going to see a crm mkI this week - what to look for

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Bearing in mind I'm a n00btastic ignoramus, with no experience of two strokes or off-road bikes (and little of anything else either for that matter), can anyone tell me what to look for in a crm mkI? Reason for potentially buying - am out in the sticks and liked what teeny bits of off roading I've managed to do. So want something with a bit of clearance and knobblies for further shenanigans.

It seems tall to me, and being kick only I'm a bit intimidated by the height and the fact that I might not be able to start the bastard very easily. One of my road bikes does have a kick start though which I use all the time so hey. Maybe I can hack the crm if I just knuckle down and lose the pretty frock. On the plus side, and due to me not being entirely pie-phobic, sitting on the bugger does bring it down a way - so it's not quite as tall once ensconced.

But how *do* you start these things? Are you meant to leave the side stand down, or even use your left foot and be off the bike altogether?

Also, does anyone know any known probs with the breed? Are they renowned for not starting when warm, or owt like that? Guy wants £1100. Done 17k km. Current owner is old gadge who's had it for 4 years but never used it due to being 70 and it being too tall. He's a bit of a trials veteran so has had the presence of mind to drain the carbs after each year;s MOT, and generally make sure the thing has been looked after in his garage, etc. All consumables appear sound. Owner before that was an enthusiast bike mad collector who used it in welsh forests. Bike has a swatch of paperwork detailing a fair bit of history. Seems to have been nurtured but also used properly. Prior to that who knows - like all crms it;s grey. Jap kid took it to its first MOT then it was exported. You know the story.

Bike sounds well, but has definitely seen action. Paint rubbed off frame tubes from boot ware, other paint missing hither and yon. But all fasteners seem good - no rounding to be seen, and the only oxidation I can find is on the first section of the zorst, which is still very solid when given the once over.

All in all it seems honest and roughly v. good-to-ex cond. Am tempted. What say ye bcf back woods hooners? Should I give it a miss and head towards something like a TTR? The crm seems well-regarded, esp. the mkI. Usable for a stroker, with a relatively even spread of power or so they say. So I dunno. Eleven hundreds a fair chunk innit.

Will be going back for round two of negotiations either tuesday or wednesday this week. Guy says cos I don;t seem like a wanker I can ride it on the road by his house which is private. So - use test ride to wheelie off into sunset then torch on some wasteland outside town, OR, haggle him down to £1099.48?
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Fizzer Thou]

Several friends have owned a Mk1 CRM and they are rock solid from what I remember.If you have managed to find a good condition,low mileage/kilometre version then go for it.Obviously,items like the chain/sprockets/tyres will determine how much you can negotiate the price down

https://www.trailbikemag.com/forum/index.php did a group test of all of the CRMs and if you contacted them they may well have an old issue or a photocopy of the test for you.Otherwise,PM me and I can see if I can find my copy of the group test.

A few pics of the bike would be interesting
____________________
Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Thanks man. Round two now arranged for Wednesday morning. Will try to take some snaps.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[G]

2 stroke dirt bikes usually need some revs as you kick. Shouldn't be hard due to not much compression time etc.

I just, err, kick it? Can do it on or off sidestand; shouldn't be a problem unless it hasn't been used in a while.

Often cleaning the carb out makes a big difference if it's been used off-road for a while.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Okay - went round this morning for a closer look. Guy let me have a go, as luckily he lives on a private road. Yes these mythical by-ways do actually exist in some places. Wasn't much room to get going though cos even though technically speaking it was about quarter of a mile of surfaced road, it went round a block of houses with loads of parked cars. Still, did manage to get into third and got a teeny tiny whiff of what the bike might do if ridden in anger.

In the event it was fairly easy to kick it up and the bike seemed happy enough to start from cold and warm (obvs didn't get it HOT as such, but it was warmed through). Idled well.

Man - the brakes are pants. And I'm used to crap brakes - but these were the scary side of "adequate." But then, the discs are totty, weedy little things - to keep weight down, I guess. The whole thing only weighs 118 iirc. There's nowt to it. Front wheel will probably flip up like a right bar steward once its properly underway.

So yeah - all seems good, bracketing the small issue of the somewhat wimpish stopping power.

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/299_zpsab401726.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/298_zps8b2998bc.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/282_zpsb95a172b.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/290_zps14441856.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/293_zpsa9105392.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/291_zps1c6c01e2.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/284_zpsaf2eb5c7.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/292_zpsce790a44.jpg

https://i1365.photobucket.com/albums/r751/trevor_machine/287_zps57814d17.jpg
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[G]

Newer dirt bike brakes are a bit better.
However, remember you're riding in mud and the like; having fine control over braking pressure is more important than a sports bike's brakes which can need to stop 300kg at 1g from 150mph!

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[P.]

That chain is near the end of its stretch limit.

Brakes will probably need a little look at but nothing major.

The exhaust has been painted previously, but doesn't look AIDs ridden.

I'd probably get some £££ off for the chain (and sprockets ) being close to dead.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[P.]

Yeah, that type of adjuster is nice, but that is showing it is near dead

[Fizzer Thou]

If the bike has been geared for acceleration it may well be that a smaller front sprocket has been fitted.Which may well mean that the chain is good but the adjusters are taking up the slack because of the change of sprockets.

The only way to see if the chain is goosed is to see how far you can pull the chain away from the back of the rear sprocket.

As for the brakes,the front pads look new as you can still see the red paint on the inboard pad.EBC pads at a guess.Maybe just need bleeding through with some new fluid.With the way that the hose loops up from the master cylinder,quite often air gets trapped in that loop and can be a biatch to bleed.I have had that problem in the past with the same loop on my XR400.

But this bike does look clean.Not sure what tyres they are on there.I have recently looked at a 2004 DRZ400S for a friend and it was in a terrible state compared to this CRM.

Us oldies tend to look after something that we have worked hard for
____________________
Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[G]

Right; sorry, been a bit busy as you can see by pasting the wrong bit!

CRM is a decent choice, but their prices have been fairly low; that seems at the high end for a not-shiny Mk1, but haven't looked recently.

I'd definitely choose one of these over a TTR personally. It's not a competition bike, but about as close as you'll get in a dedicated road bike. Note that pretty much all 250cc+ enduro strokers from at least the mid 90s tend to have the really flat delivery. My 87 350 was very peaky - no powervalve - but all the mid 90s+ bikes
I've ridden have been flat.

For the chain, also check side to side play.

Another note on the braking is to remember it's got bouncy suspension - strong braking would see you doing a nose dive all the time!

[Fizzer Thou]

I have just recognised that rear disc.

It is an EBC item.They do not work in the same way as an OEM Honda item,even with decent pads in the caliper.I have found this out by buying one for my XR400 and having no end of problems trying to get anything like decent braking power from it.In the end I bought Ferodo MX sintered pads again,having used them successfully when I used to race my XR400.
____________________
Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Good eye Fizzer. WHen I was looking at the bike on saturday the guy was going through the paperwork, specifically receipts, and noted one for discs. Original UK owner had swapped them. Yesterday the subject of brakes came up again, because as stated I was a little concerned by them, and the guy was honest enough to say that - basically - the rear one simply does nowt in the wet, and not a great deal when it's dry either.

Makes me wonder how bad the oem one was? In any case, I'm fairly sure he doesn't have the original, even though he does have the sprockets.

Once again thanks.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Fizzer Thou]

The standard rear disc on my XR400 worked well in the wet,in the mud or in the dry

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Dirt%20bikes/MyXR400001.jpg

But eventually it wore out and I believed the EBC advert and so bought on of their 'OEM' direct replacements.But whatever pad I used they just did not work until I used the Ferodo MX pad.It may well be that using an EBC HH pad on the rear would work,but I have a distrust of EBC pads and shoes that go back a long way.

But even using a decent pad material,the EBC rear disc did not have the same 'feel' as the OEM Honda one did.Maybe source a Honda one on eblay??
____________________
Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Yeah - might try that.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[bladerunner]

If that bike is in mechanically as good as it it cosmetically then BUY IT....if you don't think it's worth having.....give me the guys address I'll have it! Also I'd go with the smaller front sprocket idea as the chain would be very fooled before it got to that point of adjustment or needs a link removing
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Current bikes...cbr929, KDX200's, Rd125lc mk2, RGV250's

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

I put sixty quid down on it on friday, am collecting week after next. Tbh, I didn't need to put any down - it's not advertised anywhere, I'm relatively sure I'm the only one who knows it's for sale, and the guy has told me he won't put it on eBay or anywhere else cos he's scared of the types of people who'll turn up to view it. I like the guy, but think this is a bit paranoid - but what can you say. I just nod. Anyway, the 60 down was more a gesture of good will than anything. *shrug*

As for the question of is the bike as good mechanically as cosmetic - yes, I believe so. This for 2 reasons - reputable bike mechanic told me it might be for sale when I was at his place. I had no idea what it was, but had mentioned I wanted an off roader a while ago. He kicked it up, and I said it sounded well and he said yeah this is a damn good bike mate. So my spidey senses began to tingle, somewhat belatedly.

Thanks for the point RE the sprocket, btw. On Friday I asked if I could have a quick gander at the original sprockets as I was a bit concerned at the chain being at full adjustment. He knew what I was getting at, and where I might be going with that point - but was okay about it. In any case, the sprocks seemed in pretty good nick, so I didn't try to chisel him on price, thinking if the worst came to the worst I could just put them back on.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[stevo as b4]

It looks a nice clean for the age early CRM, thats pretty original!
I'd highly rate it as a CRM resto project, but i have perverted desire for shiny clean dirt bikes that don't see the muddy stuff as much as they should.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Absolutely, so do I!! But sadly I'm not really capable. I'll tidy up what bits I can though.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[G]

[stevo as b4]

Good point there G!
So the show and shine bike should ideally be an XT250/500, SP370 or maybe a DT250/400MX etc?

Trouble being they are all a bit pricey for a project now, and also people don't really like to see rare 70's machines re-built to very non standard configuration.

I only viewed a resto of a GSXR1000 front and rear ended Suzuki GT750 the other day on Youtube, and most of the comments were of 'you've fucked up a very nice classic and ruined it' nature.
Damn fools!