MC's 1997 Suzuki (the forks rumour)

12/7/2017 5:21am Edited Date/Time 12/8/2017 11:38am
I heard somewhere years ago that he used the forks off of his 1996 HONDA on the Suzuki as he just couldn't get to grips with the ageing Suzuki front end. How true is this? i'd love some insider knowledge



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12/7/2017 5:26am
It's true. I'm pretty sure he mentioned it in his book.
Amazing,

Just the logistics alone must have been a real pain. the triple clamps and hubs, or was the WHOLE front end a Honda?
Donovan759
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12/7/2017 5:28am
That's interesting. Not surprising though.
newmann
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12/7/2017 5:48am
Those were the all new conventional forks SUSZUKI had going during the McGrath year. Way different flex characteristics compared to the inverted forks. He tried a lot of different fork combos from what I remember including some super trick magnesium conventionals with a fork brace tying them together.



One flat tire away from the championship, correct?

The Shop

JAFO92
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12/7/2017 5:48am
I had a '97 RM250 and thought those 'standard oriented' cartridge forks were great.
TJMX947
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12/7/2017 6:07am
In the book he said he took a few different parts from Honda. He said the forks and the front brake were not good on the Suzuki so they used Honda parts.

Yep - One flat tire away from a championship.


I also read somewhere that he bent a 40k set of forks on his YZ250 play riding in the hills, might have been his book but I can't remember.
TJMX947
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12/7/2017 6:09am
I loved that FOX Patriot gear, I got it for Christmas in 1996.

I just noticed they were running Renthal sprockets and Pro Taper bars, seems kind of odd.
yz763
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12/7/2017 6:17am
TJMX947 wrote:
I loved that FOX Patriot gear, I got it for Christmas in 1996. I just noticed they were running Renthal sprockets and Pro Taper bars, seems...
I loved that FOX Patriot gear, I got it for Christmas in 1996.

I just noticed they were running Renthal sprockets and Pro Taper bars, seems kind of odd.
I don't think Pro Taper was making sprockets at that point. Some of the best years of my life as a teenager were watching this era of SX. Kids today don't know what they missed out on.
Melicar
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12/7/2017 6:26am
The G.O.A.T. would have won on that bike.
beamer
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12/7/2017 6:44am
Its amazing what he was able to accomplish that year given he didn't start preparing until December for the upcoming season. He gave the Suzuki a quantum leap going forward, too bad he didn't stick around there imo.

H4L
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12/7/2017 6:45am Edited Date/Time 12/7/2017 6:55am
Melicar wrote:
The G.O.A.T. would have won on that bike.
LOL ! A good friends brother owned a 96 Zuk model & don't how he rode that thing. It wasn't the most gracious bike at doing anything.
Melicar
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12/7/2017 6:52am
Melicar wrote:
The G.O.A.T. would have won on that bike.
H4L wrote:
LOL ! A good friends brother owned a 96 Zuk model & don't how he rode that thing. It wasn't the most gracious bike at doing...
LOL ! A good friends brother owned a 96 Zuk model & don't how he rode that thing. It wasn't the most gracious bike at doing anything.
I had the 125 and thought it was a great bike. I rode a 250... once! BlinkSickLaughing
user760a
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12/7/2017 6:53am
I had a 1997 RM250. God what a turd. So agonizingly slow after riding a 1995 CR250 for two years. Such an awful bike. junk
Micahdogg
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12/7/2017 7:15am
I heard somewhere years ago that he used the forks off of his 1996 HONDA on the Suzuki as he just couldn't get to grips with...
I heard somewhere years ago that he used the forks off of his 1996 HONDA on the Suzuki as he just couldn't get to grips with the ageing Suzuki front end. How true is this? i'd love some insider knowledge



Those forks were new for 1996, I don't know that I would call them aging. But, as Newmann said, they feel and flex a lot different.

From my amateur experience with a 96 and 97 RM250 that I used to own, the front wheels definitely felt heavier to me on those bikes. Not in a bad way, but like if you were riding an inverted fork bike and packed a bunch of mud/clay into the knobs. It had a different feeling for sure, but those things were beefy as hell. 49mm twin chambers and they ate up any jumps I could throw at them.
Acidreamer
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12/7/2017 7:18am
Who the fuck would buy a banana bike anyways
RussB
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12/7/2017 7:25am
yz763 wrote:
I don't think Pro Taper was making sprockets at that point. Some of the best years of my life as a teenager were watching this era...
I don't think Pro Taper was making sprockets at that point. Some of the best years of my life as a teenager were watching this era of SX. Kids today don't know what they missed out on.
Lucky for us quite a lot of the late 90's races are on Youtube. Not the same as watching it live on the night though, I bet it was awesome.

Loving this thread, I had no idea he used forks from a CR!
ATKpilot99
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12/7/2017 7:38am
Suzuki really got a bad rap back then with both MC and LaRocco hating that bike
mattyhamz2
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12/7/2017 8:09am
Melicar wrote:
The G.O.A.T. would have won on that bike.
H4L wrote:
LOL ! A good friends brother owned a 96 Zuk model & don't how he rode that thing. It wasn't the most gracious bike at doing...
LOL ! A good friends brother owned a 96 Zuk model & don't how he rode that thing. It wasn't the most gracious bike at doing anything.
MC and Wheeler were out at Gorman that year and we were hanging out with them(wheeler has been a long time family friend as is MC) and wheeler swapped really bad and almost ended up on his head. We were all standing with MC at the time and my mom said look at that piece of shit Suzuki swap. She looked at MC and said omg I’m so sorry and he laughed and said, no you’re totally right. None of us will ever forget that!
H4L
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12/7/2017 8:27am
mattyhamz2 wrote:
MC and Wheeler were out at Gorman that year and we were hanging out with them(wheeler has been a long time family friend as is MC)...
MC and Wheeler were out at Gorman that year and we were hanging out with them(wheeler has been a long time family friend as is MC) and wheeler swapped really bad and almost ended up on his head. We were all standing with MC at the time and my mom said look at that piece of shit Suzuki swap. She looked at MC and said omg I’m so sorry and he laughed and said, no you’re totally right. None of us will ever forget that!
In the mid 90's when we raced together I was on a 93 CR2 & my friend was on a 96 CR2 while his brother was on the 96 RM250. After the motos he looked the most worn out of the 3 of us. The bike didn't handle well & had a very short powerband if I recall.
Phillip_Lamb
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12/7/2017 8:29am
I heard somewhere years ago that he used the forks off of his 1996 HONDA on the Suzuki as he just couldn't get to grips with...
I heard somewhere years ago that he used the forks off of his 1996 HONDA on the Suzuki as he just couldn't get to grips with the ageing Suzuki front end. How true is this? i'd love some insider knowledge



the forks weren't old. In fact many people have said the right side up forks were awesome.....on a moto track. reality was they flexed too much for supercross, they even built a custom brace for them at one point
TeamGreen
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12/7/2017 8:43am
Mag-Lowers were $1,000 each....in '97/'98
H4L
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12/7/2017 8:43am
Quote from member DavidR:

1997 factory RM 250. McGrath said in his book Wide Open "the Suzuki was giving me problems I wasn't sure I could overcome. It handled poorly and was really slow. How's that? Compared to my CRs, the RM was a turtle. Handled like one, too. The bike didn't hit hard enough anywhere in the powerband. It was sluggish coming out of corners and just didn't have the mid - range to run with other bikes on the straightaways." He goes on to rail on the conventional Showa forks and the clutch as well. Don't think he enjoyed his year on the Suzuki.
loftyair
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12/7/2017 9:14am
I had that bike. Best forks I have ever felt. Good for all but the best sx guy. Power was low. He would of won that championship, if it weren't for a few things. Lamson at A1 crashed into mc twice! Then the front flat.
crockett
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12/7/2017 9:15am
Was the '99 when they switched forks a better bike? My dad bought a 98 rm250 bike off a friend and it ushered in our family's re introduction to dirt bikes. I got my first xr100 shortly after. I still remember it being the best looking bikes to date. It was laced with rims and powder coated frame and such. A real looker
ATKpilot99
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12/7/2017 9:20am
Having to split the cases to change a water pump seal wasn't the brightest idea Suzuki ever had.
PFitzG38
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12/7/2017 9:37am
It's true. I'm pretty sure he mentioned it in his book.
I'm kind of doubting that. That would be something I should know of and would remember (lol just sayn') I don't see Roger or anyone at Suz allowing that. I'm looking at his book now but don't feel like going through it. Just don't believe it happened. I know all about his fork issues with flex and one off braces and whatnot - just don't think he ever solved it, especially like you claim
Sidecar
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12/7/2017 9:52am
Those fork braces weren’t a one off, a lot of the Suzuki guys used them, especially Greg Albertijn...
Travis Pastrana never seemed to have too many issues with RMs... And if memory serves me right he did the odd jump on them...
SoCalMX70
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12/7/2017 10:20am
Forks were off of his old practice Honda, Suzuki built the clamps.
wreckitrandy
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12/7/2017 11:40am
loftyair wrote:
I had that bike. Best forks I have ever felt. Good for all but the best sx guy. Power was low. He would of won that...
I had that bike. Best forks I have ever felt. Good for all but the best sx guy. Power was low. He would of won that championship, if it weren't for a few things. Lamson at A1 crashed into mc twice! Then the front flat.
Agreed on every point.

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