Making a 2 stroke reliable

[AlexMicu_]

Hey guys, I’m coming to end of putting my suzuki rm250 back together, and I was wondering what I could do to make the bike reliable on the trail. I’ve got a friend in Lafayette TN, about an hour and a half away from me, the trails there are legendary, it’s a huge pain to get my bike over there and we don’t have much free time so I want to make sure that when I get there my bike doesn’t conk out on me. It’s got a new piston in it with like 3 hours on it, I haven’t ridden it too much before I took it apart so I don’t think I have any problems but I don’t know, basically are there any pro cautions I can take so I can trust me bike not to fiddle out on the trails? Thanks 

[dirtjumpordie]

Bring a spare spark plug, kwik steel, extra oil, spare tubes, and some spare levers.  

[dclass_destroyer]

Pistons can last a hundred hours or more, same with spark plugs. Most people who complain about 2 strokes being "unreliable" have no idea how to get the bike ready before the ride. They are race bikes, they need care.

 

Get the carburetor tuned properly and you won't have any issues. Bring an extra plug or two, just in case you mess up and go too rich.

[AlexMicu_]

24 minutes ago, lil_squid said:

Pistons can last a hundred hours or more, same with spark plugs. Most people who complain about 2 strokes being "unreliable" have no idea how to get the bike ready before the ride. They are race bikes, they need care.

 

Get the carburetor tuned properly and you won't have any issues. Bring an extra plug or two, just in case you mess up and go too rich.

Im still new to this so I was just seeing if there is a basic checklist to go through so I don’t end up stranded, I’m not racing, just don’t want it to die

[dclass_destroyer]

35 minutes ago, AlexMicu_ said:

Im still new to this so I was just seeing if there is a basic checklist to go through so I don’t end up stranded, I’m not racing, just don’t want it to die

Check and tighten spokes if needed, inflate tires to proper pressures, check brake pads/rotors/lines/levers, check sprocket teeth and chain, set chain tension, check that air filter is sealed properly, lube cables, clean/grease throttle tube, make sure all important bolts are torqued to spec. As said, before every ride, tune your carburetor. Those are the basics to keep your bike alive on the track/trail.

 

Make sure everything is greased up if you haven't already. Wheel bearings/axles, steering stem/bearings, swingarm pivot, linkage, upper/lower shock bolts. I do them all at once to make sure I don't forget. 

Don't forget that the forks and shock need service too. I'd recommend replacing the oil, bushings, seals, o-rings, and inspecting the sliding surfaces every time you buy a bike, and regularly after that. You'll have a more comfortable and safe ride and it'll prevent damage. 

Edited October 11, 2021 by lil_squid

[AlexMicu_]

59 minutes ago, lil_squid said:

Check and tighten spokes if needed, inflate tires to proper pressures, check brake pads/rotors/lines/levers, check sprocket teeth and chain, set chain tension, check that air filter is sealed properly, lube cables, clean/grease throttle tube, make sure all important bolts are torqued to spec. As said, before every ride, tune your carburetor. Those are the basics to keep your bike alive on the track/trail.

 

Make sure everything is greased up if you haven't already. Wheel bearings/axles, steering stem/bearings, swingarm pivot, linkage, upper/lower shock bolts. I do them all at once to make sure I don't forget. 

Don't forget that the forks and shock need service too. I'd recommend replacing the oil, bushings, seals, o-rings, and inspecting the sliding surfaces every time you buy a bike, and regularly after that. You'll have a more comfortable and safe ride and it'll prevent damage. 

Yup I greased what needed it and rebuilt the linkage, forks, steering stem, brand new brakes and pads, fresh tires, freshly lubed lines, everything like that should be good, I’ll tune the carb once I get the bike started after a few finishing touches, my concern isn’t really the components on the bike as much as making sure it starts back up if I turn it off

[mlatour]

3 hours on the piston but how healthy and 'in-spec' is the rest of the engine?

Crank/rod bearings, wristpin/bearing, crank seals, reeds, cylinder plating are also wear items.

Edited October 11, 2021 by mlatour

[AlexMicu_]

1 minute ago, mlatour said:

3 hours on the piston but how healthy and 'in-spec' is the rest of the engine?

The cylinder is new so I know that the top of the engine if perfectly fine, the bottom I don’t know, I drained the transmission fluid and it didn’t have any metal shavings in it, the clutch plates could probably use a refresh but I think the bottom end is fine

[Ivan Mosh]

I think regular maintenance will do trick. Reality is u just never know, while back I put new piston, next ride I blew crank shaft bearing. But when I was rebuilding everything was perfect. So go figure. U can’t prepare ur self what could go wrong with bike, unless ur bring with u full tool box and boxes of parts. I think 2 strokes are more reliable then 4 strokes. I always clean my carb, oil change, new spark plug, clean air filter. And that all u can really do.

[AlexMicu_]

1 minute ago, Ivan Mosh said:

I think regular maintenance will do trick. Reality is u just never know, while back I put new piston, next ride I blew crank shaft bearing. But when I was rebuilding everything was perfect. So go figure. U can’t prepare ur self what could go wrong with bike, unless ur bring with u full tool box and boxes of parts. I think 2 strokes are more reliable then 4 strokes. I always clean my carb, oil change, new spark plug, clean air filter. And that all u can really do.

Ive  had times where the bike turned on at home, I go to the trail, and ir won’t start, come home the next day, and it fires up no problem, maybe I just have trash luck

[JJ10]

10 hours ago, AlexMicu_ said:

Hey guys, I’m coming to end of putting my suzuki rm250 back together, and I was wondering what I could do to make the bike reliable on the trail. I’ve got a friend in Lafayette TN, about an hour and a half away from me, the trails there are legendary, it’s a huge pain to get my bike over there and we don’t have much free time so I want to make sure that when I get there my bike doesn’t conk out on me. It’s got a new piston in it with like 3 hours on it, I haven’t ridden it too much before I took it apart so I don’t think I have any problems but I don’t know, basically are there any pro cautions I can take so I can trust me bike not to fiddle out on the trails? Thanks 

Strange pretext.  Your question assumes that your bike is unreliable or you expect it to be unreliable because it's a 2-stroke.  I have never had reason to believe a 2-stroke is any more or less reliable than a 4-stroke.  It's a much simpler engine.  Fewer parts - less potential for failure.  If the engine is tuned correctly for the kind of riding you do, and you maintain the other things that have nothing to do with it being a 2-stroke, it will never let you down.  If your experience has been different, then you need to stop blaming the engine type, and take a closer look at the guy responsible for tuning and maintenance.

[Jason628]

8 minutes ago, AlexMicu_ said:

Ive  had times where the bike turned on at home, I go to the trail, and ir won’t start, come home the next day, and it fires up no problem, maybe I just have trash luck

Bring a rope just in case. You want fun get a two stroke. you want reliable buy an xr. I'll probably own an xr again one of these days... almost bought a drz that was sitting next to the rmz I bought. Cost was about the same new.

I think I've got my rm almost dialed in although I baby it a little too much and then have to blip the throttle a few times to clean her out. She doesn't like to putt lol.

[AlexMicu_]

9 minutes ago, JJ10 said:

Strange pretext.  Your question assumes that your bike is unreliable or you expect it to be unreliable because it's a 2-stroke.  I have never had reason to believe a 2-stroke is any more or less reliable than a 4-stroke.  It's a much simpler engine.  Fewer parts - less potential for failure.  If the engine is tuned correctly for the kind of riding you do, and you maintain the other things that have nothing to do with it being a 2-stroke, it will never let you down.  If your experience has been different, then you need to stop blaming the engine type, and take a closer look at the guy responsible for tuning and maintenance.

First off I never said that it’s because it’s a 2 stroke, second off I’ve owned 5 bikes all 2 strokes, no my bike is not reliable because I got it broken and I’m not a fantastic mechanic so I don’t trust my ability, I haven’t had enough time to tinker with it and tune it which is why I asked how to, I’m not at all blaming the engine type for anything, I personally think the 2 stroke is better all around, I’ve not had the time to properly tune it because as I said, only 3 hours on the top end, a junk 4 stroke is just as bad as a junk 2 stroke and vice versa, I bought my bike junk and worked on it, stop looking for arguments 

Edited October 12, 2021 by AlexMicu_

[AlexMicu_]

2 minutes ago, Jason628 said:

Bring a rope just in case. You want fun get a two stroke. you want reliable buy an xr. I'll probably own an xr again one of these days... almost bought a drz that was sitting next to the rmz I bought. Cost was about the same new.

I think I've got my rm almost dialed in although I baby it a little too much and then have to blip the throttle a few times to clean her out. She doesn't like to putt lol.

Haven’t got an interest in 4 strokes honestly, I like the simplicity of the 2 stroke, I also have next to zero trail experience so who know I may change my mind

[JJ10]

24 minutes ago, AlexMicu_ said:

First off I never said that it’s because it’s a 2 stroke, second off I’ve owned 5 bikes all 2 strokes, no my bike is not reliable because I got it broken and I’m not a fantastic mechanic so I don’t trust my ability, I haven’t had enough time to tinker with it and tune it which is why I asked how to, I’m not at all blaming the engine type for anything, I personally think the 2 stroke is better all around, I’ve not had the time to properly tune it because as I said, only 3 hours on the top end, a junk 4 stroke is just as bad as a junk 2 stroke and vice versa, I bought my bike junk and worked on it, stop looking for arguments 

I don't look for arguments.  Your post implies that you're expecting problems.  My point is; that with proper tuning and good maintenance, reliability isn't a problem.  So the answer to your OP is: get it correctly tuned, and go through the common wear items to make sure everything is in good repair.  Do that before you ride.

You would do well for youself to be a little less defensive on this forum.  Most of us are here to help each other, but you've got to get comfortable with being called out once in a while.  This isn't facebook.

[AlexMicu_]

12 minutes ago, JJ10 said:

I don't look for arguments.  Your post implies that you're expecting problems.  My point is; that with proper tuning and good maintenance, reliability isn't a problem.  So the answer to your OP is: get it correctly tuned, and go through the common wear items to make sure everything is in good repair.  Do that before you ride.

You would do well for youself to be a little less defensive on this forum.  Most of us are here to help each other, but you've got to get comfortable with being called out once in a while.  This isn't facebook.

Yeah I over reacted, I was always on other platforms (Facebook included) where people were extremely toxic, I’m still new here so I’ve got to chill but yeah that ones on me, no hard feelings?

[JJ10]

2 minutes ago, AlexMicu_ said:

Yeah I over reacted, I was always on other platforms (Facebook included) where people were extremely toxic, I’m still new here so I’ve got to chill but yeah that ones on me, no hard feelings?

Takes a lot more than what you can say to hurt my feelings.  I've been told I don't have any.  ?

[AlexMicu_]

Just now, JJ10 said:

Takes a lot more than what you can say to hurt my feelings.  I've been told I don't have any.  ?

Fair enough, sorry again, stress combined with previous experiences with dicks makes that, I’ll work on it

[Ivan Mosh]

I usually have backpack with me, some zip ties, rope, and one of those multi tool. My bike runs like a clock, cold starts first kick. Before I go out, I always make sure I am happy with bike, no shortcuts. But when it breaks down it’s always some major, last ride my rear brake just literally fell apart, because pin broke that hold brake pads, I lost pads first, then piston came out and lock my tire. Some years ago I blew crankshaft bearing, in middle of double black diamond trial, it took 5 hours to get back to the truck with help of my friends. So those things happens, u can be best mechanic out there, but u can’t control what will break. Do what we all do maintenance and enjoy ur bike. 

[Ivan Mosh]

1 hour ago, Jason628 said:

Bring a rope just in case. You want fun get a two stroke. you want reliable buy an xr. I'll probably own an xr again one of these days... almost bought a drz that was sitting next to the rmz I bought. Cost was about the same new.

I think I've got my rm almost dialed in although I baby it a little too much and then have to blip the throttle a few times to clean her out. She doesn't like to putt lol.

Sure XR is reliable, but it’s boring bike. I had xr 250, 400, 500, 600, 650. I think 400 after suspension swap amd XR only kit,  I liked it, but short gears drove me crazy, sold it.  

Edited October 12, 2021 by Ivan Mosh