Suzuki Ts-250r Savage

SUZUKI TS-250R SAVAGE

CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST

It's Savager Where It Should Be.

THE ORIGINAL SAVAGE never set fire to the off-road camp, somehow. It was a nice enough dual-purpose motorcycle but, due to excess weight (299 lb.) and a certain amount of clumsiness, was unable to win the hearts of serious boondockers.

Suzuki has now reconsidered the market. Undoubtedly they have found dual-purpose riders more sophisticated and demanding. And they have profited from their title-winning campaign in grand prix motocross.

The new Savage is therefore savager where it should be. And milder where it should be. In the dirt. Lighter weight, better geometry and suspension, and more tractable response from the throttle bring the new Savage out of the insipid realm of dual purpose-ness. With few modifications, the latest Savage would be worthy of the name, enduro bike.

Weight has been pared judiciously. Lighter plastic fenders replace the steel ones. The turn signals, the heavy battery needed to operate them, and the huge dual seat are gone.

The greatest amount of weight was saved in the engine/ transmission unit which features completely redesigned main castings. The pressure die-castings are much narrower than the earlier models and now resemble those found on the highly specialized TM-400R motocrosser. A reduction in the engine’s width at the vulnerable front portion of the crankcase makes damage less likely and adds to the businesslike character of the machine.

Above the crankcase, everything looks pretty much like it did before. Splayed finning on the cylinder head directs cooling air inward towards the spark plug area, and the moderately-spaced fins have rubber blocks inserted between them to help deaden engine noise. A supplemental hole to the left of the spark plug hole is designed for the installation of a compression release, but can be used to carry an extra spark plug.

Inside, we find a conventional intake and exhaust port, with a transfer port on each side of the cylinder. The combination of the engine’s modest compression ratio, mild cylinder port timing and well baffled exhaust system (which incorporates an approved spark arrester), gives the TS-250R one of the broadest two-stroke power bands available. Power delivery is smooth and stumble-free from 2000 rpm right up to red-line, with no peakiness or fiat spots anywhere. The 28-mm Mikuni carburetor performs admirably and resists flooding, even when the bike is leaned to one side.

Keystone-type piston rings, with a taper on the top edges, aid in compression sealing and inhibit the accumulation of carbon on the upper and lower ring surfaces. Both rings are chrome plated to assure long life. Needle bearings support the piston on top of the connecting rod, and roller bearings are again employed at the connecting rod big end. The oversquare 72/60-mm bore/stroke ratio, a popular one for 250-cc Singles these days, promotes high rpm operation with good port area/cylinder wall relationships. Ball bearings of hefty dimensions support the crankshaft.

Power from the crankshaft is delivered via silent-running helical gear teeth to an enormously robust 1 2-plate clutch. Six coil springs in the clutch hub lessen the shock of the engine’s power impulses to the transmission, and a series of rubber blocks in the rear wheel assembly further assists the prevention of undue wear and jerky operation of the drive train. A primary kick starter allows the machine to be started in any gear, a quality much appreciated when attempting to start the Savage on a hill, or after stalling the engine in traffic.

Suzuki’s successful CCI oil-injection system has been retained, but the oil pump is now located behind, and to the rear of, the countershaft sprocket. Oil is delivered under pressure to the left-hand crankshaft main bearing and then to the connecting rod roller bearing. From there, the oil is slung upward to lubricate the top-end needle bearing, piston and cylinder wall. Additional oil for the piston and cylinder is injected directly into the intake port. The crankshaft’s right-hand ball bearing receives its oil from the transmission oil supply. Oil delivery rate is governed both by throttle opening and engine rpm, assuring adequate and proper flow at all times.

Hefty gear and shaft sizes in the five-speed, constant-mesh transmission make it one of the most durable on the market. Both the mainshaft and layshaft are supported by ball bearings of generous proportions, and shifting is again accomplished by three shifter forks which ride in a cylindrical shifter drum. The drum is supported by needle bearings to aid in smooth shifts. Due to the shifting smoothness and the closeness of the gear ratios, shifts from second gear upwards can be made without using the clutch.

Experience gained from the highly successful “works” motocross bikes has led Suzuki to fit the PEI (pointless electronic ignition) system to the less exotic of their machines.

In this system, a flywheel containing the magnets is fitted to the left end of the crankshaft. Inside are the ignition and lighting coils, but no contact breaker points. A current is produced by the rotating magnet in the exciter coil, which charges a condenser with 100-300V after being rectified to d.c. When the prescribed voltage has been reached, a phase inversion circuit is activated and the current flows into a thyrister gate, discharging the condenser into the ignition coil’s primary side. Sufficient voltage for a hot ignition spark is developed in the secondary windings.

With no contact points to burn or change their gap, there is no need to worry about the ignition timing changing, but a timing light is necessary to check the setting. Another benefit of this ignition system is the automatic spark advance feature which increases the spark lead as the revs build up, and provides an ideal spark advance curve.

Suspension, too, has been greatly improved. Attractive chrome plated front forks offer 6.5 in. of travel and much better damping. Slightly stronger fork springs would be desirable for serious off-road work, and these are available through any Suzuki dealer. The rear suspension units are five-way adjustable for spring rate, and here again the damping has been improved although it may not appeal to all riders.

The single downtube, cradle-type frame and robust swinging arm assemblies are very strong and liberally gusseted at the steering head and swinging arm pivot points. Our main complaint with the frame has nothing to do with its handling qualities, which are very good. Rather, unlike most of Suzuki’s machines, the welding on our test TS-250R was, at best, > somewhat crude and uncharacteristically uneven. Penetration seems adequate, but the general consensus was that this sloppiness is inexcusable in view of the rest of the machine’s superior finish. A nice touch is the perforated bash plate beneath the engine to protect the crankcase from damage by rocks.

In spite of the high (numerically low) gear ratio, the Savage is great to ride off the road. Long-travel suspension, lots of ground clearance and neutral steering geometry (aided by a hydraulic steering damper) make high-speed fire-roading a pleasant experience. Slower, trials-type riding is fairly difficult because of the aforementioned gear ratio and the slightly “short” steering lock. While threading our way up some of the narrow trails at Saddleback Park, we found it necessary to drag the rear end around and/or back up slightly to make it around a couple of the tighter corners. The handlebars also seemed more suited to street riding, as they were a little low for comfortable standing. On a couple of rough, fast rides over the motocross course we found the steering somewhat less precise than we'd like. The fitting of the optional 3.00-21 front wheel assembly would probably help out; at least one of our staffers said he’d change it right off and lower the countershaft sprocket one tooth for off-road riding.

But whatever the Savage lacks out in the dirt, it makes up for on the street. The high gearing allows the machine to cruise at freeway speeds almost effortlessly, and in-town riding is a pleasure. The relationship between the seat, footrests and handlebars is very good for the average American’s size, and the wide, comfortable dual seat provides good support where you need it. However, it’s a little short for packing double unless you’re riding your wife, and the location of the rear footpegs is a little too far back for extended trips on the rear half of the seat. Like the front footpegs, the rear pegs fold up out of the way.

Single leading-shoe brakes on both wheels provide adequate

stopping power without a trace of touchiness. This is very important when negotiating steep, downhill sections out in the woods. Very little fade was evident during our braking tests, and running through fairly deep water had little effect on the Savage’s stopping ability. However, with the trials-pattern rear tire the rear wheel was very easy to lock up on the pavement. Changing both tires to a road pattern tread design would be preferable if street riding is the main intended use of the machine.

Although it will require infrequent servicing unless the bike is ridden in extreme dust, the air cleaner was a bit of a bother. It’s mounted in the right place, up high under the seat, but is difficult to reassemble. The top of the aircleaner box is held on by two wire clips, but when the top is removed the sides of the box expand outwards. Just try to squeeze all four sides together again, and install the top, with only two hands! However, the element is a dry-paper unit and air is drawn in from the bottom of the box. If properly installed, abrasive dirt will be kept out of the engine’s internals. An adequate toolkit is located in a tray on top of the aircleaner.

Small detail changes, excellent finish, tractability, and an easy-to-live-with engine make the Savage a strong candidate in a choice for this type of machine. For the performance oriented, a hop-up kit is available which raises the engine’s 23 blip at 6500 rpm to 32 blip at 7700 rpm. The kit consists of a cylinder head, cylinder, piston, expansion chamber, 32-mm carburetor, larger air cleaner, heavy-duty clutch plates, oil tank assembly, and a selection of countershaft and rear wheel sprockets. It’s also possible to fit the inner rotor PEI system of the TM-400 in place of the standard flywheel PEI system. But, a TM-250 motocrosser is on the way, and will undoubtedly share many more of the virtues of the TM-400.

Weighing a good 30 lb. less than the old Savage, the new TS-250R does everything better, and the price is the same. A good value for the money.

SUZUKI TS-250R SAVAGE

$799