GREAT MOTORCYCLES WE HAVE KNOWN: THE RM CHRONICLES

[MotoFactory]

The late ’60s and early ’70s saw a technology race in the motocross world that NASA would be proud of. In Europe, Husqvarna and Maico were still in the game, but it was Japan’s influence that took the sport to a new level. And, in the early years at least, Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki were desperately trying to catch up to Suzuki.

The story of the Suzuki RM250 is about a dynasty of bikes, championships and riders that goes back to a glorious era in the history of motocross. In 1965, Suzuki launched a massive development program to build the world’s best motocross bike. It wasn’t based on market research, computer forecasts or industrial analysis. It was all about gut instinct and passion.

The RH72 was the bike that carried Joel Robert to his sixth motocross championship. It was considered the greatest MX bike of its time and is now a part of the International Motocross Museum.

FIRST EFFORTS

The program came to life through the efforts of Mr. Okano, general manager of research and development, and racing manager Mr. Ishikawa, who were both passionate about racing. The first product of the program was the RH66, a prototype 250cc racer with a number of odd features, like a crankshaft-mounted clutch. It wasn’t very good, and the limited-production TM250 that followed wasn’t any better. Things didn’t really start happening until Suzuki hired Swede Olle Pettersson in 1967 to both develop and race the machine. His first recommendation was for only one change to the existing bike. He told them to throw it away and start over. That set in motion an amazing success story that resulted in a legacy of world championships, beginning with Joel Robert in 1970.

But, for some reason Suzuki’s head start didn’t translate to an advantage in the bike that Suzuki sold to the public. In 1971, the company offered the TM400 Cyclone, which was a poor motorcycle that was unrelated to the bike that Roger DeCoster rode. Soon a 250cc version was offered, but it was based on the TS250 Savage rather than anything that the race team developed. In the meantime, Honda and Yamaha were offering race-ready machines.

Something had to change. In 1975 Suzuki made a commitment to not only improve its production bikes, but to make them worthy of their works bike counterparts. The TM line was abandoned and the Suzuki RMs were born. First, a 125 that was half TM and half RM appeared, but in 1976 a pure-blood line of RMs was offered including the RM250A. If you looked at that RM and compared it to the bike that carried Joel to his first championship six years earlier, it was clear that Suzuki’s racing and production departments were working together. From that point on, it can honestly be said that there was never a bad bike that carried the RM prefix.

THE YEARS

1968: Suzuki releases the first TM250 in very limited numbers. It is fragile and weird, and it shows a lot of CZ influence. But, it demonstrates that Suzuki is paying attention to a world that other Japanese manufacturers don’t know exists.

1971: Suzuki’s next try at a production motocross bike is the orange TM400 Cyclone. It earns a reputation as one of the worst-handling bikes ever made—a rap that only grows in legend. 

The TM250 of 1973 was no match for the Honda and Yamaha motocross bikes that arrived that year.

1972–1973: The TM line grows. The Cyclone (now yellow, just like Roger’s bike) is joined by a TM250 Champion, a TM125 Challenger and a TM100 Contender. The 125 and 100 aren’t bad; the 250 and 400 are.

1975: The first RM appears in the form of the Suzuki RM125M. It still uses a motor from the TM, but the machine is more focused and more competitive, showing a hint of things to come. It has long-travel suspension that is considered excellent in its day. 

1976: The true RM line is born. The RM250A is a completely new bike with long-travel suspension that is considered to be the best of any production bike available. The 125 and 370 versions are new as well. The RM is on top, but Yamaha isn’t standing still and competition between the two companies is intense, with Honda joining in later. Updates come quickly, and Suzuki has three new versions of the RM250 available over the next two years, dubbed the B, C and CII. The RM250CII in 1978 gets a plastic fuel tank and an aluminum swingarm.

1979: This is a big change for the Suzuki 250. The RM250N is a mostly new bike. Honda and Yamaha have new bikes as well, but the European companies have fallen far behind by this time in the 250 class.

Mark Barnett shows off his single-shock Full Floater Suzuki RM250.

1981: Everything changes with the arrival of single-shock suspension. All four Japanese companies offer different configurations, but Suzuki’s Full Floater design is the best. 

Side note: Suzuki is sued by Don Richardson, the original designer of the system. After a lengthy court battle, Suzuki is ordered to pay up based on the number of units sold.

1982: The liquid-cooled RM250 reigns supreme as the best 250 of the year. It’s faster, lighter and has better suspension than anything in the class. Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki have off years, but recover quickly. Over the next few years, the Suzuki doesn’t quite keep up with the rapid pace of technological improvement in the motocross world. 

1986: The frame is redesigned, and the rear suspension loses the big rocker arm on top, which is replaced by below-the-swingarm linkage. The motor lacks throttle response and peak power. The 1987 suspension is revised again, and the motor gets blue paint, but during this period, the RM loses much of its magic.

Randy Hawkins was the man behind the development of the RMX250 off-road bike, which arrived in 1989.

1988: Suzuki catches up in a hurry when Bob Hannah becomes involved with production bike testing. The 1988 RM gets a new power valve and redesigned bodywork, and it is once again best in class.

1989: Suzuki makes the first top-to-bottom change in years. Everything is different, and the bike is excellent. The most significant change is the switch to a case-reed motor. Another change is the inverted fork. This also marks the arrival of the RMX250 off-road bike, which was developed with the help of Randy Hawkins. The RMX is very successful, but goes almost unchanged for its entire production run of 10 years.

1993: The RM250 looks completely different, with large shrouds that cover the whole tank. The Dirt Bike test of the day charges that the bike is essentially the same in performance. This isn’t good, because Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha are making fast improvements. Suzuki then enters a short period of mediocrity.

1996: Roger DeCoster takes a job at Suzuki in 1995 and pushes for big changes with a short deadline. The result is an all-new bike in 1996. Its wildest feature is the return to a conventional fork. It also has an internal water pump. The bike is good, but gets a bad rap when Jeremy McGrath loses his 1997 Supercross title in his short tenure at Suzuki.

1999: The inverted fork is back. Suzuki makes very few changes to the RM250 in this period. The bike’s strong points are suspension, power and cornering. Its weak points are its excessive weight and lack of straight-line stability. It finishes in the middle of most magazine shootouts.

2001: This is the last big change for the Suzuki RM250. It gets a new frame and bodywork, new engine cases with an external water pump, and a new power valve. At this point, the Suzuki is very close to the top of its game. So is Yamaha, and the two companies battle back and forth for the honor of top bike. Honda’s ’01 CR is in the hunt, too, but then takes a step backwards in 2002.

Suzuki’s first production motocross bike was the 1968 TM250.

2008: Suzuki and Yamaha are alone among Japanese 250s by now. The two of them are basically at a draw. Both have strong points and weak points, but there will be no more progress. There was no RM250 or RM125 in 2009, although the RM85 continues. Even though Suzuki no longer concentrates on the RM two-strokes, the influence of those bikes can still be seen at motocross tracks all over the world to this day.

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