I
t's no secret that last year's RM-
Z250 was outdated when compared
to the competition. Suzuki went
back to the drawing board, outfitting
the small-bore RM-Z with a rede-
signed chassis, updated suspension
package and revised engine. This is
Suzuki's attempt at moving itself back
to the forefront of the class.
Unfortunately, the RM-Z still finds
itself slightly off the pace, though it
is a much-improved motorcycle. In a
field where the leaders come stan-
dard with electric start, on-the-fly map
adjustments, and trick suspension
components, we could only expect
the Suzuki to go so far. Despite a
sixth-place finish in this year's shoot-
out, this bike isn't likely to be found
in the back of the pack at your local
race—this thing has potential.
The RM-Z's engine package is one
of the biggest improvements for the
new year, most notably a stronger
initial throttle response followed by an
improved midrange pull. That extra
pull helps accelerating away from
corners and gave it some extra grunt
when clearing jumps from the inside
line. The top-end power doesn't fall
flat either, giving it extra steam down
the long straights, but still suffering in
comparison to its competitors. Even
with the added horses, the RM-Z's
powerband remains ultra-linear and
rider friendly; a well-liked characteris-
tic by vet- and novice-level riders.
Sixth place or not, it's arguable that
the Suzuki has the most balanced
chassis in the class. At (238 lbs), the
bike is a bit on the heavy side but still
has the ability to corner with the best
of them. Mid-corner steering is like a
doctor's scalpel in ruts, berms, and
everything in between, even if it takes
some extra effort to get it leaned over.
In the rough stuff, the forgiving chas-
sis eats up bumps and remains in
line. The rider cockpit, more specifi-
cally, the bar-to-peg ratio, fit riders of
all sizes with minimal adjustments. All
of the Cycle News test riders liked
2 0 19 C Y C L E N E W S 2 5 0 c c F O U R - S T R O K E M O T O C R O S S S H O O T O U T
SHOOTOUT
P76
6
th
Place
RM-Z250
S U Z U K I
Despite getting a major
overhaul, the RM-Z250
is still missing a few
key ingredients, such
as electric starting
and handlebar map
switching. On-track
performance, however,
is much improved over
the previous model, but
suspension still needs
some sorting out. It gets
double thumbs up for
being the least expensive
of the group.
