Suzuki Marauder GZ125

This Is a step by step journal (essentially) of the restoration and repair of a Suzuki GZ 125 marauder 2003/4.

Purchased from facebook market place In October of 2020. Once home It was pretty clear this bike was going to need alot of work. This Instuctables shows the various steps i took in order to get this bike back on the road. Note this is my first motorbike and was definitely a steep learning curve.

Enjoy!

Tank was cleaned using 11 bottles of white vinegar, left over 4-5 days with an agitator of steel ball bearing.I didn't expect It to be as dirty as It was but as you can see from the pictures It was stinking. Results proved however that it worked and the tank was left spotless. The acid was neutralised with bicarbonate of soda. then rinsed with ionised water and dried with a hair drier. Prior to adding the acid the pet cock was removed which as already showing signs of leaking from a rotted seal. The hole was then closed with a fabricated piece of metal plating and held In place with the original petcock screws. Subsequently the petcock was replaced with a new Suzuki oem one. The underside of tank was also resprayed with black hammerite direct to rust paint after excess rust was removed using wire wheels and brushes (no after picture).

After multiple battery failures and the purchase of a new replacement battery, then subsequent alternator, It was apparent that neither of these components were the problem but It was Infact the stator, on removal of the left side of the engine case it was clear that the stator had infact burnt out and needed replacing If it was ever going to charge the battery. This would of been a relatively simple task, If It weren't for the one of the threads in the engine casing being damaged and requiring a helicoil to be inserted In Its place. Fortunately, installing the helicoil was completed without any problems. The battery was then tested with a voltmeter after the installation of the new stator and was now recieving a charge. No more flat battery.

It Is a bit unclear as to the repair of the carburettor but from what i can remember there was a problem with the float bowl leaking fuel all over the engine, unbeknown to me i thought that I could simply purchase an aftermarket carb from the internet, however this was not the case, the aftermarket carb lacked the throttle position sensor aswell as a few other details including a narrower fuel intake. Unable to repair the carb myself and feeling a bit over my head i took it in to be repaired along with the aftermarket carb. It was found that the float needle needed replacing and the carb cleaned. The pull choke was also replaced with the two stage choke from the aftermarket carb so It wasn't a complete waste.

At one point I remember testing the throttle position sensor, this was not in spec and was replaced.

Unfortunately several months later I managed to damage the working carb by bending one of the butterfly valves, I can't remember what I was trying to do at this time. I had to buy another carb which i found on ebay, this one being slightly different In that it had another additional air intake which required sealing off. This carb also had to be cleaned, this was done through the use of compressed air through the jets. This carb also had a pull choke which was replaced with the 2 stage choke.

It was noticed on installation of this carb that the hose coming from the air filter to the carb had shrunk through age meaning it didn't reach the carb adequately - this was replaced along with a new hose clamp.

Fork oil was noticed on the stanchions along with odd (not matching/aftermarket) and cracked rotten dust seals. New Oem ones were purchsed also with the actual seals and the forks were dismantled and rebuilt with new fork oil. A tool was fabricated from pvc pipe split down the middle In order to insert the new seals. A rubber seal compound was also applied to the seal to provide lubrication. This was quite a long process but required as It was only going to get worse.

Now that the bike was running I decided to remove the rust and respray the frame. As you can see from the photographs the bike had been neglected and had probably been sat outdoors for a considerable amount of time. After trying to remove some of the rust with the bike still assembled It was clear that I was going to has to take It apart. After doing this and through the use of wire wheels, sanding discs, nitro paint stripper and wire brushes I can say that about 99% of all rust was removed, the frame was then cleaned and in places treated with Kurust by hammerite. This was especially useful for smaller parts and the underside of the rear mudguard.

After all rust was removed and the frame cleaned with white spirit/white spirit alternative the frame was hung and sprayed with several coats of a simonez red oxide primer, then with several coats of simonez tough black spray paint. Although I didn't have to use the primer I wanted to make sure the rust wouldn't return. The paint was then left to cure for several days.

The results were extremely good and I'm happy the paint will hold up.

Wiring loom was cleaned and then wrapped in a fabric tap, previously it was covered In electrical tape and covered In glue residue. Repairs were also made along the loom and soldered where required. contact pins and connectors were also cleaned up.