02 RM 250 fork height

[charlieofak]

Has anyone moved their forks lower in the clamps (seem to have a 1/4" to 3/8" of fork above the top of clamp)? What result did you get? I am considering lowering my forks to try and stabalize the RM a little bit. I basically have to focus on keeping my bars straight in corners, if I don't the least input will cause it to turn in too quickly and before I know it I'm on the ground. I'm sure it has a lot to do with my inexperience as a rider, but I'm still trying to find things to make turning a little more stable and less unpredictable. Just for info.: my bike has after market Applied triple clamps (came that way when I bought it),the forks are set with the line on the fork flush with the top of clamp. I also recently put new tires on front and rear(Michelin M12 front, MS3 rear), tires did help. I also did tighten up my adjustment nut on the headset to provide more resistance for rotation of the bars, seems to help head shake issue, but not so much in the turns. Everything I read talks about how well RM's turn, for me it seems like it turns in (washes out) to easily. Appreciate any help or input.

[ford832]

Don't overtighten your headset bearings as you'll just get more handling issues-it sounds good in theory but doesn't work-and will contribute immensely to the problems you describe.
Raising the forks in the clamps(lowering the front end) will make it more nervous.Set them flush or nearly so and that will be about as stable as you'll get.Don't overlook the back end.Too much sag or or weak settings in the back will cause the front end to act more twitchy as well.Try working with a little less sag to put more pressure on the front.Don't run any more than about 12 psi in the tires and make sure you bleed the air from the forks(while on a stand) regularly.Also,concentrate on keeping your nuts almost up against the gas cap with your inside leg up and pointed forward(not just dangling there)and your body leaned forward in the turns.Don't pay attention to the bar position and don't look at your front wheel.It's kind of hard to make yourself do it at first but look through the corner or at the rut where you want to be toward the exit and you'll just end up there.After all that,you've got an RM,and I like them

[charlieofak]

ford832, thanks for the input, I will try your suggestions. Just to clarify on the 02RM there is a line around the fork tube, that is located about 10mm down from the top cap. In the manual it says that the line on the fork tube should be set at the top of the upper clamp, this leaves the 10mm of tube above the top of the clamp. I was wondering if I should try and slide the fork down more (clamp up) so that there is less of the fork tube (current 10mm) above the top of the clamp. If I did this it would put more fork tube below the clamp, which I thought might help give it a little more stability. I think you were suggesting the top cap of the fork tube be flush with the top clamp, if I did this I would be moving the fork down the full 10mm from the factory setting. Do you think I should go this far right off the bat or maybe try 5mm or so?

[TMKIWI]

Drop your forks down the clamps so the top of the outer tube is flush with the tripple clamp.
Dont drop it down to the top of the caps. Thats too far.

You have one off the best turning bikes you can get.
As ford said dont look at the wheel at all. That will cause you to stuff up the corners.
Sounds like you are new to mx ?.
Don't worry. Practice makes perfect.
You have a great bike you will just have to get used to it.

P.S. RM's are stable compared to KTM's.

[Rota Ash]

I have an 02 RM 250, it's razor sharp, i'd say maybe to much pressure in the front tire, maybe your not leaning the bike in enough and trying to steer it too much.

[Charles Owens]

Keep in mind your aftermarket upper clamp may be a different size than OEM.
My UE upper clamp sits about 3mm higher on the tubes than stock.
I agree with ford, sit forward and lean in the corners rather than steer.
Learn to steer with weight and the rear wheel, that is what make the 2 strokes more fun.
Just keep practicing and trying different things, eventually what works best will come natural.

[rm250guy]

I have been riding RMs for decades and Ford is spot on.  You are riding the most agile and best turning machine out there.  I would agree with others contributing that you should start with getting more practice in to allow you to get more confident with a sharp handling MXer.  After all, dedicated RM people are addicted for precisely this noteworthy attribute!  If you are a bigger and heavier guy (like me) some good results can be also had by increasing fork and shock spring rates.  Happy riding....

[charlieofak]

All....thanks for the input. It sounds like I definately need to ride more to get to a level of comfort/confidence. I've had the bike for a year now (my first dirt bike) and ride as much as I can fit in (at least 3-4 times a month), still the turning (also control while jumping) is my biggest challenge, it has been getting a little better, but I still get "suprised" quite frequently. It seems like at times if I get my weight forward/over the bars the control is instantly lost, I'm sure it must have something to do with when in the turn my weight shifts. Turning is one of my biggest priorities to get good at, evently it should come. I've seen the term "razor sharp" used with the RM before, what exactly is that suppose to mean? I have also read about how a 2-stroke is "rear wheel controlled" in it's handling traits, yet most instruction seems to reccomend getting more and more of your weight forward and even over the bars. It all gets a little confusing trying to peice it together and figure it out. I know I just need to ride more, but it does help to think things through and focus on specific things to try and improve. Thanks again.

[ford832]

Focus ahead of you and not on your front wheel.Inside leg out and forward high.At the same time,press your opposite leg hard into the tank and down on the peg.Choose a gear that you won't bog but won't light up the rear wheel if you twitch the throttle.It's better to be a higher gear even if you have to slip the clutch a little accelerating away from the corner until you get the hang of things.
Practice coming into the corner slowly and maintaining a smooth throttle throughout the whole corner while you work on it.It's sometimes hard to practice a whole bunch of stuff in an instant.Do it slowly-but not slow enough you lowside of course,until things become natural then pick up your speed.If you try to jam and cram it before you get the technique down,your brain will usually lock up and you'll just flail around.

[rm250guy]

Razor sharp refers to effectively being able to turn whenever you want; no throttle, mid-throttle and full throttle.  A great way to pass on a RM is to come in wide and then cut underneath to the inside (as your foe drifts from inside to outside) simply because you can...  Some bikes built for "stability" will come in wide and want to stay wide because it may be more difficult to turn, some of the older ones (aka Yamaha, KTM) even want to "stand up" in the corner if you get off of the gas because they only seem to turn easily if the throttle is on...

The general trade off is that sharp handling may cause some issues in faster rough sections because the bike will dance around a little under you... it isn't as drastic as it used to be though with the newer models.  My 08 RM with handles the rough stuff very well indeed!

[Sideways17]

I know this is an old thread but my RM is really sensitive to sag. Mine is soooooo awesome on hardpack at 97mm sag and great in the sand at 104mm. Get yourself a sag tool and research suspension setup. Turning is greatly influenced by the sag you're running.

Before I knew what I was doing, I got my suspension back from MX Tech and just threw it on the bike and went riding. It was soooo touch and would wash out the front end in corner entry. After I emailed Jeremy from MX Tech he asked what my sag was set at. It was at 80mm!?! So, too much weight was on the front end which made it nervous and twitchy. Lesson learned!!

The techniques discussed here is great as well. I look to the apex, then, one I get to the apex, I look to where I want to be after the corner. This is a great tip to practice, it will make your corner speed faster!

P.S. I have my forks set 7mm above the clamp.

[Super Trucker]

Jeremy from MX tech , knows his stuff, he valved Eron Ezerins RM,s he always won 125,250 a class everywhere, Red Bud, Lake Geneva s. cross, nuclear series, RedBud national cleaned house on the night track, then qulified on the natl. track on a stock rm125. His suspension looked better than the factory riders, his bike sounded super weak compard to other riders. Setting the sag is the most important setup thing, I like alot of sag on a 125 for stability and to get the front wheel light to get on top of the dirt. My cr125  says 95-100 in the book, I run 108-110 of sag, factory connection says 110 mm sag.