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/127716
·PROJECT.BIKE Pro Circuit Suzuki RM125 n Maeda hen the scores were tabulated at the conclusi on of our 1995 12Scc , ......Lo ......... MX Bike Shoot out, the Suzuki RMl25 held the dubious hon or of finishin g la s t a mon gst th e four Japa nese ma chines in the comp a rison . And we weren't surprised - throughout the test, each rid er was well aware tha t the RM was their least favorite of the machines. Not that the RM is a bad machin e, it jus t didn 't do as much for us as the rest. In stock cond ition, we loved the RM's engine. Gone was the top-end motor of '94, and in its place was a revised powerplant that boasted a healthy dose of lowend and midrange power. The RM125 was one of our favorites, as far as engines go. So, what did we dislike about the little yellow machine? Each and every tester disliked the bike's sq u a tt y rear end . Under acceleration, the back of the bike would compress, resulting in a chopperlike sensation. On fast, choppy straightaways, the rear end would pack up and begin to swap, and the bike was less than predictable. ove r squa re- edged ju mps. And even though the Suzuki's geometry should allow it to carve a tight line with th e be st of th em, th e saggy rea r e n d made it h arder than norm al to ge t the bike's front end to stick. What else? Well, because of the rear end 's tendency to squa t, we feel that the Twin Chamber Showa forks were never allowed to perform up to their potential Testers felt that the for ks did a good job of soaking up larger hits, but were n't as pleased with the initial parts of the suspension travel. Most riders' complaints centered a ro u nd th e fork' s harsh feel over smaller, square-edged bumps. Help 14 ~ ~ tt..e «'a.If Quick - what is Pr o Cir cuit bes t known for? For most people, the name Pro Circuit brings to mind images of the Peak / Pro Circuit / Honda and SplitFire /Pro Circuit /Kawasaki 125cc Supercross teams . Diehard moto fan s ma y remember seeing a Pro Circuit pipe on multi-time Supercross and National MX Champion Rick Johnson's factory Honda, and a few may even remember when Pro Circuit produced the industry's best-sell ing Husqvarna pipes. Oka y, SO the Pro Circuit name is most often a ssociated with H ond as, Kawasakis, and at one tim e - Husqvarnas. But wh at about Suzukis? "Every bo dy kno ws th at we mod ify Hondas and Kawasa kis," said Mitch Payton, owner and fou nde r of Pro Circuit. "But most peo ple do n' t realize that we have some good mo ds for Suz ukis and Yarnah as also." Las t yea r, the Ana hei m, California, pe r formance shop sponsored Suzuki rid er Dav id Ping ree wh o, in finishing fif th o ve ra ll, was th e 125cc Wes tern Regional Supercross Series' top-performing pri va teer. This yea r, Pin gree ha s grad uated to the Spli tFire / Pro Circuit / Ka w asak i te am , b u t will n o do ubt remembe r the potent Pro Circuit RMl25 that helped him earn his '95 ride. "Okay Mitch," we sa id. " Build us a Pingree replica." It was onl y a matter o f days before our once mild-m ann ered Suzuki RMl25 wa s transformed into a full -blown Pro Circuit racer, and we wer e qu ite pleased to find that the worked -over mach in e performed as well as it looked . Let's start with the engine. Under Payton's watchful eye, Budd y Morga n too k to our cylinder and head with his porting tool in search of more oom ph in the middle and top of the powerband. Pro Circui t feels that while the Suzuki has good low