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/128626
RIIIIRB=t;::J 2001 Suzuki RM250 Et { { ~ (A bo ve) La st m odel y ear's RM250 engin e was strong in the m iddle and top, b ut a b it l ackin g on t h e bottom. For 2001 , Suzuki was going for more of a bottom-t om idrange motor. (Be l ow) Most people e ither l ov e or hate the w ild new shape of the RM 's p lastic. This v iew s h ow s the angular rear fender, i nc l uding what's come to be u nofficially known as the " Pastran a handle." Thanks in part to a severe diet, the new RM250 Is easily maneuverable, on the ground or in the air. aro und the outsid e , dependin g o n t he ci rc u m stances. O d d ly , that 2 1 1-pound m ark is o nly t w o pounds lighte r than what Suzuk i claimed fo r the 2000 RM, bu t since we subs eq u ent te s t i ng b a c k ed up o ur susp icion s . F ortunat e ly , w e spe nt a da y at Gl en H elen w it h Suzu k i tech Jason S id es t wee k i ng t he carb , and c ame up w it h some settin g s that we saved weigh t o n th e g r am - c ount ing were q uite p leased w it h . I n s to ck form , t he Suzuk i h as a c hart e ls ewhere in th is article, w e ' re he althy m idra n g e , but is fla t o n t he pretty su re last yea r 's figu re was wildly o ptimistic, and th at this ye ar's number b o tto m , re sulting in a vio lent t ran sition that is hard to c o nt ro l in limited - came u p with n ea rl y n in e pounds of is closer to the true ma rk . The saved tracti o n si tua tions. Riders who li ke to we ight is aided by other measures that sc ream t heir bikes were able to avoid were t a k e n to make the b i k e more this point in the powerband b y stay- compact an d the weigh t more opti - ing above it, but o thers had to negoti - mall y placed , such a s rec o n f ig u ri ng ate t h r ou g h it out o f ev e r y corner. th e wa ter pump in o rde r to m ak e th e m oto r shorter front to rear. S id e s r i c h en e d t h e needle sl i ghtl y , RM=ROO ST MONKEY Su zuk i' s de cision t o go lean in th e One of Suzuki's prioriti es for the RM was to capitalize on the opport unity afforded by an all -new model by lightening it significantly . It' s hard to cut substantial weight in any one area (with out sacrifici ng reliability), so engineers from off areas were given the word to reduce weight . Th e result is the following gram -counti ng list, which is enough to make any bicycli st salivate. Part Weight Reduct ion Main frame .580 grams Subframe seat rails 120 grams Front num ber plate .37.6 grams Front fender 30 gram s Rear fender 5.0 grams Front hub .47.7 grams Front brake disc 99 .9 grams Rear brake disc 146 gram s Front brake-ho se cover 86.6 grams Front brake caliper bracket 30.7 grams Rear brake m aster cylinder 109.8 grams Rear brake pedal 90 grams Chain-adju ster blocks 2.9 grams Chain buff er 5.0 grams Chain guide 31. 9 grams Chain roller 8.0 grams Throttle cable 22.5 grams Clut ch cable 73 .8 grams Front fork : 800 grams Rear shock 260 grams Suspension link age lever 26 grams Dog-bone linkage rod 119.2 gram s Cylinder head 52 grams Engi ne cy linder 450 grams Magneto rotor 55 grams Primary driv e gear 18.2 grams Clutc h push rod 38.7 grams Clutch push piece .4.4 grams Shift shaft .36 .9 grams Shift pole lifter 3.7 grams Shift lever 5.0 grams Exhaust pipe 150 grams Exhaust pipe mount 5.0 grams Silencer .48 grams Crankcase .410 grams Radiator hoses 95 grams 34 AUGUST 16,2000' cue I 0 n e vv s g o ing from an N3WK with the cli p in th e second n otch d own , to an N3YK with the cl ip in t he third n otch down. Since the Y need le is identica l to t he we ig ht d ep artment is a w elc ome o ne , W with the exception of gro o v es th at bu t w e wish it hadn 't done so with th e ar e slight l y o ff se t, t his c h a n g e i s ca rbure tion . Sto ck m otorcycl es usu - e s se n tia lly l ik e m ak ing th e n e edl e a lly co m e set up w ith c o nse rvati ve half-a -g roove ri c her. W e also ba c k ed jetti n g that errs o n th e sid e of ric h - out on the c hoke knob , goi n g fr o m ness , b ut the new RM comes with set- e ig ht cl ic ks o ut to 12, an d these sim - ti ngs th at are o n t he lea n si de. Suzu - p le upd at e s elim i nated th e s te p ki 's p r e s s intro t o ok pla c e o n a be tween bottom and m id , resulting in a smo oth tra nsition and a n easy-to- boiling-hot d ay at Th ird Ge ar Pinned , a new So C al o utdo o r - st yl e t rac k , an d there, we thought we detected p inging and deton ation from t he RM . Still , w e weren't fa miliar w ith the t rac k , but control powerband . However , th er e was still a b it of a va lley in th e up per midrange - exact ly the point used when grunti ng o ve r Team Suzuki rider Tr avis Pastrana is known for his brains, as he's one of the few factory riders to have actuall y comp leted college courses, and Suzuki is doing its best to encourage such behavior in its custome rs. Th e company 's Good Scholar program encourages high performan ce from riders not only on the tra ck . but in the cla ssroom as well. If you're a B student or bett er, get an RM and com pete in five RM Contingency events. Pull a 3.0 GPA or bette r in school , and Suzuk i will give you a $500 savings bond. Since thi s is exactly the thin g Cycle New s encourages with its Brass Brain Award, we appl aud Suzuki for rewarding good study habits with cold, hard cash. Of course all Math, Engli sh, History and Science makes Ja ck a dull boy, so Suzuki also encourages good motocross study habits. Th at' s why it offers any buyer of a new RM a free session in the respected Tony D. Motocross Scho ol. Suzuki also supports riders th rough its RM Cup Challenge, a race whic h Suzuki riders qualify for by eam ing dough in Suzuk i's RM Contingency Program . At thi s event, riders in 11 classes eam $102 ,000 in cash prizes, and ESPN does an hour-long show on the race. Suzuki rounds out its rider-support program by attendin g over 50 events a year with its support tr ucks , which offer parts and assistance for free, and thro ugh its farm league - a program that signed a certai n eight- year-old Travis Pastrana when Suzuki 's Pat Al exander spotte d the kid at the Pontiac A mateu r Supercross.