Things happen quickly in
the 450 class. There are no
breaks for manufacturers.
Take any time off and your
bike will be left trackside for
the vultures to pick at.
This is the current life in
Hamamatsu. After introduc-
ing an all-new model in 2018,
Suzuki left the development
of the RM-Z450 at a standstill,
besides minor revisions made
to its suspension package.
Even with the com plete over-
haul, the RM-Z took a sub-par
5th-place finish in last year's
shootout. If there was ever a
time for Suzuki to take a hiatus,
this isn't it. We had an idea of
where it would stack up this
time around.
Let's back up and clarify
that we'd never call the RM-Z
2019 450 MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT
P84
SHOOTOUT
Suzuki
RM-Z450
PROS
•Excellent cornering
characteristics
•User-friendly engine
•Least expensive
CONS
•Heaviest of the group
•No electric starting
•Outdated coupler system
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Actual Weight (full fuel):
253 lbs.
MSRP: $8949
a bad motorcycle. It has a
number of strong points, even
being called one of the best
all-around motocrossers
by some testers. The Su-
zuki's best-in-class cornering
abilities have something to
do with this. At 253 pounds
fully fueled (the heaviest of
the bunch), it's not the easi-
est bike to get stopped and
settled for the corner, but
once leaned over, its mid-
corner steering outperforms
com petitors by making quick
work of deep ruts, berms and
everything in between. The
only shortcoming here is a
tendency for the front-end to
tuck in flat corners.
The RM-Z450's ability
to maintain speed through
the corner pay dividends in
6
th
Place
