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/1509771
COMPARISON I 2024 SUZUKI RM-Z450 VS. KEN ROCZEN'S SUZUKI RM-Z450 P88 VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P88 Cooler help the bike stay cool in the heat, while a full Renthal drivetrain keeps things moving out back. A Pro Circuit Ti-6 Pro header and muffler finish off the motor mods. You'll find boot-eating ti - tanium footpegs on his bike with grip tape to keep the legs planted. Roczen also fits his bike with half-waffle grips with donuts and a ribbed gripper seat cover from Guts Racing. NOW THE FUN PART Contrary to what you might believe, Roczen's bike isn't a fire- breathing dragon. This isn't what you'd expect from a "factory" race bike, right? Rather than trying to find tons more power, Roczen and his team said they actually "de-tuned" the engine to make it easier to ride. In fact, the 94-machine felt like it had less punch than our stock RM-Z. Sounds crazy, I know. Don't get me wrong, Roczen's bike still comes on strong in all the right places, but riding it gives you insight as to how Kenny can ride this bike at an all-out pace for 20 to 30 minutes. His bike feels responsive and noticeably light in the wrist. Engine braking is virtually non-existent and carry - ing roll speed into and through the corners was dramatically easier. I found the transmission to be a bit tricky, as you had to click the bike into each gear with authority. It's tuned this way on purpose so that he doesn't accidentally bump the shift lever up or down a gear, or worse, into neutral, especially at the very worst time. Finding neutral is like a game of Where's Waldo— first and second gears are pronounced, but that teeny gap in between is anything but. Kenny's bike felt a bit longer and more stable than the stan - dard RM-Z. Stability and comfort were the name of the game with Roczen's Chicagoland setup, which was the most outdoorsy race on the SuperMotocross schedule, and I preferred this style over the pure Supercross option. The forks still felt firm but nowhere near as stiff as the stock units yet they were plush all the way through the stroke. The more you pushed the bike, the better the forks worked. It encourages you to ride it harder—the faster you go, the smoother it gets. The rear shock felt glued to the ground, and I gelled with the bike right away despite being given a short window of time to ride the bike. LAST LAP I still praise the production Suzuki RM-Z450 for its comfort- able ergos, razor-sharp handling, and manageable power. Unfor- tunately, an unbalanced chassis and manual kickstarting hold it back from its true potential. But in Ken Roczen's case, he has the backing of a near-factory team to address every, well, most, of the RM-Z's shortcomings. Kenny rode all the major brands during the off-season last year and chose the Suzuki. What does that tell you? That the RM-Z450 still has plenty of potential and riding Roczen's bike certainly proves that. CN 2024 SUZUKI RM-Z450 (RM ARMY EDITION, $9199) ENGINE TYPE: 4-stroke, single cylinder VALVETRAIN: 4-valve, DOHC COOLING SYSTEM: Liquid DISPLACEMENT: 449cc BORE X STROKE: 96.0 x 62.1mm COMPRESSION RATIO: 12.5:1 STARTING SYSTEM: Primary kickstarter with automatic decompressor FUELING: Fuel injection, 44mm throttle body LUBRICATION: Semi-dry sump CLUTCH: Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION: 5-speed constant mesh FRAME: Aluminum twin-spar SUBFRAME: Aluminum HANDLEBAR: Renthal Fatbar FRONT SUSPENSION: Showa Inverted telescopic, coil spring, oil damped, adjustable damping REAR SUSPENSION: Showa BFRC-link type, coil spring, oil damped, adjustable FRONT WHEEL: 21 in. REAR WHEEL: 19 in. FRONT TIRE: 80/100-21, Bridgestone X30 REAR TIRE: 110/90-19, Bridgestone X30 FRONT BRAKE: Nissin, single 270mm WHEELBASE: 58.3 in. SEAT HEIGHT: 37.8 in. GROUND CLEARANCE: 13 in. FUEL CAPACITY: 1.7 gal. WEIGHT (CURB): 247 lbs. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S