Cross Referencing Parts Made (a little) Easier

A few months ago I started the restoration of a 1978 Suzuki RM125. The further I got into the process the more parts I needed or wanted to replace. I started chasing parts on the web through the usual sources such as eBay and Rocky Mountain ATV/Motorcycle, etc. Surprisingly, a lot of parts for this 40 year old bike were very easy to locate, new or used or as new old stock (NOS) but I also drew a blank now and then too. As my search widened I found a powersports dealer by the by the name of Babbitt's Online that has a search tool for OEM parts. Like Rocky Mountain, you search by brand, year and model. Upon doing so, the parts fiches for the bike your searching come up along with the list of parts names and numbers. Parts that are still available can be ordered directly through Babbitt's, at somewhat reasonable prices. Those that aren't available require a few more steps to make a further search more expansive and easier and this is where this thread comes into play.

Once you find the part number of what you're looking for you go back to Babbitt's home screen, click OEM parts, click brand and use their "search by part number" feature. Enter your part number, hit search and a new window will open with part search results. This is where things get interesting. In the search results you can then click on "where used" and every year and model of bike that used that same part number is shown and the results can be surprising. Once you know what other bikes used that part, you can search eBay for it by any of those other models listed. Or, you can search eBay by the part number rather than the description. In some cases you'll find an NOS part and other times a used part can be located, it just depends on what info is provided in the listing by the seller. The following pictures are an example of a search for the 78 RM125 rear brake pedal I needed, part #43110-41301.







So, as you can see from the above pictures, this rear brake pedal, part #43110-41301 for a 78 RM125 was also used on earlier years of the RM100, RM125 and PE175. Other parts such as seals and wear items like brake pads fill a list of bikes a mile long, and many times these include more recent years of street bikes, enduros and quads as well.

I hope this info helps anyone trying to restore something from "back in the day". Good luck!