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Suzuki used to be the heaviest. Over the years every other brand has added weight and now some have surpassed the RMZ. The one benefit of never changing is that it hasn't gained weight like the rest of them.
They also don't have a battery or starter weight yet added in.
Yep, then it’ll start getting close to CRF300F weight (about) 270+lbs.
Nah it drives me insane when dudes who don’t even ride act like the bike is from 2003. I’m not worked up either I just genuinely want to know what is wrong with the bike and can’t get an answer.
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What do you mean? So should shootouts list the weights as hypotheticals or what they actually weigh?
I have some bikes from 2003 - they're good, too. 🤘
My 2015 rmz450 wasn't much different vs my 2009.
My 2017 fc450 was a lot better than the rmz, brakes, clutch, mapping, lighter and electric start.
As long as we dont see roczen or ando kicking their bikes for half a lap on the 2026 highlight reels, then it will be safe to assume the rmz is as good as the rest.
2 cents from a guy who rode them the last 2 years. For us mortals, swap the shock from the RMZ 250, have the fork spec'd for you from your favorite suspension shop, new exhaust and away you go.
The tuner is a bit clunky compared to the rest but at the end of the day is pretty effective. It's slow revving nature means you can still grab a handful of 450 and it won't jump out from under you.
It does feel heavy putting it on the stand, but not while riding. Though I will say that it's a bit on the tall side and I am 6'2.
I have been able to buy them for 5k-6k so it's a great value , fun bike to ride and so far very reliable, zero issues over 150 hours.
Ken Roczen on a Suzuki beat Web the reigning 3x supercross champion.
Yes exactly lol.
What do you mean exactly? You said a top tier rider beat a bunch of 2nd tier riders. I'm pointing out that there have been other top tier riders.
Nothing wrong with Suzukis, especially for mortals. I just find they are slightly pickier to setup. Loved my 2015 RMZ450, want a 2026 RMZ250. I’ve had a bunch of other bikes in between, mostly orange but one blue and one green too.
I bet at the top level things become different, but even then modern tech can probably get them setup close to a point where it gets back to rider vs rider.
In 2018, the CRF 450 switched to e-start with minimal other change (in 2017 it was an optional accessory). The bike gained 5 lbs curb weight.
Interestingly, in 2018 Brayton (and Kenny for 1 outdoor mx) chose to use the old kickstart setup for the weight savings.
That was a good catch
Honest question here. I’m in the market for a new bike later next year. Would my money be better spent on a 26’ KTM Factory Edition or build out a RMZ using the money saved on the purchase price between the two bikes?
I bleed orange, so you can guess my answer. The FE comes with a Cone Valve fork as well, so no worries about the AER fork conversions.
But as a guy who once bled Yellow, the RMZ450 is a great bike. Mine was a 2014, but they are are very similar in the big picture
I bet every downvote on this was from someone under 30. If you could FI an 08 crf450 it would still be competitive. Power was not an issue from 05-08. The 05 had too much for most people.
👍
And/or they never rode one.
Pit Row
I think most of us already know this but it ain’t the bike! These are my laptimes from Day in the Dirt this year on my 25 yz250 and 24 yzf450. Tenth of a second difference over an almost 6 min lap time.Sunday our moto only had a mini race between us so the track was almost identical. I race both bikes at most races and it’s almost always the same times between bikes. Put me on a rmz450, crf450, yzf450 and you’re not getting any different times.
Put a button and some KYB on that RMZ and everyone wouldn’t have shit to talk about. Ridiculous. Most of us buying 10k bikes can’t even ride them half the month 😂😂
If Suzuki offered my kids a 250 to ride cheap i would be saying yes.
Will people stop ragging on them when they get E start?
Threads about the Rmz always Crack me up. Is the bike outdated yes but still competitive. Would Jett and Hunter still dominate on a 2016 crf 450 absolutely. Would Sexton compete on a 2017,kx 450 with no estart yes.
Why don’t you like Showa? I’ve got the Showa stuff working amazing with racetech.
If you can get one for around 6500 and the suspension done with a pipe, you have a better bike. I said what I said! Just my opinion of course and I’ve never felt cone valve forks.
I have zero problems with the BFRC or forks on the current RMZ’s but if I could build my dream RMZ, I’d take the fork and shock from a current YZ450 and throw it on my current RMZ. That’s the only change I would make. I don’t care one bit about E Start.
This is what I meant about KYB. Not saying the showa stuff is bad. Just saying KYB is better lol. Everything out of the box I’ve ridden with KYB has been pretty damn good. My showa on my 19 RMZ was fine also. It’s just really dreaming it up is all.
That’s cool. And how different is a 25 YZ250 from a 2006 YZ250? Probably not enough to change the times.
Is that more than one track combined? 6 minutes is a helluva long lap.
They make the day in the dirt a GP style track. There's a pavement section that takes you out before putting you on the backside of the national track, so it's a long lap but pretty fun
Valid point on the weight savings but I do recall an article or interview discussing how JB was running the Kicker because the motor had a different feel from having the starter on the bike. Can't recall exactly but I think the bike revved more freely or the engine braking was less, etc. without the starter,
Post a reply to: Roczen and Anderson RMZ 450