Suzuki RMX450Z bike test
January 7, 2010 - Jon Pearson
The RMX450Z – Suzuki's first proper enduro bike for decades ... Scroll down for the full story
Based on the RM-Z450 motocross bike Suzuki's new RMX450Z is the bike many enduro fans wished Suzuki'd made years ago.
With several 'tweaks' aimed at softening the blow from the hard-hitting motocross tool to suit the more varied needs of an enduro competition, even potentially a trail bike, the RMX more versatile and accessible than most the off-road bikes Suzuki has developed over the last decade or more.
By comparison to the RM-Z the RMX has softer cams, smaller throttle body, different piston, lower compression ratio, lower gearing, shorter wheel base, steeper steering angle a blessing in the form of an electric starter. On a road bike you'd call that kind of treatment a recipe for turning a great bike into a damp squib. Instead it's a recipe for turning a bike designed to do one, quite specialised thing, into a far more versatile one.
The RMX has tricks up it's sleeve as well. With the help of a dealer armed with a Yoshimura “Yoshi Box” it's possible to adjust the power characteristic depending on your needs – soft like a DR-Z if you want or punchy and aggressive like the RM-Z if that's more your calling. The down-side is you'll need a friendly dealer who's invested in a Yoshi Box tuning tool, which you plug in to the bike and tell it to adopt a different 'mode'. It's very simpoe but you need the box.
Other than that the other obvious additions are the lights, digital dashboard and number plate which you'll need if you're thinking of going trail riding. 2010 colours look good too.
The ready to go price of the RMX450Z is £5999.00 from Suzuki dealers.
More info on all Suzuki on and off-road models at the Suzuki GB website
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