Suzuki has announced that the all-new 2018 RM-Z450 will be available for £6,999 when it arrives in UK dealerships in September, following the bike’s European launch in France this week.

The MX1 machine, which gets a new frame and swingarm for 2018 as well as an engine that produces more power and a flatter torque curve, has been developed with the input of Suzuki’s factory MXGP racers Kevin Strijbos and Arminas Jasikonis, who have raced the bikes for the first time this season.

Priced at less than its rivals, the new RM-Z450 also gets the latest version of Suzuki’s holeshot assist system and traction management system, thanks to a new ECU. Showa’s new balance free rear shock comes as standard, offering improved cornering performance, feel, and agility, along with new, spring forks that are 2mm thicker in diameter than the previous model’s.