If you haven’t The appeal of smaller motorcycles can’t be beat now, probably because you haven’t ridden one yet. That’s the opinion of Tom Gilroy, founder Motos are built with purpose in Queensland, Australia. And judging by the work his shop does on this cheeky Suzuki GN250 scrambler, you can tell they’re true believers.
“Once you upgrade a small bike a bit with a few performance mods and shed a little bit of their weight, it becomes difficult to find a bike that is more fun to ride,” he said. “Wherever you point at the GN250, it brings a smile to your face. All you need to do is turn on the throttle and enjoy! “
PBM has some history with the humble Suzuki GN250. The first custom GN250 they ever built was also their first client project, rivaland was the first bike to attract their attention online. This is the third GN the store has built, and it draws lessons from the first two.
“This time, we were given the basic bike and told to get around, but better,” says Tom. “I really love these little bikes, so I’m happy to hand them over to our rider, Shane. The GN250 was in his family for a long time before we received it and has been in storage for a while. ”
PBM can run a full range of custom builds, from light to wild. But for this tiny scrambler, their goal was something clean and efficient.
“The idea was first and foremost to improve on our previous builds, but above all to keep this project amazingly simple. Usually, with our builds, there’s a lot of ideas flying around and we’re super excited, then start creating weird and amazing custom pieces to style things up. This time there’s a constant reminder to keep it simple, as a creative exercise if nothing else. “
Nothing can happen until a well-worn donor is brought back to spec. PBM’s in-house mechanic has rebuilt the small single plate with new pistons, rings, valves and springs, and some slight shifting on top. A new Mikuni carb and a DNA air filter are also added to the mix.
As for the exhaust, PBM wanted to create a bit of motorcycle style. So they paired the FMF Powercore 4 muffler with a two-in-one header.
Next, the team focused on fine-tuning the GN250’s running gear. The bike’s 16″ rear wheel limited its off-road tire selection, so they fitted a set of Excel 19F/18R rims with stainless steel spokes. “It gave the GN a real sense of dune vibration and allowed us to choose the tire type,” says Tom.
A set of Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires have been replaced, ticking all the boxes for road and land use.
To compensate for the larger wheels, PBM installed a pair of longer rear stock YSS shock absorbers. That change caused the rear drum brake to misalign – so modifications needed to be made to ensure it still functions safely.
The front suspension has been strengthened and refurbished with heavier oils. Completing the front end are handcrafted front fenders and brackets, essentially more compact versions of the factory design.
Higher up are LED headlights and turn signals, and a digital Daytona instrument panel, all from PBM’s own supply. The actual light is already mounted on the OEM headlight holder, but the dash is on a manual mount.
The spokes have been cleaned and fitted with a ProTaper handlebar, PBM switch and reconditioned brake and clutch levers. Switches (and other electronics) run through PBM’s ‘Moto Black Box’ — a wiring ‘brain’ hidden under the saddle. And the bottom mirrors are new pieces that the team just designed and added to their online store.
As for the bodywork, Tom and co. chose to keep the tank, because it’s in such great shape. So they just edited its stand to fit their new tail design.
The rear of the car is designed quite simply: a classic rear wheel with a slim and short saddle, upholstered in black leather. The two sides are LED turn signals that also act as taillights and are fitted with a small license plate frame. Combined with the re-tuned tank, the vibe is simple – but effective.
The only major requirement that PBM’s customers have, is color matching. “His family is from Papua New Guinea,” Tom tells us, “so he wanted to use the flag colors used to style the GN250 – almost mimicking the factory paint anyway. . Again, reminding ourselves to keep it simple, we used a black sole and a yellow and red two stripe design.”
The paintwork is as elegant as the rest of the build. Nothing is amplified here — instead, Tom and his team have distilled this tiny animal into what it is.
The real question is: What will PBM do on the next GN250 build? Tom isn’t sure… but he hopes another one will come through the door soon, so he can find out.
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