VOL. 54 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 31, 2017 P61
T
here aren't any monumental
changes to the RMX since its
near first release in 2010, when
an emissions snafu arose that ultimately
kept it off American soil literally days
after it was introduced. The RMX,
however, returns for round two like it
was seven years ago but with a few
changes, like getting black Excel rims
and black side panels, and an updated
headlight. And—here this is the real big-
gie—no longer can the consumer simply
change or modify the California green
sticker-compliant mapping (which, if you
could, of course, would immediately
render it a closed-course race bike and
would no long qualify as a green sticker
motorcycle). Other than those small up-
dates, this is the same off-road dirt bike
Suzuki almost sold in the U.S. in 2010.
Tucked inside what is essentially the
2009 RM-Z450 chassis is the off-road-
tweaked RMX450Z engine. The 2017
Suzuki RMX450Z powerplant is very
similar to the 2017 RM-Z450 (and the
2010 RM-Z450 for that matter) except
the RMX has a different inlet tract and
different camshafts—both engineered to
improve low-to-mid power for off-road-
type riding. The RMX also has lower
compression at 11.6:1 compared to the
RM-Z450 at 12.5:1. To make room for
Suzuki gets serious
about off-roading again
with the re-introduction
of the RMX450Z.
A
R E T U R N S
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM BOOTH
WELCOME BACK! SUZUKI RE-INTRODUCES THE RMX450Z
