Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

o ughly abused ou r '9 4 te s t b ike fo r months on en d . Rather than lavish the bike w ith expensive modifications , our goal was to keep the bike as stock as p0ssib le, then see ho w we felt about it over the long ha ul. Though the eng ine's limiters are less . restrictive than they used to be, Suzuki still has to choke down the RMX qu ite a bit to make it meet EPA sta nd ard s. A huge steel silencer and restrictive exha us t pipe are used, along wi th a thick head i gasket. A plastic airbox lid rounds ou t the noise-rotting features. . Our first test of the Suzuki came at the brutal Tecate 250K End uro in Mexico. To prepare the bike, we removed the stock airbox lid, 'installed a rollchart ho lder, an d ap plied numbers to the front of the bike not exactly extensive updates. Askin g the RMX to perform with no motor updates was quite a demand, especially in a such a grueling even t. At the minimum , most riders replac e the stock expansion chambe r and silencer as soon as they get the bike ho me from the dealer. As it turned out, however, the RMX motor performed quite ad mirably, and was just the ticket for our slightly out-of-s hape test rid er. Though he was wishing for a little more power d uring the first loop, the Suzuki's me llow hit was welcome during the latter stages of the rac e, when ou r rid er was lack ing th e co ncent ratio n and energy required to stay on top of a harder-hitting powerband . In stock form, the RMX2S0 lacks the arm-stretehing pull of a motocross bike, which makes it a little too mellow for fast Western races. In technical cond itions, however, like those found in the Eastern woods an d in the Tecate Enduro, the bike's tractable delivery can be p erfect. Where riders of MX bikes are fighting to maintain traction, RMX pilots are hooking up and going forward. It might seem a little ridiculous to laud a bike's lack of power as being easy to control. But in the case of the RMX, it's the type of power, rather than the amount of power that we find so agreeable. Th e ye llow ma ch ine ' quietly pulled us around the tough Tecate course without so much as a snivel. Later, when started rid ing the RMX in local Southern California end u res, we decided to make a few mods in a search for a bit more power. We still w eren 't interested in making the bike overly loud, so we ended up leaving the airbox lid off and installing a Wiseco Pro-Li te piston kit (ligh ter and more durable than stock). We also used a thinner head gasket and replaced the anvil-like silencer with an FMF silencer /spark arrestor combination. We opted to leave the stock expansion cha mber in place. The mods defini tely made the Suzuki pull harder than before, though it still lacked the hit of, say, a stock KTM 250 E/XC. Apparently, to really access all the available power in the bike, a swi tch of pipes is also required. Still, we'd recommen d that you make the changes one at a time, and tha t you rema in objective when choosing your updates. Again, eye-po pp ing pow erbands look a lot better when flip p ing through the pages of a catalog than they do wh en you're trying to han g on to yo u r bike near the end of a tou gh National enduro. This advice applies to the suspension, as well. The RMX250 comes w ith an in ve rted Kayaba ca rtridge fork and ' a Kayaba p iggyback-reservoir rear shock pretty standard stuff. Spring rates on the suspenders are a lot like the engine...say what? Admittedly, this sta temen t sounds a little strange at first, but like the motor, the softish suspension is aimed at technical enduros or trail riding. We resisted the . urge to install stiffer coils on our bike, and were actually happy in Tecate. There, the I (Left) The RMX Is slim and well laid out, though taller riders will find themselves feeli ng cramped. (Above) The well-deslgned fuei tank holds three ga llons of fuel, but Is n'1 at all obtrusive. (Below) The stock silencer Is nice and quiet, but Is also heavy and holds bac k some of the Suzuki's power. plush settings soaked up rocks and roots without deflecting. In the whoops and higher-speed trails of Southern California, however, we were definitel y wishing for stiffer springs. Novices under 170 pounds should be happy with the stock rates, especially if they live back ea st and are well under six feet taIl. That's right, taller riders will definitely feel cramped on the smallish Suzuki. The combination of a swept-back handlebar and a short peg-to-seat relationshi p will leave basketball players wishing they were jockeys. We rode with the stock setup in Teca te, the n swit che d to a b ar with a straigh ter bend. A taller seat wo uld also have been a welcome addition. Other than that , the ergos of the RMX are quite comfo rtable, thanks to the brilliantly designed fuel tank . The cell holds nearl y three gallons of gas, but is slim enough that we never even noticed it. As far as we're concerned, Suzuki and KTM are the only manufacturers who really know how to make a tank for off-road. Shifting is smooth on the RMX and the brakes are plenty strong - for a while. When dragging the rear binder in tight special tests, we were able to heat it to the point where it ceased to function. In fact, we even got the fron t brake to begin fading. We rep laced the stock brake fluid with high-quality Motul juice; it helped, but the problem didn't disa ppear. Randy Hawkins uses a Honda rear caliper. Some of us don 't have that op tion. Durab ility-w ise, the Suzuki held up quite well to our abuse. We managed to slightly seize the piston during a wet trail ride in Mexico, but traced the prob lem to a loose carb u re to r cla mp - n ot exactly so methi ng you can blame on the b ike . Perhaps ou r only snivel in this d epart ment is that it doesn't take the RMX long to s ta r t lookin g h amm ered, mostly because of the easily stained yellow seat cove r. Thankfully, tha t problem is cured easily eno ugh, either through careful cleaning or an aftermarket cover. So after mon ths of flogging Suzuki's RMX250, what w as our final verdict? Well, Suzuki only manufactures one bike that is capable of keeping its appointme nts at checkpoints, and we'd like to see the comp any take its sole off-road weapon just as seriously as its motocross lineup. Suzuki m a rkets an RM-based en duro bike in Eur ope, comp lete with a stiffer chass is and wrap-around radiator shrouds. From what we've heard, however, that bike ha s a sma ll tan k and since it can be used on the street overseas - a kicked-out front end. If we had to make the choice between a mod em-looking bike wit h a slow-steering chassis and a short fuel range, and an old-look in g bike that is a proven quick tu rner and comes w ith th e be s t off-road tank aroun d, we'd take the familiar RMX an y d ay of the week. Now, if Suzuki really wants to impress us, maybe in '96 they 'll give us the best of both in a single packa~. a While Cycle News believes theforegoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reoieuers only and should nat berelied upon in determining the peiformanceor safety of the ve/ride(s). The reader should make hisor herown investigation. Suzuki RMX250 SUggested retail price $4749 Engine . . ; UquidoQl()led, case-reed, power-valved, two-strok e ~sp~ent 249cc Bore x stroke 67.0 x 70.8m m 38mm K eihin PJ C8rburetion Fuel capacity " . " . . " . " . " " . .2.9 gal. Gearing " . .. " " " ." " . . " . .13/50 Claimeddry weight 238lbs. Wheelbase " " " . ,,58.6 in. Rakeltrail 28.5 degreesl125mm Groundclearance " " . " . .. ,, 13.4 in. Seat height ." . ". "" . . " " . ,,37.6 in. Front tire Bridgestone ED-11 80/100-21 Rear tire Bridgestone ED-12 110/100-1 8 Front suspension Kayaba inverted cartridge, adjustable rebound/compression, 12.2 in. travel Kayaba aluminum Rear suspension piggyback, adjustable rebound/compression, 12.2 in. travel ~ 0\ 0\ ..... ...0N I-; C!) .g .... u o 19

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