Factory Dirtbikes 2008 - Dirt Rider Magazine

Behold, a clear shot at the 2008 RM-Z450. Leaner, meaner and fuel-injected.

You can't uncover all of the 2008 factory secrets just by looking at the uncovered eye candy. And the truth is only partially revealed through the coy words of mechanics, team managers, manufacturer representatives, rogue journalists, test riders and, finally, PR guys. Even then lot of speculation comes into play to determine whether we are looking at a model-year 2008 or '09-or even venturing into never-never land for the average Joe motorcycle consumer. Just because we caught photographic evidence of something via belt-buckle cameras or 600mm lenses from poison oak-shaded hills, despite the mirrored and tented team trucks, does not mean even we are 100 percent sure the following information is correct. (Besides, we also had to work through harsh language barriers.) With this in mind, read Dirt Rider's Spy Guy report.Suzuki
The big-news bike for '08 will be the RM-Z450. Although a full-on works bike was paraded around for cameras, behind the tent rested a preproduction bike that later took to the track. The 450 basically consists of the current engine (no doubt retuned) surrounded by an all-new frame and bodywork. Much like the super-successful RM-Z250, with its smaller-frame spars, the big RM-Z looks leaner and meaner, complemented by sleeker and slimmer plastics and seat. Not so hidden was a very production-looking fuel injection system, which shouldn't surprise anyone since Suzuki was the first to the FI game in the ATV business. Expect a further decrease in fuel-tank capacity with the switch to injection; the bike will gain efficiency and lose very little, if any, gas (as the spill tubes on carburetors do). If our sources are correct, an all-new 450 engine is in the works and will see light in '09 in this new chassis.A yellow 250F was nowhere to be found, and little information could be gathered about it. Since the bike was brand-new in '07, we think it will receive few big changes but rather a host of upgrades. And there is the promise of something yellow on the playbike front. We don't know if it will be a 50cc or a midsize bike, but since those markets are hot, with kid and adult buyers alike, it is a smart line-filling move either way.Honda
Keep in mind that while other magazines may have printed what they thought was the truth, it wasn't the whole truth. Fuel injection will come on bikes produced in '08, meaning '09 models. But don't expect Big Red to jump into the FI arena first. Evidently, the company has its 450F working just fine and is getting closer every day with its 250F. Most evident is the 450's all-new and very production-looking ignition sidecover, with a beefier generator hiding behind an updated dual oil-view-hole-equipped unit. Don't say you heard it here, but some rumors persist that the entire engine to the right of this cover will be all-new in '09 as well. The 250F looks to be very production on the engine front, but the FI equipment is still very prototype, and some of the exterior parts (like the idle adjust) are in the duct-tape stages. No news on the Honda chassis or suspension, but we know the company is always looking to improve performance, which isn't just about making a bike feel lighter-it has to have balance.Yamaha
The blue bikes looked very familiar except for the European works Rinaldi cylinders and cases that even the Japanese bikes were sporting. The FI has been seen before on both 250 and 450 machines, but we're guessing Yamaha is happy to follow rather than lead this charge for cost and public perception reasons. Since we've spotted Yamaha testing bikes publicly here in the United States, we don't expect huge changes-just a lot of internal refinement and the usual handling and suspension tweaks, as the last-minute arrival of this '08 YZ450F photo confirms. Our trained eyes spot the new coloring of the clutch and oil filter cover easily, but we also notice a new fork with revised clamping, a shorter muffler (rumors persist that Yamaha engineers have developed a new sound-damping system) and a switch to the Dunlop D742FA front tire. We expect two-stroke YZs to be available for at least another year-even if they are only slightly upgraded (they don't need much).

There is no hint of a 150cc four-stroke yet, but that does not mean Yamaha doesn't have one; the company just isn't ready to bring it to market yet.Other blue news is the introduction of the domestic-model Japanese WR250R. With its all-new fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, electric-start 250cc four-stroke engine, this is a big step up from Yamie's TT-R or Serow models. It even has an aluminum frame, as well as some pretty space-age styling. We are expecting this bike to come Stateside in '09 as the current TT-R250R's replacement, filling the bill as the playbike in the lineup.Husqvarna
Although the prototype 250cc four-stroke looks ready to go, it won't be until '09. Husky wants to have a successful year of racing under its belt to flush out any problems with the new engine. That said, the '08 bikes will not go unchanged. All of the TEs will be fuel-injected with Mikuni systems. To arrive at a lower weight (a claimed 10-pound reduction), the bike will have a new frame, swingarm, subframe and gas tank along with fresh plastic and suspension linkage.There is also a new model-the TXC. It is based off the TC motocrosser will have electric start, 18-inch rims and a six-speed transmission. Nevertheless, it will remain carbureted like all the TCs.KTM
Don't be fooled by KTM's very stock-looking 450 motocross bike, as the company is preparing to launch a very surprising and radically revised line of off-road bikes that we will likely be riding as you read this. Think of taking the current motocross-devised chassis and bodywork, tuning it for off-road through the suspension and plopping in some all-new as well as extremely innovative two- and four-stroke motors. We've seen the electric-start two-stroke 300 already in some foreign markets. It should be available next year on the Ws here in the States. The four-stroke Ws will have a newer version of the single-cam engine, a hybrid of the successful original RFS top end, and the new-generation MX bottom-end, six-speed powerplant. Mini riders will be stoked, as KTM is introducing its XC-model-line 65cc, 85cc and 105cc bikes, but the company's four-stroke 150cc bike isn't ready just yet-even though rumors suggest that orange is the next color to appear in this hot market segment.We are also expecting an all-new 250cc four-stroke motocross engine, patterned off of the current 450, but no sightings have been reported.Kawasaki
The green team must have been busy with the KLX, as the once-rapid development of the KX-F has slowed.Team Green was the only player still running only carburetors on its works bikes, which were otherwise very works.And the bikes seem to be "worksing" pretty well for the guys buying and racing them over here, so why mess with a good thing, right?WRM
If you're looking for the latest in design and technology, have a look at the WRM bike. Italian innovation was used to design structural parts of the chassis, and carbon fiber and Kevlar are used in a way never seen even in motocross. But that passion has a way of surpassing common sense, production viability and the weight of available wallets to own such a work of motorcyclemanship. Never mind the example Ferrari sets in the car world. The frame uses plates of 7072 aluminum in conjunction with a perimeter section in carbon fiber; the swingarm is completely made from carbon fiber. Its steering system is adjustable through an exclusive system copyrighted by WRM. The airbox is in carbon fiber but has an aluminum subframe to absorb the impacts. The engine looks very similar to a Honda motor, but the build is entirely unique. Italian rider Christian Beggi will participate in the MX1 class (450cc) of the FIM Motocross World Championship on the bike. Price? About $27,000 at current exchange rates!Aprilia
After a year's break from World MX, the Aprilia is back and fighting for V-twin acceptance in '07. World Champion Alessio "Chicco" Chiodi and Belgian Cdric Melotte will take part in the championship in the MX1 (450cc) class on the heavily revised 4.5. The new single exhaust is sexy, but the biggest revisions are to the frame and swingarm to lighten up the handling and better complement the engine's power characteristics, an ongoing development process during racing. Weight has been minimized with kickstart only.