Time to upgrade?

[bigc]

Well here is my delema.i have a pretty nice stock 2000 rm250.I went riding with a few friends who have newer bikes 09 ktm 250xc and 08 yz250.They both have suspension work.Soooo nice compared to mine..The motor on the rm is totally different in overall and power delivery,were thiers is smooth and ridable in the rough stuff iam screaming on the rm. so do i get a grand or so for my rm and go put twards a newer bike or try suspension work flywheel weight ect on the old bike?Or is it.. is what it is ,old and outdated?

[jcat]

What type of riding are you doing? It takes a little work to make an RM a good trail bike. I have a 96 that I have set up for trails and I dont give up anything to newer bikes. I have my jetting,pipe,reeds,power valve, and suspension all set up for trails, and the bike works great. So if you have the money go for a newer bike, otherwise make what you have got work.?

[zig06]

If you have the disposable income the "YES!" you only live once and you can't take it with you. And while I totally agree that your 2000 RM is an excellent bike that can be made into an awesome woods bike, it'll still pale in comparison to any bike that's 8 or more years newer.

Might I suggest that you:

a: Buy my '08 RM250 https://www.thumpertalk.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=75143&title=2008-suzuki-rm250&cat=3

~ or ~

b: Invest in a FMF Gnarly pipe, a Flywheel Weight and then have your suspension valved and sprung for you and where you are riding.

Option "B" should run you about $900, and it'll make your riding buddies question why they are only as fast as a 10 plus year old bike.

Option "A" will run you about $3,200, and your riding buddies will be seeing yellow (if that) for many years to come.

[Mark6299]

I own a 1999 RM 250 like yours. It is not really worth getting rid of it for me. I could get about 1000 for it like you said. I would keep it if not for anything else a spare or a bike for a buddy. I guess you could upgrade if you want. If you need a bunch of stuff done to your bike to get it in good shape then dump it. If its already in good shape, keep it. I know it nice to get new things like bikes, that's why I own 6 of them. I will tell you something you already know based on what you have said about your buddies newer bikes. My newest bike is a 2007 YZ250. I loved my RM250 but now basically have it for buddies to ride. I rode the 99 RM the other day and really apreciated the 07 YZ. It was a huge difference. I wil still proably never get rid of my RM though.

[kyle450rider]

All depends on if its WORTH it to you. You could make your bike more trail worthy or upgrade to something that bonestock likely has better suspension and power. Maybe you should ask your buddies to swap bikes with you for an hour or so and then hop back on the suzuki and see if it feels like a better bike???

Something to keep in mind also is that if you dump a grand into this bike you won't get it back if you decide to sale it off. You should at least do some shopping and see what kind of bikes are in your price range.

[bigc]

Thanks for all the advise guys.iam leaning twards a newer model,but the bike i have is really clean and in good shape and i occasionaly get to pass my much younger riding buddies on on thier new bikes wich is a hoot!guess i have this winter to decide what to do,we are talkking about doing the harescramble series this year so maybe an upgrade is in order.

[GMO397]

This is something I've been dealing with also for a while. I have a 2000 yz250 that I've dumped thousands into. Pristine mechanical shape with a bunch of nice accessories to boot.

I race MX, SX and harescrambles. 2 weeks ago I raced a 2 hour race against around 80 other riders (all big bikes). I finished first in my class and around 12th overall.

My personal opinion is even after you dump your cash making your old bike competitive, you'll still feel disadvantaged. It's all mental.

And if you go buy that shiney new bike, it won't be as great as you were expecting. It will be better, but at a price.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

[suzi dave]

b: Invest in a FMF Gnarly pipe, a Flywheel Weight and then have your suspension valved and sprung for you and where you are riding. I would definitely agree with this! I bought a 99 RM about 4 months ago...after not really riding for about 35 years...And, to say the least, It was a "hand full"! I got the Gnarly, a 10 oz. FWW, and spent time setting up the suspension...and it's a different bike! I ride desert/trails, and I'm no longer "afraid" of this bike. Can't compare it to a newer 2 stroke, But I can run with my buddies 03/04 WR 450, and my other buddies 09 CRF 450...they just "out top end" me.

[kan3]

You'll more than likely be much happier with a newer yz/ktm than you will putting money into your current rm.