Suzuki Enduro Bikes

MOTO – CROSS

STORY MATT BERNARD PHOTOGRAPHY GREG SMITH/IKAPTURE

DODGING TREES ABOARD SUZUKI’S NEWEST ADDITION TO THEIR COMPREHENSIVE OFF-ROAD RANGE

The trees blur in my peripheral vision as tunnel vision sets in, screwing on the throttle of the newest competition enduro model to hit the market, the 2010 Suzuki RMX450ZL0, as hard as my fear factor will allow. Backing off the responsive throttle and diving hard on the brakes, I duck and weave between the trees of the excitable Dungog (NSW) loop set-up by the Suzuki staff. My motocross blood has me thriving on the aggressive nature and responsive EFI motor of the RMX, a machine that is based heavily on the production motocross 450 machine, the RM-Z450, while the trail rider enthusiast inside is loving the forgivable nature of the suspension as I flick into cruise mode.

With a couple of loops under my belt I head back to camp for a bottle of water and some more hospitality from the ever-professional and accommodating Suzuki staff at the Australian media launch for the 2010 Suzuki RMX450Z.

A WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING

Is this bike simply a Suzuki RM-Z450 with a headlight? In brief, it may seem that way, looking deeper, it is a hop skip and jump away from the popular and championship winning motocross bike and a leap for Suzuki into the 450 competition enduro market.

For starters, the bike is 0 dearer than the motocross machine at , 790. It’s pretty decent bang for your buck for a bike that features a trick headlight, an 18-inch rear, a side-stand and the biggest addition, an electric start as well as motor and suspension modifications to suit the trail. Add up the price of a side stand and an aftermarket headlight and you will be getting close to the budget of $200 in turning your RM-Z into an enduro machine, let alone an electic start.

Like its RM-Z brothers, the RM-X sports the EFI system that began gracing the RMZ450 in 2008, but it differs with a more enduro specific suspension set-up. The motor is very familiar in appearance to the motocrosser, with the inclusion of the starter motor on the left hand side of the donk. The styling is extremely similar to the RMZ, especially being that it doesn’t have any ADR bulk bolted onto it.