There were countless changes made inside this silver 450cc box so I’ll shoot them off quick. If you were to crack the cases on this bad boy you would find a new intake camshaft, lighter piston and DLC (diamond like coating) piston pin, new connecting rod, redesigned transmission, thinner crankcase read valve, new cam chain guide, stator coil, reshaped shift cam and a new oil strainer with a stronger magnet to catch unwanted debris. The RM-Z450’s new piston is 13 percent lighter thanks to a reshaped piston skirt, shorter piston pin boss and a lighter connecting rod. The cam’s intake timing was changed as was the cam’s working angle and lift amount (by 0.4mm) for a smoother characteristic. A ton of work went into the tranny to provide the rider with smoother shifting. The shape of the gears were changed on second through fifth by going from three dogs on the gear from four. Fewer dogs allow the gears to drop into place quicker and smoother. To wrap it up the cam chain guide has been changed to better resist abrasion making it a more reliable part.
