'74 Suzuki TM250 L

[JC]

Probably 75 TM g'box - closer ratios than 74 TM

[Simo63]

Hi everyone.  Firstly I want to say thanks for the support and kind words.  What happened last weekend was difficult at the time for myself to accept but importantly it was also difficult for the scrutineers, clerk of course and organisers as well.  But that is all behind us now and I for one am now well and truly over it and looking to move forward.

I did speak with the previous owner of the bike on the Friday after it was initially identified as a 75 frame as it seemed logical to me to call him to talk about the problem.  John was as shocked as I was and I believe that he genuinely didn't know it was a 75 frame.  He even followed up with some information later that evening to try and provide supporting information.  From what I understand he has never had any issues with eligibility or scrutineering so I have to believe him.  In fact throughout my dealings with John, it has been my impression that he has been honest and straight up front with me about the bike.  Subsequently I won't be going down the path of requesting any refunds from him.  I am happy with what I paid for the bike considering the superb condition of it, the inclusion of the rare RH parts and the spares I received.

John advises me that he sourced the NOS RH Barrel (and head?? .. I keep forgetting to ask him about the head) from someone in NZ and I'm certain he paid quite a lot of money for it at the time.  I’m not sure what that would be worth but between that and the rest of the bike, you can see there has been a lot of money spent on it.  One of the many things that really attracted me to the bike was the RH cylinder because as I understand it, it has transformed the bikes power.  The alleged RH gearbox was not something I treasured at the time of purchase because I (ignorantly) thought all MX’ers had close ratio boxes.  Well they all did in my era which is more 80’s.  It’s only now that I understand the pre 75 TM’s had a wider ratio box [insert blushing here] and that this bike has a close ratio box of some kind.

I have heard and read a couple of times now that the claimed RH gearbox can’t be because they don’t fit.  Now I can’t guarantee it is an RH gearbox and if people more knowledgeable that I state it doesn’t fit then I have to believe them.  But what I do know is that I received a spare engine with the bike PLUS another spare gear cluster set.  Now John has told me the spare gearbox set is the one removed from this motor when the RH gearbox internals were put in.  So it seems likely that something about this box is different to original.  As I said above, I now understand that pre 75 TM’s have a wider ratio box and that 75 and onward TM’s had a closer ratio box so it could be very possible that the gears in the bike are 75 TM.  Or maybe there is some way to make RH gears fit?  I don’t know but having ridden the bike (just the once unfortunately), I like the gear ratios and I can tell you that the gearbox is one of the nicest gearboxes I have ever used.  It is so precise in it’s action it’s not funny.  Are they all like that??

Anyway, I’m happy with everything on this bike except the frame so I believe I can reconstruct it into the bike I always thought it was.  And I still look forward to adding (or maybe now it is creating) it’s racing history.

Cheers
Craig

[shortshifter]

Stay with it Simo,rebuild around an earlier frame(Terry's got a complete bike floating around).Most of us here have been burned at some stage be it intensional or not (as in your case) all part of the rich tapestry of VMX.At least its not an Impala and will be a good thing when you've sorted it

[Simo63]

Stay with it Simo,rebuild around an earlier frame(Terry's got a complete bike floating around).Most of us here have been burned at some stage be it intensional or not (as in your case) all part of the rich tapestry of VMX.At least its not an Impala and will be a good thing when you've sorted it

Thanks Paul  .

Yes Terry called me yesterday asking if I wanted to watch Origin at his place with you guys over a few beers (but I had to work unfortunately) and let slip that he had a 74 TM iin the shed.  He's a man of many surprises and talents is our Terry.  Might have to chase him up on that .. see what he plans to do with it.

And you're right, not like it's a rusty Impala is it    Although if you think about it, it's simlar in a lot of ways though .. everything is fantastic except it has a flawed chassis.  Actually it's too similar for my liking now I think about it 

But yeah, will stick with it and make it into the best bike it can be.

[firko]

John was as shocked as I was and I believe that he genuinely didn't know it was a 75 frame.

Craig.......Knowing John and having scrutineered the bike in the 90's, I have no doubt that John knew nothing of the bikes ilegality either. My old memory's pretty foggy but I'd be pretty sure that he'd bought the bike from another racer and then set about improving it with the fancy paint and RH bits. If that's the case both John, you and everyone who scrutineered and raced against it may have been misled by an earlier owner of the bike. Whatever the truth is, it's in the past so move on and do what you have to do to get the bike back on the track.

John advises me that he sourced the NOS RH Barrel (and head?? .. I keep forgetting to ask him about the head) from someone in NZ and I'm certain he paid quite a lot of money for it at the time.

I'm almost certain John bought the RH parts from the late Barry Senn, a Kiwi collector who was good mates with a number of forum members. Barry was tragically killed in a race accident a few years ago. Anyone who knew how much he treasured his beloved RH's and RN's would know that Barry would have asked really big numbers to part with RH top end and transmission.

I have heard and read a couple of times now that the claimed RH gearbox can’t be because they don’t fit. 

Ironically, the bloke who can settle that argument happens to be the same bloke who knocked the bike back in scrutineering . Testing my old memory again, I seem to remember a conversation with Dave where he told me that the RH gearbox can be fitted but with a lot of machine work. I may have imagined that conversation though so don't take it as gospel .

s I said above, I now understand that pre 75 TM’s have a wider ratio box and that 75 and onward TM’s had a closer ratio box so it could be very possible that the gears in the bike are 75 TM.

The TM has a closer ration trans to the TS but it's still a lot wider than other bikes in its class. The '75 TM may well have had shorter ratios but it seems a silly thing for them to do for a model that was released purely to use up old TM stock prior to the RM's release.

[Simo63]

One final post to close the chapter on the issues around this bike.  Over the weekend I have successfully transferred the running gear into a pre 75 class legal 1974 TM250 frame.  And despite my best attempts, it lives 

It's first race in it's new guise will be the Connondale Classic in a couple of weeks time.  I can't wait 

Another learning firmly pasted into the book. 

[shortshifter]

Look forward to that thing being fired in anger!

[Freakshow]

So you double checked the frame number starts with a 498 or under  huh.......... just to be sure