Suzuki TU250 - anyone seen/ride one?

[enz0]

Just as a quick counterpoint, I haven't had a car for a while and got the TU right after doing a 3,500 km trip on a cb750. I realized that for 95% of my riding I wanted a light bike, and on that the TU has been perfect.

As blue says it doesn't love the highway, but it survives it. Until I fix the KLR the TU is the only transport I'm on and since I started riding it I haven't been in too much of a hurry to fix the KLR.

Also, I'm starting to think everyone on this thread thinks the same way when people talk about the other bikes they'd have 883, Guzzi or Old Bonnie they are exactly the type of bikes I find myself looking at.


The modified TU is absolutely stunning btw.

[EastKY_DO]

I ran into the same issues that you describe. Where I live in eastern KY the roads are a winding mass of up and down stretches through the mountains. I loved the TU, but on long uphill stretches I felt like I was struggling to go. The TU never balked, but it never had any reserve left in case of a crazy cager. I eventually traded for a Bonneville SE and have been very happy with it. It is heavier than the TU, but despite what NJ-Brett says, it's no pig. It feels solid and has plenty of power compared to the TU. You have a great bike for commuting and even highway travel in flatlands, but if you have to get on mountain highways, the TU is just not built for that. FWIW, I test rode a HD Iron and that's what if felt like to my tailbone, a block of iron. The Bonneville is not a soft seat champion but it's more comfortable to me than the Sportster.

Doc

Originally Posted by Blue Scoot

Last week I took my TU from Chandler, AZ to Las Vegas, NV for a couple of days. A few things, most of the speed limit was 65 however there were a couple parts with the speed limit up to 75mph. I just happened to choose a day that was really windy which did not make the trip very enjoyable, 20-30mph winds mostly headwinds. My bike has a 4.00x18 rear tire which looks a bit larger than the stock one and 16T front sprocket with the stock rear. I was in 3rd and 4th gear almost the entire trip which made the trip more of a struggle than fun. I know I was asking a lot out of the little TU to go on this almost 700 mile round trip but decided to try it out anyways. The TU is my only form of transportation besides my bicycle but I really wanted to get away for a couple days and had some free rooms available. I took only a backpack with a change of clothes and my riding gear.

A couple of things I realized was this bike is definitely not a highway cruiser but will get you there if needed. I think the hills in combination with the head wind was the real downside. My gas mileage was about 55-60 which is to be expected since it was almost at redline most of the time and WOT. I realized I want to get a bigger bike if I were to do more trips like this. So I went to the dealership and sat on a few bikes. I really like the Harley Iron which is the 883 sportster. It was very comfortable with lots more room than the TU but this was just sitting on the showroom floor, Im not sure what it would be like on the open road for a few hours but I would imagine its about if not more comfortable than the TU for me.

Im not bashing the TU at all because I know what its limitations are I just thought I would share this incase anyone wanted to know.

The trip back home was great though I had a tail wind of about 20-30mph and was doing 80 indicated sitting straight up almost the entire way home using 5th most of the time.

[NJ-Brett]

Its hard to love the TU if you have 75 mph limits with hills and wind.
Even so, I like the TU better then the sportsters or the new Bonnevilles.
At 6 foot, the TU is a lot more comfortable then both of those bikes for me.

Any sportster you get will likely have the worst suspension you have ever or will ever have on a bike, and the worst seat.
Mid pegs did not work for me at all, they were too high and forward, so be sure to test ride one before you buy.
Nice motors, paint, sound, style, chrome, etc.

[Rhompin45]

I'm looking to get new enduro tires for the tu for the rear I want a slightly bigger tire. Blue says that the 4.00 is bigger but my 4.10 that I have for a dirt bike is smaller so does it just depend on brand? I just don't want to go smaller even stock would be ok. I did a conversion and the factory rear is 4.33 by 26 inches. I was under the impression that a 4.00 would be 4 inches wide by 4 inches tall off of rim. But I could be wrong. I don't really want to go wider just a little taller any help would be great thanks.

[EvilClown]

Originally Posted by TomSXM

...


...

Awesome job, Tom.

What rack is that?

[TomSXM]

Originally Posted by Rhompin45

I'm looking to get new enduro tires for the tu for the rear I want a slightly bigger tire. Blue says that the 4.00 is bigger but my 4.10 that I have for a dirt bike is smaller so does it just depend on brand? I just don't want to go smaller even stock would be ok. I did a conversion and the factory rear is 4.33 by 26 inches. I was under the impression that a 4.00 would be 4 inches wide by 4 inches tall off of rim. But I could be wrong. I don't really want to go wider just a little taller any help would be great thanks.

Tyres like the Shinkos on mine? As far as size, those are 3.50 front and 4.60/18 rear, model 244.

Originally Posted by EvilClown

Awesome job, Tom.

What rack is that?

that would be this one here, the rear fender rack without the front bar (the front bar version wasn't available at the time). Also, it seems the folks making it forgot the hook rails on the side. Works well though!

http://www.manracks.com/#!tu250x/c1aex

[onewire]

[QUOTE=TomSXM;20863725]My little Tux I just received back from the shop today after some... minor modifications

Enjoy!

Wow, that is great. Could you post the details on the new parts? In particular, I'd like to know about your new tires.

[NJ-Brett]

Sizes vary widely by brand, and a 4.00 inch tire does not mean its 4 inches tall, just 4 inches wide.
Even in the metric tires that list the aspect ratio, there are quite large differences in sizes.

Dual sport tires will lower top speed, make more noise, and wear out fast compared to a good street tire, plus braking distance will increase on the street.

Dirt riding the TU will not be good and could be VERY expensive.
The front forks and 18 inch wheel suck in the dirt, and any fall will break a lot of things, brake pedal or shifter, headlight, dent the gas tank, break off turn signals, etc.

Its seems silly to me to loose speed, increase braking distances, spend more on tires more often just to get a 'look'.

I have run the Kenda K270 and the shinko 244's on various bikes, the 244's are good, I even tried them on my TU for dirt riding.
The K270's have very tall soft knobs that feel crazy on the street!

Running those type tires will absorb about 5 mph of top speed.
The 244's are not bad noise/vibration wise, but are much louder then a good street tire.

Originally Posted by Rhompin45

I'm looking to get new enduro tires for the tu for the rear I want a slightly bigger tire. Blue says that the 4.00 is bigger but my 4.10 that I have for a dirt bike is smaller so does it just depend on brand? I just don't want to go smaller even stock would be ok. I did a conversion and the factory rear is 4.33 by 26 inches. I was under the impression that a 4.00 would be 4 inches wide by 4 inches tall off of rim. But I could be wrong. I don't really want to go wider just a little taller any help would be great thanks.

[TomSXM]

Originally Posted by EvilClown

Awesome job, Tom.

What rack is that?

It’s the Manracks over the fender rack. They seem to have forgotten the hook rails on mine but it works very well still. They have a version with an added bit towards the front, which I would’ve gotten had they had it listed at the time, haha.

Originally Posted by onewire

Wow, that is great. Could you post the details on the new parts? In particular, I'd like to know about your new tires.

The new parts are the following:
Front/rear fender – ChicDesign, Japan
Tyres – Shinko 244, Amazon plus tubes from J&P Cycle
Manracks fender rack – Manracks.com
Fork boots – Amazon

This should be all. I’ve put some 50 miles on the tyres so far and the ride quality seems no worse than it was with the stock tyres. A bit more road noise but traction, acceleration and top speed don’t appear to have been affected… same goes for braking capabilities. No difference as far as I can tell. Maybe it does make it a wee bit slower in a side-by-side comparison, I can’t vouch for that but it’s a 250cc single, top speed shouldn’t be the main focus anyway.

[Rhompin45]

I'm just courious about milage on enduro tires. I like the look but honestly I don't plan on taking it off road but it being my daily driver 26 miles one way down the highway at 70 75 I just don't want to affect the performance. So I know that a street tire is obviously better for the street but like with trucks you can still get decent milage will all terrains. I was just looking for something equevelant for motorcycles.

[jungleplant]

Originally Posted by Rhompin45

I'm just courious about milage on enduro tires. I like the look but honestly I don't plan on taking it off road but it being my daily driver 26 miles one way down the highway at 70 75 I just don't want to affect the performance. So I know that a street tire is obviously better for the street but like with trucks you can still get decent milage will all terrains. I was just looking for something equevelant for motorcycles.

we all had these back in the 80's , killer mileage

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...FadFMgodyBgA0w

[Durangoman]

Originally Posted by DutchBoy

Like the rear rack and blinker relocation brackets, where did you get them?

[schnutzy]

Originally Posted by Durangoman

Like the rear rack and blinker relocation brackets, where did you get them?

the rack appears to be the over the tail light rack from Manracks, and the blinkers look to be in the stock location...

[Rhompin45]

Since the tires vary in size does one just get a 4.00 x18 and hope its the right height ?

[NJ-Brett]

You can get the info on the manufacturers web sites sometimes, and on some web sites where they sell the tires.

I used to run Dunlop K70 tires on the Daytona, and they were VERY tall sidewall tires. I also tried an 18 inch knobby and it was low profile, a BIG difference in height.
Some of the bigger motorcycle stores stock tires you can look at.