Please help me solve this RM mystery

[GeoffM24]

Alright I have a buddy that has what he thinks/thought was an 1996 RM250.

He bought some Boyesen Rad valves but they don't have the same bolt pattern and won't fit. He then bought some v force reeds and they have the same bolt pattern as the boyesen ones but neither fit.

Now I have a 99 RM 250 and the valves have the same bolt pattern as mine but his bike is not a 1999 since they look very different.

So we found out that 96-97 have the same reed valve bolt pattern and the 98 is like the 99-00 RMs.

He has the old school forks that compress from the top so we know it is a 96-98.

We also know the power valve on the 96, 98-00 is aluminum and the 97 was steel. His is aluminum so it isn't a 97.

Well the 98 had a flat top piston but his is domed so it can't be a 98.

So what the heck is it?

The only thing I can think of is that the original owner installed a later cylinder like a 99.

Any ideas?

 

[bscottr]

Originally posted by GeoffM24
The only thing I can think of is that the original owner installed a later cylinder like a 99.

Geoff,
I think you are probably correct, a late model (98-00) cylinder with the early (domed) head.

Interesting.

 

[Mr. Clean]

Maybe it is an RMX 250

 

[RMXkid]

i have a 97 rmx and it has the old school forks but the rm had the inverted forks and i think my friends 92 rm had inverted forks on it also.

 

[GeoffM24]

It turns out it was a 1998 running the wrong piston.

 

[bscottr]

Let me get this straight, your buddy bought a ’96 that turns out to be a 98 and you bought a ’99 that turns out to be a 2000? :think:

G Cooper? :scream:

 

[Joepro9]

lol thats great.

 

[GeoffM24]

Yup!

The weird thing is that I would not have known mine was a 2000 if it wasn't for him. He took down my vin to compare it to his and then just happened to give both vins to his suzuki dealer. If he never took my vin down I would have ridden my bike with the wrong piston.

Believe me I thought it was a mistake so I called two different suzuki dealers and confirmed mine was indeed a 2000. I assumed the last owner put in the wrong piston when I pulled a flat piston out of my bike. It NEVER occured to me that my bike might be a 2000.

My buddy road his bike all last year and had pinging problems and tried to fix it with octane. The real problem was he was running the wrong piston. Now his crank seems real lose and I think he needs to tear apart the bottom end.

That would have happened to my bike if it wasn't for my buddy.