Cycle News

SHOOTOUT P44 2014 250F MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT >> QUICK REVIEW Except for minor graphic changes and updates to the bike's ECM ignition program to help improve starting, the 2014 Suzuki RM-Z250 is identical to last year's. And there's not much wrong about that. It's a great bike even if it is a year older. Frankly, we didn't notice any difference in starting, which we didn't think was all that bad anyway. It can, however, be finicky at times, but once you learn the Suzuki's ways, it fires up just fine. The Suzuki, of course, is well known for its great turning capabilities and strong motor. Like its bigger brother, the RM-Z250 gets in and out of the turns like no other. It's a point-and-shoot bike that goes where it's told no matter what. Inside or outside, the RM-Z rails through magnificently, and rarely stands up in the ruts. Tighter the track, the more of an advantage you'll have on the Suzuki, a bike well suited for Supercross-style circuits. The RM-Z250 is also well respected for its strong motor. It's powerful enough, has okay bottom-end but handlebar-gripping midrange. Very meaty. Like the KX250F, if you want to change up the powerband a bit, Suzuki provides three, easy to swap out pre-programed couplers. You have lean (good for aggressive/tacky surfaces), standard (stock), and rich (less aggressive/hardpacked, slick surfaces). Top-end is sufficient, too, but runs out of steam a little too quickly way up top. You just learn to shift up another gear before you get to that point. No problem. Speaking of shifting, the RM-Z has a very tight five-speed gearbox, meaning that it doesn't take much effort on the lever to catch the next cog, but the draw- back is trying to find neutral at a standstill. But that's hardly a price to pay for such a quick-shifting bike on the track. It has a light-pull clutch with excellent modulation, giving the rider great control of engine speed coming out of the turns. It seems to be strong and durable, too. The 'Zook is a quick-handling machine. It's super agile and very flickable, yet it remains pretty darn stable at speed. But when speeds really get up there on a rough section of track, the Suzuki does start dancing around a bit between your legs, but rarely to the point that it gets scary. We're still not completely sold on the RM-Z's Showa Single Function Fork, which made its debut on the bike last year. It performs well enough but just lacks any sort of plushness. Instead, it can feel spikey at times and wears down your arms after a while. It does, however, perform better on the 250 than it does on the 450. Bigger riders will like the RM-Z's heavy spring (which is the same as the RM-Z450's spring), but small/lighter riders, who tend to ride in the 250 class anyway, will probably find the front end to be too stiff. The shock is also a bit on the stout side. The front brake is plenty powerful and has good feel; the back brake is also strong but not as compliant or as controllable as the front brake. The bike is comfortable in the ergo department. It's very slim in the middle but a little wide in the radiator-shroud area. Our test riders like the Suzuki's tapered aluminum Fatbar handlebars, but some said a less sweptback bend might be better. Despite being carried over for another year, the 2014 Suzuki RM-Z250 is still a fine and very capable machine. The 2014 Suzuki RM-Z250 is essentially the same as the 2013 model with updated graphics.

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