We might still be getting used to the idea that it’s 2017, but already we’re getting the first hints of 2018’s models, and as usual motocross machines are leading the charge.
At the start of this month, Suzuki pulled the wraps off its 2017 works crosser, the RM-Z450WS, calling it a 2018 model despite the fact it will race this year.
That decision left little doubt that the production 2018 RM-Z450 will get the same changes, and now it’s been confirmed with these newly published patents showing an identical production bike.
As on this year’s works bikes, there’s a new frame that’s said to be significantly lighter than the outgoing model’s.
The engine appears to be similar to the existing bike’s, at least externally, and retains its kickstarter, bucking the spreading trend of switching to electric starts.
Moving across to Yamaha, its 2017 works racers have also been shown and don’t appear to be notably changed from the 2016 models. However, patents again suggest there will be a new YZ450F come 2018.
Like the 2018 Suzuki, the Yamaha patents reveal a new chassis and bodywork wrapped around an evolution of the existing engine (with no kickstart to be seen, suggesting the bike is moving to an electric starter).
The frame is a more complex design than the existing one and has repositioned engine mounting brackets; surely the objective will be to reduce weight and retain or improve rigidity. BP
