Hello, old friend. After 15 years in emissions-imposed exile, Suzuki’s DR-Z platform is set to return to Europe.
That announcement was made this week at this year’s EICMA event in Milan, with bikes scheduled to arrive in dealerships early next year. Powered by an all-new 398cc single-cylinder engine, the platform comes in two flavors: the DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM.
That new engine is key to its return. First introduced in 2000, the DR-Z400S dual-sport and DR-Z400SM supermoto were popular among off-roaders, hooligans, and commuters alike. Sales in the UK and Europe ceased in 2009, however, with the introduction of Euro 3 emissions regulations. These new bikes will be equipped to meet Euro5+ regulations, which come into effect on 1 January 2025.
“Suzuki has redesigned the engine for 2025, ensuring it hits all of its required legislation targets without sacrificing reliability and performance,” states a press release. “It produces an abundance of torque across its operating range and (delivers) a smooth, linear throttle response.”
Peak power for the new engine is 37.5 horsepower at 8000 rpm, according to Suzuki, with a claimed peak torque figure of 37 Nm at 6500 rpm. The models also promise an impressive fuel range: 80 mpg.
The new DR-Z models largely retain the same ‘built for a purpose’ aesthetic as before, but will come with several touches of modernity beyond the ability to meet modern environmental regulation. Ride-by-wire throttles mean the bikes will have riding modes, for example.
“Each mode reaches the same peak power output, with A the most direct,” explains Suzuki. “Modes B and C are progressively softer, allowing riders to dial back the initial power delivery to suit in slippery or low grip conditions.”
You also get two levels of traction control, an ABS system that can be tailored to off-road riding, a slipper clutch, and all-LED lighting.
In the United States, meanwhile, where the DR-Z never went away (because freedom is more important than clean air), they’ll be getting this new model, as well.
I don’t really know why I’m interested in this bike. I mean, I’m definitely not a supermoto guy (wheelies sorta scare me), and the kind of off-roading I enjoy doesn’t go much further than riding very slowly on a mostly flat, mostly straight dirt road. Yet, there’s some part of me that responded to this news with that “Oh, cool!” feeling in my tummy.
It’s probably something to do with my increasing interest in small bikes, brought on by my financial situation. I am cripplingly poor these days (awkward pitch for Patreon goes here, I guess), with the only real consolation being that I’m not the only one. As I observed a few weeks ago, motorcycle manufacturers are struggling at the moment because the people who buy motorcycles are struggling. The answer seems to be smaller-capacity (and, by extension, smaller-pricetag) motorcycles.
A DR-Z, meanwhile, has the look of the sort of thing that someone would use to travel around the world: just load it down with Kriega bags, download a few dozen languages into the Google Translate app, and bant â chi. Suddenly you’re escaping a life of constantly wondering how you’ll pay rent next month.
Or, something like that. Smaller dual-sport bikes were a definite thing at this year’s EICMA, with Honda refreshing its CRF300L, Kawasaki teasing a new KLE model (which we’ll probably see properly revealed at Intermot in December), and BMW unveiling an F 450 GS “concept” that it says will likely go into production next year.
No word on pricing just yet for the DR-Z models. I reckon that will make all the difference as to whether they’ll be as popular this time around as they were before.
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