Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125821
Th'e TM 250 Suzuki l\1aybe 1974 will hold something b.etter. The swinpm was very silent, however, the exhaust pipe wasn't. COMMENT (fro)TI an at least slightly naive tester): Do Joel and Roger really ride these things? ANSWER (from Suzuki ad copy): "The closest thing you can buy to the world champion Joel Robert rides to victory year after year." COMMENT (from slightly less naiye tester): "Sure, it probably is about the closest thing to Joel's bike that you can buy. It's yellow isn't it?" . Ace tester commented that cross·ups 'weren't really fun. juSt necessary. Of course, you'd expect Suzuki to capitalize on their racing campaign. - After all, as it says in the copy of a Suzuki ad, "It helped make Joel a champ." Fact: Suzuki possesses the technology to build a world beating 250 motocross bike. Fact: the TM 250 bears little bu t visual resemblance to the world beater. The TM 250 might better be classed as a body beater. Somewhere along the line there has been a sorry lack of communication between the European racing department and the production engineering department. Sure, they exchanged a scrap of paper or two, but something got lost in the translation. The numbers might fit together fairly well; and. the Suzuki may have basically same handling abilities. Bur the suspension couldn't compliment it less. Again from Suzuki .ad copy: "A 220 pound streak of lightning that handles like a feather." We couldn't agree more, it does handle like a feath'er - a feather in a hurricane, that is. Tbe Suzuki is a decep'tive motorcycle. As you ride a warm-up lap around a motocross course the bike feels like there is an enormous handling potential. At slow warm-up speeds the handling is precise and smooth. It turns where you want it to. & An occasional blip of the throttle easily ~ lofts the front wheel; the motor feels .M respo.nsive. ~ After a slow lap you wick it up. Now v' it's adrenaIin time. The motor, like its 400cc relative, has an insignificant g. amount of flywheel effect. A full < throttle twist will result in little more tll than flying dirt. Toy with the tbrottle ~ for a few seconds, and finally some Z power gets to the ground. Then shift ~ from first to second, and gas it. No go, U just wheelspin. Again using subtle ~ throttle control, the power gets to the ground, and the bike begins to accelerate. It comes time to shift and you attempt to get your size II's under the too-short-shift lever. ILyou have size 7's, you're in luck. You'll make the shift. However, when you do, you're sure YOll've missed third and dropped into fourth. Three or four more tries net the 'same result. Third gear is so much higher than second that the engine won't pull after the shift. The engine doesn't breathe well enough to wind up far enough in second 'to find the powerband in third. After mumbling to yourself about this for awhile, it comes time to slow for a corner, although not much cause you never got going. On the brakes, and the rear immediately 'Iocks and starts chattering. Fortunately, the front works pretty well. Just before the corner are some small whoops or large washboard, whichever you prefer. It wouldn't seem advisable to use the brakes here, so you just .ride in to them. The feeling is amazing. It is somewhat akin to going ou t on your surfboard against a heavy surf. The fron t end surges upward, and then falls to the ground after the bump. Your contiol is at home with the prunes. Later on, you'l. try gassing it over the whoops. The front end comes up easily, and then the rear end goes berzerk. Instantly, the front wheel slams back onto the ground in a hobby-horse fashion. The rear wheel paws the air. Finally, you get in to the corner, and the bike feels like it wants to tum in a civilized manner. The trouble is, you can't talk either wheel into stayihg on the ground at any sort of speed. When you finally scrub off enough speed to make the comer, it behaves and turns. Valor gets the better part of discretion, having just made a horrible fool of yourself, so you gas it. Again the rear non-suspenders go berzerk. The rear wheel flails out against nothingness. It becomes obvious that the Suzuki is actually an incredible slider for a bike that has to find traction on air. It goes on and on like that. Antyime you want that shiny yellow, Joel Robert imitation to do anything remotely fast, both suspension units promptly prohibit it from happening. The suspension is garbage. There is a possibility that the geometry of the TM 250 is perfect and that it is a potential handler. Who can tell? . The motor produces ample power ·over a narrow power band - that is difficult to control. The 125's will buzz past as you trY to get the Suzuki to accelerate in· third gear. Whoever heard of clu tch sUpping on a motocrosser? If the engine breathed a little' better (maybe an air filter) it might all come together and work acceptably. Still, the TM 250 is by no means one of the fastest 250 motocrossers around. It isn't the slowest either. Expect to watch Hondas, CZs, radial Maicos, Rickmans, Mon tesas, and even Yamahas disappear. So, what is there to recommend about the TM 250 Suzuki? Well, not much. You don't really want it as a racer, though people will no doubt win or:> them. It will do normal playbike things okay. Wheelies arc! easy, and it will slide. But, with its stuck 'silenced' pipe, the TM 250 is obnoxiously noisy. Right there on the pipe it says, "This exhaust pipe is designed to give maximum performance without excessive noise. Do Not Modify." Surely you jest. Wh.at in the beck happened? Is there a new 250 motocrosser coming from Suzuki? The present one isn't even in the same class as their really excellent 125. We certainly hope so, because the TM 250 really doesn't make it. In fact, wben we took it back, the Suzuki guy asked whether anyone got hurt on it.