RM250 Forks

[Rm250_pilot]

Hi,

Please can you help with a little advice.

I am relatively new to the wonderful world of off road. Riding my 2001 RM 250 in 4th over choppy ground gives me some fairly scary tank slapping. Reading lots of previous posts it seems as though the RM has a very hard front end and that's the way it is unless you re-valve.

Is this true? I'm only a hobby rider - ie not racing so I just want the bike to handle well in general terms. I have the forks appart to change the oil and set the level. I notice it should have Suzuki L01 oil, is this 2.5w or 5w as it differs depending which article you read. I'm about 220lbs and 6-2 tall.

I don't want to spend large bucks I just want to make the most of what I have. Is there a baseline for clicker settings or do I just use the settings quoted in the manual?

Sorry of all the questions, it seems as though most people are real serious about performance and I just want it good enough. Currently it's a battle just to hold on the the thing. It is very fast though and great fun.

 

[NO HAND]

Is 2001 the year of Kayaba forks on the rm250? If so, I suggest using 5w fork oil. Make sure to study the manual carefully during the rebuild. Clicker settings should be set at the factory setting as in your manual. Most of the time, this is a good starting point. If you are into saving as much as you can, some people use Mobil1 ATF as fork fluid. It has a slightly stiffer initial feel but has the advantage of offering good protection against internal wear.

 

[Rm250_pilot]

Many Thanks, 5w it is then.

 

[chrismxer]

I think this year rm has the bladder forks? Mabey a bladder removal is in need? also you might want to add a little preload to the springs if you don't want to spend the money on new springs for your weight. You are heavey for the stock springs and could be riding low into the stiffer part of the travel.

 

[Rm250_pilot]

I pretty sure they're Kayaba forks. The sag is set up bang in the mid range on front (58mm) and rear (99mm) so it should be working in the right part of the travel.

Another thing I noticed....

Someone has fitted a Renthal Top Triple Clamp and Pro Taper bars. However the forks were mounted flush with the top of the clamp not aligned with the mark on the fork tube. With the mark being 8mm down the tube and the cap being 3mm this would put the forks 11mm too low in the triple clamp. How do I tell if the Renthal triple clamp is the same width as a standard triple clamp? ie what is the setting for your height if your using Renthal Top Triple Clamps??