Anyone hear anything about em? Good/Bad/etc. I was looking at Suzuki’s 450 because of the EFI, but I haven’t read any reviews on that either.
Right now leaning towards the Yamaha. Getting rid of the WR.
this is the first shootout that ive seen.
http://www.racerxcanada.com/news/3958/2008-racer-x-canada-450-shootout/
seems like the RMZ isnt as dominant as expected. its early tho, i’d like to hear what others have to say about it. but it is a suzuki, so it should handle circles around the Yami. i’d def look into the honda or kaw. the suzuki might be sweet aswell, but its a sure bet if you go green or red in 08. i love suzukis and have an rmz450 right now, but for me itd be a toss-up between the suz or kaw.
I’m anxious to see what others say too. racerX canada had the exact opposite review from RacerX USA last year.
ya, like i said, its early. do i buy into the hype that the stock 08 is better than RC’s factory 07 racebike?..no, not at all. but i think it has potential to be a good bike. the thing is, the 05-07 RMZ450 handles so good, that i dont know how much better it can be. i think the only real advantage the 08 could possible have in that department is the fact that it may be slimmer and feel lighter/less bulky. geometry-wise, the 1st gen rmz is already insane. motor-wise is the real question. does it really break up that bad up top? how easy is it to mod? how much will mods give you that lost top end (assuming it is weak on top)? these are all things id like to know. the Quadracer seemed to be bottled up in stock form and woke up with a few easy mods, so maybe thats all the RMZ needs aswell. but on the other side of things, we already know that KXf is sick. it has ben since it came out in 06 and ive heard nothing but great things in every test ive seen up to this point. plus it looks Factory right off the showroom floor.
The RMZ has an aluminum tank too. That’s one of the things that makes me think…ehhh.
I don’t buy into the hype either. We’ll have to see.
thats just supposedly so the fuel pump has a firm base to bolt onto. its kinda cool i guess, but i dunno.
the kawi will be the best bike again this year, both performance wise and contingency money payouts.
Alluminum tank eh?
Dude that is awesome. Do you know all the issues the bikes have with the over heating in the plastic tanks?
RC ran the Al tank and I think its awesome.
The more I look at the AL tank the more it looks like it’s nestled down between the frame. I was just imagining a dented up tank like the old days. haha.
From what I’ve read the tank is pressurized which is the reasoning for the AL. Plus the fact that mounting a pump in a plastic tank and making for it to be removable is another issue.
The main reason that I am considering the YZF is that I have a few friends on various year YZF450s and they have been no headaches at all. The couple CRFs that we ride with seem to be hard to start, spotty on the reliability, etc. I don’t know anyone with a Kawi so I didn’t have anything to draw a conclusion from. EFI is just too freakin’ cool on a mx bike for me to not consider. haha
i know they say the tank is pressureized, did you notice it still uses a vented gas cap…
yzfs do hold up. i just cant turn them. ive ridden the 06 and 07 yzf450 and it feels like the front will tuck so much easier than my bike. maybe just cause im used to how good the suzuki handles, but i just dont like the yamis in turns. other than that, they are awesome.
I ride a mix of woods and tracks. I also haven’t ridden a Suzuki to compare. Comparing a CRF and YZF seem to be pretty close handling wise imo.
they are similar. both bikes actually have a better ‘feel’ than the 05-07 rmz, in my opinion. the rider positioning seems more natural, for me on the honda or yami. the honda seems to skate a bit and the yami folds underneath, whereas the suzuki will knife quickly. if you wanna ride a suzuki, maybe we can meet up somewhere and you can try mine out. hopefully the 08 keps the same characteristics as the previous rmz, but just with a thinner, rider-friendly feel.
isnt there someone on here that works at a motorcycle dealership
wouldnt matter. 08 suzuki 450s arent out til next month, at the earliest.
Right. They’re accepting orders for them, and major magazines have them, but that’s it.
I’m not buying a new bike in the next month or anything. Probably spring. So if I do cross paths with you at a race or something that’d be cool.
My WR is too freakin’ heavy, though. The suspension is great compared to a stock yzf (pro-action suspension), but it’s a cow in tight stuff. Turns, rocks, etc. It’s fine to jump, but whipping it requires strength training.