Advice on an RM250x

[TwoTees]

Hi all!
I'm really loving this forum and getting lots of great info for my entry into the world of VMX. As per my introduction ....
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=6818.0
I am going to have a go at pre85 racing and have finally found myself a bike, but after taking it bush over the long weekend, I realise that I need to set it up a bit better than it is and I am hoping that some of you experienced Suzuki guys may be able to pass on some of your wisdom and previous experiences so I get it right the first time.

The Bike.......
Lots more pics click here


An 1981 RM250x. The link shows the photos that the previous owner took for me to purchase online, unseen, interstate and the brief was the following...
New bottom end, new gearbox bearings, New .5 over wiseco, new reeds, new swingarm bearings, RAD rebuilt rear shock, fork service with seals and new wheel bearings.All this had only an hour or so on it. Also got a spare complete engine/trans (2mm over) and swing arm.
All of the above I am sure is true after getting the bike. I got all the old parts and I reckon the bike starts, goes great and handles OK (For 1981). Clearly it needs plenty of cosmetic attention, but before I go there I have the following setup issues that I need to address.

1. The seat. You just slide straight towards the tank when sitting. The foam is soft and the old cover is shinny and slippery. Its not bad when you are in the tight stuff cornering as it keeps you right up the front but to get to the standing position is harder from there and when you need to be on the middle to rear it is almost impossible to stay there. Is this a common complaint with this bike? Can any one give me some ideas how to fix this? I'm thinking a new foam with a gripper cover but not sure if this will be enough.

2. The front end. Wow! The full floater rear is a great but the front... Blah! On Flat corners the front wont grip. Admittedly the front tyre is a bit cracked but I played with tyre pressures down as low as 8 but it always feels like its got 30psi. One fast 4th gear flat corner where the rear normally slides the whole bike was sliding sideways. Landing from small jumps it wallows and takes a second or so to feel stable again after rebounding a bit. Smashing it at high speed throught rocky, rutty crap is not too bad. Plenty of rebound and head shake but it actually feels OK in a scary kind of way.
I have no idea of what to do here? I do have a nice set of YZ490j 43mm forks, twin leading brake and wheel that almost matches the rear. Or is this blasphemy towards the Suzuki gods? Legal in pre 85?

3. Footpegs. I don't mind the skinny pegs but the springs are toast. Before taking it out I bodgied the left up with a spring from something else and the right sorta works but the spring in pressing from the rear brake pedal. The springs are No longer available. Any ideas here?

Thats the main things, there are a few other little things like heavy clutch, bars and controls that need attention but I should have those under control then I plan on new tyres, plastics, (any comments here would be appriciated). Maybe tidy up the frame and engine paint but I don't want to get into the trap of "well that bit looks goods...I better just tidy that bit up" and end up with something I'm too scared to scratch.

Sorry for rambling on. Any advice you can give me would be great.

Cheers, Chris

[JohnnyO]

You need to get a new seat foam and cover, the old vinyl cover will be hard and slippery compared to new. Vintage Suzuki in the US should have them or ebay or you could get a trimmer to make a gripper cover for it.
Put a new front tyre on, if it's cracked it's way past it's use by date.
Change the fork oil and play with the air pressures til it feels ok. Probably 10w oil about 120mm from the top with forks compressed.
Put late model RM pegs and springs on it from about a 98- 2000 model.

[mick25]

If you have trouble finding bits through your local bike shop  :'( try suziparts.com.au 1800 882 020. (08)82951661 hes down south oz he had all the bits i needed for my bike 

[oldfart]

The gear boxs are a bit light on . Also take care of you engine cases as they are like rocking horse shit , I have 5 LHs cases all with the clutch damage ( so keep the case saver on at all costs )

[suzuki43]

Welcome Chris,
Good to see that you have brought yourself a mighty yellow machine which are the only way to go (just ask Magoo ).
1)Either get a safety seat extension and gripper cover from Vintage Suzuki or talk to Mario from Topline in Melbourne.
2)Definitely put the YZ front end on the bike as the biggest complaint about the 250x was the wimpy 38mm forks the YZ brake set up will help too.
3)I recommend you speak with Steve Hunter at Mick Hone Suzuki Melbourne re any NOS parts you need,they normally give repeat buyers discount and are VMX friendly. I would only try the guy in SA for NLA parts because I believe he actualy sources a lot of his parts via other Suzuki dealers.
Plastics arent an issue only the RH sidecover is NLA.But some of those repo types are best for racing anyway.
Any questions send me a pm mate. I have owned/restored/raced a few full floaters and have learnt a bit about them over the last 8 odd years.
But good luck and enjoy!
Cheers
Craig

[Rossvickicampbell]

I agree with Craig - Steve Hunter at Mick Hone is brilliant - and their service is really quick for what they have and even not bad for what needs ordering in!

Best of luck with the rebuild.

cheers

Rossco

[SUZUKI311]

Wlecome chris, i also have a one owner 250X which is a great bike to ride when set up correctly. If you have a 43mm front end then i reckon put it on, why not?. Twin leading shoe brake is also heaps better than standard suzy item. Correct jetting is a must to get the most out of this model, and when you get it right they are a great motor. I got a set of DC plastics for race use, but unfortunately they dont fit at all.( I was aware of possible issues before i bought them but i didnt expect them to be as bad as they are.) Try your suzuki dealer as a lot of genuine parts are still available.
Cheers, Bill

[TwoTees]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies
I think I might start with the 43mm front end. Has any one done this conversion? I'm guessing I will just need to get head bearings to suit Yam tree and Suzi head. I assume this should be easy. The forks are the same free length and the tree clamps are in the same location. The forks are in perfect condition so I will just bolt them up and see how it goes. If they are too heavy or just wrong I can change back and it should only cost me the price of bearings. If it improves thing I can service them then.

Unfortunately this is not an open check book affair. My 3 boys racing keeps my bank account low so its going to take a while before I'm ready to race

Has any one bought a gripper seat cover and foam from Vintage Suzuki in USA. Are they OK?

Hey suzuki311, I have been looking at DC plastics thinking they were the way to go. What sort of plastics does do "Vintage plastics" (Mainly Maico) sell. Are they just DC? What about Maier? They look different and they are a lot dearer. If I start doing things like yamaha front ends different looking plastics wont worry me.

I will try to get a start on the front end this week and report back.

Cheers, Chris

[JohnnyO]

Chris i think Mainly Maico have the Vintage Suzuki plastics made by maier. With the front end it's not always easy to get the bearing size you want. Another way is to press the steering stem out of the Suzuki clamps and into the YZ clamps but this may involve some machining or a bush to be made for the stem to fit. I've bought a seat foam from Vintage Suzuki and they are good, a bit firmer than standard.

[Rossvickicampbell]

Chris - seriously - check out Suzuki before buying after market - not as dear as you would expect.  I got all mine from Australian stock and only needed one radiator shroud (for my 82 Z) from Japan and believe it or not it was on my doorstep in a week?

Rossco

[JohnnyO]

I recently bought a brand new seat from Suzuki for my '84 RM250 so it's worth checking with your dealer first. It looks as though Suzuki has done another production run of parts for these old bikes as the brackets were slightly different from original and it didn't have any lettering on the cover.

[suzuki43]

John thanks for confirming my suspicions I saw a 1984 Rm 125 seat for sale on Evilbay....

[DJRacing]

I recently bought a brand new seat from Suzuki for my '84 RM250 so it's worth checking with your dealer first. It looks as though Suzuki has done another production run of parts for these old bikes as the brackets were slightly different from original and it didn't have any lettering on the cover.

I have heard that Suzuki will make more parts if discontinued. When you go in to ask about the avialability make sure the parts person registars the part on the suzuki computer network and if there is enough people wanting/asking for this part they will make more. So it always pay to keep checking to see if the part has become avialable again.

[pokey]

1. The seat. You just slide straight towards the tank when sitting. The foam is soft and the old cover is shinny and slippery. Its not bad when you are in the tight stuff cornering as it keeps you right up the front but to get to the standing position is harder from there and when you need to be on the middle to rear it is almost impossible to stay there. Is this a common complaint with this bike? Can any one give me some ideas how to fix this? I'm thinking a new foam with a gripper cover but not sure if this will be enough.

a textured vinyl cover will fix this... the one with the dimples.. clarke rubber



The x is a good bike and with a decent rider it can hold its own  on the current breed. Its a damn good trail bike and may be the last link from trail to curcuit.. well RMX for my thinking is the end .

Swing arm pivots are a place to look for stress fractures. rest is solid as.

[LWC82PE]

if you dont want to be sliping onto the tank, then maybe consider a safety seat

vintage suzuki do them

http://www.vintage-suzuki.com/seatcovers.htm
http://www.vintage-suzuki.com/seatfoam.htm

and so does Hi-Flite

http://www.hi-flite.com/mx.html

i wouldnt touch DC plastics. Go for maier or vintage suzuki