This Is Your Bike If...
* You ride mostly short tracks with a lot of turns. Arenacross, stadium races and shorter outdoor tracks.* You like solid front-end traction and a good-turning machine.* You're a returning RM-Z450 customer and switching bike brands, bike character and dealerships sounds as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist.* You have a Makita tool addiction.
| 2009 SUZUKI RM-Z450 SETTINGS |
| MSRP: | $7,499 |
| Claimed Weight (tank full): | 247 lb |
| Actual Weight (no gas): | 242 lb |
| Actual Weight (tank full): | 252 lb |
| Seat Height: | 37.9 in. |
| Seat-To-Footpeg Distance: | 27.4 in. |
| Footpeg Height: | 17.0 in. |
| Fuel Capacity | 1.6 gal. |
| SUSPENSION | STK | Int/Pro | beg/nov |
| Fork |
| Compression: | 11 | 13 | Stk |
| Rebound: | 11 | 8-9 | Stk |
| Shock |
| Low-Speed Compression: | 7 | 8-9 | Stk |
| Rebound: | 7 | 5 | Stk |
| High-Speed Compression: | 2 | 1 7/8-2 | Stk |
| Sag (mm): | 100 | 102-106 | 100-105 |
Chris Barrett
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 180 lb
Pro
With three bikes running EFI, a completely redesigned Honda and Kawasaki and some brands making minor changes, I figured this would be an easy shootout. Well...I was wrong. None of the brands had any major downfalls, and all of them are getting closer to feeling the same. With the only major differences being motor and handling, the end result is mainly due to rider preference. Starting with my preference, I chose the Honda. The CRF had the best all-around motor with a ton of power and smooth delivery; this was the easiest bike to keep in the meat of the power. Then add the light yet planted, easy to toss around handling of the bike and I felt right at home. Honda's hard work definitely paid off because last year's bike would not have cut it. Second, I chose the KTM. The KTM has always had a strong motor, and now it has the suspension to match it. Even though this bike cornered unbelievably well, the heavy feel of the 450 SX-F on the ground and in the air kept KTM out of first. The Yamaha is third. This was the only bike that I could actually drag the radiator shrouds in turns. With plenty of mid to top-end power, the only thing putting the YZ behind the first two was the lack of bottom-end power. I constantly felt the need to clutch it in those tight turns. Fourth is the Kawasaki. The Kawasaki had awesome bottom-end power, but then went flat on top. In the end, I would rather have to clutch the YZ a little than worry about throttle control and shifting gears. None of these bikes deserve to be last, but there has to be one because ties are unacceptable. Suzuki has a great all-around motor with excellent handling. The only reason the RM-Z was behind the others was due to a bad over-rev cut out. I don't normally rev out four-strokes, but sometimes you miss that shift or just have to rev it out, and when you did that on the Suzuki the power would sign off violently.