2003 RM 250 1st ride

[Jawsrm134]

Some folks were asking for opinions so here it goes.

Well I finally got to ride my bike. Im 38 and ride +35 MX and a few hare scrambles. (B rider)

I am very impressed with the low and midrange of the bike. I just got off a DRZ 400 with all the mods and this 250 has given me a wake up call. You definitly have to stay on top of it, power is there when you want it. I have also noticed as did others, the more aggresive you are the better the bike is. Carves corners, tracks straight, light in the air. I am impressed and am very happy with my decision to go back to 2 strokes.

I took it in the woods for a little bit, only a little bit. 1st gear is a little tall for tight one track, tree banging trails, but the bike handles great. I am going to put a 12 tooth up front when I do hare scrambles. I have it on order and will post when I have tried it out.

The suspension is great on the track, set the sag, a couple of clicks here and there and it was nice, soaks up just about everythig. But in the woods for 2 hours my old butt is going to be in bad shape. I primarily ride MX with my son so the suspension stays stock and ill just soften it up when I ride the trails.

I know this bike will make a difference for me at the track on raceday. Im sure any other brand 03 MXer would also, but Im a Yellow rider and couldnt be happier.

Mark

 

[a454elk]

Great to hear it!! Enjoy and be safe.
Elk

 

[woodsy]

Congrats on the new one JAW!! I have found that 12 tooth front sprockets cause premature chain/sprocket failure when running O-ring (that is just to much of a radius). Maybe you would be better to do the 4 up on the rear routine. Also, try one of those chamois crotch riding shorts for your "monkey butt" problems. I wouldnt go on ride without mine :0
Have fun!
Woody

 

[Nevada Sixx]

jaws..have you looked into getting a tall/soft seat for it when you go woods riding? and did you have problems with looping out and slipping due to the power hit? thanks...

 

[Jawsrm134]

Elk Thanks

Woodsy, I may go that route. Ever heard of abnormal wear with a reguar chain (stock) I will only put it on (12 tooth) a few times a year.Thanks for the info. Yea need to get the padded pants. Cant afford to buy to many goodies like seats and things.


Nevada sixx, Looped it out once, I was amazed at the power. I used to ride 2 strokes back in the day, but these new ones are crazy fast. My son has the 2003 RM 125. I rode it and its got some pep but not even close to the 250. I was carefull after that and it seems to stick alright in turns if you roll on smooth then hit it when your exiting and in more control.

After a few laps I learned quick to stay up front when on the gas for the most part, but I think its going to take while for me to get used to the bike.

ALL I know is Im smiling ear to ear when I ride it!!!!!!!!!!! then the occasional OH SH*#, better slow it down.

 

[tonyromero]

Hey Jaws , like you I am in my thirties and just bought a new 03' RM250. In fact, I also just came off a fully modded DRZ which I thought was fast ( actually the bike was just stolen!) How does the RM compare in straight line acceleration? Also, I was over at the local shop yesterday and the mechanic said that I should leave the jetting alone during break in but afterwards should go one size down on the main ( yet he said to leave the needle and pilot as is) Have you, or do you plan on rejetting? Are you running the 30:1 the manual recommends? I haven't gotten a chance to ride mine yet but if it's anything like you describe I'm sure I'll love it. ( note: I used the Honda synthetic blend MP4 oil in the gears, anyone try this stuff? I only used it because I had some left over from my DRZ days) I plan on using the Mobil premix as I have read nothing but good things here.

 

[Jawsrm134]

Tony, Ill tell you what, It flat out rips, Straight line acceleration if you can get traction is unbelievable. I thought my DRZ was fast. I guess the DRZ was fast, but didnt have the quickness this bike has. The DRZ was very predictable due to the slower acceleration. Right now on this bike ill be very wary until I get used to the power delivery. To be honest with you its kinda scary at first, until you learn how to control it. My DRZ was very hard to turn on an MX track at speed, the front end was heavy and it wanted to push all the time. This bike just point and go. I couldnt weight steer my DRZ to good, this one you can. I need to ride it alot more before I attempt some of the large doubles and tabletops I was dooing on my DRZ. Im still used to keeping the power on on the jump face and thats a big nono with this bike, youll flip it.

The first time I rode it I putted up the street, The second time I said let me see what this thing has, I turned the throttle like I would have on my DRZ and I was a little bit back on the seat and flipped it in a split second. I know my reaction time is slower than it used to be but it caught me by complete surprise. I definitly respect it now. I dont think Ill even come close to riding the bike to its potential. The DRZ I rode to its potential. But Im sure my lap times are going to come down, because I can finally hit the turns with some speed.

NOTE: I havent had the bike near full throttle yet.

Youll love it im sure, Let me know what you think when you get it.

Im may rejet, I dont know about the main seems fine to me, but the pilot system seems a little rich. I may just drop the needle a click and see what that does. Ive also noticed some non detonations when im riding. I may mix some race fuel in with the super unleaded. It could also be that the bike is not fully broken in.

Im using bel-ray gear saver. i drained the factory oil immediately and put the bel-ray in and Im also using mobile 1 at 32:1, I may try 36:1 in a few weeks and see how that goes.

Mark

 

[tonyromero]

Thanks, Hey, one other thing, did you have to grease the linkage or anything or was all that stuff done at the factory? My clutch seems to feel kind of "dry" when I pull the lever in. I am wondering if I should just give it a blast of WD40 or is there more to be done. How often do you need to regrease the linkage?

 

[Vytas]

Take a weekend and grease everything.  Linkage, axles, steering column, use anti seize on every nut and bolt that you can.  There is grease in the needle bearings, but there is so little that it is basically worthless.  I lube my cables after every ride.  Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance is the name of the game - actually preventative maintenance.  How often depends on the conditions that you ride in.  Wet and sand will require greater frequency of grease application.  Good luck and ride safe.

 

[Jawsrm134]

Tony,
Dont use WD40 on cables, on the lever it is fine, it attracts dust and dirt. There are special lubes for cables. I use silicone. I havent greased anything yet, I will when I have time. Honestly I dont ride enough in the winter to be that worried about it. Ill probably grease it all in Feb.

Like Vytas said the factory just lightly coats everything. Its a good idea to grease it all.

Mark

 

[tonyromero]

Jaws, I still haven't taken a ride yet but I did thumb through the manual and was shocked to see that it is recommended that a piston be replaced every 10 hrs!! Tell me they are nuts and just want to sell more parts. I haven't owned a 2 stroke since 83' and I can't remember ever doing a top end that frequently. One other thing, my clutch lever seems to have a "dry" feel to it when a pull it in. It is much harder than the DRZ was. Where exactly do you apply silicone lube to correct this? thanks alot! Also, when you put the front wheel on did you add any extra grease? It occurred to me after I assembled the whole thing that I neglected to do this. Think I need to pull that wheel off and grease it up some or were the parts coated from factory enough to put it off for now?

 

[Jawsrm134]

Tony,

It just feels hard to pull thats normal, The RM clutch is harder to pull than the DRZ. Its no big deal> Ther is a special tool you can get to lube cables from any Bike shop or online. It slips on to the cable and you put the little tube on the can then it has its own hole on the tool so the oil is directed down the cable. The piston and ring question. I think they want to sell parts. For me I will never ride the bike that hard so I will check mine in 6 months if I feel the bike is loosing power. It came with all the parts so Ill probably do the rings at 6 months and the the piston and rings at 1 year. Like I said maybe earlier if I find a problem, but I doubt it. Hope that helps.

If you have any questions you can email me suzrm134@cs.com Ill give you a call if you want, just send me you phone number.

I know a good amount about bikes, my family was in the bussiness until I was 17, so all I did was work on bikes and assemble them.


Mark

 

[Buzz Bomb]

Yes grease your front wheel again. There's hardly any factory grease on the axles, and your axle will seize in there if you leave it too long. Also throw some more grease in the bearings to be on the safe side.

 

[Lissa]

I just assembled my '03 KX250 at the shop I work at. I just slapped it together so I can load it up and bring it home without losing any parts. Anyway, you never wanna 'assume' the factory put enough grease on anything. The front axles on these bikes don't have any grease on them when there uncrated. If the guy who's assembling it is in a hurry he might not grease it either! Whenever you purchase a new bike, along with new bars and a better chain, you should also purchase the service manual. When you get your new scoot home, and even before your first ride(while it's still clean), you should disassemble anything equipped with bearings and grease the stink out of it. Most bikes have enough grease out of the crate, but why chance it for some cheap grease?

 

[Lissa]

Oh yea, I forgot, The RM250 is a dynamite bike. I bought the green machine because I fit it better and I'll get some green bucks for racing off-road from them. Good choice, And grease those bearings!