The 1982 RM250Z combines water-cooling w ith 125cc-like li ght weight and Open class type power. It's fast.
Impression: 198Z Suzuki RMZ50Z
Lighttveight roellet
By Terry Whyta l
What do a 125cc and O p en class motocrossers h a ve in commo n? N o t much, unless
they bo th h a p pen to be the n ew Suzuki
RM250Z.
What we mean is: It feels
ligh t like a l25cc machine . but
it's fast like a big bo re 'crosser.
Of course, this may not be
exactly th e characteristics you wer e
looking for in a quarter-liter motorcycle. We weren't, buttwo laps around
the Saddleback International course
were enoug h to convince us.
At first glance, the Z model looks
.
• ill Iac-
tor y racer. Maybe not as trick as the
new Hondas, but still definitely ver y
trick with rectangul ar slide carburetor , water-coo led motor, straightpull spokes and the fattest expansion
chamber we 've ever seen on a 250cc
bike.
A second glance leaves the viewer
with a different impression. The bike
a lmost looks ordi nary , as if all the
parts were assembled just the way
ou alwa s thou ht th should be.
Detail refin ements o n the RM clea rly re£leet Suzu ki's intention to keep
th eir ma chine ligh ter th an th e compe titio n. Bolts are drill ed o r dish ed
and kept to the smallest possibl e
di ameter. Motor mounts ar e alum inum this year, a nd th e rear brake stay
is so light th at specia lty manufacturers have been unable to profitably
make a lighter one. Even the underside of the brake a n d clutch levers are
undercut to save a few grams.
Despite the added weight of watercooling, the '82 RM is two pounds
lighter than last year 's model and 10
pounds lig hter than Yamaha's exceptional YZ250J. On the track , theZ
feels as light as most l25cc mo toweapons, and our test riders fou nd it
easy to ride the bike with the same
abandon'as a 125cc. ..' , :. .. ., ., .••••
Pa rt o f th e feeling of ligh tn ess
co mes from the RM 's sho rt stat ure.
Su spen sion travel is a full inc h less
than man y of it s contemporaries.
One might expect so me loss of ability
to absorb rough terrain, yet none of
the six tester s exp ressed any notice of
th e shorter suspension travel until
told later.
The 29.3 degree steerin g head angle
and short fork assembly make the
'Zook a fast turner, abl e to dive under
other ma chines in sweepers, and ideal
for dropping into tight inside berms.
One favorite passing technique was
to pitch the bik e into the high outside
line (like on a I25cc) then square the
turn off and power past the competitor.
The KYB front suspension handled
stutter bumps and big whoops with
