1 thing after another!

[Meatball23]

Hello lads/ladies

I bought myself a Aprillia RS125 2004 about 6 months ago, it had been fine till i blew the piston about 2 weeks ago. It had new piston/cylinder/gaskets etc. (yes i done a good job on it lol)

I was told to not take it over 4000/5000 on the revs for a good 100mile which i only got to about 90mile. I was out on it trying to clock up over the 100mile and it started to die on me (it was loosing power and kept trying to cut out). Eventually it did and i couldn't start it again. So i tried to "bump" it and it was trying its best to tick over but only for a few minutes and got to the point that it just wouldn't start at all. so i had to push it home about half mile (which was a killer lol)

Next day i started it with the electric start and with the choke on an it started 1st time (seemed to be a bit more smokey than usual), soon as i turned the choke off it would die again. I havent tried to drive it with choke on as ive heard it can do damage?

Any recommendations? Could do with a step by step guide as im a ameuter with motorbikes.

Thanks alot an hope its nothing to bad.....
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I absolutely know nothing about bikes

[Pete.]

When you say you 'blew the piston', what exactly does that mean?
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Meatball23]

[Pete.]

Piston gouged could mean a heat seize or a problem with lubrication, or possibly a foreign object got into the intake. There's only one thing to do - strip the head and barrel off again for inspection.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Meatball23]

That sounds like a big thing or it is?.
At the moment i have recently been made redundant so haven't got much money to spend on it, and labour in the garage is pretty pricey just for them to have a look.

So is there anyway i can find a step by step way to try it myself? or would you not advise it as i dont really know what im doing.....

(its just that the weather is beautiful and its killing me seeing it sat there not working lol)
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I absolutely know nothing about bikes

[P.]

Well for a start I'd not have worried about keeping it at such low RPM.

Yes, it needs to be run in, but I would certainly be hitting 6-8k at regular intervals, maybe taking it further when the engine is really warm, 65-70 degrees plus.

4-5000 on a 2 stroke, you are barely doing anything to the carbon build up that is going to deposit itself on your spark plug.

What I would do...

Remove the spark plug and replace it with a new one, how desrestricted is your RS?

I'd then fire it up, and ride it gently until the temp gauge says 70... then I'd proceed to lift the revs above 5000. I'd do a few blasts to 8k every now and then in 2nd>4th gear just to give it some additional seating, however you may be past that point with those current rings. Anyhow, you are "advised" to run it in like a sissy, however I had zero problems with my "run it till its warm and increase the revs more and more until you hit 300 miles and then flat out everywhere"

[Meatball23]

[P.]

Go buy a new BR10EG plug, put that in. You won't see over a genuine 100mph, so don't do magic sums the speedo will be lying to you but 100mph for a learner is MORE than enough

[Meatball23]

[P.]

Well if its fully derestricted you want a BR10EG plug.

[Meatball23]

[P.]

You have a bike that likes revs, the revs help burn the oil that is mixing with the fuel.

Currently you are not revving it, it is running a plug which is meant for a restricted engine. Both of those probably aren't helping matters and fouling the plug will make it a complete swine to start and could possibly tie in with the slow loss of power.

However, a slight continual decrease could also be signs of seizure... has the guy that rebuilt it bled the oil pump and are you running decent oil?

[Meatball23]

[P.]

I'd start with the new plug, get that in and take it for a nice ride but try giving it some beans after like 5 miles or so, should warm up fairly fast in the current weather anyway.

Ride away with it off choke, it should run without it happily on a new plug, if not, start it and ride gently on choke for about 20 seconds, knock it off and give it some more revs. Try to keep under 6k until its warm though

[Meatball23]

Just an update:

Ive gone to the bike today and its not sparking at the plug (did look a bit black aswell), took the cap off and tried it with just the wires and its still didnt have a spark but my lights/horn/indicators etc work.

So is it my coil? or is there something else to look at?

much appreciated.
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I absolutely know nothing about bikes

[Kickstart]

Hi

A BR8 is the plug for a restricted bike. But if you are running in that is probably a good thing (change it to a 10 before you thrash it). An 8 will be less prone to fouling up.

With the spark, first check that the kill switch is set to run (plenty of Aprilias will crank over with the kill switch set to off, just not fire). Check the clearance between the ignition pickup and the flywheel.

I would be more tempted to look at the carb for the reason it was cutting out. Blocked fuel filter, blocked fuel tank breather, or the like.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Meatball23]

Hi keith,

the kill switch is defo set to run (unless its faulty), i dont understand what you mean by clearance between the ignition pickup and the flywheel? where would this be located? (sorry for being pretty thick but its all learning for me)

about the carb, i opened it up earlier and everything seemed to be clear and couldnt find any blockages, (pretty clean for what i was expecting)

thanks
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I absolutely know nothing about bikes

[Kickstart]

[stevo as b4]

No offence, but with your financial situation, and the fact nearly all work on the bike you are paying someone to do for you, then a highly strung 125cc sportsbike is not really the right machine for you at the moment IMO.

I happen to think expensive to run and maintenance finicky/demanding high performance 2strokes are anything but an ideal learner bike, and most will due to their nature, and owners running to a tight budget will be neglected to a greater or lesser extent.

[Meatball23]

[P.]

[Kickstart]

[Meatball23]

thanks for the advice guys,

At the moment im having trouble starting it, manage to get a spark now (nice spark aswell) but still wont seem to start, any more advice?
other than new spark plug or bike lol

thanks lads
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I absolutely know nothing about bikes

[Kickstart]

Hi

Is the bike safe from the rain? If so then leave the plug out over night and let things dry out for a bit. Fair chance it has got flooded from repeated attempts to start it (make sure the petrol is turned off as well).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Meatball23]

ok Keith thanks, ive tried alot of things the last few days (this problem is really starting to f**k me off now lol) but this is not 1 of them so il give it ago and get back to you in morning

thanks alot
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I absolutely know nothing about bikes