Quick Ride
Quick Ride
SUZUKI RM250 Better-late berm-buster
REMEMBER IN SCHOOL when you could miss a test and get a make-up? Well, that's what the professors at Cycle World magazine have arranged for the 1998 Suzuki RM250, which arrived too late to be included in last month's 250cc motocross comparison.
What held it up? The rumor mill churned out all sorts of scenarios. Was it that Suzuki was building an all-new bike to suit star rider Jeremy McGrath? No, McGrath signed with Yamaha, so strike that. Was it that Suzuki Team Manager Roger DeCoster insisted on so many last-minute changes that the design team blew its dead line? Or was it a simple matter of a delayed production sched ule? Whatever the reason, we were able to arrange a special exam to rank the `98 RM250 among its classmates.
The new bike's looks are de ceiving, because it is quite a bit more revised than even an informed set of eyes would de tect. Engine changes include a heavier crank (for more inertia), revised cylinder porting and igni tion timing, plus a new pipe, reed valve, piston and Keihin PowerJet carb. As for the chassis, frame rigidity was increased, a morelinear shock linkage was fitted, the shock shaft was enlarged, the fork was lightened and the sus pension valving was fine-tuned.
From the first prod of the kick starter, the `98 RM seems to vi brate more than its competition. It definitely makes more mechanical engine noises, the most likely culprit being the internal (inside the center cases) water pump. A tug on the clutch lever confirms that the feathery pull of yesteryear is gone, and that the initial grab is just that-grabby. Not a pretty start, for sure.
Get into the groove on a race track, though, and you'll fmd that the RM is improved in every re spect. First off, the engine drops a midrange bomb that gives a new meaning to the term "meaty," topping even the barking `98 Kawasaki KX250. While bottomend power is smooth,, top-end is only average, and there's less overrev than we'd like, similar to the `98 Yamaha YZ250. Suzuki ap parently is struggling to find the right setup for the new carb; with the stock settings, the effects of the Power-Jet aren't as noticeable as on other similarly equipped bikes.
Suspension-wise, the `98 RM is triple-jumps better than the way-too-progressive setup of the `97 model. Stout, compliant and very similar to the latest YZ, the RM's suspenders absorb track obstacles as well as anything in its class-only the new KX beats it with unreal plushness. In the handling department, the RM provides positive front-end feed back and huge cornering confi dence, at the expense of a bit of nervousness in high-speed chop. Its tall seat, combined with an overall short, square feel, re sponds well to aggressive riders who like to climb all over the bike-an easy task since the RM's rider compartment is the roomiest of the `98s.
Where would the RM have placed had it been included in our recent comparison test? Certainly no worse than third. A motocross rider can't go wrong wearing yel low this year. As for the Suzuki's tardiness, we'll excuse it this time. But if it happens again, we'll demand to see a doctor's note.
Jimmy Lewis
