‘Everything was seized after over a decade in the shed’
Time had taken its toll on 125 Gamma
Far beyond their value as mere means of transportation, motorcycles can become sentimental items dear to us, even if they lie neglected for years. And that was the case with this Suzuki RG125 Gamma.
The bike had been in the family for years and the customer had owned it for over a decade, but as often happens, life got in the way and the little Suzuki had become banished to the farthest corner of the shed.
That is, until one day when he found the inspiration to restore said Suzuki to its former glory. The first task was to breathe some life back into the tired old two-stroke, and for this he called upon the services of Michael Abel, owner of Abel Motorworks.
The brief was simple: rebuild and refresh, but without breaking the bank. Eager to dig into what would be a lengthy job, Michael set about stripping the engine down.
“Everything was seized as you’d expect after over a decade in the shed,” Michael said. “I installed a recommissioned barrel from BDK Race Engineering along with a fresh piston, rings, bearings and seals.”
Getting parts for the classic proved a little complicated, and the process was far from fast. This job wasn’t about rushing to get the bike back together, it was about making everything absolutely perfect. With that in mind, the 125 didn’t just need to run well, it needed to look its best too.
“I vapour blasted it and then painted the bottom end of the engine. He wanted to keep costs down, so I used a petrol resistant aerosol.”
After six weeks of work everything back to peak mechanical condition.