Suzuki RM250 Enduro Build - Complete with Pics

RussB
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2/8/2018 1:11pm Edited Date/Time 2/15/2018 11:50pm
With the build complete I decided to tot up my weight savings from Titanium and Aluminium bolts.
Every bolt that I removed I kept and have bagged up so I can put the bike back to bone stock if I want to.



The total weight of the bolts removed came to just under 1.5KG. With titanium weighing 40-50% less and aluminium weighing 50-60% less than steel, I can roughly say I have saved around 750 grams or 1.6lbs from the bike by swapping out OEM steel bolts.

I pretty much swapped out everything on the bike apart from: axles, swingarm pivot, linkage/shock bolts, sprocket bolts, internal engine bolts, engine mounts, rear brake pivot bolt.

Is it worth it? Some will argue not. Will the weight savings make me faster? Probably not. However a Ti/Aluminium bolt will not corrode. And in the 4+ years I've been buying Ti bolts I have yet to strip a thread, round off or shear 1 bolt. Some of the bolts in this bike have been used on a few previous builds. So as a long term investment Ti is pretty damn good!

smv ryder
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2/9/2018 9:03am Edited Date/Time 2/9/2018 9:09am
RussB wrote:
With the build complete I decided to tot up my weight savings from Titanium and Aluminium bolts. Every bolt that I removed I kept and have...
With the build complete I decided to tot up my weight savings from Titanium and Aluminium bolts.
Every bolt that I removed I kept and have bagged up so I can put the bike back to bone stock if I want to.



The total weight of the bolts removed came to just under 1.5KG. With titanium weighing 40-50% less and aluminium weighing 50-60% less than steel, I can roughly say I have saved around 750 grams or 1.6lbs from the bike by swapping out OEM steel bolts.

I pretty much swapped out everything on the bike apart from: axles, swingarm pivot, linkage/shock bolts, sprocket bolts, internal engine bolts, engine mounts, rear brake pivot bolt.

Is it worth it? Some will argue not. Will the weight savings make me faster? Probably not. However a Ti/Aluminium bolt will not corrode. And in the 4+ years I've been buying Ti bolts I have yet to strip a thread, round off or shear 1 bolt. Some of the bolts in this bike have been used on a few previous builds. So as a long term investment Ti is pretty damn good!

IMO you nailed it on titanium and aluminum bolts... I went pretty deep on titanium bolts on my Husky and heard it so many times.... why? was the weight savings worth the money? And the best one is your not pro why do you need them?
I bought my bolts with the long term idea like you. I basically purchased every titanium bolt that I knew would go on my next new KTM/Husky, when the new bike comes basically take off new stock bolts, replace them with titanium and then put my brand new bolts on old bike.

Being in Europe Who do you use for bolts? EDIT: I see EBay but any others?
I use Racetech titanium and pro bolt usa
Badd127
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2/9/2018 10:16am
RussB wrote:
With the build complete I decided to tot up my weight savings from Titanium and Aluminium bolts. Every bolt that I removed I kept and have...
With the build complete I decided to tot up my weight savings from Titanium and Aluminium bolts.
Every bolt that I removed I kept and have bagged up so I can put the bike back to bone stock if I want to.



The total weight of the bolts removed came to just under 1.5KG. With titanium weighing 40-50% less and aluminium weighing 50-60% less than steel, I can roughly say I have saved around 750 grams or 1.6lbs from the bike by swapping out OEM steel bolts.

I pretty much swapped out everything on the bike apart from: axles, swingarm pivot, linkage/shock bolts, sprocket bolts, internal engine bolts, engine mounts, rear brake pivot bolt.

Is it worth it? Some will argue not. Will the weight savings make me faster? Probably not. However a Ti/Aluminium bolt will not corrode. And in the 4+ years I've been buying Ti bolts I have yet to strip a thread, round off or shear 1 bolt. Some of the bolts in this bike have been used on a few previous builds. So as a long term investment Ti is pretty damn good!

I hope you didn't eat all the ice cream from that tub you are using to weigh the bolts in. Tongue your trying to save some weight.
RussB
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2/9/2018 12:54pm Edited Date/Time 2/9/2018 12:54pm
smv ryder wrote:
IMO you nailed it on titanium and aluminum bolts... I went pretty deep on titanium bolts on my Husky and heard it so many times.... why...
IMO you nailed it on titanium and aluminum bolts... I went pretty deep on titanium bolts on my Husky and heard it so many times.... why? was the weight savings worth the money? And the best one is your not pro why do you need them?
I bought my bolts with the long term idea like you. I basically purchased every titanium bolt that I knew would go on my next new KTM/Husky, when the new bike comes basically take off new stock bolts, replace them with titanium and then put my brand new bolts on old bike.

Being in Europe Who do you use for bolts? EDIT: I see EBay but any others?
I use Racetech titanium and pro bolt usa
Yup... I'd recommend it to anyone. Do the bike bit by bit, buy 10/15 bolts a month and you can have your whole bike Ti'd out within a year easy!

I use eBay for about 90% of my bolts.
For the more specialist bolts I use Pro Bolt in the UK. Their warehouse is about 5 miles away from where I work which is handy!


PBad - Yup, I ate the whole tub. Had to put the bolts somewhere! Washed it down with a few ales too Grinning

The Shop

SK44
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2/15/2018 2:27pm
Absolutely great read on your build Russ. Thank you for the excellent photos and info on the entire process. Time to sell those clutch spring washers. I know a new RM owner in Texas that might be very interested.
ledger
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2/15/2018 4:43pm
What a score on a great bike !! Glad to hear the G2 throttle helped with power delivery and gave the bike roll on torque vs the abrupt hit. Great job on the bike and great feedback....Thanks.
RussB
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2/15/2018 11:59pm
SK44 wrote:
Absolutely great read on your build Russ. Thank you for the excellent photos and info on the entire process. Time to sell those clutch spring washers...
Absolutely great read on your build Russ. Thank you for the excellent photos and info on the entire process. Time to sell those clutch spring washers. I know a new RM owner in Texas that might be very interested.
Thanks!
Yeah no trouble, I can make you a set.
Email me at rusboyles@googlemail.com and we can sort it out.
RussB
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2/16/2018 12:20am
ledger wrote:
What a score on a great bike !! Glad to hear the G2 throttle helped with power delivery and gave the bike roll on torque vs...
What a score on a great bike !! Glad to hear the G2 throttle helped with power delivery and gave the bike roll on torque vs the abrupt hit. Great job on the bike and great feedback....Thanks.
No problem, thanks for the kind words!
The G2 throttle cam is highly recommended. Gives you that extra throttle control in the first half of the throttle turn. The 2 cam options give you tunability to get the power delivery you desire, then if you want it back to stock simply re-fit the stock cam and its back to normal. Only take a few minutes too. Not necessary for MX but great for trail/enduro
RussB
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2/16/2018 1:15pm
She's done.....









RussB
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2/16/2018 1:27pm
First round of the Rock Oil UK Hare and Hound Enduro series kicks of this Sunday, I'm entered in the Clubman 2 Stroke class. Super excited to compete on this thing and see how it stacks up. I'm quietly confident this bike is as good as any other on the gate.
Will hopefully report back with a good result! I've had limited testing on the bike so expecting there to be a few adjustments to make after the weekend but I'm confident its somewhere near.... fingers crossed!
2/16/2018 1:37pm
As an off-road guy myself, that's going to be a nice machine to rip around through the trees! Looks great. Nice work. Enjoy to the fullest.
Sidecar
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2/16/2018 1:57pm
Looks rad... Have a good weekend, let us know how it goes...
Forty
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2/16/2018 2:23pm
RussB wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/02/16/244365/s1200_99.jpg[/img]



How Much? I must have this. Nice job.
SK44
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2/16/2018 9:37pm
RussB wrote:
She's done..... [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/02/16/244359/s1200_12.jpg[/img] [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/02/16/244360/s1200_11.jpg[/img]
She's done.....









Great job Russ! Go get em this weekend, and be safe.
Andy7
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2/17/2018 6:10am
Awesome bike man! Absolutely love all the titanium in that thing
RussB
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2/19/2018 3:36am
First round of the Rock Oil Hare and Hound championship yesterday at Wymeswold. Based on a motocross track and then using the surrounding fields. Around 6 miles per lap. The track section was super wet with lots of standing water. The field sections were also mega wet and very slick.

I finished 10th in my class and 42nd overall out of 166 riders. Top 10 was the goal coming in so happy to come away with that result.

Overall the bike was really good. I kicked the bike over once at the start of the race and that was it. Even with 3 crashes the bike kept on running, all thanks to the rekluse clutch set up. It was also awesome in the slick areas, I was able to leave the bike in 2nd, sometimes even 3rd and just roll the throttle on gently and get the power to the ground nice and smooth.
I went with the 10% G2 throttle cam but will try the 20% next time for a little extra throttle control. The RM is still a little peaky in some areas, particularly the super tight stuff.
Suspension was good, just a few clicker adjustments and it will be spot on.
Really looking forward to the next round!

As you can see, I was definitely the odd one out! Its a KTM/Husky fest in the Enduro world. It was as if I had 2 heads when I took the bike down the scrutineering! Laughing


Bringing Suzuki back into Enduro for 2018!

1
cesar_rc4
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2/19/2018 3:40am
Awesome build! Love all the details...titanium, suspension...
Enojoy it mate!
Turbojez
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2/19/2018 5:49am
So you decided to use the KYB Kit forks for enduro after all? Is that an RMZ dedicated fork?
Bike came out looking absolutely awesome. Congrats on th ebuild and enjoy it.

Nice number btw Wink
RussB
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2/19/2018 6:32am Edited Date/Time 2/26/2018 4:25am
Turbojez wrote:
So you decided to use the KYB Kit forks for enduro after all? Is that an RMZ dedicated fork? Bike came out looking absolutely awesome. Congrats...
So you decided to use the KYB Kit forks for enduro after all? Is that an RMZ dedicated fork?
Bike came out looking absolutely awesome. Congrats on th ebuild and enjoy it.

Nice number btw Wink
Nooo no no. I put the KYB's back in for the photos Laughing They're just too damn pretty to leave off the bike.

The KYB's are set up for MX and the stock Showas have been revalved for Enduro. I didn't want to make the RM just an Enduro bike, as its so much fun on an MX track. Granted it will take a few hours but I can get it moto ready again pretty easily.

The KYB forks are for an RMZ, so I have to use the front wheel from the RMZ 450 when I run them in the RM. And also the PC clamps as the RMZ forks are larger diameter, so won't fit in the stock RM clamps.

Thanks! And yeah 32 is a great number Cool
samcampbell
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2/19/2018 8:56am
One of the cleanest looking RM250s that I have seen. Is the KYB shock from the RMZ a direct swap to the RM?
2/19/2018 3:59pm
Superb work Russ. You sure were the odd black sheep at the Enduro scrutineering, love it!! Laughing
RussB
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2/20/2018 3:22am
One of the cleanest looking RM250s that I have seen. Is the KYB shock from the RMZ a direct swap to the RM?
Thanks!

Almost... the shock lengths are identical. However the area above the upper shock mount is much beefier on the KYB compared to the stock Showa. As a result the KYB just fouled on the upper shock mount, and contacted the tube that the subframe main bolt goes through.
I simply ground a bit off the shock at the area which was contacting. I removed around 1mm total. There is still tons of meat around the upper shock bolt on the shock so I'm not worried about a failure there at all.

I removed the spring and cycled the shock through the stroke while fitted to confirm it clears and it does. Still close but no contact.
So it does fit but requires some very minor modification to make it fit comfortably.
KDXGarage
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2/21/2018 11:16pm
Very nice work, definitely a unique look and good changes to make it how you wanted it.
RussB
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4/24/2018 12:28am
Surprisingly, I haven't rode the RM once since the last race at Wymeswold. The weather here in the UK has been horrific, causing round 2 of the Rock Oil Enduro series to have been called off multiple times!

She's been sat in the garage fully prepped, adjustments made and ready to go.

I picked these up recently though!
Moose Racing Titanium pegs. These are cast pegs but are very light and much sharper than the OEM steel pegs on the bike at the moment.





I also got a carbon rear brake guard... mainly because it looks super trick!




zac_k3
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4/24/2018 12:41am
I know you’ve probably answered this question a hundred times but on the rms will the rmz forks bolt right up using rmz triple clamps, forks, and front wheel? Also I saw where you run the rmz rear shock on your other rm, will it also bolt right up? I have a 2006 RM125 not a 250 if that changes things up.
RussB
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4/24/2018 1:01am
zac_k3 wrote:
I know you’ve probably answered this question a hundred times but on the rms will the rmz forks bolt right up using rmz triple clamps, forks...
I know you’ve probably answered this question a hundred times but on the rms will the rmz forks bolt right up using rmz triple clamps, forks, and front wheel? Also I saw where you run the rmz rear shock on your other rm, will it also bolt right up? I have a 2006 RM125 not a 250 if that changes things up.
Sort of... I have 3 sets of RMZ clamps: Stock, Neken and Pro Circuit (in pics above). The stock and Neken RMZ clamps fit, but have clearance issues due to the design. The Pro Circuit clamps, although RMZ, seem to closer mimic the stock 2 stroke RM design so have no clearance issues.

Stock RM - Bearing is raised from clamp base


RMZ Neken - Bearing is flush with clamp base


Resulting in clearance issue - a simple 2/3mm spacer under the bearing would sort this


Although the RMZ bump stock on the clamp contacts the RM frame before anything else, I would still highly recommend getting proper bump stops made for an RMZ clamp set to avoid any nasty frame damage in a big crash.


Not the best pic but you can see the Pro Circuit clamp set doesnt suffer with the same problem due to a raised bearing design. So therefor if you're going to go for an RMZ clamp, get a Pro Circuit one.





RMZ and RM shocks are all interchangable. 05+ RM125 and 05+ RM250 use the same shock, linkage, swingarm set up so shocks are the same. As above, some RMZ shocks may require some light material removal for clearance. I've fitted stock RMZ and Ohlins RMZ with no issues, but Stock KYB RMZ shocks require modification.


zac_k3
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4/24/2018 1:17am
Awesome. What year pro circuit clamps? The bike looks killer by the way. I love the all black plastic.
RussB
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4/24/2018 2:08am
I'm not sure, but I bought them as RMZ250 clamps, although they fit my RMZ450 too. So if you got RMZ250/450 2010 onwards you should be fine.

The upper clamp has STC09450 19021555 and lower has STC09450 19021558.5 stamped on it if you want to do a little research

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