2013 rmz450 vs 2018 rmz450

kijen
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kijen
Edited Date/Time 9/15/2019 9:47am
We have a 13 in pretty good shape, about 100 hours, is the 18 a significant upgrade?

Prefer input from those that have experience with these 2 bikes, thanks!
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mxb2
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mxb2 9/15/2019 9:31am
9/15/2019 9:31am
kijen wrote:
We have a 13 in pretty good shape, about 100 hours, is the 18 a significant upgrade? Prefer input from those that have experience with these...
We have a 13 in pretty good shape, about 100 hours, is the 18 a significant upgrade?

Prefer input from those that have experience with these 2 bikes, thanks!
I have a 13. Pipe remap. Good fuel, moto tassanari air boot,2 stroke cage. Suspension done by factory connections. Way better than a stock 18 rmz. Imo. But the 18 can be made even better with some $$.
kijen
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kijen 9/15/2019 9:40am
9/15/2019 9:40am
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the testers who say hc piston, slip on, remap, and suspension will provide sweet bike, still under the cost of a yam or ktm etc...non racer so im not looking to scrub seconds off my lap timesSmile
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mxb2
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mxb2 9/15/2019 9:43am
9/15/2019 9:43am
kijen wrote:
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the...
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the testers who say hc piston, slip on, remap, and suspension will provide sweet bike, still under the cost of a yam or ktm etc...non racer so im not looking to scrub seconds off my lap timesSmile
Np man. The rmz is a great bike. Solid platform to start with.
mxb2
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mxb2 9/15/2019 9:45am
9/15/2019 9:45am
kijen wrote:
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the...
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the testers who say hc piston, slip on, remap, and suspension will provide sweet bike, still under the cost of a yam or ktm etc...non racer so im not looking to scrub seconds off my lap timesSmile

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mxb2
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mxb2 9/15/2019 9:47am
9/15/2019 9:47am
Full.fmf rct and race fuel really wake the bike up.
mxb2
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mxb2 9/15/2019 9:48am
9/15/2019 9:48am

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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 9/15/2019 9:59am
9/15/2019 9:59am Edited Date/Time 9/15/2019 10:01am
Rode the '17 for a year...
Rode the '18 for a year...

'18 tracks better and feels a bit more planted in nasty terrain..all the while it still turns like "A Zook". The shock is a bit of a challenge to get it to "where you want it"; but, there are plenty of people that know how to get it right. The forks are excellent and are honestly a flat-blade screwdriver and 10mm wrench away from being where you want them (clickers and ride height adjustment implied).

The '18 feels pretty damn good ergonomically. It's more linear...more of a fluid transition when you're moving from front to back...and back to the front...you notice it less between your knees.

Motors? They do pretty much the same thing between the two models: this engine is pretty darn BULLET-PROOF & sooooooo easy to maintain. Engine tuning options are identical on both. Launch control on the '18. Did the '17 have it?

The '17 has one of the best stock shocks I've ever used. The fork? Well, the fork is tricker on the '17 (to most folks) than the shock is on the '18! The '17 is the last bike to truly have those "1st gen 4 stroke ergos". It's a little wider and bulkier than most other new bikes; BUT! That makes it REALLY EASY to hang onto with your knees and inner thighs!
Chassis set-up on the '17 is super easy and your real focus will be getting the forks right (again, they're TACs).

There's an after-market supply of parts for the '17 that's bound to make it very cheap to own.

Don't let anyone tell you either bike isn't an excellent track bike.

Me? I'd let the amount of $ I'm wanting to spend make the decision.

In either case: put firmer clutch springs in to increase clutch life (it's got a super plush clutch and adding a stiffer set off clutch springs/every-other-spring/only 3 springs is really needed) is hardly noticeable.

Best of luck to you!
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Racer111
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Racer111 9/15/2019 11:05am
9/15/2019 11:05am
kijen wrote:
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the...
Thanks mxb2, so thats the thing, not sure i want to put 2k into the 13 at this point. 18 price seem reasonable, looking at the testers who say hc piston, slip on, remap, and suspension will provide sweet bike, still under the cost of a yam or ktm etc...non racer so im not looking to scrub seconds off my lap timesSmile
You can actually get great pricing on the 2019 as well.

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