RL250s becoming cool?

[David Lahey]

Mainly for Doc
There are now two Suzuki RL250s being used in trials competition in SE Qld. What is going on? I thought Doc's baby was going to be the last working RL250 around.
Both RLs live at Maryborough. One is owned by dyed-in-the-wool Suzuki man Warren Stackman and is very standard looking. There is no way he could have riden anything else. The other is Mark Reed's and has been pimped a fair bit by his son Ben but is still recognisable.
Ben in turn has become a victim of the other fashion trend in Twinshock trials and is putting together three Kawasaki KT250s. One is museum standard, another is a trick competition bike in weird colours and the third is a girly flavoured bike for - yes you guessed it - his girlfriend.
For those who can't get there I will be taking photos of the weirdness at Brooweena in July.
David

[JohnnyO]

David in your opinion which is the better bike between the RL and the KT? The KT's seem a bit rarer. Does the RL need much work to make it competitive in twinshock competition?

[David Lahey]

As a kid I was put off RL250s. I just kept crashing when trying to do things that my TY175 breezed through. I knew so little about how to ride trials, that I couldn't tell what was going wrong. Three riding buddies back then had them and one of the three rode his very well while the others continually crashed themselves silly until eventually getting a different bike. Because of the memory of then, I haven't ridden an RL250 and haven't had much inclination to ride one since 1976.
In the mid 1990s I rode in a titles in twinshock class and it was won by a guy on an RL250. The frame geometry had been modified on that one by himself. In the UK they sold very few until the Suzuki importer had a frame specialist modify standard frames and then to make complete new frames. There had been a huge unsold inventory of RL250s around the world and the UK importer bought (was given) them all to make into something sellable - which they did. All this points to there being a serious problem with the frame geometry on a standard RL250 and there was also a design/metallurgy issue that led to virtually every standard frame cracking through the upright near the LH footpeg. The other bits on RL250s are great. The motor especially is a dream. Forks are fine too.
I guess all that means is that once an RL has had the geometry mods and the frame crack repaired/strengthened, they are a pretty good thing.
The KT also has a great motor, and has a seriously strong frame (kawasaki heavy industries) with good geometry built in from new.
I reckon a modded RL and a KT would be a pretty even match for competition.
Why do you reckon the KT seems rarer? Do you mean not as many for sale, or not as many in use? If you are serious about modding an RL, let me know and I will forward some contacts.

[JohnnyO]

There seems to be less KT's for sale. Could it be that they didn't sell a whole lot of them similar to '74-'76 KX's which are now fairly collectible. Are you talking about the Beamish RL250's as the bikes with the new frame? I see a few of them for sale in the UK. What mods do they do to the std frame?

[David Lahey]

Yes Beamish was the Suzuki importer. First off they altered the head angle and the upper shockie mounts on the standard frame. After that they made a complete frame and refined the design of that over a few versions. An interesting development was the use of a bigger displacement motor (325cc) based on the works Suzuki MX motors. As you can imagine it is quite difficult now to get motor parts for the 325 motors. They were non-primary kickstart too which was a bit odd for Jap motors. Very few Beamish Suzukis in Australia - probabaly less than 5 but they sold in the thousands in the UK at the time. They are currently out of favour with most twinshock riders because they have handling and motor response that suits big mud sections while most people nowadays want twinshocks that go well in tight rocky sections.
Have a look at the Twinshock forum on www.trialscentral.com and have a search on the web and you will learn lots about them.
There's probably less KTs for sale at the moment because the people that have them want to keep them. There has been a surge of interest in KTs over the past 5 years to the point where we are going for a world record attempt for the most KTs in one place at the Brooweena pre-80 trial this July (near Maryborough, Qld).
KTs get snapped up by people who want to ride a jap bike in twinshock trials but don't want to ride a Yamaha (which are like CR125 Elsinores in pre-75 MX for popularity).

[David Lahey]

I just found a site with the Beamish Suzuki trials history

http://www.beamishownersclub.com/_sgt/m1_1.htm

[David Lahey]

And here is the Beamish Club website

http://www.beamishownersclub.com/_sgg/f10000.htm

[DR]

Thanks Feetup I've read a lot of stuff about the RL250 and the Beamish RL250/325's but truth is I like the normal old everyday Jap produced RL warts and all. I'm not a trials rider but golly by jingo by crikey! I had a fat time the day I DID take it on a serious ride. Problem is I kept falling behind the group, not because I was slow but because I'd keep seeing hills and gullies that attracted me like magnets. It went everywhere I pointed it and if it didn't it was because I was scared and wimped out! In the really tight hilly stuff it blitzed. I've got 2 RL's now and the second will be restored to a rider also. I really am a novice but maybe that's why I like RL so much      

[JohnnyO]

There are 2 Beamish RL250's for sale on ebay UK at the moment and also a frame.. Too bad freight is so expensive from the UK.

[benno_r]

Hi guys,

I am the Ben Reed David talks about in the first post, and despite what David thinks about the RL, they are cool! Why? Well to me they (and the KT) are cool because they are not a TY. Some people just like to be different. I must admit it was David that got me hooked on KT's - before he let me ride his at Brooweena last year i would not have looked twice at any Japanese twinshock.

David, sorry to inform you but it will only be 2 KT's at Brooweena for me this year. The girly KT has been shelved for the moment because I am back to doing FIFO work out of Perth.

The "museum" piece will not be so museum for 4 reasons - 2x mudguards and 2x shocks! The mudguards I have are straight and intact but looking a bit ratty, and the shocks are non-standard. Everything else should be micky mouse! I am counting on yourself and Jeff to give it a critique on any other parts/details that are missing.

Back on topic - RL's are cool, but people should stop buying them until my Dad can get another one.

Cheers,
ben

[David Lahey]

Hi Ben
You should see how well Wazza is riding his RL now. I'm pretty sure he beat Starky on it at the RTC Trial at Scrubby Creek.

I know it's only me that has a thing about RLs. I have recently been given some photos of Frank Hull riding an RL quite nicely when it was new and will be posting them on the trials website soon.

I can bring an unused Fred Carter fibreglass replica rear guard to Brooweena for the photos if it would help. So far the likely KT attendees are yourself (2), myself (1), John Flynn (1), Lindsay Haig (1) and other possibles are Terry Telfer (1) and Lindsay Glynn-Armstrong (1)
David

[albrid-3]

l would like to see some photo`s, just bought myself an RL today

[albrid-3]

Hi Fellows, back in the days, l bought a brand new KT 250, love that bike, also owned a TY 250 and Montesa 247 cota, I prefered the Kt, now all gone.
Just yesterday l bought a Suzuki RL and it is 99 % complete ,have been very keen on the Honda TL too, have been told that they are to heavy. the model honda that l am looking for is TLR,  and also looking for advice, should l stick to the RL or find a TLR, RS 250 L
What should l do.

[DR]

Stick with the RL! been riding mine at CD6 all weekend and while I don't claim to be any sort of half decent trials rider the RL took me places I never thought possible There was more than a few nice full on enduro bikes I plodded past on the full enduro loop who must have cursed how seemingly easy the RL made it up, down, through and over obsticles whilst they went absolutely nowhere only hassle I had was getting my mate off the thing! This is coming from a yamaha man who owned TY's "never before have I enjoyed riding a trials bike as much as the RL..I want one!" Just gotta get RL No.2 sorted now so I can have mine back again!

[albrid-3]

Thanks Doc, my RL looks ok, it hasn`t been molested a very good straight bike that has been restored, but not running as yet.