the RTO today armed with all the documents I had. BHPian Viju had already told me about the documents required to get the registration done and the Kerala MVD site had the process detailed out; hence I was pretty much aware of what to expect.
I'll list out all the forms required so that people on the same track can get the documents ready beforehand.

1. Original RC: As this was surrendered for NOC, I had the equivalent in Form 23 issued by the Vijayawada RTO
2. NOC (Form 28)
3. Form 29 (2 copies): This is for Notice of transfer of ownership of a vehicle
4. Form 30 : This is the application for transfer of ownership and would have Part I and Part II
5. In case there is no transfer of ownership, you can skip 3 and 4 and instead produce Form 33.
6. Form 27: Application for re-registration
6. PUC
7. Insurance Certificate
8. Two photos attested by a Gazetted officer, one photo separately attached in a cover.
9. Affidavit from a Notary public on a stamp paper of 100rs with one photo(In addition to the three mentioned above) with an undertaking stating that the vehicle is yours and the information stated are true and genuine.
10. Self addressed envelope with stamps for Rs 40.

By the time I got the affidavit and the rest ready and duly arranged, it was approaching 5. I was told by the agents nearby that the joint RTO is a 'violent man' and warned me against meeting him at this time as he refuses to meet anyone post lunch. As the next working day for the RTO is tuesday on account of some holidays, I couldnt afford to let this day pass as I had to be heading back to Bangalore on sunday. Mustering up all the courage, I went to the joint RTO and explained my case to him. Though he appeared curt, brusque and snappy at first, he was a thorough gentleman and sanctioned my file and explained the various fees that are to be paid and the procedure that follows. This left me clear to pay the fees/tax later and get the vehicle ready for inspection. The officer also asked me to be at the office for a personal hearing the coming saturday and also to get the bike along. I informed him that the stickers arent ready to which he retorted "Does the sticker make the bike move?! Get the bike, you can pasted your stickers in red later!!". He also specified that for a bike to be certified, the bike has to be as close to showroom condition as possible and this includes paint, tyres, lights, horn, mirrors and sareeguard!! Hell, I couldn't complain!! I had crossed a major hurdle in one day and I didnt even had to go running pillar to post. Credit goes to the RT Officer as the agents were not even allowed inside the office and were scampering off from the corridors the minute the officer got up from his seat. A very transparent process, helpful staff and a very considerate officer made this a breeze. Now hopefully, the inspection and hearing would be along the same lines.

I nodded my head and came out from the RTO!! Where in this world am I gonna get a sareeguard in a weeks time?!?!? I dont even remember seeing one except in the beautiful restoration work done by Viju and then there is the matter of the elusive OE headlight that I am searching for. I quickly informed my mechie of the same and he told me he'll get the pending electrical work done tomorrow. The painter provided me an added conundrum, he has not painted the tank/panels(I was led to believe otherwise) as he wants to apply the sticker and clear coat ASAP before the paint smudges or gets dirty. I asked him to start the painting work and told him we'll figure out about the stickers later as the priority now is to get the bike all ready for the FC in a week's time.

Hopefully I'll manage to get custom stickers in time for his painting and also the headlight(The imported Malaysian ones available in JC road is the only option) and the bike is good to start roaring but not to pass the FC as she is is still missing the mandatory saree guard. Are they available easily in the market? Any pointers to this and the sticker set would be greatly appreciated now as I have exactly one week to get things in shape(Technically speaking, the stickers would have to be in my painters hand the least by wednesday)

[managhatke77]

Roomy your bike looks fantastic . . I recently restored a RXZ myself . . Can you please tell me what was the cost of your restoration ? I was taken for a 33k ride . . Have you changed to wider back tyres ?

[Roomy]

I really should have updated this thread with the latest happenings, but better late than never.
I somehow managed to get the FC just a day before the cut off date of 15 years by which I saved the fine amount. It was a tense day as the number plate guy painted the number plate upside down and the RTO is very strict on the having the number painted and doesn't allow stickers. Finally managed some jugaad with a bit of cardboard and feviquick to hold it together through the test. A similar story with the front plates as I didnt get the original mounting and the normal RX 100 mounting wouldnt stay still on my bike. This coupled with a Rx 100 sareeguard held together by clamps which was duly removed after the Fitness test.

Work in Progress the day prior to the fitness test




After the test and the ghastly saree guard removed



The bike was ridden to Bangalore in January 2015 and I couldn't get to ride her much as my daily commute to office was via cab. In over 30 months of ownership past the restoration I have managed to cover a grand total of 5300Km's
Posting a couple of pictures I clicked as I have now put her up for sale as my new ride is another Jap, the Honda CBR 250.


Attachment 1558224

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by Roomy

Posting a couple of pictures I clicked as I have now put her up for sale as my new ride is another Jap, the Honda CBR 250.

Hearty wishes for your new ride.
I hope you will be missing the joy of RX.
PS : Could you please share your sale ad?