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/127860
RIDING IMPRESSION Paul Edmondson's Team Suzuki Off-Road RM250 other obstacles that one might encounter on the trail. Ultimately, Suzuki wanted a motor that requir ed very little shifting, a bike that cou ld be left in third !iea r as mu ch as possible. To accom plish all of this , Edm ondson 's moto r was handed o ve r to FMF's Ter rv Varner and Don Emler, and modifications were made to th e cylind er and head. An FMF pipe (built to Edmondson's specifications ) and silencer were also installed . Suzuki also rep laced the stock piston wi th a lighter Wiseco Pro-Lite piston. Suzuki and Edmo ndson tested va ri- By Kit Pa lmer Photos by Cameron Coatney A a a ~ r-, 0\ 0\ ,..... 00 .... QJ ~ o .... u o 34 .... orne might sa y that, on th e ' . Y mo toc ross track, the Su z uk i RM250 leaves a lot to be desired ; however, the same cannot be said about the RM250 when it comes to offroad racing. And we learned that lesson after ridin g an exa ct replica of multiti me World Enduro C ham p io n Paul Edmondson's works Suzu ki RM25O. Whil e t he RM25 0 cl awed and scra tche d its way to three Su percross w ins and o ne o u tdoo r Na tiona l motocross vi ctory th is sea son, the RM250 has bee n racking up wins one after the ot her on the National off-roa d circuit. In fact, the RM250 is one of the wi nni ngest bikes on the National offroad scene , ridd en to vic tories in bo th the AMA Nati onal Hare Scrambles and the Gra nd N ationa l Cross Count ry Series by Team Suzuki Off-Road riders Rodney Smith, Steve Hat ch a nd Pa u l Edmo ndson . And anothe r fea ther was put in Suzuki 's cap whe n Smith claimed "Top Am erican" honors at the Internatio na l Six-Day Enduro in Ita ly last mont h. Off-roading has been very, very good to Suzuki. Okay, so .the RM25O"might not be the best mot ocrosser around tow n, but it sure makes a good off-road weap o n, and we got the chan ce to see, firsthand, just hoiogood. (Above) As you would expect, Paul Edmondson 's Suzuki is a ser ious woods performer, and one that Is well protected. (Above right) The FMF pipe and clutch cover are reinforced with carbo n fiber from E-Line. (Ri g ht) FMF prov ides most of the e ngine work with strong emphasis on m idran ge an d top-end. Recently, the folks at Suzuki gave us a n o pport unity to spend a couple of days ridi ng an exact replica of Edm ondso n's race bike . Edm ondson, who ha ils from Eng land, is a mu lti-time World Enduro Cha mpion and is currently right in the heat of the battle for the GNCC crown, a battle that a lso includ es his .teammate Steve Hatch . Edmond son '~ bike is set up very simil arly to that of Hatch's and Smith' s Su zuki s but, of cou rse, feat ures a few personal d ifferences, Since Suzuk i is no longer ~promoting its n o w -ou td ated a nd unchanged RMX250, Edmondso n's bike began life as an RM250. Motorwise, Suzuki 's goal was to make the power d elivery smoother, whi le incre asing bo lt om-end and mi drange power yet at the same time maintaining a decent "hit" to make the bike easier to jump a creek, or a log, or nus ca rbu retors and settled w ith the stock Keihin, wi th thes e settings: #42 pilot jet; #162 main jet; 1 1/ 4 turns on the airscrew; and the needle clip set in the middle position. Edmondson 's bike also uses a Tassanari Delta Force reed -valve assembly. To help smoo th ou t the power delivery , a heavier Steahly flywheel is used either a 6-, 8- or 10-ounce flywheel, depending on the terrain.