Suzuki's 2011 model RM-Z250 has received a variety of successful updates for the new year.

Have you ever had one of those days where you decide do go and cut some motos and everything just falls into place for the perfect day of pounding out laps?

MotoOnline.com.au’s test day on Suzuki’s heavily revised RM-Z250 was one of those, where you turn up, a nice shower beforehand moistens up the track and it’s always a positive to see a grader doing the rounds before the track goes green for go time.

Add in the fact that Suzuki had two staff on hand to attend to our every need and the track was hired specifically for our private test, and we were set for a day of moto heaven – minus the 5:00am start to get to the airport of course!

Our first taste of the latest and greatest from Suzuki’s motocross department came at Frankston in Victoria, a track that has a great blend of soil and sand that seemed perfect with the pre-test rain that fell, offering what would almost be the perfect test track.

After Suzuki released an all-new fuel injected lites bike last year, which was launched at Barrabool, it’s surprising to see so many changes just 12 months later – changes that may just be a recipe to make a superb package even stronger.

And in contrast to Barrabool’s hard pack, high-speed, hillside venue, the tight and technical nature of Frankston gave us the opportunity to test the RM-Z in an entirely different payground.

Let’s go for a few motos and see just how much of an improvement Suzuki’s refinements make to the 2011 weapon.

POWER
I’m not sure how Suzuki does it, but the RM-Z250 is quite possibly the lone bike in the lites pack to maintain a massive burst of mid-range punch that you can feel while still taking advantage of all the traits that fuel injection provides.

Not to say that the RM-Z’s competitors feel slow by any means, but the mid-range punch that the Suzuki packs is simply phenomenal for an EFI lites ride, a fact that was magnified when putting the bike through its paces in the soft soil of Frankston.

A dash of rain put the track in its prime for the test, making for a great day of railing berms, roosting through ruts and carving out a variety of lines as the engine just motored through any task thrown its way.

Roll on the throttle and the sudden burst of speed – even in thick, wet sandy sections – is enough to impress even the most seasoned pro, with a heavy haul of torque pulling out of turns without any hesitation.

The revised cam timing also assists in that power boost of the mid-range, which just keeps on pulling and pulling until you’re at the rev limiter of almost 14,000rpm.

Whether you’re abrupt on the gas off a turn or getting back on the gas after a jump, there’s no sign of bogging or hesitation at all and you go merrily on your way – exactly the reason why so many love EFI engines!

The Suzuki loves to be revved and does so with great results, because the revised ECU settings have accommodated that exact point in performance. When you’re feeling tired and a little lazy mid-way through a moto and decide to hold out on the gear changes in certain sections, you’ll find it doesn’t affect the bike one bit and the momentum keeps you moving forward.

On one hand you want to take full advantage of that fact and rev the Christ out of it, but if you shift up a gear and ride it in the torquey part of the power curve you’ll achieve even better results – especially on such a soft surface since the revs build so quickly.

Suzuki has got the gearing spot on in production trim and I personally didn’t feel the need to change it, plus the revision of third and fourth means you can maintain both gears longer if you require.

The clutch’s feel is noticeably light and largely thanks to the improved lubrication, and that should serve riders well over the course of a moto and even a season of racing.

Another thing that you’ll notice when starting the engine is the extended kick-starter, which makes the leverage a lot better, albeit a little awkward to get used to at first. Either way though, flick the right-hand handlebar-mounted hot start and it’ll fire up first or second kick every time.

Suzuki has shortened the exhaust and also made it quieter for 2011, however it’s not something that’s noticeable and it’s a credit to Suzuki that they have done so without compromising power at all from what you can feel.

We’ve given the motor a huge wrap in this article, however ride it for yourself in the sand or on a hilly hard-pack track and you too will understand just what a solid job Suzuki’s engineers have done with the current model RM-Z250.

The ergonomics package on the RM-Z250 is thin and really helps mid-turn.

ERGOS
There’s no doubt that Suzuki has got the ergonomics spot on with its latest RM-Z250, producing a thin ride that ultimately has width in all the right sections for riders to grip onto the bike with.

The Renthal Fatbars are the tapered type form the world-famous handlebar company, and once again it’s good to see aluminium ’bars released on a standard model – the RM-Zs being the only Japanese motocrossers to adopt the Renthal Fatbar.

While on the subject of alloy, the aluminium fuel tank features on the RM-Z is awesome, also proving nice and narrow without thickening the width of the bike at all.

Other ergonomic strengths include reasonably wide footpegs and the gripper seat cover, while the only shortfall would have to be the fat grips that are used as standard – I’d be replacing them straight away.

Rail berms or keep the gas on down the straights, the Suzuki is agile while still remaining stable at speed.

HANDLING
Much of Suzuki’s focus has been put on the handling for this year and you have to give credit to the engineers for continually developing the suspension for the RM-Z250.

It’s more compliant for this year with a revised setting, meaning the Showa forks and shock work with the rider better than ever before. At 70-odd kilograms I found the suspension sweet for my weight, basically good enough that I wouldn’t even have to take it to a suspension specialist out of the crate unless my speed increased dramatically.

The reason why I rate the suspension so highly on the 2011 model isn’t so much for its outright performance – almost all stock bikes are very capable these days – but more so for its ability to pull me out of trouble each and every time I’d hit a bump the wrong way or make a small error.

It’ll help you pull through it a lot of the time, and considering the soft surfaces of Frankston that was filled with rolling whoops during the test, Suzuki gets a massive thumbs up from me.

Steering-wise it’s as agile as last year, all the while maintaining stability when on the gas at high speed. That’s a trait that’s easier said than done, so I look forward to testing it on an even faster track with a harder packed surface.

If jumping’s your thing, the suspension has more than enough resistance for most regular club motocross jumps, with one of the most positive features being that the rebound works wonders even if you do happen to jump into a heap of braking bumps or whatnot.

The package is impressive all-round…

It looks good and has a potent combo of power and handling - just what every moto racer is looking for!

CONCLUSION
When you’re able to reach a combination of supreme power and great handling, chances are you’re going to have a lot of success in the Lites class at a pro level.

That’s exactly what Suzuki have achieved with the 2011 model, and with defending dual Super X Australasian Supercross Champion Matt Moss back in the Lites with Rockstar Motul Suzuki once again, there’s a good chance this bike will have its first major title by December this year!

As for the rest of us, if you’re looking to upgrade to a 2011 model in the near future, Suzuki has done a solid job in making one of the best even better for another year in succession.

The engine has received most of the focus for 2011 mods.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
For 2011, Suzuki’s RM-Z2509L1 features a host of changes to improve what was essentially an all-new bike released just 12 months ago.

Chassis-wise, it has revised spring rates front and rear to make the suspension more compliant, however the main updates stem from the engine department.

The exhaust pipe length has been revised and meets the AMA race regulation of 94db, the ECU settings have been updated for a more linear acceleration curve, and the
intake and exhaust cam-timing has been changed for better engine character.

The radiator hose routing has been changed for more efficient cooling, while in addition, improved lubrication on the center of clutch and counter shaft has been adopted for better durability and operation of the clutch.

There’s the improved durability of the transmission gears by reviewing the width of third and fourth drive gears, while the oil seal retainer has been added on the drive shaft for better durability.

Other changes include the kick-starting arm, which has been newly designed for easier starting, with the wiring harness routing also updated for easier maintenance along with a convenient fuel line revision.

As usual, there’s also new graphics for 2011.

Like the colour yellow and looking for a competitive motocrosser straight off the showroom floor? This could be the bike for you!

FAST FACTS
Moto Rating:
9/10 – It’s so close to perfection, but just little customary changes such as grips mean the big 10 isn’t achieved just yet! Suzuki’s on to a winner with this current RM-Z250.

Suited To:
Beginners to Advanced – Stick on some numbers and race it, or ride it around your personal paddock. Chance are you’ll have a blast on the latest RM-Z lites bike.

Bang For Buck:
At $10,690 the RM-Z250 is right on the mark for Japanese motocross performance, and having a brand new bike is usually worth the extra dough.

Plus Points:
+ EFI!
+ Plenty of torque
+ Latest suspension settings

Minus Points:
– New kick-starter takes a little to adapt to, but works a treat
– Quieter exhaust
– Chunky grips