[notsofast]

By way of introduction, I recently bought my wife a 2018 TNT 125 to try after she showed a slight interest in bikes. It was a little bit beaten but I have ordered a whole bunch of parts to sort it out.
Over the weekend, I had made good progress by straightening up a bent footpeg hanger, cut down the over long gear lever and replaced the noisy exhaust with the original silencer however today was a really poor day - several hours invested and I am worse of than before I started. Both fork legs were leaking oil and the LH leg had quite a lot of pits so I had purchased a couple of good used fork legs from a breaker on eBay. I pulled out the front wheel and when I looked at the brake caliper to clean up the oil contamination I found it had not escaped some previous owners bodgery of the worst kind. The pad securing pin had been sheared flush with the caliper previously and someone had tried to drill it out. The new hole fell off the side of the hard pin and had been drilled through the alloy caliper body instead. The bodger simply put a length of M6 threaded rod through the first hole then tried to weld it to the caliper body where he had mis-drilled. It had been left like this. The weld of course had not taken and it was held in place mostly with a bit of luck. I thought better of it and thought I would get back to the caliper and continued installing the fork legs.
Had a helluva fight getting the hose brackets of the old fork legs. The hex drive screws had been rounded previously but with judicious use of heat, a fine cutting wheel and various mole grips and flat blade screwdrivers, I managed to get them both out. The fork legs went in no problem but when I tried to fit the wheel, the gap was very tight. I fixed a pointer to one leg up against the stanchion on the other to find that both stanchions were bent by about 4mm.
At this point I gave up and tidied away - stuck the wheel back on and shoved it back in the garage. Sent a message to the breaker about the fork legs and ordered up a replacement brake caliper (again from eBay).
I am beginning to think I should have spent a few quid more and bought a less beaten up bike........

 

[Neil1400]

Good introduction write up. Hope you get it sorted out in the end. She's got some good riding in Scotland to do.

 

[GBo]

I I feel your pain. A good local engineer may be able to straighten the stanchions with a hydraulic press. Is there enough meat around the duff hole in the calliper to drill tap and sleeve the hole?

 

[Laurencewhite]

I feel your pain. Sounds like the previous owner was a bit of a bodger. Hope you manage to sort it all out.

 

[notsofast]

I will ask around to see if someone local has a press, v-block and some experience dependant on what the supplying breaker says. The caliper on the other hand is probably dead. The new hole runs right down the side of the sheared steel pin so it is impossible to drill out the pin as the bit will wander off the top of the pin. I also think the pin is actually hardened as I tried the centre punch and it dulled the punch. In any case it would leave very little meat on the caliper if bushed. It is a shame as the caliper is good otherwise. The eBay caliper coming my way has to be a better bet or maybe just throwing good money after bad.

 

[notsofast]

I found a couple of hours today to do a few further jobs. Replaced the dog eared pillion footpeg brackets with better condition parts so now on the blue moon occasion when there is a pillion, they will have somewhere to place their feet. Also replaced the broken clutch lever perch with which will allow me to fit full size mirrors. They will only be installed once the new owner has become a little more confident with her clutch control and less likely to test their impact resistance.
The forks continue to look for a remedy but I will start a new thread on those.
Also received a few other parts that cannot be fitted right now for one reason or another.

 

[notsofast]

I have updated my other post with the saga of the forks but on a more positive note, I had good progress with the brake caliper. The replacement caliper arrived today and as described it was in need of a service. The pistons in my original caliper were in pretty good shape so between the two calipers, I managed to make up a good serviceable caliper. Lots of other goodies have arrived including the bi-metal rear sprocket, shiny gold chain, untorn pillion seat and even a un-cracked number plate. I ran out of daylight after mincing around with the forks for far too long so achieved little else but maybe tomorrow morning I will fit the combined braking system hoses and pressure reducer. If anyone could post a few pics of the hose routing from the pressure reducer to the front caliper then I would be grateful. The new front pads are still in transit so I really hope that Royal Mail comes good tomorrow.
On the other hand, If the weather is still nice then I may just also take out my non-Benelli out for a thrash instead.......

 

[notsofast]

So I found a video on YouTube that showed how to strip out the combined braking system so then managed to route the front brake hose - I was trying to stretch it around the headstock but it comes out below the lower fork yoke. CBS system went back together without much hassle and works fine.
I then decided to change the sprockets and chain. The front sprocket went on no problem. The rear sprocket was not quite so easy with one nut rounding but I managed to cut and remove it. I even had a spare steel locking nut available (same as GSXR600). So far - so good. Both rear wheel bearings were notchy as was the sprocket carrier bearing. I did not have the wheel bearing but did have the sprocket carrier bearing (same size as a GSXR600 wheel bearing). The oil seals were not very good either but I put it back together and have ordered the balance of the parts.
I pulled the new chain out of its box, measured it out against the old one and cut two links off. Then I tried to fit it. It went over the rear sprocket fine but would not mesh with the front sprocket. I checked the JTS website for the front sprocket and it was correct. Rear sprocket also ok. Then I checked the box the chain came in - the vendor had sent me a 420 chain rather than the 428. The rear sprocket is stamped 428 but is narrow enough to mesh with a 420 chain. I am beginning to think that this project is cursed. I rounded the day up by pulling the fork legs one last time to drain the oil and measure in an equal amount in each leg.
Today, I took out my bike (not the TNT) for a run to a fairly local bike autojumble found a new boxed 428 chain. After a scenic jaunt home on some fine b roads it took me all of 30 minutes to cut and fit the new chain.
The outstanding jobs list is diminishing quickly now.

Good fitting chain 428 chain on 428 sprocket (420 chain fitted this sprocket too)

Not such a good fit - 420 chain on a 428 sprocket.

 

[DenH]

We’ll done,you’ve great patience,I’d probably
Have set fire to it if it was mine 😀

 

[notsofast]

The new front brake pads arrived today so I cleaned up the mounting plate, re-painted it black and fitted the pads. As this was not the challenge I had become accustomed to, I decided to get stuck in about the gear change. I previously cut down the overlong direct mount lever but this made it quite difficult to find neutral. A new replacement mechanism is quite expensive so I took an old lever from a Honda CBR1000F and set about making it fit. Firstly I had to cut off and re-weld the clevis on the lever itself as it fouled the TNT frame. Then I extended the lever by an inch or so by letting in a piece of steel just behind the toe piece. Lastly, the operating rod was a one piece dog bone with rose joints at both ends that was too short. I would have preferred to have a threaded connecting rod but I did not have anything to hand so I cut the existing rod and welded in a 2 inch length of 10mm bolt shank.
A coupled of coats of paint and it looked passable. It certainly makes finding neutral a whole lot easier.
Unfortunately the threaded M8 hole in the footrest hanger where the gear change lever pivots is damaged. I don't have any M8 helicoils but I do have some alloy soldering rods so I will probably weld up the hole and redrill / tap a new hole or alternatively drill a countersink in the back side of the hanger behind the foot peg and simply bolt the thing in place if there is clearance but that is for another day. It also explains why the previous owner replaced the original gear change lever in the first place........

 

[notsofast]

So the saga continued a little further today - I decided to buy a M8 helicoil kit and fixed the damaged gear change pivot which works perfectly now. If it fails again, then I will weld up the hole and re drill it in the centre of the foot peg clevis and use a countersunk bolt and nut to hold the pedal which would be fool proof.
I also replaced the damaged L/H foot peg with a foot peg from a KSR MOTO WORX 125 which is identical. The pivot pin on the KSR peg is shorter as the mounting bracket is different but the original TNT pin was in good order.
I also changed the engine oil and filter - actually the first straightforward job on this bike - no broken screws or stripped threads. The only anomaly was that a HiFlo Filtro HF113 came out and I had a HF112 to go back in. I got in touch with HiFlo (UK) and they advised that both filters are almost identical other than the bypass valve pressure (2 bar vs. 1 bar for the HF112).
During other checks, I found the side stand cut out switch to be inoperative so I need to sort that out another day.
I had a quick test run of the bike and was quite impressed with the combined braking system. It pulled the bike up fairly well on wet grass - more so than conventional independent brakes. The CBS of course prevents skid turns but I don't think my wife will be doing many of those.

 

[notsofast]

The new rear seat side panels arrived from China so I found an hour or so to fit them. One unfortunately arrived with a tab broken off. The luck of this bike never seems to get much better. I fitted it regardless and simply glued the tab back in place as I am not waiting for another panel to arrive. Whilst I was gluing tabs I also had to do the same for one tab on an indicator and both lower tabs on the rear light. The rear light lens had some deep scratches from what I would guess was a flipped wheelie by a previous stunt prone owner which accounts for the smashed tail unit also. I used a buffing wheel and some T-Cut and managed to get it looking pretty good. All that went well and it looks much less abused.
However this uncovered more bodgery. For some reason, the original fuse holder(s) had been replaced at some point and the MotoGP level mechanic simply twisted the bare wire ends together and wrapped it up in some insulation tape. I soldered the joints and insulated with heatshrink.
I had a look at the kick stand cut out switch and could not make sense of the wiring. I think there must be some circuitry inside the switch as I could not get a steady resistance with my meter. I found that when I placed a magnet near the switch then it cut the engine. The original magnet must have been removed by the aforementioned MotoGP level mechanic probably to save weight or some such reason.
Talking of high performance modifications, I also checked the air filter. The original large surface area filter had been replaced with with something that has an element the size of a tea bag. I found the manufacturers facebook posting about this "mod" and it appears that it is designed primarily to make more noise. I will see if I can get a larger filter element to fit inside the airbox - something like a MT-07 element might fit with some slight modification.
One bit of good news, DVLA returned my £25 cheque which I had sent with the V62 (V5C application form ) as I had sent them a new owners slip - even though it was not from the current V5 - Result.

 

[DenH]

The new rear seat side panels arrived from China so I found an hour or so to fit them. One unfortunately arrived with a tab broken off. The luck of this bike never seems to get much better. I fitted it regardless and simply glued the tab back in place as I am not waiting for another panel to arrive. Whilst I was gluing tabs I also had to do the same for one tab on an indicator and both lower tabs on the rear light. The rear light lens had some deep scratches from what I would guess was a flipped wheelie by a previous stunt prone owner which accounts for the smashed tail unit also. I used a buffing wheel and some T-Cut and managed to get it looking pretty good. All that went well and it looks much less abused.
However this uncovered more bodgery. For some reason, the original fuse holder(s) had been replaced at some point and the MotoGP level mechanic simply twisted the bare wire ends together and wrapped it up in some insulation tape. I soldered the joints and insulated with heatshrink.
I had a look at the kick stand cut out switch and could not make sense of the wiring. I think there must be some circuitry inside the switch as I could not get a steady resistance with my meter. I found that when I placed a magnet near the switch then it cut the engine. The original magnet must have been removed by the aforementioned MotoGP level mechanic probably to save weight or some such reason.
Talking of high performance modifications, I also checked the air filter. The original large surface area filter had been replaced with with something that has an element the size of a tea bag. I found the manufacturers facebook posting about this "mod" and it appears that it is designed primarily to make more noise. I will see if I can get a larger filter element to fit inside the airbox - something like a MT-07 element might fit with some slight modification.
One bit of good news, DVLA returned my £25 cheque which I had sent with the V62 (V5C application form ) as I had sent them a new owners slip - even though it was not from the current V5 - Result.

View attachment 37712 View attachment 37713 View attachment 37714 View attachment 37715

I would definitely have burnt it,but I’d wait til the price of petrol came down 😀

 

[notsofast]

I have just completed some more fine tuning of the TNT. The wear in the side stand pivot combined with the spring was making the stand hold the bike too upright. I fitted a couple of 12mm shim washers to tighten things up a bit. This is probably the reason the side stand cut out switch was banjaxed by the previous MotoGP mechanic. The play in the pivot probably played havoc with the switch operation.

I then tended to the MotoGP mechanics modification to the rear brake light switch wiring. I replaced his race spec lightweight insulation tape with some solder and heat shrink for a more permanent arrangement. I guess he was less bothered with long term reliability and more on a speedy repair.

I am still awaiting the new side stand switch and a few other parts to further refine his quality work.

 

[notsofast]

A few AliExpress parts arrived today. I fitted the new side stand switch and it works fine. The bike will not run with the side stand down regardless of neutral selected or clutch pulled in. It is still worth it as the risk of a riding off with the side stand down is too great for my nearest and dearest. I also received a 3 pin connector and 2nd hand Honda tip over switch which I intend to install on the side stand switch circuit but will need to spend some time working out how to make it work as the side stand switch is not a simple reed switch. I think it is a Hall effect sensor hence the 3 wires.
In typical form, the battery on the bike failed today. It would not start the bike and my immediate suspicion was that I had disturbed some ropey wiring when fitting the side stand switch but my smart battery charger showed otherwise and diagnosed a faulty battery. The nearest size battery I had to hand was a Li-Ion YTX9-BS equivalent from my GSXR600 track bike which is 10mm taller so will do a turn if I make up a new clamp.
The MT07 filter air filter element I had hoped to fit would not fit because of lack of depth in the airbox so I will need to come up with another idea.

 

[notsofast]

I am running out of real issues on this bike as I am now on the nice to haves. The rear tail tidy does away with the original reflector which is a requirement for the annual UK MOT vehicle test. The previous cracked number plate had a small round self adhesive item which I thought looked exactly like the after thought sticking plaster it was so I ordered up a reflector with an integrated number plate light which is also an MOT required item. I think it looks a little large and unwieldy so I will not be ordering one for my main bike but it is a good idea so it is staying there unless I find something neater.
I also replaced the rusty front engine mounts as they were making that area scruffy - Replaced the colour clashing blue anodised rear paddock stand bobbins with red items. I really am running out of items in need of addressing.