Continue with my RM for woods or get something else?

[fishwater]

1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)6'1" & 260lbs

2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
Not too physical, just want to enjoy the day. I need to make it back to work the next day with no broken bones.

3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
woods, woods & more woods

4) Do you have any riding experience?
just got back on the dirt after a few years off

5) Do you think you will race ?
nope, too old & too fat

6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
without a doubt

7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
maybe, I like the fit on my friends 96 YX 250 over my RM. I like the 2 strokes. I used to love Honda's

8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
yup, right down the road with no parts I ever need

9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
$2000.00

I just got back into riding after a few years off with a 1992 RM 250. I live in New England so we do a lot of woods riding up here. I am finding the RM is a nightmare in the woods due to the power hit. I have put some money into the bike & it is rock solid now. I don't know if should continue with this bike & add more money or just get something more woods friendly.

The RM has an FMF fatty pipe with an FMF power core silencer. Boysen two stage reeds & a 50 tooth rear sproket. The bike is either on or off & loads up in the trail unless she is on the pipe. The suspension obviously would need to be revalved & sprung for my weight. I was thinking a flywheel weight would help but I only see a 10oz, would that even be enough? So between the suspension & flywheel weight we are talking some money. I know the bike will only be worth so much no matter what I do to it.

I have ridden my friends 1996 YZ 250 & love the layout as well as the broad range of power, definitely less peaky than my RM! If a flywheel weight would get the RM like the YZ, I would be a happy camper but I doubt it. The ergo's on the YZ fit me better too. It won't be cheap to get one of these woods ready either.

The other option is a KDX but they really don't apeal to me, they seem too cramped & too outdated even when compared to my 1992 RM. I know everyone loves them & they are rock solid though.

So, do I continue with the RM, do I find a YZ, do I just deal with a KDX or should I try to find a KTM which has no support around me (just like my local suzuki dealer with no parts for a 1992) How much should I keep dumping into a bike to make it the woods weapon I need? Any bike I get will need the suspension done so I guess that is a given regardless of the bike.

 

[apb]

This is a tough call -- basically, you want to put your money into something that you like, or else you probably won't ride it much after a while. That said, I'm pretty certain your rm could be modified to fit the bill. You may need to resize the ergos of the bike with some taller risers/extenders for handlebar clamps, and taller rise handlebars and seat foam. This, along with the flywheel weight and properly re-done suspension for your weight, should go a long way. It sounds like your jetting in the low and mid range needs to be cleaned up as well, for smoother throttle response and to prevent it from loading up. Along with the needed guards installed on the bike for offroad use, this should be a pretty nice woods bike. With bikes of this age, it seems pretty common that dealers don't stock many parts for them (at least in my area), but at least they can order them, and can also work on your machine if there's something you don't want to work on. Since you've got this bike pretty well ironed out and know its condition well, this is a pretty good route.

But if you're looking to get a new machine, you might consider an enduro machine thats pretty much ready to go, like a ktm250 xc or xc-w (formerly mxc or exc).. Depends how you feel about most likely needing to mail order all needed parts and not having a local mechanic should something major come up. A kdx would also be fine, but it sounds like you're not too excited about it. If you're used to the power of a 250 mx bike, you could be disappointed, but its really in its element on tight, rough-going sections. Just my thoughts, its really a personal decision that you'll need to make after weighing the pros and cons.

 

[fishwater]

I keep thinking for the money & the amount of riding I will get to do between my other hobbies that the RM is a good bet. The other side of me also knows if I started with a newer & better platform I will still invest the same money in upgrades & end up with a hopefully better machine.

Unfortunately new for me is out of the question, I really can't justify spending more than 2,000 for another bike at this point to throw more money at it to get it what I want it to be.