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/127527
GRIDING IMPRESSION 1992 Suzuki RMX250N eS By Kit P alm er 20 u zu ki 's la test ver si on . o f the RMX250 isn't going to blow you away with ch a n ges . In st ead , Suzuki is relying on the bike 's reputat ion to co nvice you to purchase it. With three AMA National Enduro Ch ampion ships to the RMX 's credit, it 's easy to see why Suzuki has made little changes to the RM X since its introduction some four year s ag o. As a resu lt, for th e fourth year in a ro w, the '92 RMX250 sees o nly subtle changes, tha t is, if you call the new yellow /blue/green paint brush-d esign color scheme subtle. But graphi cs aren't the o n ly changes to the '92 RMX. Suzuki decided to beef up wha t are perhaps the most abused parts on an off-road motorcycle - the rear brake and clu tch . Many top enduro ri ders will tell yo u tha t one of the keys to fast ridi ng o n the tight and twisty trails is dragging the rear brake. T hey clai m th at dragging th e rear brake makes it easier to whip the back whee l throug h the turns wh en you're in a hu rry, bu t it' s ' a technique that is bru tal on the rear brake. It seems tha t at every Nati on al Enduro, a t least ,o ne top rid er is kn ocked ou t of com peti tio n by rear brak e problems. This dragging technique usually wears out th e pads quickly and so metimes heat s up the brake flu id so much that the rear brak e just quits working altogether. Although th e RMX ha s never really had a history of rear brake problems, Suzuki engineers decided to beef up th e RMX's rear brake, nonetheless. The rotor on the single-pi ston rear disc brake has been redesigned to improve heat absorption capability, whi ch will mak e the rear brake last even longer, especially in extreme situations. Also, the disc brake pad material is different and stronger for better wear resistance. The only ot her significant cha nge to the '92 RMX is to the five-speed transmission. The clutch has been strengthened .with the addition of an extra fiber and steel clutch p late. Su spension-wise, the o n ly cha nge is soften ing of th e high-speed compression damping at both ends. This is designed to smooth o u t the ride over sma lle r, square-edged obstacles, suc h as tree roots, rock and ru ts. The 249cc two-stro ke, water-cooled, case-reed induction engine is basicall y th e same as last year's powerplant. As wi th all off-roa d-desig ned motorcycles sold in the U.S., the RMX com es out of th e crate "choked up" in order 'to pas s strict EPA . emis sio n standards. .The restri ctor s include a spacer in the two-stage exhaust power-val ve unit that prevents th e valv es from openi ng to th e maximum setting, a throttle sto p in the carbure tor whi ch on ly allows the throttle to open a quarter of the way, an overly thi ck head gas ket whi ch reduces compression, and a su pe r restri ctive (and not to mention heavy) steel muffler. Suzuki must sell the bike with th ese restri ctors in p lace. H ow ever , with every RMX purcha se, Suzu ki includes a " race kit " th at includes an RM aluminum silencer, a non-restri ctive carbure tor top (allo ws the throttle to open all the way), a thinner head gasket, main jets and all the instructions to remove th e spacer in the power-valve. Our test unit came with th e race kit already installed. The '92 RMX is perhaps the most comfortable off-road bike o n th e m arket. No matter what kind of motorcycle you 'v e been riding , whether it' s a KTM E/XC, Honda XR or Husqvarna WXE , you should have no problems whatsoever adapting to r-----------------------------. Fourth generationRMX the RMX. As soo n as yo u th row a leg over the machine, you j us t wa nt to twist the th rottle open and roost. T he handlebar / seat / foot peg relations hi p is firs t-ra te and the controls are simple to use. Wh en you do twist the throttle, th e motor respo nds nicely with a sm oo th, yet strong surge of power, most no tably in th e midd le of the powerban d. It has decent low -end bu t not the kin d that yo u reall y get exci ted abo u t, but eno ugh to get the jo b done. Midran ge is wh ere it's at. The RMX p ulls stro ngly in the middle of the powerband and does a respectable jo b (T op) T he RMX isn 't just an RM with a head light. It still features many internal modifications that make it an ideal off-roa d bike. (Left) T he Showa fork is mo re sensitive to the smaller bu mps . (Right) The rea r disc brake is mod ified to ' increase durability. on top , as well . It 's a fast motorcycle, even for an "e nduro" bik e. T he pow er is som ewhat explosive for a woods bik e, and you can thank three-time Nati onal Enduro Champ ion Randy Hawkins for that. Hawkins likes his RMX to hit hard, which exp lai ns wh y he u ses a modified RM250 cylinder, head and aftermarket exhaust pi pe o n his bike for even more bit e. But for the more down-to-earth end uro or trail rider, the "stock" RMX is pl enty po werful. The wide-ra tio five-speed tran smissio n fits the bill. Not o nly does the bike sh ift well an d pos itiv ely, the gear ra tios work in ha rmony with th e motor. This makes th e RM X easy to ma nage on tig ht and technica l trails. We had no com plaint s wi th th e cl utch, ei ther. J ust two fingers on the cl u tch lever does th e trick, and it seems to ho ld up to a lo t of abuse. There isn 't mu ch difference between las t year 's suspension an d this year 's. But th at's o kay, because it reall y did n 't need any changes anyway. Bo th the inverted Showa for k, wlii ch feat ures IS-way co mpression a nd re bo u n d damping settings arid 12.2 in ches of tra vel, and th e full y adj ust able rear 'single Showa shock are plush o nce, bro ken in. As far as handling, the RMX is firs t rat e. It is an extre mely quick turning motorcycle, wh ich is great for the tight stu ff. But for the more wide open trails" we cou ld feel a little bit of headshake.' Nothing drastic but it's noticeab le. T he RMX ma y not be the most stable motorcycle at high speed, but it sure makes up for it wh en the trail tightens up and gets tou gh. Both front and rear disc brakes are pl enty stro ng and progressive, and we didn 't feel a hint of fading in the rear, but, th en again, we didn't notice any last year. Only the extremely aggressive, th rottle hungry rider might heat up the back binder. The RMX is enduro -ready right off . th e showroom floor, that is after you take out all the restri ctors and install