rm250 loss of power

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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Yet another thread to complain about my bike.

2000 rm250, never had great bottom end power to begin with, but it was ok. Now, the bottom end is soo boggy. I'll have it almost pinned in 3rd, shift into 4th and it will just bog. I mean it's still fast and I can still keep up to everyobody. But I have to do a lot more downshifting and wrist twisting then I should normally have to on this bike. It shouldn't be bogging. I liked the way it was running, no adjustments have been made, it just started doing this. It could be the top end beginning to go.. but wouldn't that affect the top end power a lot more? Because once it's in the powerband it still pulls pretty darn good.

Any ideas to what's wrong?
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
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Oct 19, 2006
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She has still not blown up yet? You miss the power off bottom first, before it disintegrates, it will run REALLY great. New bottom and top end, try and get a complete engine kit. Or better yet, because I know the rod has to be pressed, send the top of your motor and crank to Eric, Merry Christmas! Set up properly, your knuckles may drag the ground after its done, be warned. Even better, blow it up, box it up, and sell it to me, real cheap?
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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Nope, hasn't blown up yet, surprisingly :whoa: Still riding it.

Whyyyyy do I need to do the bottom end?? Can't I just do the top end? I can only spend so much money on this stupid bike... a new crank shaft is beyond my price range.

Maybe I will just park it, and ride Dad's bike till it blows up too. Then I can worry about fixing mine.


whenfoxforks-ruled said:
Even better, blow it up, box it up, and sell it to me, real cheap?
Sorry, but there are several people on the waiting list before you, everyone seems to want my bike :p I may sell it to a highest bidder and get a new bike... I've always wanted a CR500.....
 
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250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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whenfoxforks-ruled said:
send the top of your motor and crank to Eric, Merry Christmas! Set up properly, your knuckles may drag the ground after its done, be warned.

I'd love to, but I would have to think that would be super expensive. If I had a nice new RM I would, but my bike is just a junky old outdated RM trail bike.
 

2-Strokes 4-ever

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Ride it until it grenades and it'll be worth next to nothing, to you OR a buyer. A few hundred now in parts is needed to make the bike run as intended, no matter what the age. Motorcycles are like automobiles, you'll never get back out of it what you put in ($). They're not a wise financial investment, they're pure enjoyment. Riding the bike "until she blows" is dumb, how does that seem logical?
 

RM_guy

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Damn Yankees
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Bottom end power can be affected by bad reeds, rings/piston or saturated silencer packing. If it was running OK before then something is wearing out and needs to be repaired. Do the work yourself and it could be back up to snuff for under $200. Start with the cheapest fix (silencer packing, then reeds) if you are on a tight budget. I doubt the bottom end would be the culprit.
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
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Calling that bike, a trail bike is like calling an xr an mx bike, unbelievable! The forks on that bike are the thinnest ever put on the production line. Order a custom set of racing forks for 1500 dollars, and you get your forks with better dampening! If you know someone to press the rod, you could be looking at around 300 dollars, depending if you have ruined the cylinder, yet. When its fixed, you can adjust when it hits, by the power valve tension. No bottom end= no proper maintenance /set up. If you have ruined the cylinder, I would get a big bore job on it, but not if you are going to take care of it, like this one. Blaming your old rm is not the issue, buying another bike, is not the issue. A cr500, nope, go green, KX500AF! In a year or less, it will be clapped out also, its not like going out and getting another pair of shoes. I am no hater, (unless you are Chad Reed), be good, and you do not be a hater, or a dirt bike killer! There should be parts of the world where dirt bike killers are flogged, yes? With worn out cables no less! Vintage Bob.
 

RM_guy

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What the hell man?!?! You ramble on way too much. :whoa:
 

_JOE_

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May 10, 2007
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250girl said:
I'd love to, but I would have to think that would be super expensive. If I had a nice new RM I would, but my bike is just a junky old outdated RM trail bike.

The cost to take your "junky old outdated" bike to a fresh, tight, safe ride is probly less than you'll lose on it running it until it quits moving. This mentality will land you a permanent seat on clapped out bikes that don't run well. You'll get tired of pissing money away by running bikes into the ground and most likely give up on them because they're "super expensive".

I strongly suggest you start pulling it down BEFORE IT BLOWS UP and if necessary let it sit while you save up the money to fix it right.
 

2-Strokes 4-ever

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You've now been given the 5'th degree.
Sorry, us guys were just "venting".

We love you
2t 4e
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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I went out for a ride today and took Daddie's bike instead. A year back I rode Dad's bike until it basicially wouldn't run anymore. Although it didn't blow, and still started, there was damage to the cylinder, we had to do seals in the bottom end and something to the crank.... not sure what. But I don't want it to be that expensive with my bike, rather stop riding it now.

But I still have't quite deciphered, do I have to do my bottom end as well as piston/rings ? Or is that just Foxforks trying to make me spend my hard earned money? ;)

And Mr. foxforks.... what were you saying about my forks?? Are they good or bad?
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
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They are very good forks, may be the best that ever came stock on any dirt bike. Right now, you need to rip the top end off, measure and inspect it, the same with the bottom end. You measure the thrust washer clearance between the thrust washer and crank fly wheel. The clearance's are in the manual, with the rod deflection. But the up and down play, is none. Have the cylinder inspected with a bore gauge. Piece of cake, no big deal, so get on it? This is the short version for RMguy. Vintage Bob
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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RM_guy said:
What the hell man?!?! You ramble on way too much. :whoa:

Don't listen to him. We love your entertaining posts.. well... at least I do :nod:
 

_JOE_

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May 10, 2007
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You won't know until it's apart what exactly needs to be done. Like Vintage Bob, AKA the Ramblin' Man, says, any up and down play in the crank bearings means they're junk. That goes for the rod and both ends of the crank.


And your forks? They're on a Suzuki, they suck........ :nener:
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
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Ain't no lie Joe, them forks are MX racing forks. Most hated them, because they were too thin/light, they bent under crash conditions very easy? Pfffft! Them forks alone, with a once over from MXTech, are worth 1500 dollars! The only thing that sucked, was all the yellow. That bike handled outstanding, once Jeremy got done, and I am pretty sure you would get violently ill at what I paid for that, lets just say it was not the usual 600 dollars. Ryan slapped a new top end it, wiggled the rod, claimed it was good to go. That weekend the crank came apart. That bike is one of my top 3 wanted. Vintage Bob
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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whenfoxforks-ruled said:
. That bike is one of my top 3 wanted. Vintage Bob

$3,000 and she's yours!! Comes with extra set of plastic, extra pipe, stock fork/shock springs..... and has all the aftermarket goodies currently on it.
$3,000 is what a bike like that is going for up here, I'll box it up and it's all yours! Got a full tank of gas to boot! ;)
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
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Oct 19, 2006
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3 grand! I do not have 2 grand. Well, how about 750 and we do not talk about it being clapped out? You people pay a nice chunk of change for bikes up there! Everything you have been neglecting, would cost me 1500 dollars to bring back to race ready, with a discount and doing all the labor myself, except the crank, cylinder and suspension. Plus the 750, and CANADA? The heck with that, the shipping would cost more than my offer? You need to catch up on some maintenance. Vintage Bob
 

Chili

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3 grand is a pipe dream even up here for that bike. I sold my 02 RM250 a year ago now and I got top dollar for it at $2600 and it was new from the crank up at the time of sale.
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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Wow, you wouldn't get that bike here for $2,600 right now. Prices were down for a while... but seem to be back up now. I keep a pretty close eye on the local paper, buy and sell, castanet, kijiji........ If my bike was in "good" shape I could get $3000 for it.

If you ever decide to sell an 02 RM with all that new stuff on it for that cheap agian, call me up first ;)
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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Wow, I want that RM in Surrey!! When I bought my bike last August I paid $2,500 for it, beat-to-**** in need of $600 immediate work. Guess I am a sucker.
 

Chili

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Can ask anything you want for a price it's what it actually sells for that will be the deciding factor. Bottomline you may find a sucker willing to pay 3k for a 9 year old clapped out 250 but that is not what market value is for the bike.
 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer
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I have cried watching bikes like that CR sell for 1500 dollars Doug! 07 and newer you are lucky to get over 3000. Then some mid 70's bike sells for 2800?
 

250girl

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Dec 19, 2007
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I've noticed that after a certain age, old bikes stop losing their value. The price goes down and down in the first 10-15 years and then kinda reaches a plateau..... get's really old and then starts gaining value. And some of the '92-'97 2-stroke WR's i've seen for sale around here are going for more than my RM250 would, it's ridiculous! They go for so much money.

To sell my bike for $3000, or anything near it I would have to be in pristine condition, like absolutely perfect, I'm not denying that. And I don't have the money to make my bike that decent. Just tellin' Foxforks he should pay me too much for it :moon:
 
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