Have you been waiting for the latest RM-Z just like us. Curious? We'll bet! We finally got to ride it today at the heavily revamped Perris Raceway. Weather you've been looking to see if fuel injection is going to be the latest craze in motocross, if Suzuki is really going to rewrite the rules with this all-new bike, or if it is going to be the best bike of 2008, the one you need to have, here is the scoop.
First off the FI has no battery yet charges the fuel system through a condenser. You have to kick the bike through a few times to get things charged up, we'd call it a five-kick cold starter. There is a choke and this thing warms up quicker than anything, although the kick starter lever effort is higher than average. Once warm it is a one or two kick affair to get it running again and it does have (and like) the use of the hot-start lever. So how does the FI really work? Well forget that because this RM-Z stands out with a striking first impression that it is a very light bike. It has a very "250F" feel about it. But then you yank the throttle and things are not so "250F-like" anymore. The bike is a 450 and it packs the power to prove it. We don't think this is the highest power 450 we've ridden but it hauls the beans just fine. And for the most part you wouldn't know there is anything but a perfectly jetted carb under the tank. And there is no carb. The bike is very linear and picks up from a very low RPM with little fuss. It is smooth and isn't too snappy anywhere in the delivery but does rev fast in the upper RPMs. The new five-speed transmission is a better match for this power delivery for sure and is undoubtedly more versatile. But the advantage of the FI is in the ability of the bike to go a gear high in corners, go to a very low RPM and take a heaping dose of throttle to get the bike moving, with or without clutching it, with little fear of stalling or coughing the bike. It just chugs out and works its way pulling just fine. Like keeping a bike in third, even in tight turns? This RM-Z does that as long as you control the clutch on the way in from a too-low RPM stall and on the way out when it starts lifting the front tire for the sky. And if there is any complaint it might be from riders who like a lot of snap from just turning the throttle, well this Suzuki isn't like that. It just pulls.
The light feeling of the bike is matched with an unfamiliar companion of feeling pretty planted riding right at the edge of being nimble without getting into the twitchy side of things. It has a very balances feel and the layout seemed plenty roomy allowing the rider to get anywhere he needs to be. We were fiddling with the suspension settings to try and get a better bump feel in the chop that developed on the track and always found ourselves within one click of stock all day long, the sign of a good chassis and suspension setup.
Suzuki was pretty tight lipped about what specifically caused the delay in getting the bikes to us to test other than to say that they did not meet their standards and were not ready until now. We're pretty sure that whatever it was serious enough because delays like that, one that will keep the bike off of dealer's showrooms until January, late in the sales season, can be costly. We're riding it at a few more tracks in the next couple of days digging in for the first test in the magazine. We'll be taking it out with the other 450s as well and finding the yellow bike a place in our 450 shootout. Is it the one? Look for all that in the upcoming pages of Dirt Rider Magazine.