Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

. . .... " ... . . its resu ltant ad rena line blast added u p to th e best front wh eel wheelie we have seen in aw hi le. Th e p las ricwork an d si ngle-do wntube fra me look th e same. bu t steerin g angle nu mbers d iffer so me w ha t from last year. The seat is the same. bu t is co vered in blue ma teria l. In the rea r. the Full -Floa ter is th e same. but th e sho ck has adjusta ble co m p ressio n dampi ng an d th ey claim it coo ls better. T here are big cha nges in the engi ne ro om . A bigger bore. hea vier cra nk sh aft . Mik un i fla t-slide carburetor and a wider rati o fou r-speed tra ns m ission ma ke for o ne of th e most pl easant O pen class engines to p ut kn obby to din in qu ite awhi le. It seems that power is al ways o n tap . Low-end power co mes o n m ore co n trollab ly. a nd is o f a mor e usab le n ature th an th e 480 H onda or the YZ490. H igh -rpm power wa s respect ab le. a nd in sta rts agai ns t o the r O pen bik es i t see med that rider reflexes meant mor e th a n an y ac tu al horsepow er differen ce. , T he new ca rbureto r is supposed to car burere bett er tha n a normal Mikuni, a nd it mi g ht. We ca n' t sa y as we never go t th e carb di a led 10 perfection. We d ropped th e need le two n o tch es a nd dropped two ma in and - pil ot jet Sill'S for sea level. Th at ena bled th e Suzu ki to a t least su rvive in h igh er a lti tudes without a spa rk p lug -eati ng bin ge. J ett in g as deli vered is worse th an any test bike in recen t memo ry. Wake up. big Suzy! Fi ri ng th e engi ne o n th e 'biggest R :'I1 is qu ite easy for a n O pen class rno rocrosser. despi te th e occas io na lly frus tra ting short ness o f th e kickstart er th row. We had 10 tu rn th e cho ke off im me dia te ly d ue to th e o verly rich jett ing. Am ong th e new -gen era tion four-s pee d transm issions, firs t is quite lo w. Even in tack v co ndi tions we di d seco nd gea r sta rts. First was a jo y in tight trai l rid in g si tua tio ns . No t as m uc h o f a jo y as a five- o r six-speed wide ra tio , but never a ho peless handicap. T he cl u tch worked fin e un der motocro ss co ndi tions , bu t heated up a littl e in tight. tra il wor k. Po wer co mes fro m th e bo tto m u p wit h ba rely a powerba nd- Iike transition. Good work, Suzu ki. We ra n th e rear shoc k on th e stock co m press io n damping a nd pr eload sett ing an d the n umber two setting o n the rea r shoc k. A Pro tes ter p referr ed number o ne o n the re bo u nd, but th at made the bike sha ke its head i nto co rne rs fo r th e slo wer g uys . Corneri ng ma nners a re neutra l in th e bi g " Are -em. " We lik ed it better in swee pe rs th an last yea r's R M250, bu t th at co u ld be as much a sig n of co ntrolla ble p ow er as a fra me imp rov em en t. Berms are a na tura l. bu t th e bike ge ts a shan feeling as you exi t a turn . T ha t la st tra ns it ion from ru rn i ng to o n - the-gas som etim es lea ves the rider feelin g tha t the rear end of th e bike is sett ing th e front w hee l u p for a pass. Everythi ng the 500 d id was good, not grea t, bu t good. T he o n ly real criticism we have of th e ha n d lin g is _th e lack of sta bi lity. It gets ner vo us o n h igh- speed cho ppy setio ns . As lo n g as the gas is o n. fast ro ug h sections are all rig h t. but ru ts and chop py gro u nd mak e the bike and th e ri de r nervous. No vice rid ers went a bo u t as fa st o n the Suzu ki as the ir o wn bikes. Ou r P ro sho w-o ff was a llowed o n the tr ack wit h a rac e to show off fo r the camera and acciden ta llv wo n the Int ermed ia te class. A Vet ride r we tal ked to had so ld h is 1983 H on da a nd was ridin g a Suzu ki . H e fel t th e H o nda was lOO exp losi ve. T he Suzu ki wa s a so lid perfor mer in a ll areas . It was enough o f a n allro u nde r to ca ll it a top pe rfor mer. Excell ent brak es an d pow er character isti cs with good sus pe ns io n a nd handl in g add u p to a good bik e in S pacifications Engine Type Displacement Bore x stroke Compression ratio Starting system Ignition system Transmission Carburetor Air cooled. two-stroke single cylinder. 492cc. 88.5 X 80mm. 6.2:1. Primary kick. '. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suzuki PEl. Four-speed. Mikuni flat-slide. Frame . Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Single downtube. Front suspension /travel Air-oil damper/11.2 inches. Rear suspension /travel "Full Floater" single shock/12.9 in. Front tire 100/80-21 4PR. Rear tire 140/80-18-4PR. Dimensions Wheelbase Seat height Minimum ground clearance Dry weight (claimed) Fuel capacity Suggested retail price 58.1 in . 38 in . 14.6 in. 227lbs. 2 .4 gal. $2.399 . a nyone's book. For the rider that does nothin g but motocross. the Suzu ki is worth serio us co n sideratio n . For th e rider th at rides in the desert , a n occas io na l en d uro. a gra nd prix o r ha re scra m ble now a n d then a nd lOISo f m ot ocross. th ere is n o bett er cho ice. • 21

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