Messages

1

Suzuki / RM250C2 shift problem

« on: March 06, 2017, 01:17:50 pm »

The clutch in my C2 had reached its wear limits and I was experiencing poor drive off the line. Replaced the clutch fibers and steels and went riding today to prep fro the start of the 2017 MOVMX season.

What is happening is once off the gate, second gear start, the shift to third is Ok but with the RPMs up the trans will not shift to 4th gear with or without the clutch. I can short shift and get all the gears but not while...I'm joking here...on the powerband. (The new clutch came with a red one and a green one).

Anyone ever have a similar issue? Not shifting correctly is giving my race buddies a head start and as competitive as the class is that makes it tough!

Kenny

2

Suzuki / Re: Muffler issue

« on: December 12, 2016, 05:22:38 am »

This bike is a racer so I'm not that fussy about something like a muffler.

The core is intact and secure at both ends. It sounds like there are a couple of small pebbles inside the muffler.

I wonder about cutting the end off in a way to make the muffler packable?

3

Suzuki / Muffler issue

« on: December 11, 2016, 09:58:47 am »

Hello guys,
I'm doing end of season maintenance and repairs on my 78 1/2 C2 250. The OE muffler has something rattling around inside. Have any of you cut the can open and cleaned out the guts and rewelded the hole?

Kenny

4

Wanted / Re: Suzuki Alloy Swingarm RM 250 C2 1978 etc

« on: June 14, 2016, 11:13:33 am »

I know of a C2 chassis located in Warrensburg Missouri. It has the correct swing arm, I know because I bought the Boge LTG shocks off of it.

The air box is like most these days, back side is broken out. There is a place in Arizona I believe, AMS Racing, that has a fiberglass replica of the airbox, but it requires the hardware off the original.

I know parts in the "Lower 48" creates shipping and currency exchange problems, but in the end it may be the only way to get what you need.

Kenny

5

Suzuki / Another C2 question

« on: February 22, 2016, 01:13:31 pm »

So I'm prepping the C2 for the upcoming MOVMX series, I got new shocks to replace the blown Boges and worked on jetting which I think I have pretty close.

I encountered an oil leak at the bottom of the clutch side case which I resealed and slowed but didn't stop the leak. I also noticed seepage around the kick started seal and believe it or not, around the oil fill plug. When I was working on the rebuild I made sure the vent PIPE was clear. It dawned on me today after all the break-in time and a short track day that maybe I'm building up some crank case pressure and the leaks are coming from the path of least resistance.

I pulled the vent HOSE off and tried to blow through it, couldn't!   I didn't have a piece of hose today so I poked a clothes hanger through the hose to dislodge whatever was in it. There was some sandy mess in there that came out pretty easily once I broke the seal so to speak.

Here's the question...I've run the bike for probably 2 hours total since rebuild. I replaced the crank seals and the countershaft seal but not the kicker seal at that time. What are the odds the right side crank seal is bad now? I haven't noticed any odd smell that might indicate transmission oil in the crankcase.

The lesson here is to check everything and don't think the weirdest things can't happen!

6

Suzuki / Re: RM250 foot pegs

« on: February 04, 2016, 11:54:37 am »

Sorry, '78 1/2  RM250C2.

7

Suzuki / RM250 foot pegs

« on: February 04, 2016, 01:22:37 am »

In nosing around this forum I guess the foot peg situation has been pretty much beaten to death!

I'm going to throw my experience in for the heck of it. Last Friday I received a set of RM85/KLX125 pegs from D2Moto.com. The parts are cast, nice and wide, the teeth are pointy but not razor sharp which is Ok by me for wear and tear on the boot soles.

The only issue with them was installing the springs. Where the pivot pin goes through (stock pin fits perfectly), the material is thick enough that the spring doesn't allow the pin to go through without binding. So a little work with the old Dremel tool to remove some of the offending material, I'm talking just a few thousandths, and presto, modern foot pegs

The $15.99 delivered price tag was a nice touch as well!

Carry on.

8

Introductions / Re: New to VMX in general, rebuilding an old farm bike PE250

« on: January 28, 2016, 12:55:00 am »

I picked up a very neglected RM250C2 in late 2014. I had some of the same issues, I made sure the old gal ran before I took her home. Then after months of cleaning, refreshing, etc, I could not get the engine to fire. I had the magic triangle, fuel, air, compression, but it would not fire.

Pushed it down the driveway and it lit but ran horribly. I remembered a post from a KDX forum I frequent saying to turn the fuel valve off while it is running. I did that and right before it ran out of fuel it would clean up and sound very good. I must have cleaned that old carb 10 times!

On the advice of the Suzuki gurus on this forum I broke down and bought a new carb, $129 from DC Plastics here in the States. Installed and 2 kicks later the bike runs great. I didn't get to ride it much last summer and right before a MOVMX race I had a catastrophic suspension failure. That's another story. I can highly recommend the buy a new carb advice.

9

Suzuki / Re: Swing arm question

« on: November 15, 2015, 12:53:38 am »

Thanks, I'll check the overall length of the spacers!

I didn't think of that.

Suzuki27, Yes, I have the thrust washers and dust seals in place along with a new chain buffer.

Thanks again guys.

10

Suzuki / RM250 case saver

« on: November 05, 2015, 12:42:58 pm »

My C2 has the OE counter shaft sprocket cover, is there an aftermarket case saver?

The bike has new sprockets and chain, I replaced the rollers in the tensioner but the spring is a bit weak I suspect.

I'm afraid of a chain derail in the future wrecking the case.

I have plenty of scrap steel and aluminum available if anyone has a pattern I'd just make my own.

Thanks guys.

11

Suzuki / Swing arm question

« on: October 28, 2015, 12:51:48 am »

While waiting to receive a new pair of shocks to replace the blown Boges, I noticed a bit of side to side play in the swing arm at the pivot bolt. During the original rebuild I replaced the pivot bearings with genuine Suzuki parts. The chain buffer is new as well.

Since the OE bearings apparently didn't fix the issue (there was no play when I torqued the bolt on the original build), I searched and found a pair of bronze bushings with the correct ID for the spacers although the OD was slightly larger. Turns out the bore for the bearings is a bit worn and I was able to get the bushings to fit with just a little persuasion. The bushings are 2mm longer than the OE bearings. I pressed the bushings in and allowed a slight bit of space from the end of the bore (bushing pressed in to about 1mm from the end of the bore), the bushings do not protrude from the bore.

So I get everything lined up, torque the nut to 45ftpds as per the Clymer manual (37-50) and the swing arm is very difficult to move through its travel, no shocks attached. I removed and went through the installation process two more times taking care to make sure everything was seated as it should be and still as the torque value goes up the force required to move the arm goes way up.

Currently I have the nut set at about 40lbs and there is some resistance, that is just inside the recommended torque value but I am concerned with the resistance in movement.

What do you fellers think?

12

Introductions / Re: Hello from MO, USA

« on: October 04, 2015, 06:42:24 am »

I too was a regular at Cycle World in St Peters!

My days were from roughly 1973 through 1976 when we moved away.

There are a couple of pictures of me on the Cycle World Facebook page, #181 on a TM100, RM125M, and maybe the RM250 I had then.

That was a great track run by great folks. I'm getting back into the vintage program but have just today suffered a setback (see my post in the Suzuki section!

Maybe we'll run into each other next season.

13

Suzuki / Well crap ona cracker

« on: October 04, 2015, 06:33:13 am »

I finally had everything lined out, bike runs very strong, looks good, seemingly ready to go for tomorrow's Vintage MX. My first race on a real MX bike in over 30 years.

Today I go to the track to work on fork settings and just get a few laps in before tomorrow. I get to doing some pretty intense laps with a buddy on a YZ250F (set up for woods) and we are having a great time. On the last lap we are doing something just doesn't feel right, the jump landing seem harder and the whoops didn't go as smoothly as before.

I get back to the pits for a final look at the bike before heading home and glance down at the swingarm....it's covered in oil and dirt!!!

All that time I spent chasing parts and rebuild info for the Boge LTG shocks, thanks again to this site for the great info the seals in both are blown and the oil has covered the rear wheel in gunk.

So no race tomorrow.

I had not planned on going today, my buddy talked me into it last night. I probably would have made most of the laps in two classes tomorrow if I hadn't gone today!

I think rather than go through the Boge deal again I'll just pony up for a set of the cheapie Progressives for next year.

Carry on.

14

Suzuki / Thanks and an update

« on: August 09, 2015, 12:01:03 pm »

So in a previous post I was having trouble a very rich running RM250C2. A couple of you nice folks recommended just dumping the old carb and buying a new one and be done with it. Well I resisted that advice for a while and finally bit the bullet and ordered a new carb from DC Plastics at the same time I ordered fenders.

Well let me tell you, installed the new carb and three kicks it fired and runs great! So that's the thanks. I still don't understand how a carb can wear out like that but I guess it can.

The old gal is ready for tuning. I did notice the clutch is a little funny. The fiber plates measured in spec but there just isn't much clutch action there right now, I'll play with it some before dropping more coin on clutch parts.

I'm going to try to link some photos from photobucket...so here goes...before and after.


as purchased


today






got great info on the Boge LTG shocks from this site



I'll get some saddle time in over the next week or so, right now she has about 15 minutes of run time.
The front fender and side panels are throwbacks to my teenage years and the late Tony Wynn.

Again, thanks for all the great advice and I'm sure I will be needing more in the future!

15

Suzuki / Re: RM250 new problem

« on: June 22, 2015, 11:14:25 am »

Well I pulled the carb again and checked out the needle valve. I remember when I first went through the carb at rebuild the needle looked good to me. There wasn't even a hint of wear on the tip of the needle. I polished it slightly just because and reinstalled it.

The reeds are perfect. Crank seals are new with the rebuild. Since it cleans up and runs good as the fuel level drops I don't think it is an electrical issue. It does have the hat thingie under the main jet. I will try the hot water test for the floats next weekend, maybe one is heavy? They both seem to float pretty well in the fuel in the bowl.

So today I had a thought, what about pulling the bowl and hooking up the fuel line and do a test to see if I could stop the fuel flow. I can stop the flow using my finger to raise the float lever dealie. I realize even the lightest pressure from my finger is probably more than the floats raising the lever. But now I am not sure about the needle. I guess $20 for a new one would just eliminate the needle as the problem.

Does anyone know what the number on the seat means? Mine has 3.0. I have searched the interweb and there many different options available. Some have 1.5, 2.0, 3.5. I suppose the number is a reference to flow rate but I'm not sure.

I'm off to work tomorrow so I won't have any updated news until next weekend.

Have a great week and I'll check back in a few days.