Just got an 01 RM250..questions/advice needed.

[Micahdawg]

First off, I would like to know what you guys think of this deal. The bike is a 2001 RM250 with good clear title. The frame was painted white (yuck), but the entire engine was just rebuilt. New crank bearings/seals, factory rod, wiseco top end, gaskets, cylinder stripped and rechromed. Previous owner screwed up the premix and the intake side piston skirt shattered.

Extras include pro circuit pipe, silencer, Pro taper bars, quick adjust clutch perch (Pro circuit maybe?), new factory inner clutch hub, good clean filter, gripper seat, plastic all good with kind crummy factory graphics, tires great, suspension revalved by Pro Action, Emig triple clamps, billet case saver.....that's about it. And I gave $1800 for it.


I noticed a couple problems though...the bike rips, but the idle is jumpy. In neutral it will go BAAAA, ba, BAAAA, ba, BAAAA, ba, BAAAA.... kinda rythmatic up and down idling. Even at low throttle when riding it gear it jerks around like that. Over about 1/4 throttle and it smooths out. Also when the bike is off, but petcock on....gas will pour out of the carb. The motor seems kinda loud, but it's got great compression and pulls really well. This is by far the fastest bike I've owned. Gearing is stock and 4th gear comes up with a little tug and rolling in the throttle. That never happened with my 97 RM250 :)

Also...it seems like I kill this bike a lot when doing slow woods riding. The clutch springs are horribly soft, so I think I'm killing it because the clutch isn't grabby as good. Almost like I need to ride it a little extra long when taking off...and if I don't then it stalls and dies. ( I wiegh 205 too) Would stronger clutch springs help out and where can I get a little stiffer springs. I don't want OMG stiff, but a little step up would be nice.

If anyone knows of some notorious 01 RM problems please feel free to list em. I will be checking the bike over this week and looking into the carb. Hopefully it's just gunked up from sitting.

Micah

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

The '01 has a totally different cylinder/top end than the '03's-'05's. Can't help there. Sounds like you have dirty carb. issues. Float sounds stuck...causing all kinds of wierd running and gas from overflow tubes. Probably best taken apart and cleaned ouy, although sometimes you can get lucky by simply tapping gently on side of carb. to dislodge dirt/junk. I personally like a light clutch pull as long as it doesn't cause pre-mature plate wear. I think the stalling issue is a flywheel thing. Suzuki's are known for very little flywheel weight...especially in models previous to '03. I ride TIGHT, ROCKY woods...went to a 12oz. weight! Suzuki's flywheel is not centered in the side case, so you can't go too big in diameter, you have to go OUT. Then will need a thick shim for case. I put a 8mm shim on mine and bought a steel shifter to bent out. (afraid alum. would break) Yourm only other issue is the clutch basket (look for notching on fingers) when real bad (soon) go to a Hinson. If friction plates are grabby/draggy de-glaze with sandpaper and I have good luck with automotive atf type f. Changed often...I change mine every 5 hours. Good luck, have fun!

 

[Micahdawg]

Thanks for the reply.

Is the basket the only weak link or is the inner hub just as weak? The guy I bought it from paid for a brand new OEM inner hub because he broke a spring bolt in the old hub and couldn't extract it. I just wonder if this inner hub will be good to go and I need only pay attention to the basket.

I notice Vortec?, Wiseco, and a few others make billet baskets. Is ANY billet basket good or Hinson specifically.

Great advice on the flywheel...I never even considered this. Where would I look for a heavier flywheel. More info on this would be much appreciated as I will probably DEFINITELY do this as long as it doesn't make the top end power too weird. I read that these kickers are prone to crack and break....so I definitely want to cut back on my stalling/kicking constantly.

Micah

 

[sick 96 250]

Sounds like you need to do a good cleaning of your carb from what you explained with the gas leaking out and the off idle situation. When i picked up my 96 Rm250 it was the same way with the carb, and with the clutch. I thought I needed a new clutch but it was just glazed a little and a fine grit sand paper solved that problem right away. I didn;t add a flywheel wieght to mine but I prob should have, I think I'm going to add one to my 99 because of woods riding. The clutch on my 96 was a pian without one when in the woods. While you have the carb apart also check into the jetting. The guy I bought my 96 from said the jetting was spot on and everything but that was a lie. The bike was so lean that after about 1/2 hour of riding it I noticed major power loss and once I learned of the jetting I ended up burning the piston a little and had to replace it. Good Luck with the new bike

 

[Micahdawg]

Yeah, about the jetting. I can't find a calculator on PC's website (FMF has one?!?). How can I find out what jetting I need for 500ft over sea level on this bike. It's stock bore/stroke (should be) and nothing other than filter + pipe/silencer.

Micah

 

[sick 96 250]

check fmfracing dot com, that will get you in the general area. Thats always been the closest for jetting with my bikes. Normally the pilot is good with there set-up but the main i have to drop about 2 sizes

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

The inner stock hub will wear out too, but not nearly as fast as the basket. The stock one is only about $50, so I just stick with that. Have about 120 hrs. on my '03 now, and the stock one is still good. Went with a Hinson basket on my son's RM125, and it's lasting forever! I did save a few bucks by going with a Performance Engineering basket on my 250, and it seems to be doing a good job. All you're going to find in the aftermarket is a 7oz. weight for the flywheel. (because of the not centered thing). Had a buddy machinist make my 12oz., he made my case-spacer too. He charged me $120 for all. ($75 shim, is a lot more work). Actually, I didn't NEED the cool looking alum. spacer, but my home-made gasket that I made out of a truck mud-flap was just too ugly looking...

 

[Micahdawg]

You probably could have picked up another magnesium stator cover for $20 and cut the lip off for a spacer. Or about 15 gaskets :)

Thanks for the help guys. I checked FMF's site and they are calling for a 158 main and 48 pilot. Seems wierd that their site called for a 174 main and 52 pilot in my 89 KX250. Seems like I would need bigger jets in this bike due to the increased power it develops.

Micah

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

Mag. stator cover is $80-90. Or, about 50 gaskets

 

[jonesy]

Steahly make a 12oz for the 01, which come with the proper spacer for your cover. I put one on my 01 RM, and noticed a big difference. Well worth the money. :nod:

 

[Chili]

I went for a vortex basket on my 02, as 2-strokes stated the stock inner is cheap so I just replace them as necessary(which isn't that often). DW this year was the first time I spent anytime on my 02 in the woods and it tended to stall out pretty easy I thought (It wasn't my technique I'm sure :laugh:).

 

[Micahdawg]

Jonesy....did you notice any significant loss of snap or top end power with the 12 oz weight?

As an update, I removed the carb last night and tore into it. I found a big problem, one of the vent tubes was completely blocked off. I tried to blow through it as hard as I could and nothing. The tube was so dark that you couldn't really see the clog though. This tube was the one on the right side of the carb that exits pointing up....so the tube comes out and does a 180 to go down. It was the longest tube on the carb as well.

Another vent tube had been caught behind the primary sprocket cover (which is usually packed in mud) and apparently got munched up from the chain because the end of the tube was shreaded and 50% blocked in flow.

Finally, I checked the jetting. FMF's website stated that I should have a 158 main, 48 pilot, needle in 2nd position, and air screw 1.5 turns out. What I had was a 162 main, 52 pilot, needle in 3rd position, and air screw .5 turns out. Does this sound like a bad combo for only having a Pro Circuit Pipe/Silencer and filter?

Again, my elevation is 500ft over sea level. Too bad I don't have a factory manual to reference.

Micah

 

[sick 96 250]

The jetting you found seems very rich compared to what should be in there. What does your plug look like? Try the jetting that fmf had for it and see what happens. I would def replace all your carb lines with new ones and spray it good with carb cleaner. What do you use for your gear oil? I always run ATF type F and love it. When i got my 99 the guy said he just changed the gear oil so I assumed it was good. It had a ton of drag so I changed it myself and it went away and shifts fine now also. Sea level to 500ft shouldn;t be different from eachother in jetting so try the fmf settings and see if it helps.

 

[Micahdawg]

After I clean the carb and clean all the lines, I think my first course of action will be to put it together and put in a fresh factory plug (whatever that is). Then take a few spins and see how it is acting. The bike had an annoying bog when under load......a nice sweeping uphill that I can usually pin in 2nd gear on other bikes. Halfway up the revs in 2nd on this bike and it was just going "Booooooooo". After reading Eric Gorr's site that sounds like a lean condition and a blocked carb line would create a lean condition.

So if the bike doesn't seem better then I will try steping down the jet sizes. Does it sound like my air screw should be out another full turn though? Seems like most guys are running 1.5 out. Mine was almost totaly IN.

Another funny side note.........as I was riding through the trails (second day of ownership) the bike immediately lost fire and went "BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa". Just like a huge hole opened up in the cylinder. No clanking or banging noises. The kicker moved freely with no compression too. I look at the cylinder and the plug shot out and was hanging by the wire. Apparently the previous owner didn't torque it in.

At that time the plug was very golden and not oily looking. Luckily there were no damaged threads, but this kind of stuff makes me want to look the ENTIRE bike over.

Micah

P.S. The guy I bought it from just filled the case with some red stuff....Klotz or Maxima tranny oil? I dumped it and filled with Penzoil 10W30. I just dumped it again and put another quart of 10W30. I'll make it a point to change the oil every ride with this stuff and to regularly clean/swap filters. I will be taking EXTRA special care of this bike.

 

[RM_guy]

I might as well chime in here. I bought my ’01 RM250 new and have done a bunch of work on it. It didn’t take long for me to notice that it had no top end power. I was constantly looking for the next gear. It really went flat. Mine is an early ’01 model and I think they may have fixed the problem on later production. My fix was to send the cylinder and head to Eric Gorr for the Mo Power Everywhere port job. It made a HUGE difference in the top end over rev as well as smoothing out the mid range hit. It also gave me tons of low end power—so much that I kept the stock fly wheel and gearing because it can lug right down in tight, nasty trails. I am partial to a snappy engine and never warmed up to a flywheel weight. Eric is the guy to go to for all your engine modification needs. He really knows his stuff and he is priced well below the “other” guys.

I also added a V-Force 2 reed block set at the low tension setting. It made it more responsive and added to the low end. The new V-Force 3 system doesn’t have adjustable reed stops but I hear it still is a good addition.

The front forks have some mid stroke harshness that I just couldn’t tune out. They settled into the mid stroke and wouldn’t move well. That fix was to send them (and the shock too while I was at it) to MX Tech for springs and a revalve. It made a big difference and I can’t get them to bottom. It works real nice for MX and I’m in the process of changing the fork oil and plan on reducing the oil some to make it more compliant in the woods. Jeremy did a great job valving it for MX and woods.

In the carb I have a 158 main, stock needle with the clip 2nd notch from the top, slide cut away an additional .05 mm, 42 pilot jet and the air screw out 1.25 turns (it changes with temp). It runs a bit rich on the needle circuit but 1 notch changes makes it too lean. I have a ½ clip leaner needle on order and will try it this Spring. I use 93 octane pump gas with 32:1 Maxima Super-M oil.

For the tranny I use cheap 10W-40 motor oil and change it every 2-3 rides. What ever you use make sure it does not have “EC” on the label. That has friction modifiers in it that will make your clutch slip. And I’m on the original clutch.

If you are having trouble jetting you may want to check the power valve tension setting. I spent hours trying to tune out a BAAWWW only to find out that I had the PV tension set too high and it was opening so late that I thought it was running lean. The correct tension is ¼ turn clockwise from the relaxed spring state.

My latest addition is a FMF Q silencer. I want to make it as quiet as I can for trail riding and a little loss in power is fine by me. It has more than I’ll ever use anyway. FMF says it is suppose to bring the dB down to 88. I’m hoping my vacuum cleaner is louder than my bike when I’m done. I’m in the middle a my winter rebuild so I haven’t had a chance to try it yet.

Other nonperformance stuff are SDG gripper seat, Moose bark busters, Moose pipe guard and an enduro skid plate. It’s a great bike and I really like it.

 

[Micahdawg]

I'll definitely check the power valve tension. If I had another top end kit I would probably just yank the jug and look everything over real good. BTW, you can reuse the o-rings on the cylinder head if they are fairly new right?

I can't complain on top end power or suspension. I've heard the 01's quit on top, but this bike is quite impressive up high and gives no hint that something is wrong on top. Likewise the shock and fork springs were changed and valving was changed by Pro Action.

I'll keep Eric Gorr in mind, but for now I'm happy with the power, I just want the bike to be mechanically sound.

Micah

 

[RM_guy]

If the engine has seen any heat I wouldn't reuse the o-rings. They take a set and loose their shape when they get hot.

BTW, Moose makes a real nice top end gasket set. It comes with every gasket and o-ring you need for a top end job. It even comes with the pipe o-ring and PV o-rings and a few that I can’t figure out where they go.

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

Keep in mind that the FMF jetting specs. state that they use race gas/pump gas at 50/50. If you run straight pump gas at their jetting specs....I'd be scared of being too lean. If she siezes up while hard running in sand/mud, you'll know.
A flywheel weight will only make the bike a little slower to rev...which in low- traction/rocky conditions will keep you from having to chase the rear-end around so much. It does nothing to subtract power. Starting in '03 Suzuki has been adding more flywheel effect to their 250's each year. (with either more flywheel weight or heavier crankshaft) They now put the power to the ground much better.

 

[jonesy]

Micahdawg, I to have heard about a lack of top end power on the 01, but believe me, mine has plenty. I am running an fmf gnarly with a powercore silencer, 160 main, and a 48 pilot. The bike has always had a huge midrange hit, and the flywheel weight helped smooth that out so its a little easier to control. It also helped reduce stalling on slow/tight trails. There is still more "snap" than most bikes have, and I believe the weights will tend to increase overrev.

 

[Micahdawg]

I checked with a friend at the local Zuk shop and found out some interesting stuff. I found out the original owners name and that this guy definitely raced the living crap out of the bike....which explains why there is not a lick of stock plastic on it.

Furthermore, I was told that this guy is always very secretive about his porting techniques. But the guy I talked to rode this bike when it came through their shop and said, "It ain't no joke...that bike is fast!" Furthermore he seemed to think the jetting was appropriate for whatever the owner did to increase airflow. Apparently this dude is very competitive.

I also just found carbon reeds and a Hinson pressure plate inside. I keep finding new things wherever I look. Also discoverd that two vent hoses were not even on the carb. It's starting to look like this thing was just not venting at all.

Micah