One Year With Suzuki's Pe250
ONE YEAR WITH SUZUKI'S PE250
How An Unbreakable Enduro Bike Became Everybody’s Friend
Ron Griewe
When the Suzuki PE250 first arrived it drew' a lot of attention from our staff. Basically designed around the RM motocrossers. the PE250 has a wide ratio transmission and threegallon aluminum tank complete with large gas filler opening. Seat height is effectively lowered by reducing the suspension travel and making the seat about one inch thinner. These modifications made touching the ground flat-footed a reality. With its off-set axle front forks and cantilevered Rayaba gas-oil rear shocks the PE250 handles beautifully. The rubber covered footpegs that for years hampered Japanese enduro bikes were finally absent and the good RM cleated ones utilized.
It looked like the Japanese were at last building what we wanted. Could it be as good as it looked? We decided to run one non-stop, around the clock, for 1000 actual miles around destructive Baja, California.
The necessary arrangements were made. In addition to our staff, several people with Baja experience and known riding ability were enlisted. Mike’s Sky Rancho was used for headquarters and a 60-mile loop was laid out around it. We thought two people at a time on the loop would be safest and three teams alternated around the clock until 1000 miles were recorded on the speedo. Seven or eight chase bikes were used and six riders were exhausted during the ordeal.
The only problems encountered during the 1000 miles were a kickstand spring that got sheared off on a rock and a funny vibration that started on lap nine. The PE was thoroughly checked over, but the source of vibration couldn’t be located. By lap twelve the severity of the vibration had lessened and the test continued without further mechanical failure.
The PE came through like a thoroughbred but the source of vibration still puzzled us so a complete teardown was performed. Nothing was broken, loose or worn. After reassembly the vibration was gone. What caused it w'as still a mystery. One thousand miles with only these two problems was an exceptional feat for a new > model. After returning the test bike to the manufacturer, an even better idea came up. With such a reliable bike available we should try to get one for a one-year test and start the test by racing the bike in the Baja 1000.
Suzuki agreed to the proposal and sent a new' PE in the crate. It arrived two weeks before the race was due to start. The bike was assembled, checked, and an attempt made to put some break-in-miles on it. After three miles, a terrible screeching noise started in the motor. A quick check told us nothing. Everything outside appeared to be OK. What’s wrong? We nursed it back to the van and removed the cylinder. Nothing wrong there. The magneto cover w'as removed and the nut checked OK. The clutch side cover was taken off and clutch nut and primary drive gear checked—all OK. Frustration followed. “Doesn’t seem to be much oil in here,” someone noticed. That’s the problem, no one put oil in the transmission. Swell, it’s only five days until race day. It’s a new model and most parts aren’t available yet.
A thousand things needed to be done yet; quartz lights added, generator reworked. spokes safety wired, six-ply tires mounted, grips and extra cables attached; the list w'as staggering. More frustration. We decided to pour in a quart of 20-40 oil and hope. A short test ride raised our hopes, the noise was gone. Time was really short by now and tearing down the motor for a bearing check was out of the question. We didn't even have the time to properly break it in. We gritted our teeth and hoped the transmission bearings wouldn’t 20 bellv-up half way throuah the 1000.
If you read the March, 1977 issue of CYCLE WORLD you know the results of that endeavor. If not . . . the bike was still going strong 100 miles from the finish but because of pilot error and fatigue the effort was halted.
A full year later, after being ridden by countless people, (some of them careful, some not) three more trips to Baja, one trip well over a 1000-mile loop and a couple of 400-mile trips, probably 25 trips to the desert and a couple trips to the mountains, the PE250 is still going strong. The engine center cases still haven’t been separated and the clutch and transmission parts are originals. Amazingly reliable after being ridden without oil when new.
The speedometer w'as taken off for the Baja 1000 and never found its way back on the bike but fairly accurate guesstimates were kept.
The chain tensioner rollers wore out after an estimated 4000 miles and chewed the metal parts up badly before it was noticed. We had a Pro-Tec tensioner on hand for evaluation and installed it after removing the stocker.
About this time the same vibration encountered in the first test PE started. After much checking the problem was found. The top rear motor mount bolt is smaller in diameter than the hole it goes through. A larger diameter bolt was substituted and the vibration disappeared. Problem solved.
Both sprockets and chain have been replaced once. Spare cables were routed next to the existing ones for the 1000. The throttle cable w'ire looked strong but very small. The spare still rests in reserve after all our use.
The large spark arrester/silencer has had the rubber grommets replaced one time and the front of the silencer body has been welded once but the rest of the pipe has been maintenance free.
The plastic rear fender and stock side number plates look thrashed and beat but are still in use. The front fender has been replaced with a Petty MX which is much w'ider and offers more protection than the stock one when riding in mud.
The paint on the neat 3.2-gal. aluminum gas tank is scratched and worn but the tank isn’t dented and hasn't leaked or caused any problems.
The seat foam still feels firm and the cover is in good condition.
Stock shocks, although good, were replaced before the Baja 1000 race with Works Performance gas/oil units because of rider preference. The stock shocks have been utilized on a lOOce Suzuki RM desert racing bike for the last eight months and are holding up well.
Front forks have perfect action and the only flaw we could find was a lack of travel for high speed use. Plans were to lengthen the travel until a 23-in. front wheel was evaluated with the PE for a test bed. We installed a Yokohama 300x23 tire and tube on a 23-in. DID rim with Hallcraft 9-gauge spokes. The difference is unbelievable. Lack of fork travel is no longer noticed and a bike that handled well before is now outstanding.
Thanks to the rubber fork boots, the stock fork oil seals still live.
About the only thing that has been changed frequently is the rear tire. Not because the PE is hard on tires but constant use w'ears them out often. After the stock rear tire wore out we replaced it with a 460x18 Yokohama 905. The 905 is a good all around tire and replacements have been averaging 1000 miles.
The stock skid plate has protected the engine cases but the mounting brackets have needed welding twice because of breakage. These brackets are small and should be made from thicker strap.
Our PE has been trailed, raced and ridden hard without any piston seizures. We have bored the cylinder to first over because of wear and installed an appropriate sized piston and rings. This was just recently done and represents exceptional longevity for a two-stroke Single. Stock rear wheel, spokes, rim and hub are still intact. Rear brake shoes have been replaced one time and are about worn out again.
The fine chrome-moly frame hasn’t developed any cracks and is not bent. It still feels as flex-free as when new.
Wheel bearings are still stock after being subjected to many miles of silty lake bed mud during its initial race.
Our latest addition to it is Scott Pro hand guards. These are somewhat bulky but protect the rider’s hands from cold wind, tree branches and the like.
The PE has been super reliable. Not once has it let anyone down and first-kick starts have become expected. Many enjoyable hours have been spent aboard it by countless riders. Beginner to expert has ridden and liked it. No one can remember a person who disliked it. The smooth engine makes it ideally suited for the beginning rider, yet it has enough power to suit most experienced riders.
It has been our stand-by and test bed for product evaluations for a year and will be dearly missed.
It is liked so well that two staff’members are arguing over who gets to buy it. That anyone would be so interested in buying a bike with such a hard life behind it has to be a testimonial in itself. 0
