AJS 125: I wanna be Jap!

[dirtyharry]

Hey all, thought i'd share my AJS Eco 125 and what i'm currently doing to it.

I renewed my CBT this year as I wanted a bike to toodle about on before I take my full test in September (I have a Bandit 600 waiting for me) And decided I wanted a decent Honda or Yamaha 125, and was willing to sacrafice the name for reliability. My budget was max 800 pounds, and there were plently of bikes to choose from. The first bike I saw was a Yamaha SR125, nice bike, but a bit to all mouth and no talk for me, plus it was very small, (I'm 6 foot 4). I did like the bike but with a listed top speed of 57mph I knew in reality I wasn't going to get more than 50-55 out of it, which is too slow for me. I then saw an NX dominator, which was big and had a lot of style. I liked the bike, but didn't trust the seller, he kept changing his story on how he got it and I noticed he had warmed the bike up to the point where I burnt my hand touching the silencer. It was a shame though, as I really liked the look of them, but there were no others for sale at the time. I then called my friend who owns a LBS and he said he had a 2006 honda CG 125 for me for 600 quid. I got there and the bike was a dog, with 50000 miles no MOT tax, dents and bent bars, it was a definate no, but it was decent enough for me to know that I didn't want a cg 125 (I know its a reliable bike for me, But I just didn't like the feel of it). After seeing a good few bikes for sale, I went to another dealer and rode a Yamaha YBR 125, which felt really nice, especially with the front fairing. But with a small budget, Its impossible to get one. So I decided to see what bikes were very similar, and Google told me that AJS sold their version, with the same Engine (not a clone, the actual Jianshe-Yamaha one) and many of the same parts. I checked the (few) reviews for the bike online and they seemed pretty good. So I checked a certain auction site and just like that, there was a blue 2011 AJS Eco 125 for sale 10 miles from me, for 900 quid. I bought it for 700 that same day, I knocked him down for a dent on the tank and cracked glass on the clock.

Now, the bike Itself is almost identical to the YBR 125, and felt just aswell built. The only differences I saw were minor cosmetic changes, which I thought were for the better. The bike was 5 months old at the time, and had been used by a uni student who obviously didn't care for his belongings. It had 1500 miles on the clock.
The first thing I did was adjust the chain, as for some reason the uni kid thought the half inch slack in the chain was far too much and loosened it off loads, and thoroughly lube it. I then gave the bike a general once over and a service, till it was as good as can be.

I rode it for a good few months as stock, and I must admit its was brilliant. It sits at 65 all day long and is fairly nippy, and very comfy. I wanted to make some modifications to it just to make it look a bit nicer, and also because I had a few little issues with it, such as narrow bars that are comfy and don't allow me to see out of the mirrors, and horrible tyres.

So the first job was to change the tyres, and after reading up on them it was almost a unanimous (is that how you spell it?) decision that the Michelin Pilot Sportys were the best, so I have them to fit tomorrow ( I'm currently wearing out the old ones, because even though they're crap, they're still practically new)
Next job was the handlebars, And because I'm a renthal fanboy, I bought a set of renthal streetfighters with matching bar ends, see pic. These are much better and make the bike more comfy and enable me to see out of the mirrors better, plus they look awesome. I had to cut down a part of the front fairing to enable the brake fluid resovoir to sit flush, but that didn't bother me.

I then decided that the tail looked ugly and bought a universal Motrax tail tidy unit for 15 pounds and fitted it [see pic] This was just personal preference, and makes the bike look a bit meaner and higher up at the back. You'll see that I also added blue rim tape, just because It looked pretty nice and obviously matched the rest of the blue on the bike. After fitting the tail tidy I noticed that the indicators were far too big for it, so tomorrow I am fitting some smaller clear indicators, not LED's as It's a little OTT with having to change the relay with it.

Thinking about the winter I also have heated grips fitted to it too now, ran through the ignition system (I highly recommend as running to the battery just drains it)

I saw a YBR last week with a stubby "IXIL" exhaust and it sounded and looked phenomanal, and at a price of 130, was also great, so i've got one on my wish list for next month. Hey, it probably won't add value to it, but its my first project and it'll definately be more saleable. I'll take some more pics once my computer isn't on the spaz, but here's a side view of it now.

This bike deserves more justice, so I thought i'd do my part in convicing people if they're thinking about buying it, it really is great!

Thanks,
Harry
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[talcumpowderb...]

[talcumpowderb...]

[dirtyharry]

Glad you got them, and thanks!
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[dirtyharry]

Here's a pic of the heated grips, really effective and a doddle to fit.
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[P.]

They are way too chunky.

I got fed up with my heated grips as they were a bit bigger than usual grips.

Whats with all the stickers pretending to be a Yamaha?

[dirtyharry]