Riding Impression: 2011 Suzuki RM-Z450

Through a series of changes to the pipe and muffler, bumped compression ratio, cams and FI settings the bike still bites without as much of a bark, especially at low rpm, and that makes up the majority of changes though there are a ton of small things to tune last year’s proven package. There are also plugs included with the bike to richen or lean the FI setting depending on your conditions.

Riding the bike, one thing is very clear. This is a really good 450cc motocross bike. It is not flashy, except in its bright yellow color. It isn’t revolutionary in any area or design, it is very standard and you’ve seen almost everything the RMZ has on almost every other bike. It isn’t crazy light on a scale, it does not make the most power and I’d go as far as to say, mostly going on memory from riding all the other 450s, It isn’t standing out in any one area. Except for one. Maybe the most important one. It flat works really good and lays down great and consistent fast laps.

Our bike starts up first kick and without a very hard kick on the starter, maybe that is a class leading feature, come to think about it. It has a noticeable reduction in bark out of the muffler and those two decibels really make a difference in sound when the bike is riding around the track compared to all the other bikes. The Suzuki has a really great clutch feel and the transmission is spaced close and has the right ratios, shifting is never an issue. But likely the biggest difference between the 2010 and 2011 is the bottom end power. Due to the sound changes the bike has become smoother, which for 99% of riders is a better thing whether they think so or not. What it has done is pushed the point where the bike really barks to a position in rpm and throttle to farther up the curve. On a tacky, traction packed track like Milestone was yesterday, you’d initially want more punch. But it just took some time to remember that you were on a 450 and all it took was a little more throttle in the turn and it was problem solved. Trust us when we say there was always more throttle to be turned. We bet this motor will be a sleeper in how fast it does not feel and how fast it goes. Anyplace off the bottom you’d better be ready to use the brakes harder than you are use to because you will be going a lot faster than it feels like the motor is pulling you from the mid-range right to the top.

Onto the handling and suspension side of the design, and here nothing stands out as the best we’ve felt in any one area. But it doesn’t take long for the package to start to impress in all aspects. The stability, the area the 2010 chassis changes addressed, without hampering the handling, is good. But what really shines on the RM-Z is the proper feel in the steering and how willing the bike is to change lines at will and with control. Through its Bridgestones and with good feel for the ground a skilled rider can get the bike to do things that take a lot more effort on other brands. And the good power plays to this game. The suspension does not feel soft or stiff, more of a just right character. It uses the stroke, maybe more than some other bikes but has excellent bottoming resistance and I used it plenty. The adjusters make noticeable changes and are totally capable of making a wide range of riders happy.

What Suzuki has here is a complete package. At $8149 it is a bike that works in harmony and no one area stands out and tries to outshine any other. It is a great package. It feels dialed. Complete. And we’re confident this feeling will carry on at more tracks as we test it further and get it dialed in come shootout time. And they should be arriving in dealer’s floors very soon.

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