VOL. 54 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 10, 2017 P73
the square edges than any bike
he's ever ridden, which includes
factory race bikes! Suzuki nailed
it with the RM-Z's rear shock.
The RM-Z has always been a
sweet-handling machine but now
with significantly better suspen-
sion, it handles even better. We
found the Suzuki to shine on
rough tracks with lots of ruts and
ever-changing terrain at both
high and low speeds.
As you can tell, we're really
liking the new RM-Z450, but
we have to admit that we're
disappointed that it's still rela-
tively heavy and does not have
electric starting. The RM-Z was
already one of the heaviest bikes
the same forks! The Suzuki also
trails the 2018 KTM 450 SX-F
(the lightest bike in the class)
by 16 pounds, and the KTM has
electric starting as well!
And, yes, we're huge fans of
electric starting. There's no go-
ing back; electric starting is here
to stay. Kick-starting motorcycles
these days is simply archaic and
we were hoping the new Suzuki
would come with a button, oh
well. This omission might be an
issue for Suzuki to rectify now,
because they just finished mak-
ing big changes to the RM-Z and
are again going to have to make
some more big changes to keep
weight at a reasonable number
If It Was Ours…
…We'd be perfectly happy racing it as is right out of the crate—
at least for a while. Stiffer fork springs would probably be our
first mod we'd make to it, and we'd also consider beefing up the
clutch a bit, having noticed a hint of fading during our testing,
which isn't unusual when it comes to 450s. Otherwise, we'd
just put gas in it and ride it.
if they do decide to add electric
starting in the near future. The
Kawasaki KX450F is the only
other 450 without electric start-
ing right now and it weighs 241
pounds.
Luckily for the RM-Z, it still
feels pretty light and agile on
the track, so its weight problem
really wasn't a huge complaint
at the end of the day with our
test riders. But we can't help but
wonder how it would feel sans 10
pounds. Oh man. However, we'd
be satisfied with 252 pounds
and electric starting.
The RM-Z is a comfortable
motorcycle; ergonomics are
neutral and pleasant, controls
are smooth and light (but clutch
pull could be a little lighter), and
it has some of the best brakes
in the business. The ever-so-
important front brake, which now
features a larger 270mm disc, is
strong and has excellent modu-
lation, though we did notice
in its class; even though it has
a lighter chassis, it didn't lose
enough to compensate for the
heavier spring forks. It's still
on the bottom end of the list
when it comes to weight at 252
pounds (full fuel). It trails the
2018 Honda CRF450R by just a
single pound, but the CRF has
electric starting and pretty much
We're liking the new looks but wish
it had electric starting. The fuel tank
is now made out of plastic resin
instead of aluminum.
