72 Stinger possible restoration

[smidey]

Hey Guys
I have got my dad's old 72/73 suzuki stinger that hasn't run for near on 20 years. He bought it new but it's in bad shape at the moment & i'd like to restore it. Knowing how other projects of mine have gone i expect it will get out of hand and should come up really nice. Not sure if it will head toward factory finish or maybe some sort of messed around with matt black bike but i guess that will depend on how lucky i am to get hold of the chrome parts it needs.

I am a complete noob to working on bikes but i thought i'd give it a go as i have a lot of tools (due to me completing a hot v8 for my old holden), time and an old bike to work on.

This bike last ran when i rode it as a teenager and has sat in a garage since then. I pulled the plugs out and gave it a kick and the engine seems to turn over freely so was just wondering if anyone has done something similar and knows of anything i really need to look out for.

for those that don't know these things, it has a 125 twin cylinder two smoker with auto mixing tank. from factory is was a whopping 15hp and topped out at 120.

thanks in advance for your help.

[smidey]

as it sits today

[Virago]

OMG - that's a blast from the past - I had one of those for my first bike.

Looks like a major restoration job, but it looks like all the important stuff is salvagable. Best of luck.

[gsxr]

OMG - that's a blast from the past - I had one of those for my first bike.

Looks like a major restoration job, but it looks like all the important stuff is salvagable. Best of luck.

A long time since Ive seen one of them. My first new bile was a T90 Wolf purchased new in early 1973 I think from Hollands Suzuki for the
huge $499.00 price tag with 1/3 deposit. That was a shit load of money back then. My mate bought the T125 Stinger for if I recall correctly $569.00.
Traded it soon after for the GT250 new for $999.00.
Shit I must be old thats 41 years Ive been riding.

[carburator]

best part is you have all the bits to start with..
nothing is worse than trying to hunt old NOS parts
down or having to machine fron scratch new stuff
( though that is part of the fun )

[Paul in NZ]

Rebuilding the wheels and chrome will amount to 3 times the value of the bike but.... They were a cool bikes so get stuck in....

[nudemetalz]

I've had one T90 Wolf AND two T125 Stingers in my life time.
Great bikes, easy to work on and the 125 is actually quite rapid. One of my T125's ended up with a single seat, clipons and chambers. Rather loud too !!

FleaBay is a good place to start. That's where I'm sourcing bits for my '63 YG-1.
As far as wheels go, you can buy brand-new complete wheels kits fairly cheaply, ie new rims and spokes. Just give the hubs a darn good polish and then relace.
Helluva lot cheaper and easier than trying to restore the existing ones.
I also bought a new engine gasket kit for US$10 off there which is unobtainable here.

As far as the engines go, I believe you can't premix them as the oil feeds the crank as well as the pistons (I may be wrong though) so make sure that's in working order.

[Paul in NZ]

As far as wheels go, you can buy brand-new complete wheels kits fairly cheaply, ie new rims and spokes. Just give the hubs a darn good polish and then relace.
Helluva lot cheaper and easier than trying to restore the existing ones.
.

Seriously??? Can you flick me a link???

[SPman]

I've had one T90 Wolf AND two T125 Stingers in my life time.
Great bikes, easy to work on and the 125 is actually quite rapid. One of my T125's ended up with a single seat, clipons and chambers. Rather loud too !!

Lovely little bikes. Jamie Witham has one he rides and rates highly
I had a T250 Street Scrambler that was often mistaken for a Stinger from behind (ha ha suckers...)
264190

[nudemetalz]

Seriously??? Can you flick me a link???

This is what I'm looking into.....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-G7S-G6S-L5T-YG1-YG5-WHEEL-RIM-SPOKE-SET-/180890235489?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a1de5f261&vxp=mtr

Prob not the best quality ever, but look after them and should be fine.

[smidey]

thanks for the feedback and help guys.
the auto mixer looks to be sweet, i took the cover off and it's like brand new in there although the oil line from tank to pump is brittle and broke when i touched it so that needs replacing.

yes every thing is there so it just comes down to how much coin i want to throw at it. it may just end up mostly matt black but will retain the coloured tank even if i have to get it resprayed. it also has the original black vinyl tank cover.

this is the first bike i have messed with so i am full of enthusiasm so far but time will tell when it comes to trying to start it. I have cleaned out the tank, oil tank and carbies so if i can get spark then there should be some noise being made.

As for rapid, i remember it not being that spritely in 93/94 when i rode it last and i have just built a 400hp V8 so don't think it will excite me greatly in that department but what the hey, i'm not messing around with it to go fast.

[jonbuoy]

You don´t have to fully/over restore it if your short on cash, its all there and original, clean it up fix whats broken give it a clean and scrub and enjoy the patina. Your dad probably helped put a few of those scratches/dents on it which will be lost if you restore it.

[F5 Dave]

Yep that looks pretty knackered. Not as bad as Rusty

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/66922-Float-like-a-butterfly?highlight=sting

I am slack & haven't gotten much further on mine aside from collecting parts (have other projects on). We might be able to do some horse trading if you are missing anything I have spares of.

[smidey]

ah wicked, there is another taking up space in a garage with best intentions but i won't be keeping this thing sitting in my garage for 8 odd years??

i did see a couple on trademe a few months back and they were in quite good nick, wonder how many are around.

my next plan is to check the compression (don't have a gauge so will borrow/buy one) and if it's not too bad put some new plugs in it and see if it will go. The points look good, from memory Dad had them replaced when i was riding it as a kid so in doesn't look too unlikely that i won't go but time will tell.

[F5 Dave]

forget a gauge it won't tell you anything useful. finger over a plug hole will be as good.

if you have sparks, get some gas in there.

OK here's the bad news. 2 stroke cranks sitting around unused for a number of years can be susceptible to damage from corrosion. If it has been kept in a dry dry area you might be ok. oh dear. Heck try it & see. it may last you're laughing. Or you may be looking at a rebuild, that's life.

[smidey]

ok i'll try the thumb gauge. it turns over really smooth with the kick start and even when in gear by rotating the rear wheel but i guess maybe only heat and a few thousand revs will tell if the crank is good without pulling it down.

it's likely that if i does need a rebuild it will become a parts bike so hopefully it's a pass.

[unstuck]

We had one of these sitting under the workshop where I worked. I started dragging it out a few times, but must of been distracted. I worked there 17yrs and nobody did anything with it. For all I know it is still there, rusting in peace.:headbang:

[F5 Dave]

. . .and where was that exactly??

[SPman]

Classis Motorcycle Mechanics have started a set of articles about rebuilding a stuffed T125 from the April issue (the one with the RG250 on the cover)

[F5 Dave]

Steve Cooper, I actually had an email conversation with him a couple of years back about conrod kits (I used TKJR DS 80 kits which are largely the same).