2000 Suzuki RM 250 In Black With Yellow & Red Details
An Almost Unrecognisable Suzuki RM 250 Two Stroke Motocross Bike
Up until quite recently with the introduction of the Triumph TF 250 X, black motocross bikes were rarely seen and maybe this is what our customer, Travis Fuller, was thinking when he started this project. Black and yellow on a Suzuki motocross bike is pretty standard, but in stock OEM form it tends to be the opposite way around, with the bikes being predominantly yellow with hints of back. In the AS3 office we love to see something that's a bit different, so you can imagine our excitement when this dropped into our inbox! The bike is a 2000 Suzuki RM 250 two stroke that has been completely stripped down and rebuilt with many upgrades, including a lot of AS3 Performance parts. The stock yellow plastics have been swapped for black and the cables, brake lines, fuel cap and chain slider are all now yellow! Below, we showcase the bike and the AS3 Performance parts used in the project.
Silicone Radiator Hoses
When you're looking at the bike from the left side, one of the first things that you notice is red silicone radiator hoses. As with all stock Suzuki motocross bikes, the original radiator hoses will have been black and made of rubber, so would have likely hardened and perished over time, therefore needing to be replaced. Our radiator hoses are manufactured from high quality silicone with a polyester reinforcement and for the 1996-2000 RM 250 models, we offer them in four colours - black, yellow, red and blue! The red hoses on the RM 250 compliment the other subtle red details on the bike, including the red anodised AS3 Performance parts that we'll detail below.
Front Sprocket Guard
Sticking with the left side of the bike and on the opposite side of the ignition cover, you will notice that the OEM plastic front sprocket guard has been replaced by our red anodised billet aluminium sprocket guard. Our front sprocket guards mount to the bike by using the bolts provided and are also compatible with our billet aluminium case savers. The red front sprocket cover used on this RM 250 build matches the red silicone hoses and other red highlights on the bike. It fits the 2000-2008 RM 250 plus the RM 125 from 1996-2008 and we also have them available in black and yellow.
Rear Brake Clevis
Sticking with the theme of red parts and moving over to the right side of the bike, you can see from the photo below that the OEM rear brake clevis has been replaced with our red billet aluminium version. In our opinion, our billet aluminium rear brake clevis are a big visual upgrade over the stock OEM part, which looks very basic in comparison. The sleek CNC machined design, combined with the smooth polished, anodised finish, gives much more of a 'factory' style look. Most customers choose to pair this with one of our forged rear brake pedals, as you can match the colour of the brake clevis to the tip of the brake pedal, but unfortunately in this case, they are are only available from the 2001 model. Depending on the colour scheme of your bike, we stock the rear brake clevis in 3 additional colours - black, yellow and blue! They will fit the 2000-2008 RM 125, 2002-2022 RM 85, as well as the 1998-2001 RM 80.
Oil Filler Plug & Rear Brake Reservoir Cover
The last red parts to mention are also installed on the right side of the bike. In the centre of the image below, just above the black Boyesen clutch cover, is our red anodised oil filler plug. Again, this is another CNC machined product and being manufactured from aluminium, it is a much stronger upgrade from the plastic OEM part. The plug comes complete with pre-drilled holes for lock wire as an extra precaution to prevent it coming loose. Glancing over to the left slightly, you will see that the rear brake reservoir also has one of our red anodised reservoir covers installed - a stronger and more visually appealing upgrade from the OEM part. Both parts look great against the brown cerakoted engine casings and black re-sprayed frame and sub-frame, plus match the other subtle red highlights perfectly. It's these little details that can make all the difference to add the finishing touches to a project like this.
Braided Front & Rear Brake Lines
As with most bike builds and projects that we are involved in, the OEM front and rear rubber brake hoses have been replaced with our AS3 Performance by Venhill braided brake lines. The standard brake hoses can perish and deteriorate over time, so when rebuilding any bike, replacing the brake hoses is always recommended. By choosing our braided brake lines, you are not only replacing the hoses, but also upgrading them too. The stainless steel braided construction prevents the hose from expanding under pressure and improves the feel and responsiveness of the braking system, especially in race conditions when the brakes are being used more aggressively and the temperature of the braking components increases. Our brake lines are finished with a PVC coloured coating - in this case yellow has been chosen which looks so good against the black swing arm, with the yellow colour matching the yellow decals and seat cover strips perfectly. We also stock them in red, but this might have been a bit of an overkill if they were fitted, so we can see why yellow was chosen. Black is also available for anyone wanting to maintain more of an OEM look. The rear brake lines used on this bike fit the 1996-2000 Suzuki RM 250, as well as the 1996-2000 Suzuki RM 125 and the front brake lines used, fit the 1999-2003 RM 125 and 1999-2003 RM 250.
Throttle Cable & Clutch Cable
This is also something that we see quite frequently - once the front brake line has been changed from OEM black to AS3 yellow, the clutch and throttle cables are usually next to complete the look. Both the throttle and clutch cables are teflon lined and offer a much smoother feel over the OEM cables. We would guess that both OEM cables would have stretched and deteriorated on a bike that is over 25 years old, even if they had been replaced previously. The wire in both cables is manufactured from high quality marine grade stainless steel, like our brake lines - this helps to prevent the cable from stretching prematurely, leaving them feeling better, for longer. We know that yellow cables are not to everyones taste, so we also supply the same throttle and clutch cables for the RM 250 in black
AS3 Factory Series Front Brake & Clutch Flexi Levers
We have three lever options for the 2000 Suzuki RM 250 - our standard forged levers, our flexi levers and our Factory Series front brake and clutch levers, which were the preferred choice here. These levers are one of our most popular products, largely due to the amount of features they offer. The spring loaded flexible design helps to prevent them snapping on impact, the quick adjuster on the clutch lever allows for easy adjustment of the clutch cable, both levers have an adjustable reach setting and the clutch assembly comes with a plastic insert, which allows the assembly to rotate on impact, to help prevent damage. This set of levers will fit the 1990-2001 Suzuki RM 80, 2002-2004 RM 85, 1996-2004 RM 125 and 1996-2004 RM 250 and are available in black (as shown below), yellow and red.
What Other Parts Do AS3 Performance Offer For The Suzuki RM 250?
