Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128346
ome twins will tell you that it is difficult to have your own identity. But when your tw in is the Kawasaki KX2s 0F, the machine that won thi s year 's 12scc West Co ast su percross Ch a mpio ns hip . it suddenly be comes mu ch easie r to have o ne . (O r does it?) As yo u probablyknow by now. Suzukiand Kawasaki joined forces last year to produc e a 2s0cc four-stroke motocrosser; and both versions were snatched up off the showroom floors rather quickly, Green or yellow. though. they were the same bike. And the same can pretty much be said this year. After riding the 2005 Kawasaki KX2s0F first a few weeks earlier. we weren't expecting any surprises when we swung a leg over the 2005 RM -Z2s0 for the first time recently. But. we found out that the Suzuki and Kawasaki do . indeed. have some subtle differences . "People kept tellingus that the suspension felt differenton our bike." said Suzuki's media relations man Jackson Esselmanof the '05 KX and RM-Z four-strokes . "But we compared the manuals. and the specs were exactly the same. So we did a little research and found that the forks aaually have a lower oil level. and the compression and rebound on the forks and shock are set up a little differently . The bike isalso jetted slightly different." Otherwise. the '05 RM-Z took on the same changes as the '05 KXF that we tested a few issues ago. S Like the Kawasaki. the number-o ne priority was to fix that nagging over-heating problem both the KX and RM-Z suffered when ridden to their full potential for a long per iod of time - quite a few bikes steamed up in the Nationals. So fo r 2OOS. the RM-Z was fitted with larger-ca pacity radiators. They're 40mm longer. resul ting in 17.B percent more cooling capacity. In the gea rbox . RM-Z riders had prob lems with shifting the bike . O ur testers comp lained about not being able to easily shift from third to fo urt h gear. saying the transition felt "notchy." Suzuki's answer to this pro blem was to mod ifyand strengthen the third an d fou rth inp ut gears. We can te ll you that these modifications made a big difference . Of course. there's always room for more power. not to mention reliability. so the RM-Z's intake port was reshaped and the exhaust port straightened. And to finish things off. the ignition timing was altered to go along with the cylinder changes . When we rode the bike for the first time . we were some of those "people" that Esselman was talking about. The Suzuki's fork felt a bit more compliant and didn't blow through the stroke as quickly as the Kawasaki's fork. which overall seemed to be set up noticeably softer than the Suzuki's. In the back . we felt no difference between the Suzuki and the Kawasaki. just a nice plush ride over the rough stuff. not unlike last year 's bikes. Even though the RM-Z is jetted slightly differently. we didn't notice much - if any difference between its and the KX's motor. Th e Suzuki. like t he Kawasaki. diw ies ou t goo d power. most of it in the middle. though there's plenty at bot h ends. But more t han last year's bike? To be ho nest . we really cou ldn' t tell. Like our '04 test bike , our '05 RM-Z runs well - right out of t he crate . It doesn't bog or hes ita te anywhere in the powerban d, and the throttle re sponse is instantaneous. Unfort unately. o ne th ing that didn't change is noise . The RM-Z's silencer does a lousy job of silencing. As you probabl y noticed at any trac k. the 2s0cc fourstro kes seem lo uder than the 4s0s. and the Suzuki, as well as the Kawasaki. is o ne of t he worst offende rs. As me ntioned. the Suzuki shifts better than be fore, and the clutch still has a light fe el and good action. Again, like last year. the RM-Z's erg onomics are very neutral and easy to adapt to . However. now that more and more bikes are coming out with high-grip seat covers. we're beginning to get spoiled and would like to see Suzuki step up to the plate with a gripper cover of its own - as well as aluminum handlebars. like those found on the Honda and Yamaha. The steel bars that come stock on the RM -Z. and the KXF for that mat ter, just don 't cut it anymore. See . we are getting spoiled . As you can see, not too much has changed with the '05 RM-Z2s0. though Suzuki did pay attention to areas that needed it. namely in the durability department. So you could say that the Z runs , at least . as good as it did last year. but now for a lot longer. eN SPECIFICATIONS 2005 SUZUKI RM·Z250 LIST PRICE $s s99 DISPLACEMENT 249cc ENGINE TYPE Liquid-cooled. single-cylinder two-stroke BORE x STROKE ........77 x s 3.6mm COMPRESS ION RATIO ........ I2.6: I CARBURETION ..37mm Keihin FCR IGNITION .Digital C DI TRANSMISSION Five-speed STARTING SYSTEM Kick FUEL CAPACITY 2.0 gal. WHEELBASE 58. 1 in. RAKEITRAIL 26.s · /109 .22mm 37.8 in. SEAT HEIGHT FRONT TIRE 80/100-21 REAR T IRE 100/90 -19 FRONT SUSPENSION Showa 47mm telescopic, pneumatic/coil spring. oil damped; compression adjustment, 22 positions; rebound adjustment, 20 positions. REAR SUSPENSION ......Swingarm. link-type . Showa piggyback-reserv c ir shock ; compression, 16 positions; rebo und. 16 positions . FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL I 1.8 in. REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL.. 12.2 in. FRONT BRAKE Disc REAR BRAKE Disc FINAL DRIVE Cha in CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 204 Ibs. We co u ld do w ithout the ste e l b a rs, but everything else w a s co mf o rta b le. The radiatars are bigger to stop overheating. The forks worked great. The engine received a few improvements for 2005. www.cyclenews.com OBER 20, 2004 51