2017 SUZUKI RMX450Z
FULL TEST
P62
the electric starter motor, the cam-chain
tensioner is located on the cylinder head
instead of the cylinder. The RMX cylin-
der and head, by the way, are not inter-
changeable with the RM-Z.
Feeding the RMX is a 41mm Keihin
throttle body; the RM-Z uses a 43mm
unit.
First and second gears are lower on
the RMX when compared to the RM-Z;
third gear, however, is very similar. With
only five speeds, fourth and fifth are taller
on the RMX than the RM-Z.
The RMX's Showa suspension came
right off the 2010 RM-Z450, using a
similar fully adjustable shock and 47mm
cartridge coil spring fork. You won't find
the air fork of the current motocross bike
on the RMX.
Helping transform the RM-Z450 into
an off-road machine is an 18-inch rear
wheel, and the addition of a sidestand,
a 35-watt headlight and LED tail light,
and an easy access air filter. It also has
a digital computer/speedo unit that,
besides having "standard mode" also has
a "sport mode," that includes timer, aver-
age speed and tripmeter functions—good
for old-school enduros (if you can still find
them anymore).
Because the RMX is sold as a Cali-
fornia Green Sticker-legal machine, it
comes stock with a throttle stop installed,
a very quiet exhaust system with a spark
arrestor muffler, emissions-compliant fuel
mapping and a tight air box. California
green sticker-compliant vehicles are sub-
jected to evaporative, exhaust and sound
emission requirements by the EPA and
face more stringent regulations than red
sticker bikes.
In neutral, the 2017 RMX450Z fires
up easily (something that the '10 model
did not do so easily) and idles smoothly
