Drag site icon to your taskbar to pin site.
Learn More
MotoUSA Newsletter
Receive Weekly Updates -
Sign Up Today
Shop Motorcycle Parts, Gear & Apparel at
Motorcycle USA
Home
Street Bike
Sport Bike
Cruiser
Dirt Bike
ATV
Scooter
Forums
My Moto
Motorcycle Reviews
Gear Reviews
Racing
Features
Videos
Photos
Buyer's Guide
Dealer Locator
Fantasy Racing
Ride Guide
FMF Factory RM-Z450 Review Photo Gallery
When we asked Suzuki for something to ride, a FMF Factory RM-Z450 replica was more than we had hoped for. The Suzuki dirt bike is one of the most competitive off-road racers this year and we’ve been living with it for months. Check out the full story in our
FMF Factory Suzuki RM-Z450 Review
.
FMF Factory Suzuki Off-Road RM-Z450 Review.
Gearing proved
critical with the MX
conversion
Works Connection uses a one-piece aluminum skidplate with the case and water-pump guards welded on.
The Spider Evolution front disc guard is a very clean setup to protect the front brake rotor.
'Controlled' is the best word to describe the fork and shock.
Official race bikes come with a dry break on the IMS fuel tank, but for our purposes it would only have been a nuisance.
The only thing I didn’t like about the rider interface was the Renthal Twinwall handlebars. As a partial solution I removed the crossbar which made the oversized handlebar slightly less rigid.
If there’s something we can’t get enough of it’s the fuel injection. A 450 can be overbearing, but Suzuki makes one of the smoothest, most controllable power deliveries on the market.
The Works Connection brake master cylinder guard doesn't get hung up on our boots like it does on some other model bikes (Hondas).
We promptly smashed this linkage into a cement block, but it took that beating and more while keeping the RM-Z clawing forward.
The N-Style FMF Makita Suzuki team graphics kit are super dope. Riding with the Mullins numbers and backgrounds is a serious attention-getter.
There's no compromise for a sharp race bike. This one certainly looks the part.
This Suzuki RM-Z450 is modeled after the latest in a long line of Suzuki off-road racers, and started life as a project for another magazine that somehow never reached its destination – a dust collector in the Brea, Calif. warehouse.
Consider that our big complaints are items that are typically removed from racing enduros anyway and you’ve got a pretty good idea how damn good this bike is.
It’s exceptionally easy to be precise, but sometimes requires more concentration to control the razor-like front wheel.
This is exactly the kind of thing you hope for when requesting available bikes.
There’s no big surge anywhere, but lots of torque and power everywhere. It’s instant and it’s abundant.
The RG3 suspension was very, very good - for all our test riders. Our crew had limited experience with RG3, but the Suzuki made believers out of them.
Add in the FMF Q4 exhaust with MegaBomb header and shorter gearing (13/50) and this bike lurches forward with the slightest wrist movement.
If anything, we’ve found more excuses to get out and ride this Suzuki than any other. When something comes up, we just take it along.
As far as durability goes, we’ve only had one fork seal go out. A few scratches, worn graphics and a busted radiator shroud are all normal wear and tear.
The coming months will bring hotter temps and worse off-road conditions. Perhaps the dusty trails will drive us back to the RM-Z’s roots and onto the motocross track.
At 265 pounds tank full, this is actually light for an off-road 450 machine, and not considerably more than the stock motocross version (250 lbs).
Fatigue and tighter terrain had us sitting more in Idaho. The seat surprised us.
The ability to ride those outside inches of trail to avoid chatter in a main line is a lifesaver
