After becoming fully acquainted with the new
styling and features, it was time to hit the
trails to see how well the fuel injection and
chassis updates performed, so I took out the
2009 Z400 for a long test ride, which lasted
for atleast 30 minutes before coming back and
swapping it out for the older Z400 for a few
more laps before again switching back on the
new Z400, so I could really get a feel on how
the two machines compared over the same trails,
and difference between the two machines became
very obvious during my test ride.
When the engineers at Suzuki went to the drawing
board to update the Z400, they focused on adding
even more low and mid range power without sacrificing
power on the top end, and they did it by completely
redesigning the intake and exhaust system.
| |
|
|
The
2009 Z400 receives a Keihin 12 hole fuel
injection system, which eliminates the
need for a choke and allows the Z400 to
quickly adjust to change in humidity,
temperature, and altitude. Also, the EFI
system provides for an increase in power
and traction
|
The Mikuni vacuum carburetor was replaced by
a 36mm fuel injection system with a Keihin12
hole fuel injector, and the head intake ports
were straightened and narrowed to allow higher
velocity intake flow. Also, the cam profile
and timing was changed, and the exhaust header
pipe and silencer were retuned for increased
engine performance, and the results were obvious
on my trail ride that the new Z400 would out
run its predecessor.
The fuel injection alone gives the new Z400
a huge advantage with its smooth and instant
throttle response that can adjust for changes
in humidity, temperature, and altitude, which
eliminated the need for a choke. On the trails,
fuel injection provided for a very smooth power
delivery without any dead spots, and it is extremely
forgiving on the thumb for long trail rides
without much resistance.
With the added power and increased traction
though, the new Z400 was much more prone to
wheelie, which was great for clearing obstacles
on the trails, but over some of the up hill
water breaks on the trails, I would have preferred
the front end to remained planted to the ground
while on the gas, which it did on the older
Z400, but the benefits of the improved power
out weighed this small negative results, which
also probably could have been solved by adjusting
the suspension or gearing.
