VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P153
issue. In a curious move, the pro-
totype version had already been
spotted in SoCal trials competi-
tion. The test bike was one of the
first to come off the production
line, and the CN crew was eager
to see if the new offering from
Suzuki had the right stuff for the
feet-up gang.
The Suzuki Exacta might still
be one of the prettiest motor-
cycles ever made. Trials bikes
are featherweight fighters, and
so the skinny, brushed alumi-
num tank sports just the tiniest
amount of bright orange paint,
sending a message that this ma-
chine is all business. It featured
some nifty and slightly innova-
tive features, like a solid-state
ignition and an automatic chain
oiler. No space was wasted on
this motorcycle, as even the
empty swinging arm tubing did
double duty as an oil reservoir.
Apparently, the powers that
were wanted to take a slightly
more budget-conscious ap-
proach to their first entry in
the trials scene, so the RL 250
shared a few components with
its motocross and enduro broth-
ers in Suzuki's lineup.
"The lower end of the engine is
developed from the same cast-
ings as the MX and enduro 250s,
which is a mixed blessing," the
staff wrote. "Suzuki also appears
to have adapted the full-width
hubs from one of the smaller
bikes, rather than develop spe-
cial trials hubs and brakes."
But all is well, provided that
ends justify means, and the
199-pound Exacta looked and
felt like a real trials machine. The
solid-state ignition "works very
well. There is absolutely no lump-
iness to the idle, no tendency for
the ignition to hunt for its firing
point at low cranking speeds…it
pulls cleanly and strongly…"
The staff's only complaint about
the powerplant dealt with the
flywheel. "While it allows you to
pick the front end up any time, any
place…it also becomes possible to
generate great gobs of wheelspin
at times and [at] places you least
want it. The power comes on too
quickly for the tire to hold on to
loose, scrabbly surfaces."
In the 1970s, serious motorcy
-
clists demanded frames made of
4130 chromoly steel, the alterna-
tive choice being the wimpish
variety known as "mild steel."
Chromoly steel was to mild steel
what Led Zeppelin was to Barry
Manilow, a Chevy SS versus a
Vega, or Ginger up against Mary
Ann. The RL 250 used chromoly
steel for its frame, and strong men
grunted approvingly, though the
CN team was less jaded. "Chrome
moly doesn't bend, it's brittle, and
it breaks. And it's expensive. Word
to the wise an' all that."
In the '70s (as well as in many
other decades), the trials world
was ruled by the country of Spain,
and Bultaco's Sherpa T was the
king. Was the Suzuki Exacta a
worthy competitor? In a word,
no, although the staff was quick
to point out the $200 cost sav
-
ings if one purchased the $1125
Japanese bike instead of its
Spanish counterpart. The RL 250
was Suzuki's entry into the trials
community, and it was probably
the better choice for novice riders
who were doing the same. Jazz
trials for the beginner!
CN
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The RL was a good trials
bike, but maybe not in
the same league as the
European (Spanish) trials
bikes at the time.
