Rm-Z450

RM-Z450

CW RIDING IMPRESSION

Suzuki’s winning balance?

"SUZUKI CLAIMS THE ULTIMATE FOUR-STROKE WEAPON." Uh, easy on the brochure-babble, guys. As the past tells us about the future, all modern motocross bikes are so close in performance, reliability and price that a statement like that could be made by every manufacturer.

Now that four-strokes have become the standard for MX racing, everyone has been anxious to see Suzuki and Kawasaki build 450s to complete the class and make it official. Unlike the shared-design RM-Z250 and KX250F, however, the RM-Z450 was a solo project. When it came time to build 450s, the two companies ended the R&D alliance that saw them offer 250s that were identical in every way except color, and they’ll stay apart for future competition models.

That said, Suzuki got a jump-start on Kawasaki as its 450 is available and ready to race today. If your blood mns green, you’ll have to wait until 2006.

After months of hounding Suzuki to let us try the longawaited RM-Z, we finally

got our hands on one the same day the bikes hit showroom floors in late January. Perfect timing, as it was just two days after what we Californians call “monsoon” weather, where it rained for 15 straight days, giving the dirt at local tracks perfect moisture for abusing a brand-new motorcycle.

Brrraaappp.. .just turn the throttle and you’re jamming. GSX-R roadrace technology put to work on an MXer isn’t such a bad idea! The all-new, dohc four-valve engine was designed from the ground up using a four-speed transmission that is compact and light in weight. With a smooth, super-long powerband, the engine puts the power where you use it. It’s not so abrupt that your arms pop out of their sockets, but just enough to make sure you’re holding on. There’s strong power from the bottom to the top, which is just about perfect for the way a four-stroke is supposed to be ridden: polite and easy. Roll on the throttle anywhere and you just get a smooth burst of speed. It doesn’t do anything spectacular on top, though.

Handling was a bit off at first, but after some fine-tuning we found settings that suited us. After adjusting sag to match our weight, the shock’s rebound damping was a bit fast, so we slowed it down by turning the clickers in. At this point the bike was working pretty well, but not to its full potential-the front end jumped around a little coming into comers. We then messed with the clickers on the Showa Twin Chamber fork, and once that was set up, manoh-man did the RM-Z rip! The more aggressive we rode it, the better it worked.

The twin-spar aluminum frame looks like a Honda replica, but employs technology pioneered by Suzuki in the mid1980s when it was first seen on an off-road concept bike.

No complaints about this beauty just yet; it seemed to work well with the rest of the pieces.

To get picky about little things, we could only find one item worth whining about and that was the hot-start button. It’s located on the carburetor, which means you have to take your hand off the bar and reach down to pull it out, then remember to push it back in after re-starting the engine. But according to Suzuki factory rider Sebastien Tortelli, who’s racing an RM-Z in the AMA Supercross Series, the hot-start is only needed if the bike has been lying on the ground for a while. Although we thankfully didn’t have an opportunity to test Tortelli’s claim, we never had to use the button after a quick stop.

Is the RM-Z450 the bike for you? That comes down to rider preference. Overall, the Suzuki does what it’s supposed to do: get you around a motocross track as good or better than the competition. It will definitely give the other 450s a run for their money. Tune in next month to find out which one really is the ultimate four-stroke weapon. -Ryan Dudek