2015 SUZUKI RM-Z450
FIRST RIDE
P38
BY JASON ABBOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM CAMPBELL
W
e recently spent a couple of days at
some of California's finest motocross
tracks—Zaca Station and Castillo
Ranch—to ride Suzuki's 2015 RM-Z450 moto-
crosser. Although the new Suzook doesn't look
much different than its predecessor, that doesn't
mean it hasn't changed. Don't' be fooled, it has!
We have had a somewhat love/hate relation-
ship with the RM-Z450 for the past few years.
The bike is unmatched when it comes to its
turning capabilities and it has a powerful yet
rider friendly engine that is one of our favorites
to unleash. Take the RM-Z450 to a track with
tight turns and jumps and we're in love with it,
but take it to a track that is fast and rough, like
Glen Helen Raceway on a busy practice day,
the romance quickly goes away; it feels like a
completely different motorcycle. One that beats
you up. Our big complaints with the 2013 and
2014 RM-Z450s are their rigid-feeling front ends
and their unpredictable handling on rough and
nasty tracks. The shock, however, has always
performed well but, for us, not the SFF Showa
spring fork, so we were excited when we heard
about the '15's new 49mm Showa SFF TAC-Air
fork, which is very similar in design to the new
air fork on the 2015 Kawasaki KX450F.
LOOKS ARE DECEIVING WHEN IT COMES
TO THE 2015 RM-Z450
ALL THE
RIGHT MOVES
