FIRST RIDE ON THE NEW 2010 SUZUKI RM-Z250

We spent the day on Wednesday at Piru MX riding and testing the new 2010 fuel injected RM-Z250. The bike is all-new from the frame to the motor to the swingarm. The only thing that is interchangeable with the 2009 RM-Z is the front fender. The motor is completely new with separate oil chambers for the transmission and crankshaft. With the addition of EFI and a higher revving motor, the piston, cams and cylinder have been updated to handle the added power. The new frame holds the engine farther back in the frame and the wall thickness was designed for optimal flex and rigidity.

The suspension received special attention for 2010 with an overall stiffer feel. The front fork is fit stiffer springs and new valving while the rear shock got similar treatment. Out on the track the bike felt firm but not harsh. Overall the bike is very well balanced and of course it corners amazing, it’s a Suzuki.

The fuel-injection fuel system is nearly identical to the system found in the 2009 RM-Z450 and the throttle body is 44mm. The power is strong, very linear and very controlled. It pulls hard off the bottom and keeps pulling very smooth all the way to the rev limiter. You can short-shift it and use the clutch a little, or leave it revving. Starting the bike takes some getting used to. You don’t just kick it randomly; it likes just a hint of throttle with a full kick. Once you get the system, it fires up first or second kick. There are three plugs that come with the bike that change the three pre-programmed mapping settings. The plug is located behind the left radiator and can be easily changed in a few seconds. There’s a ‘standard’ plug for average conditions, there’s a ‘thin’ (lean) plug for high humidity and such, and a ‘rich’ plug for ‘constant high-rpm’ riding. Each plug is colored differently.

The only thing we really didn’t like was the front tire. The Dunlop 742A didn’t work very well at Piru, wanting to fold under on some of the hard downhill corners and jump faces. While it wasn’t a huge issue, the tranny still has a little bit of a notchy feel.

After a day on the RM-Z250 we came away impressed and happy with the new machine. It is faster than last years bike and we like the stiffer suspension, so far. Like we said, we only have a day on the bike but over the next couple of weeks we will be putting a lot more time on the bike at different tracks and different riders. We feel the RM-Z stacks up very well against the other 250Fs in the class and we’ll be doing comparisons with the other machines as the weeks go on. With the addition of fuel injection, the RM-Z250 gained almost seven pounds.

Suzuki has not yet announced a suggested retail price.

Specifications

2010 Suzuki RM-Z250

ENGINE TYPE: Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, single

BORE x STROKE: 77.0mm x 53.6mm

DISPLACEMENT: 249cc

COMPRESSION RATIO: 13.5:1

FUEL SYSTEM: Fuel-injection

AIR CLEANER: Polyurethane foam element

STARTER SYSTEM: Primary kick

LUBRICATION SYSTEM: Semi-dry sump

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed constant mesh

CLUTCH: Wet multi disc

FINAL DRIVE: D.I.D #520 Chain 49/13

IGNITION: Electronic CDI

FRAME: Aluminum, perimeter

RAKE/TRAIL: 30-degree/5.5 in.

HANDLEBARS: Aluminum Renthal tapered Fatbar

FRONT SUSPENSION: Showa

REAR SUSPENSION: Single shock, Showa

FRONT BRAKE: Single, dual-piston disc

REAR BRAKE: Single, single-piston disc

FRONT TIRE: Dunlop 742FA 80/100-21 in.

REAR TIRE: Dunlop 756 100/90-19

O/A LENGTH: 85.4 in.

O/A WIDTH: 32.7 in.

O/A HEIGHT: 50 in.

WHEELBASE: 58.1 in.

GROUND CLEARANCE: 13.6 in.

SEAT HEIGHT: 37.6 in.

CLAIMED CURB WEIGHT: 231 lbs.

FUEL CAPACITY: 1.7 gal.