American legal

Suzuki’s latest-generation 450cc motocrosser has been around since 2018. It got a huge, yellow-carpet launch with a flock of the world’s media joining Ricky Carmichael in Japan to see it in the flesh. Sadly, I couldn’t ride the next gen RM-Z450 as it was just for show, with more testing required, but I did ride the factory RM-Z (ADB #455) which was very impressive.

So, the hype was dampened a tad when the standard RM-Z450 landed in Oz a few weeks later featuring a fairly rigid frame and rather harsh Showa BFRC (Balance Free Rear Cushion) shock, which made for a tough ride (ADB #456). This was reflected in motocross shootouts around the world, with the Suzuki copping criticism here for its Euro-spec engine, which was fairly restricted compared to the American version.

Over the following years,