nice effort,
but those logos are way bigg, and that shine gives a feeling of clear coat,
a retro h2 styled paint scheme would have been good....
but its all upon your personal choice....

hi,
I m interested in parts of kb125, any help is highly appriciated
Regards,
Rajesh Bamhania

my thoughts exactly, Doc. you can attribute it to an error of judgement. you don't know what i've been through in reaching so far - firstly my josh to complete the rebuild as a DIY, then hunting for after-market parts because the ASS guys are so dumb that they don't even know that Bajaj made the KB100/125, looking to get sundry jobs done without any local help or knowledge and so much more....its been one hell of a ride already. its just the desire to see my baby up and running once again that keeps me going.

by the way, can i get the stickers re-done in spite of the clear coat already being applied?

couldn't agree with you more. the retro idea crossed my mind but then it involved too much of head-banging with the painter/sticker guys et al. hence the plain and simple and understated effect.

h2...now let me check that out. perhaps for a later date and time!

specify the parts please. a few members could then perhaps help you out. incidentally, have a look at kb100's rebuild thread and download the spare parts catalog and workshop manual provided by psr. the thread is a must read for kb100/125 owners who are planning a rebuild.

why not the original sticker set, it is easy to get these stickers off , for inspiration , you can write kawasaki in japanese , also check the pics for inspiration

Im afraid you cannot rookie.. If possible get it repainted.

well, its been some time since i last posted. life is a b---h, has become a favourite rant of mine these days. work, duties as a father and husband, societal obligations, the weather too....have kept me away from the rebuild. my respect for people like Yamdoot has increased - how does he manage to balance his professional and personal responsibilities with his hobbies? i mean, this gentleman is a super-specialist doctor and he can still afford to go parts-hunting!!!

in the interim, the goodness of a few xbhp members came like manna from heaven. kb100 for sending me DVDs to watch and remain motivated, not to mention his offer to give him a call any time of the day to resolve any queries. surprise, surprise - he tells me he doesn't have a bank account. yamdoot offered to look for parts. he too won't accept an advance. the world could do with a few more of their types.

so, where do i stand now? the parts were painted. the painter has done an awful job. the guy did not even clean the dust and grime on the engine parts before spraying it with paint. i guess its all part of the learning curve.

the wheels are attached to the chassis. the wiring harness is fixed, the seat has been refurbished, clutch housing has been fixed for the play, same for the crank shaft. i've even cleaned the carb and the oil pump. all other parts (except for the rvm) have been bought. the engine rebuild should see the bike up and running.

i've cleaned the silencer including the inside. the baffle has been cleaned of all carbon deposits. now, this is where i need help. the baffle is supposed to be wrapped in steel wool (or is it glass wool?) before being put back in the silencer. i can not seem to source this piece of steel/glass wool. will it be okay if i don't use this woolly stuff? or does someone have any idea of where i can get this wool in delhi. karol bagh drew a blank, a mechanic pointed me towards kashmiri gate. when i asked him to name a shop, he politely informed me that there's a big auto spares market out there and that i should look for it myself.

so, there i am - with paint sprayed all over the cylinder (inside too - the guy has not even spared the bore and the ports!) and the rest of the bike looking like a shiny skeleton. back to the basics it is for me - kerosene oil, petrol, paint thinner, scotch brite, wire brush, old tooth brush......... life is definitely a b---h, i tell you!

dont use wirebrush to strip paint from the cylinder walls , use turpen ,or paint stripper,...... i didnt know that kb125's mufflers were glass filled , my kb100 definitely didnt come with that , even if you put glasswool , in it would not last very long , due to the unburnt oil being deposited there , , as for the cyl kit lemme see what i can do.... if you still want the glasswool try some hardware shops be careful while handling those dont let it come in direct contact with your skin, the results wont be pretty ( believe it)
as for the question wether to wrap it or not, i say leave it as it is without the glasswool ,it was done in the mid 90s to make bikes confirm to nvh regulations , it wont affect the performance or reliability of the bike

ps:life is a b---h , eh i thought i was the only one who thought like that

You can definitely use glasswool . It gives a more bassy sound as against a sharper one without it. try it, if you are not happy with it you can always remove it. Its cheap.

Since you are serious about this rebuild, i would suggest you get all the parts repainted from a proper painter. Get the parts sandblasted esp. the chassis, bore externals etc.
I know it a hectic job and will cost about 5-7k again but will be worth it as its not possible to rebuild bikes again and again. When you are doing it, do it properly-thats my policy.

you can remove the paint from the liner by a paint thinner. If you sandblast it, cover the liner with a thich tape. Sandblasting also cleans up the port insides. As the 125 bore came unpainted from the factory a sandblast will make it look new too.

Thank you for the appreciation Rookie. Yes balancing between other things is becoming increasingly difficult [ i havnt ridden my RD for more than 6 months!]. Just as people find pleasure in gardening, painting etc.. working and being with 2-T bikes is my way of unwinding! Btw.. the parts hunting thing has been delayed due to work. I hope to do it later this month.

@Yamdoot: Doc, i've been in Delhi only for the past two years or so and therefore my contacts here are limited. i did try to identify a place to get the parts sandblasted but in vain. while numerous bikes and scooters keep getting restored here, some done very very professionally, people are loathe to share the details of the facilities they have utilised. a shout-out on the Delhi thread of xbhp too did not help. in the end, i just picked up all the parts and gave it to a painter in Karol Bagh who did have a fair bit of work with him. he had an oven and some of the work that he showed me was good. i guess his assistants mucked it up for me.

anyway, the plan now is to get the bike up and running. the chassis paint job is more or less okay. its the engine parts, especially the head and cylinder that's bugging me. i'll try to get it sandblasted and repainted as you have recommended.

about the glasswool, i'll definitely try to procure it. many thanks

the only thing that could make me cheerful on a manic Monday morning - a mail from a fellow member (a KB100 owner at that) with whom i will definitely fix up a rendezvous very soon. there IS light at the end of the tunnel. here goes my first smiley ever

hopefully your tunnel will not cave in................................................

KB100, you're an angel and i love your sense of humour.

pictures - status update

@bluesmoke: here are the pictures as she stands today. the tank and panel have been posted in the previous page. you can view her in her pre-rebuild avataar in my profile album. all this has been done by my own inexperienced self. i need to take a call on the engine rebuild - to do it myself or to hire a mechanic. comments solicited.