This 1997 Yamaha RX undergoes a full restoration

With a weak clutch and worn out internals it was an 'Ok-ish' experience with no surprises. Both the wheels wobbled indicating the worn out wheel bearings.

BHPian Mr.Boss recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I don't mean I lost count of Yamaha RX restorations I have done so far, but every time I start counting, I end up with a number n+1.

I recently purchased a 1997 Yamaha RXG a couple of years ago. Thanks to my tight schedule in 2019 and the unfortunate pandemic in 2020 - 2021 that kept me away from this bike for a while. I hardly remember doing anything more than 200km till date.

Purchase

As usual, I was casually browsing the classifieds sites and came across this bike in Olx listed very close to my hometown.

What caught my attention?

• Reasonably priced
• Looked very decent
• Clear titles
• Fancy number

Why do I need this bike?

I had 2 RX (135 & 100) completely restored and Apache RTR 160 doing the beater job. I don't find any necessity for another RX. But we all know what will be the final decision, did all the math and study to justify or convince myself (and the family) to go ahead and get it.

Messaged the owner through Olx, collected the contact details, spoke to him to collect further details. All this happened in less than 2 hours.

How?

By this time I was in Chennai and the bike was 500km away from my hometown. Most of my school or childhood friends are either settled away from home or not petrol heads. When I say 'not petrol heads', to them a 2 wheeler is something:

• That takes them from A to B.
• Easy means of transport.
• Fill, shut and ride.
• Preventive maintenance - what it is?
• When the bike starts visiting the garage 2nd time for the same problem, its end of life and change the bike.

Finally a fellow member from xBhp, biker by heart who has experience with 2 strokes agreed to help me out. I passed him all the information and he visited in person, checked the bike and gave a Green signal after verifying the documents. He negotiated and bought the price further down and VFM factor grew up.

Quickly transferred the token advance and the next day settled the balance and got the bike to his mechanic's place. It remained there for over 3 months until I personally visited and collected it.

This is after water wash and change the silencer to a back-up one since the OE silencer had excess leak at every joint and the muffler (core) mounting thread was damaged.

About the bike

• Make - Yamaha
• Model - RXG
• Year - 1997
• Colour - Black
• No. of owners - 2
• Document validity - Expired 4 months ago (1 month, when we purchased it)

Initial observation

Aesthetics

• Tank & Shield changed to RX135 theme (same as my previous RXG, it is hard to find a RXG in original paint & sticker theme these days).
• Frame, frame fittings, engine and other silver coloured items painted recently without dismantling.
• Frame started rusting under the seat and below battery.
• Chrome parts are dull and started rusting at few places.
• Seat foam was hard and base plate is fully rusted.
• Speedo meter was not working.
• Broken tool box.

Electrical

• All electrical fittings are available, but nothing worked except the head lamp, that too only high beam.
• HL was 12V60/55W.
• Missing battery & RR unit.

Mechanical

• Cylinder, engine cases & carburettor were all stock.
• Oil leak observed near the drain bolt, later found a crack in the case as well.
• Engine was free revving with noise all over.
• Clutch was weak.
• Brakes were adequate.
• Front tire was almost brand new 2.5x18 Rib pattern, rear had nothing left out.
• Auto lube pump existed, but unsure about the working. Bike was running on pre-mix.
• Gear shift lever had excess play, mounting stud dislodged from the case.

Performance & Dynamics

With a weak clutch and worn out internals it was an 'Ok-ish' experience with no surprises. Both the wheels wobbled indicating the worn out wheel bearings.

Fortunately the bike never pulled to any side either during acceleration, steady speed ride or braking.

Continue reading Mr.Boss's restoration process and BHPian comments for more insights and information.