Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ NEW BIKES 1994 Suzuki RMs ~ • • 1 1 J By Kit Palmer ro m the outside, the 1994 Su zuki RM80, 125 and 250 R-series MXers m igh t. loo k identical to las t year ' s models, bu t there a re enough in tern al refinemen ts to keep things interesting at least for another yea r. The big news is in the suspension d ep a rt ment. Bo th t he RM 125 R and RM250R feature an all-new Showa-built fork tha t is totally redesigned within the big inverted fork tubes. Suzuki calls the new fork Twin Cha mber, and, according to Suz uki, it is Showa's most advanced inverted, cartridge-type telescopic fork. Unlike traditional cartridg e fork designs where the cartridge and the rest of the fork share the same oil su pply, the Tw in Chamber design uses a cartridge sys tem tha t is completely sealed off from the rest of the sys tem. This des ign prevents air con tamina tion of oil in the cartridge, resu lti ng in pe r for m a nce- hin dering foaming, and is promised to ens ure better compression and rebound da mping oil control. . . Even though the fork is still the inverted kind, internally everythin g has been flipp ed -flop ped. Now, the compression damping adjuster is at the top in the fork cap and th e rebound ad juster is a t the bottom of the fork legs, Also, the springs are located in the bottom half of the fork F The 1994.RM250 features a new fork, straighter an d shorter intake tract, two-ring piston and narrower radiator shrouds. Changes to th e $3999 RMl25 includ e a Keihin carburetor, a new digital ignition system and carbon fiber reeds. 22 tubes . This rearrangement of internals was primarily to relocate and enlarge the oil lock system. The oil lock design is to provide a cushioning effect as the fork reaches the bottom of its stroke. The fork tubes have been lowered 5mm in the triple clamps to help reduce . head shake and to keep the rider position further back from the handlebars. In the back, the pattern of every-year changes in li n ka g e ratio and shock revalving changes continues, and a lightly softer spring rate is now used. Other ch as si s chang es in cl u d e im p roved front and rear b ra ke pads, beefed up and widerIionger one-piece footpegs, radiator shrouds that are now 20mm narrower at the front (10mm each side), and bigger fork p ro te ctor s . Suzuki's traditional bolt-on sid es ta nd has been eliminated for a separate triangle-type stand (ala the majority of other MXers), which attaches to the rear axle. All these new mods are found on both the RM125 and RM25O. , The RM250 features a grab-bag full of re fin ements to its liquid-cooled, twostroke, crankcase reed-valve-induction engine. Suzuki claims these changes have been made to produce a more "user friendly" motor, in other words, less abrupt power and wheel spin. The crankcase has been redesigned so the intake tract is straighter to provide a smoother path for the fuel mixture to the engine. The intake pipe between the carburetor and crankcase has been shortened to reduce the distance the fuel mixture must travel to the engine. Cylind er port timing has been changed to increase m idrange to high rp m power. . A ne w two-ri ng (ra ther than on e ring) piston is now used , and the crankshaft be a ring ha ve been in creased in size for better 'd urability. Other motor changes include new port-timing sp ecs, one less drive and d riven plate in the clu tch, new exhaus t pipe and a largerdiameter clu tch cable. . The RM125's engine hasa few imp ortant chang es. First of all, the Mik uni carb has bee n rep laced by a Keihin PWK 36 m m m ixer, which S u zu k i claims improves throttle response and overall power de livery and is particularly good at low rp.m, such as accelera ting out of slow turns , To complement the new carburetor, the intake chamber was red esigned and stronger carbon fiber reed valves were installed. The ignition sy stem is all new . The CD ignition has been replaced by a digital system, which Suzuki says has been " p ro g r a m me d " to enhance lo w a nd midrange power. The engine's cooling system has also been modified. The d iameter o f th e water pump impeller has been increased from 28 to 30m m and now has six blades instead' of three, re sulting in what Suzuki claims increases the rate of coolant flow by 40"10. Don't look too hard for new changes on or in the RM80 because you won't find any. The tiddler of the group receives only minor graphic changes. The RM125 and RM250 also received minor facelifts in the graphics area. All three models have significantly increased manufacturer suggested retail price tags. The RM25OR's MSRP is $4749, an increase of $450 over last year's model; the RM125R has a $3999 MSRP, which is a $300 increase; and the RM80R is $2449, $250 up from the '93 model. C"4

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