I have recently acquired an 03 MC250 (Thanks to the members here I know for certain now that it is an 03) and I am looking for suggestions for setting it up for woods riding. I am a C level Endruo/Cross Country rider. I currently ride B level, but that's only because the group I ride with has no C series. I've been reading some of the former posts on here regarding the LTR PV Cover, flywheel weights, LTR Needle, etc. My questions are many, but here they go anyway. Do you suggest an add-on flywheel weight or finding an EC flywheel? I'm fairly sold on the PV cover already but does the needle make that much difference? My jetting seems to be spot on at the moment with a nice, tan plug burn and starts within 3 kicks when cold and always on the first kick when warm. One of my other questions is regarding suspension sag. This bike was traditionally ridden MX before so it's set up pretty stiff. I read on here where people suggested running 130mm of rear sag. Is this correct? This seems excessive but that's coming from Kawasaki products. I was previously riding a KX250 two stroke in the trees before this acquisition. I know it would be much easier to just buy an EC, but this deal fell in my lap and I couldn't pass it up. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Setting up an MC250 for the woods?
- Thread starter chambersc
- Start date
widebear
Banned
Apart from setting the sag and determining if the spring rates are correct you dont have to do squat to the bike. the mc is a pretty sharpe ( awesome) woods weapon as it is. Invest in some mx riding schools , they will really help alot with your off road riding skills.99% of your future riding potential lays within yourself and your skills and attitude and not the bike.I also came off of a kx to a gasser, try going the other way, gasser to kx, now that, especially in the gnarly stuff, can be frustrating.
Oh, I agree 100%! I've always said I've never met a bike I could outride. All the cool-guy, go-fast stuff in the world won't fix bad technique. I try to ride as much as possible, although life's schedules doesn't allow it near as often as I would like. I totally admit I've got a lot to learn in the riding department, I was just mainly looking to see if there was any "must-do" items to the MC to make it as "woods-able" as the EC.
GMP
Active member
chambersc,
G2 throttle is a very good mod.
Since the MC lacks the DEs 8 oz eccentric crank balance weight, a 10 -14oz weight is a good idea especially if your a C to B class rider. I have both and the 14 is not too heavy, works great in slick technical terrain. 10 oz is good in better traction. 14 oz may sound like a lot but the dia is still small. The total MOA is less than half that of the 2K-2 EC flywheel(which is too heavy on a 250, IMO). They spin on and off easy. You can use weights and the throttle cams to tune the bike to your liking.
What springs are in the bike and what do you weigh? Do not set sag at 130mm. Set spring preload at 8-10mm. Sag can be around 120mm. Do a search.
If you ride a lot of rocks you may want to go with an 18" rear.
G2 throttle is a very good mod.
Since the MC lacks the DEs 8 oz eccentric crank balance weight, a 10 -14oz weight is a good idea especially if your a C to B class rider. I have both and the 14 is not too heavy, works great in slick technical terrain. 10 oz is good in better traction. 14 oz may sound like a lot but the dia is still small. The total MOA is less than half that of the 2K-2 EC flywheel(which is too heavy on a 250, IMO). They spin on and off easy. You can use weights and the throttle cams to tune the bike to your liking.
What springs are in the bike and what do you weigh? Do not set sag at 130mm. Set spring preload at 8-10mm. Sag can be around 120mm. Do a search.
If you ride a lot of rocks you may want to go with an 18" rear.
GMP - I'm 6 foot and about 220lbs in full riding gear. (No fat kid jokes....I know, I know.) Springs are likely a little soft for me I'm sure. I ran a Steahly flywheel weight on my KX and I think it did help me out some. There aren't really any rocks around here, but we do have a lot of sand. Oklahoma is either Red Clay or sandy. It's amazing we can farm anything around here, huh?
Sounds like the G2 and the flywheel weight are the best places to start aside from setting up my sag.
I will say in the two rides I've had on it I've been impressed. The suspension seemed a little harsh but other than that I think I'm hooked. Monster brakes, solid motor, and hydraulic clutch have hooked me. Clutch in particular. The though of never adjusting another clutch cable again makes me smile every time I think about it. It's making me consider a hydraulic coversion for my Harley-Davidson Road King.
Sounds like the G2 and the flywheel weight are the best places to start aside from setting up my sag.
I will say in the two rides I've had on it I've been impressed. The suspension seemed a little harsh but other than that I think I'm hooked. Monster brakes, solid motor, and hydraulic clutch have hooked me. Clutch in particular. The though of never adjusting another clutch cable again makes me smile every time I think about it. It's making me consider a hydraulic coversion for my Harley-Davidson Road King.
GMP
Active member
You should be good with a 54Nm shock and 4.5Nm fork springs. Valving lightened up a bit as well. Call Les. The G2 throttle comes with three cams. One is like stock, the other two give you more resolution in the first half of the twist. Makes a big difference in the slick stuff and is a must on a fast bike. Everyone I ride with has one now. You can get away with less flywheel weight using the G2, but the weight reduces/eliminates stalling in some situations. 10 oz. will be good in your terrain. It replaces the flywheel nut, goes on and off in seconds with an impact wrench.
My Night Rod has a juice clutch. They screwed up the master/slave ratio, IMO. Hard pull and excessive overtravel, clutch doesn't grab until almost all the way out. I don't beat the bike but I can see the stock clutch is not up to what the motor is capable of.
You can get a Rekluse for a Harley big twin now!
My Night Rod has a juice clutch. They screwed up the master/slave ratio, IMO. Hard pull and excessive overtravel, clutch doesn't grab until almost all the way out. I don't beat the bike but I can see the stock clutch is not up to what the motor is capable of.
You can get a Rekluse for a Harley big twin now!
