1995 Suzuki RM250S

I personally love the mid 90’s years of motocross bikes. Motocross royalty like Greg Albertyn, Roger DeCoster, Damon Huffman and one of my personal favorite riders of all time, Guy Cooper I’m sure would approve of this 1995 Suzuki RM250S restored by our friend Eric Bakie, another one of his top notch restorations.

September 2016, I found a 1995 Suzuki RM 250S for sale on Craigslist locally in Meridian, Idaho. Originally, I planned on just buying this bike to ride, but it ran so poorly on my first test ride that I decided to make it my third dirt bike restoration.

Once dissembled, eccentric ring wear and an out-of-round cylinder were observed. The connecting rod had a groove on both sides where it had been hitting the crank and was very close to catastrophic engine failure. The air boot was caked with sand like that engine was run with no air filter or a poor air filter seal which explains the eccentric ring wear. The left exhaust valve was also cracked in half and the bolts laying freely under the cover, likely due to lack of Loctite on a past rebuild. Spokes were rusted solid as were most of the rear suspension bearings. The sub-frame was cracked on the right side under the seat and badly bent which made the silencer and rear fender cant left. The bottom of the frame was also badly dented.

I started the project by repairing the frame. Most of the parts were sourced from partzilla.com. The frame and rear shock spring were powder coated by Donnie at Primo Powder Coating in Meridian, Idaho. The engine work was done by Eric Gorr in Sheboygan, WI; engine work included powder coated cases, porting, 265cc big bore kit, new stator, Boyesen reeds, clutch, and a Wiseco piston.

I installed a new 38mm PWK Quad Vent Air-Striker and a JD jetting kit. I used a new Pro Circuit Platinum pipe and Pro Circuit Nature Friendly spark arrestor silencer. UFO side panels, radiator shrouds, front number plate and Acerbis front fender and rear fenders were used in this project. I installed a replica decal kit purchased from a company in the UK. I’m very pleased with the finished project. I plan on displaying the bike in the Idaho Vintage Motorcycle Club’s annual bike show next spring.

Thank you Eric for sharing your 1995 Suzuki RM250S out of your collection!