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/1367911
P138 RIDE REVIEW I 2021 SUZUKI RM-Z450 favors. The Showa coil-spring fork is pretty stiff out of the box, and the chassis doesn't always want to comply with the suspend- ers. The Showa shock with Suzuki's unique BFRC (Balance Free Rear Cushion) tech- nology works well off the showroom floor, but as with last year's model, taking the time to finely tune the suspension will be vital in improving the overall riding experience. We eventually became quite happy with the Suzuki's suspension last year the more we rode it and the more we fiddled with the "clickers," and we expect this will be the same with the '21 model. Overall, the '21 RM-Z450 is still a compe- tent package—it has a user-friendly motor, good brakes, solid handling and suspen- sion with tons of potential. It also comes fitted with several quality components such as Renthal tapered aluminum handlebars, Suzuki's Holeshot Assist Control (S-HAC), a gripper seat, black rims, Bridgestone X30 tires and fully adjustable suspension. Unfor- tunately, Suzuki missed the boat by forget- ting to give its latest-generation RM-Z elec- tric starting and failing to make up for that by not making the RM-Z any lighter when they had the chance in 2018. When it gets down to it, these two things are our main gripes with the RM-Z450—it feels heavy (and it is at a claimed 247 pounds, our 2020 RM- Z450 weighed 252 pounds with a full tank of gas) and we don't like having to kick start it anymore, oh how times have changed. But if these two things don't bother you, and you like the idea of increased engine tun- ability of the 2021 RM-Z450 and its $8999 MSRP, which is the lowest in its class by at least $400 (it is, however, $400 more than Honda's previous-generation CRF450R- S that is still in Honda's lineup), then the RM-Z450 should still be one of the bikes on your 450 shopping list. The 2021 Suzuki RM-Z450 can very well be the right bike for the right person. CN 2021 SUZUKI RM-Z450 ($8999) ENGINE Single cylinder, 4-stroke VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4-valve DISPLACEMENT 449cc COOLING SYSTEM Liquid BORE X STROKE 96.0 x 62.1mm FUEL SYSTEM EFI, 44mm throttle body w/3 fueling couplers, Suzuki MX- Tuner 2.0 engine tuner STARTING SYSTEM Manual (kick) LUBRICATION SYSTEM Semi-dry sump CLUTCH Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION 5-speed RIDER AIDS S-HAC (Suzuki Holeshot Assist Control), ECM (Electronic Control Module) traction control FRAME Aluminum, twin-spar HANDLEBARS Renthal tapered aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION Showa fork, USD, coil spring, full adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Showa single shock, linkage, BFRC technology, fully adjustable FRONT BRAKE Single 270mm disc REAR BRAKE Single disc FRONT TIRE 80/100-21 in. Bridgestone Battlecross X30 REAR TIRE 110/90-19 in. Bridgestone Battlecross X30 WHEELBASE 58.3 in. GROUND CLEARANCE 13.0 in. SEAT HEIGHT 37.8 in. FUEL CAPACITY 1.7 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED) 247 lbs. SPECIFICATIONS