‘17 RMX450Z-opinions?

[ericridebike]

So I’m looking at maybe trading or selling my Super Tenere for a ‘17 RMX450Z. I wanted to get some opinions now that the ‘17 has been around a while. I’ve read a lot and other than the EPA restrictions it comes stock with, it sounds like a decent bike. Sound like there are mods to deal with those restrictions. I am 6’ and about 220# and have been riding mostly street bikes for a long time, so the off road stuff would be newer to me( I ride mountain bikes so used to off-road, just not with a motor lol) I have had a few dirt bikes over the years, but still consider myself a newb in the off road category. I’m thinking it would probably do me good to ride the RMX450Z in stock form for a bit to build skills and then uncork it later as I improve. Just wanted to look for any feedback pro or con on getting one of these. It seems like the best option for new price wise out there right now. 

[shrubitup]

2 minutes ago, ericridebike said:

So I’m looking at maybe trading or selling my Super Tenere for a ‘17 RMX450Z. I wanted to get some opinions now that the ‘17 has been around a while. I’ve read a lot and other than the EPA restrictions it comes stock with, it sounds like a decent bike. Sound like there are mods to deal with those restrictions. I am 6’ and about 220# and have been riding mostly street bikes for a long time, so the off road stuff would be newer to me( I ride mountain bikes so used to off-road, just not with a motor lol) I have had a few dirt bikes over the years, but still consider myself a newb in the off road category. I’m thinking it would probably do me good to ride the RMX450Z in stock form for a bit to build skills and then uncork it later as I improve. Just wanted to look for any feedback pro or con on getting one of these. It seems like the best option for new price wise out there right now. 

Good bike really but why don't you develop further on the 300 you own now?

[ericridebike]

3 minutes ago, shrubitup said:

Good bike really but why don't you develop further on the 300 you own now?

Sorry, need to update that. I sold the 300 a while back. I bought it with intention of riding with my son, but at the time he didn’t have any interest so I ended up selling it. Of course now he wants to ride and I now have a truck which will make it easier to get to trails to ride. 

[shrubitup]

3 minutes ago, ericridebike said:

Sorry, need to update that. I sold the 300 a while back. I bought it with intention of riding with my son, but at the time he didn’t have any interest so I ended up selling it. Of course now he wants to ride and I now have a truck which will make it easier to get to trails to ride. 

Another good deal is the Beta 250RR 2018. They're $7,499 new and come with a six month warranty. However, it appears that the RMX is also a good deal. Beings that you're in Arizona it is assumed that your off road riding development won't include tight slow going trails for a while so the RMX should be great for you.

[ericridebike]

1 minute ago, shrubitup said:

Another good deal is the Beta 250RR 2018. They're $7,499 new and come with a six month warranty. However, it appears that the RMX is also a good deal. Beings that you're in Arizona it is assumed that your off road riding development won't include tight slow going trails for a while so the RMX should be great for you.

Sounds good. Thanks for the info. I’ll have to check out the Beta as well. 

[Piney Woods]

If buying new, lots of 16-17 250f bikes are sitting in dealerships along with  450s in the $6000-6500 range. Any would be good for your needs.

[shrubitup]

9 minutes ago, ring ding ding said:

If buying new, lots of 16-17 250f bikes are sitting in dealerships along with  450s in the $6000-6500 range. Any would be good for your needs.

IMO, avoid the 250F unless it's a Yamaha. Any other brand will be difficult to re-sell.

[That One Guy]

I just bought one last month. My other ride is a YZ250 2T. I have only put about an hour on the bike so far, but it handles well and seems to have plenty of power for my needs. (6 foot, 230 lbs) I've made the suspension a couple clicks harder than stock, and I have ordered a JD 6X tuner. Here in Colorado the bike lean pops a little, and I like the peice of mind knowing I won't be too lean. I'e ridden the new wr, and the ktm. In my opinion, I'll never ride well enough to justify the price of those bikes. Although of someone got generous I would most definitely not say no. But seems to be a solid bike overall for this weekend warrior. 

[ericridebike]

14 minutes ago, That One Guy said:

I just bought one last month. My other ride is a YZ250 2T. I have only put about an hour on the bike so far, but it handles well and seems to have plenty of power for my needs. (6 foot, 230 lbs) I've made the suspension a couple clicks harder than stock, and I have ordered a JD 6X tuner. Here in Colorado the bike lean pops a little, and I like the peice of mind knowing I won't be too lean. I'e ridden the new wr, and the ktm. In my opinion, I'll never ride well enough to justify the price of those bikes. Although of someone got generous I would most definitely not say no. But seems to be a solid bike overall for this weekend warrior. 

Awesome. Good to hear from someone that has one. Thanks for sharing!

[stupidmoto]

I've had my 2017 for almost a year now and it is a totally awesome bike. In stock form with the throttle stop out, it is a great stealth bike, very quiet and very responsive still. With a pipe and a tuner it is a competition ready machine. The bike is a little heavy but like other Suzukis it is very easy to ride.

[zig06]

17 hours ago, ericridebike said:

Awesome. Good to hear from someone that has one. Thanks for sharing!

I don't own one but like stupidmoto posted a stock RMX450 with the throttle stop removed it is a decent bike.  And because their not as highly strung as a KTM XC or Honda CRFx they tend to sell for less, so there's a nice savings. 

And if you do get one, be sure to remove the throttle stop, then get an over size IMS gas tank.  Once your feeling comfortable a JD tuner is worth a definite boost.  If you need even more then pop for an aftermarket exhaust, it'll be both faster and louder...

[Tony Boyer]

I've had mine since this past October. After removing the throttle stop, airbox restriction, uncorked the exhaust and richened up the TPS , it really came alive. My TPS was set at .42, i set it to .62 (if memory serves me correctly) and the lean pop, and excessive heat, went away. Much smoother idle and easier to start. Its a little rich while poking through some slow tight trails but nothing bad by any means. I agree with stupidmoto, It is a little heavy feeling at times. I'm 5'9" and around 190. All I need now is a bit softer clutch springs as it does have a heavy pull on the clutch. At least for me it does.

[ericridebike]

So I just pulled the trigger on a new ‘17 RMX450Z. Still at dealership waiting on them to finish prepping it. Excited and can’t wait to get it out. Probably leave it stock for the first ride, then start by pulling throttle stop and see how it goes. Will update once I get a little seat time on it.

[ericridebike]

I was able to get the throttle stop pulled right away, so first mod out of the way already!

[ericridebike]

Anyone know if there is anywhere to find an online/PDF of the owners manual? The dealer was missing the one for my bike. They are going to order me one, but just curious if there is anywhere to access one online so I can start learning more about it. 

[ericridebike]

Well, got to get out for a proper ride today. Wow, what a fun ride. The bike with only the throttle stop removed so far did great. I was definitely rusty, but couldn’t really ask for anything more of the bike. I may pull the baffle and air box snorkel eventually, but not gonna rush cause it works well for me at the moment. Need to add some hand guards in the near future.

[That One Guy]

That's exactly where my bike is at currently, and I'm happy with it thus far since apparently no one in the US has a jd tuner in stock for the next 2 weeks or so. I put some cycra pro bends on mine and they work great as far as spacing and the fat bar bend, just keep in mind you'll have to basically cut the end of the grips off to make it work, wasn't bad. Nice to hear of more folks riding the yellow machine! 

 

ETA: Rocky mountain has tuner in stock now, so it's on the way!

Edited March 11, 2018 by That One Guy

[ericridebike]

8 hours ago, That One Guy said:

That's exactly where my bike is at currently, and I'm happy with it thus far since apparently no one in the US has a jd tuner in stock for the next 2 weeks or so. I put some cycra pro bends on mine and they work great as far as spacing and the fat bar bend, just keep in mind you'll have to basically cut the end of the grips off to make it work, wasn't bad. Nice to hear of more folks riding the yellow machine! 

Just out of curiosity, are the stock handlebars 7/8” or 1 1/8”?

[That One Guy]

I've got the renthal fat bars on mine, I'm pretty sure that is stock, so 1 1/8 ish in the bends, 7/8 at the end of bars

[Tony Boyer]

Glad your liking it ericridebike. After I finished break-in on mine is when i done the other mods. I didn't use a tuner, I used a digital voltmeter to make it a bit richer on the TPS setting. I've got around 300 miles on it and loving it. Hand guards, yea, glad I got mine lol

Edited March 12, 2018 by Tony Boyer