Hell yeah man super stoked you released this video! You do hands down the best and most comprehensive videos of old bikes by far, thank you for all the awesome videos you make!
You are right there awesome bikes 2006 rm 250 I have 2006 250 and 2008 rm 125.. Alot of people say suzuki is crap and most want honda for no good reason, but most of people saying suzuki is crap as never ridden rm 250 ...rm fans know back in early 90s / 2000s up to 2006 the rm bikes were proper 2 stroke mx bikes and the bikes to beat. it also won loads of mx shootouts from 2004 2005 2006.. So yes the 2006 rm is one of best 2 strokes engines to have and bike that will still keep up with 4 strokes 18 years later no problem😁 it still looks modern and very slim great looking fast bikes will run with newer yz no problem and put dent in honda cr kx hype 😁 also if you like evo racing 1991 rm 125 250 is another awesome year to have if you want to smoke the old cr bikes at evo races.. We need to start putting prices up on used rm market like they do with last gen cr 250s the rm is much better bike so about time we started getting what there worth when sold
Though the RM is a great bike, it lacks in overall quality compared to the Honda....thats why the price difference maintains where it is. The last gen CR takes some dialing in, but once set up, I’d never go back to the RM.
I'm an 80s and 90s CR guy but i think my buddies 06 rm250 is oje of the best bikes I've ridden. Had great low end, pulled up top, sharp handing and good suspension
Been waiting for this! I grew up riding a clapped out 79 IT175 my dad bought me in 84 when i was 14. Then i obviously started getting the magazines, but man the RM bikes were always my favorite, drooled all over the Dirt Bike pages. Still have the IT actually after all these years and am grateful for my dad, that bike taught me how to wrench. I got to ride in the golden era so thanks Tony for taking me back man.
Hi Tony, great video! My first motocross bike was a 1976 RM250 and in later years, roughly '95 to '97 I was Suzuki's test rider for the RM250. I think you did a good job breaking down the bike through the years. I saw my picture in your video about 7 times. Pete
finally a video where you didn't rake the 1987 over the coals. It is really a great bike. I bought one by accident a few years ago and have loved it ever since. What a sleeper.
Once again thank you! I've never been a Suzuki fan but I love all things moto. I wish you could retire and just do these videos! As a side note my best friend bought a 1994 and got a full PC engine. I was racing over 25A class at the time on Hondas and thought I was a big deal. That was the most terrifying bike I've ever ridden. It hit so hard and came all undone due to the stock suspension. He broke his wrist and bought an XR400. Even jumped doubles he wouldn't on the RM😂
Outstanding!! Wonderful original literature, and juicy Tech info! I grew up a Suzuki kid in the 80's! Started with a 1980 Jr50 and progressed to a 1983 DS80. All brand new at time. I turn 50 this year.. I want my dads old bike now..79 DS185 ,wish i could find one ...
I absolutely loved the video! I've got a 1990 and 1993 RM250, my brother has the 91. We fell in love with the barky case reed engines. Im usually a 500 guy, but these ride like 125s that can actually haul my oversized carcass around. Thank you for the fantastic content!
One of my favorite all time motorcycles! Coincidentally, I just watched the 1970’s Burt Reynolds’s film, Hooper, which features the 1976 (77?) RM250! I remember seeing that movie and its motocross references back in the day, which heavily influenced my existing fascination with racing moto. While I never owned an RM250, they did feature highly in my life as objects of desire. When I moved to Japan in November 1980, my father arranged for me to have a try out ride with the MrBike racing team (later made more of note by Steve Martin). That tryout involved my very first time riding a 250 at only 13 years old. The team claimed it was the only bike they had available for me to ride, a 1981 model RM250. I was so nervous and worried, completely intimidated by the power (I had only ridden 80’s and 125’s) that I short shifted my way around that unfamiliar race track, Chubu MrBike Sports land. I guess, by virtue of being American, I made the team that day and went on to race for Team MrBike until we left Japan in 1984. It remains some of the very best and most exciting years of my life. A real dream come true for a mediocre amateur racer. When we returned to the US, my parents opened up a motorcycle shop (Kawasaki franchise) in Warrenton Oregon, a shop my father named MrBike Motorsports. We raced all around the Pacific Northwest from 1985 until the business sadly ended in 1991. I’ll never forget that tryout day on that RM250 my father had arranged for me…forever cementing himself into hero status in my heart.
Thank you for these videos. You are so incredibly good at putting these together and narrating. I’m blown away at how good this video looks and the level of detail. Top notch!
This has to be my favorite episode of the vault , you took me all the way down memory lane lol , I have owned most of the models you covered at some time or another in both 125 and 250's with my absolute favorite being the pair I had in 1992 , I have to say that I won more races on those two bikes ... Keep up the good work..
New Zealand got Rm 250's up to around 2010 and the UK got Rm 250 up to 2012.. ! I had a mint low hours 08' but sold it recently but still have a low hours 07'.. fantastic bike !
Great job on the retrospective. My 2002 is in my will, I’ll let my two sons figure out who gets to keep it. I loved the 1988 RM250 I had as well. I wish I had kept it. At least I was smart enough to keep the 2002 !! RM 250 Champions that I remember : Joel Robert 3x 250GP Tony DeStefino 3x250 US Kent Howerton 2x 250 US Mark Barnett (SX) George Jobe 2x250GP Alex Puzar 1x 250GP Greg Albertyn 1x US 1x 250GP Micheal Pichon 2x 250 GP Ricky Charmichael (SX)
Great job! 👍👍 Most of us back then really figured Suzuki would get their late 80s bikes super dialed with the surprise additions of Hannah and O'Mara. They never really did and ended up being more of a publicity deal. Yeah, I still remember the first time seeing the 91's at my local Suzuki shop. Felt like yourself as a wtf is this.... But nowadays those "No Fear" flashy days of the early 90s Im fond of.
Really enjoyed the video. 👍 I had the 89 the 90 and 92.. and for me the 89 was just perfect, the abuse that bike took was unreal, I'd heard of motors detonating back then, but we found it bomb proof in all the conditions we threw at it, maybe we just had a good one. I also had the '98 250, I couldn't gel with that bike it felt less spicy than the others. All great bikes though. 😎👍
The 1993 to 1995 chassis were there weak point. To rigid and twitchy at speed. The engines were awesome i thought. Great Video 👍🏻 thank you very much for sharing Tony.
Suzuki should never have stopped making their 2 strokes. They could still be making the same exact bike (cuz they would) and it would sell to this day.
Great Video once again, outstanding. Absolutely agree if Suzuki and the other 2 Japanese brands bought out the 2 strokes wouldn't have much trouble selling them. Only have to look at the Yamaha YZs here in Australia the 125s and 250s sell in a heart beat, plus less maintenance as well, plus you can never beat the sound of a 2 stroke engine.
I have a 05 which I got new and it's definitely a rocket. The only time I lost a race was on slippery surfaces. I also heard they messed up the jetting in 06
I had Suzuki RM's up until 1991. When I switched to Honda. I never liked the way the Suzukis steered. They were not accurate like the Hondas. the last one I owned was in 1989. Once I switched to Honda I stayed there until I stopped riding around 2010. The best Suzuki's were in 1981 and 1982. Not great cornering bikes, but great in every other way at the time, especially the full floater rear suspension
From what I've learned from this video. Suzuki Rm250 in general is very ''mediocre''. Seems to be good at handling, But power is cind of boring. Seems to love being only in the mid range and then nothing. Short and boring. Then we have the horrible design of the waterpump. Like WHO'S IDEA was it to place the waterpump ''INSIDE'' the engine?! My friend had a 1998 RMX250 with that design, And omfg it was a pay in the ass to work with. Terrible design.
@@jethroboorer2860 Yeah I've heard that they really stepped up the game then. So If im ''ever'' to have a Suzuki Rm250, It would be like from 2001 and beyond. But right now Im not owning a Suzuki. I actually just bought an 1990 Kx250. Mediocre at handling I would say, Feels like it goes from oversteer at low speeds to understeer and mid/high speeds and then oversteers again. Like the front and back has two different brains or something. Powerwise it's good. It's okey at the low, Gets the job done. Really hit's in the mid range, Drops just a little then comes back at the top. Cind of strange, It's like the KX250 really TRIES to be a Honda Cr250. The only thing I hate about the bike is the way they esigned the kick. Idk what Kawasai thought of thatyear but the kick is very slippery when you kick it, And the kick hooks up like 20 to 30 degree lower then any other bike I've owned before. It's really weird. Other then that, Great bike and it looks awesome.
I think you should do a video on helmets of the 70's and 80's So many great lids Arai mx pro Shoes vx 3 Bell moto 3 The icon bell moto 4 And of course the JT als 1 and als 2 So many more but they are as much a piece of the era as the machines themselves. Just better times. So excited you are back. I have watched everyone of your videos. Great stuff. P.S. I still wear a moto 4 and a ALS 2. The als 2 was so far ahead of its time. Wide open view, actual venting that works, also it doesn't lift up at highway speeds. Great helmet. It is my go to lid.
That was fun to watch. The RMZ 450 runs the 49 to rear sprocket versus the 51 on the Yamaha I wonder if you put that 49 on the rm 250 maybe it would be a little smoother and easier to ride
