Good Bike???

[schug26]

My dealer has a brand new left over 2004 RMZ-250. They only want $3,099 for it. That seems like a really good deal to me, but i cant understand why it hasnt sold already. Were RMZs good back in 2004? I know it was the first year suzuki made them. Are they a good reliable bike? Do the have good power? Thanks for the help.
darin

 

[jcarautos1]

The only thing i heard about the 04 model is that it was hard to change the oil on. I just bought an 05 for my son and he loves it. We have a friend that has one and he hasn't had any problems and he rides it a lot.

 

[tyler_43]

yeah... my buddy had an '04 kx250f (same bike with green plastics) and the only thing he complained about was changing the oil, and that it was a b**** to start sometimes. I have heard of valve problems but you hear that about every four stroke, as long as you check them often I'm sure it'll be fine.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

The 2004 RMZ/KXF 250s had the worst reliability record of any Japanese bike in recent memory.

A simple search here on DRN will provide you with loads of info on them.

Here is just one of many posts that chronicle the nightmare of owning these bikes.
http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=105314&highlight=rmz

It's a shame really, when they work it's a nice bike that handles great. Too bad you can't depend on it.

 

[00 rm125]

ya i like my 04 i find it has a lot of power and good handling the only thing is you need to get an after market oil filter / antifreeze cover with impeller other than that there great bikes just get the impeller from boyesen there like 170$ but there worth it also at that price there a steal they go for like 3500$ in canada USED

 

[schug26]

lol...i bought this bike 2 days after the thread i posted. i didnt see all the bad stuff yet.

so basically your telling me im screwed??? ...dang

rich...i noticed in the one previous thread you gave me a link to, that you said problems werent nearly as bad if you did the normal maintenance that it would help. is that enough???

what are the main things that i can do to prevent all of this stuff from happening???

i think im really regretting getting this bike from the sounds of it. its running fine so far. where can i expect it to go wrong?

or should i just trade it in now. i paid around 3,300 for it. how much money would you think i could get back from another dealer?

i just want a reliable bike that will do good for me.

please get back with me.

darin

 

[Rich Rohrich]

lol...i bought this bike 2 days after the thread i posted. i didnt see all the bad stuff yet.

so basically your telling me im screwed??? ...dang

rich...i noticed in the one previous thread you gave me a link to, that you said problems werent nearly as bad if you did the normal maintenance that it would help. is that enough???

what are the main things that i can do to prevent all of this stuff from happening???

That's not what I said. If you don't do all the maintenance on schedule you are screwed for sure. Changing the cam for something with proper dynamics, and swapping the OEM valves, springs and buckets, for high quality aftermarket parts will go a long way towards making the valve train reliable. Nothing short of a miracle will make the crank and transmission reliable over the long haul. It's not a coincidence that Pro Circuit had to have custom cranks, and transmissions built to race these things. Nobody has come up with a solution for the main bearing saddles wearing out other than replacing the cases every couple of years.

Maybe you'll be one of the lucky guys that gets one that is reliable. There are plenty of guys that trail ride these bikes and don't stress them to hard that have been happy with them. Guys who race them tend to be the ones who run into the most problems.

Good luck.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Don't ride it on the rev limiter and I bet you'll be fine. Most people who have reliability issues ride the bikes extremely hard. Valve trains don't like 13000 RPM no matter what anyone says. Keep the bike in the meat of the power without over-revving it, change the oil religiously, check the valves fairly often and I bet you'll be fine. I know a few people with these bikes and they haven't had many problems.

 

[schug26]

Don't ride it on the rev limiter and I bet you'll be fine. Most people who have reliability issues ride the bikes extremely hard. Valve trains don't like 13000 RPM no matter what anyone says. Keep the bike in the meat of the power without over-revving it, change the oil religiously, check the valves fairly often and I bet you'll be fine. I know a few people with these bikes and they haven't had many problems.

okay, thanks man. its good to know.