What bike do I get RM250, KX250 or CR250

[tsquared]

I am looking for an 04 250 2 stroke, but I am very confused. I have owned Honda's and Yamaha's in the past and the Honda build quality is awesome, but I don't want to base my decision on that alone. I know nothing about RM's or KX's but I would like to hear everyones opinions. I Have heard that the Suzuki's and Kawasaki's have reliability issues and Honda's have performance issues. I am 5' 5" and my Yamaha was just way too tall and the plastics get beat looking instantly, so I want to stay away from them for now. Please give me some helpful hints as to what to get.

Thanks

 

[sodflyer]

04 YZ250......plastics are cheap. My bike has plenty of pull of the bottom and more than I need throughout the range... GO BLUE :) Jeff.

 

[Rob1111]

I ride an 03 KX250 and I love the thing. Has great pull in the mid range. Bottom and Top are a bit lacking. Only problem we've had with it is the left fork seal. The plastic on it doesn't look really beat just a bit scratched. I'm sure an 04 KX250 is even better. Good luck finding a bike.

 

[JesteTac]

I am 5'6" and I have a Zuki RM250.

It has plenty of power, but for the average user it is definitely not a ride and forget about bike--in my opinion.

I realize you don't like the Yammis, but if I were to get a new bike today it would be a Yammi. Suzuki and Yamaha are the top performance leaders, but from personal experience with the Zuki, I feel that I am always working on it and I can never find all the parts I want. Case in point--I cant find any aftermarket cranks for this bike.

The clutch and linkage are the weak point on the Zukis and I definitely pay for it. If you ride in water, the linkage needs to be fully dissasembled, cleaned and re-greased. Every time you ride. Unless you like rusy bearings.

The local fork/shock rebuilder around here likes the Huskys for the casual rider. He says that they are built a little tougher and with maintenance in mind. Sure they may not have as much power as the top leaders, but if you don't buy a new tire every time you ride, all that extra .5 HP wont do you much good.

 

[tsquared]

Thank you very much for your post and your opinion, that confirms what I have heard about suzuki's, I just don't want to make a bad decision as I am not a mechanic by any means. I may have to reconsider the yamaha's and just get it lowered some.

Thanks again...

 

[mxwizard]

Go with the RM you will be happy. Great bike and it looks good for a long time.

 

[tsquared]

I like the look of the Rm but what do you think about the post that talked about the reliability issue.

 

[mxwizard]

I had an 01 for a year and i did not have any problems with it nor has my friend who still has his 01. I might be different as far as the linkage goes for us in that we tracks and desert here in So Cal. I have heard some of the same things about suzuki and kawasaki as not being built to the quality of honda and yamaha.

 

[john stu]

you can't go wrong with the yz250 ........and i ride a cr!!!!

 

[JesteTac]

I had an 01 for a year and i did not have any problems with it nor has my friend who still has his 01. I might be different as far as the linkage goes for us in that we tracks and desert here in So Cal. I have heard some of the same things about suzuki and kawasaki as not being built to the quality of honda and yamaha.

I have to admit that when I dune ride, the bearings are fine--the dry dirt and sand dont usually find their way past the rubber grease seal. But I live in WA and it rains up here a lot. I have less fun trailriding because I am always thinking....oh, have to pop a wheelie over that puddle, or I have to go around that puddle.

When I talked to Eric Gorr this morning about the crankshaft on my Zuki RM ( http://www.eric-gorr.com ), he told me that the Suzukis' have a better bottom end. And he stated that the Yamahas' are crap in comparison. So unfortunately that kind of contradicts what I said before about the Yammis being better in my opinion.

I think I would still go with a Yammi just because of availability of parts. Everyone carries neat stuff for Yammis.

If you want a truly informative answer, ask us riders which bikes handle the best, then call up some bike shops and ask them what bikes are easiest to maintain. You might even E-Mail Eric Gorr--he does have extensive knowlege in this area.

 

[MXP1MP]

If the bearing was such a problem here in WA wearing out wouldn't explain why most people I know with one don't whine or complain about it anymore then any other bike. There are alot of guys who harescramble RM's (yes even here in WA) so it can't be that bad. But I do like yama's nuts on the one side though makes maintence alittle easier. You still need like two deep sockets for the one going threw the swing arm though. But the RM's linkage isn't counter sunk into the swing arm so it's easier to get at with say a box end wrench on one side. So you see each bike sorta has pluses and minuses either way. I'm not fan of working on the linkage but it must be done long as you do it in regular intervals and don't let it get any slop it should be fine. Besides bearings are cheap, linkage parts are not.

 

[JesteTac]

All I know is that I dissasemble the bearing at minumum after every other ride, and every ride that I hit water (over 6" deep). I always find that the grease has started to become contaminated with water--and I put new pivot works bearings in when I bought the bike because the swingarm bearings were rusted solid, and the linkage bearings were pitted from rust.

For all I know, every bike could be like that. But I know that my RM is like that.

I love the bike, but I won't hesitate to point out what I consider "flaws" in the design. I think the other brand riders should do the same for this guy.

I think that since the bike is a "race" bike, it gives up some of the better engineering for weight savings--because most people that race like to rebuild/replace/dissasemble after every race. Thats no problem, but its something to be aware of when you make your purchase.