Two gleaming new bikes were delivered to our offices the other day, one, the traditional Suzuki Yellow, the other in a gunmetal grey finish, complete with all of the bolt-on bits that Suzuki has on offer. We took them out for a good long spin.
It was a surprise when Suzuki announced these bikes – and from announcement to actual delivery was a lot quicker than what we have become accustomed to from Japanese brands.
I guess it’s pretty easy to see why – Suzuki already had that bulletproof five-speed engine – and the latest LTZ 400 ATV’s are all fuel injected, so it was a case of developing a new chassis and updating the look and tech for a new generation of DRZ fans. The twistgrip still pushes and pulls a pair of cables, but they’re simply acting on a sensor that tells the ECU what you’d like.
KYB 46mm forks are fitted and you’ll find a pro-link monoshock out back. The swingarm is aluminium, the brakes are by Nissin, tyres by IRC.
The good news is that Suzuki has kept the big D’s personality – and we can vouch for that, having owned and ridden the original for countless years – naturally we were curious to see what the new edition would be like.
We chose all of our familiar trails in order to put the bike through its paces, from fast-flowing farmlands, some river crossings and some not overly hectic rocky climbs. The standard tyres on this bike are more trail-oriented than dirtbike knobblies –Â and that already speaks volumes.
Climbing aboard is so familiar –Â a bit like revisiting an old friend. Perhaps the new bike feels narrower.. The cockpit is somewhat more modern and we kinda like the new headlamp cowl setup.Â
The DR-Z 4S is not overly tall, so for a normal-sized rider, getting your boots to the ground is easy.
The one-touch starter is a welcome addition. The bike purrs to life and just burbles along. Here’s the thing. EU restrictions mean that bikes do burble rather than roar. We hope that the first thing Suzuki SA does is fit a slip-on pipe.
The clutch is soft, snick her into first and off you go.
One of the stand-out features on the original DRZ is how good the suspension is. They’ve done it again – the new bike has a solid, plush feel to it. We had the two bikes – and the yellow one had been set up a bit via the clickers on the KYB suspension. Modern tech is pretty simple, you can feel the difference in firmness. TIP: When you buy a bike, fiddle a bit until you find a suspension setup that suits you just – remember the baseline so that you can reset if you start going backwards.
Power is familiar. A 400 is generally not off the wall berzerk – it’s aimed rather at smooth torque and tractability. That’s what this bike is about. Friendly power and torque spread widely over the rev range is what it’s about. Suzuki has very kindly fitted ride by wire and rider modes to their new thumper. It also allows three throttle response settings, they all make peak power at the same point, but B and C feed torque in more gradually.
The engine looks like the one we know, but Suzuki tells us that it’s 80% new to maintain performance while making it cleaner and quieter.
There’s a new clutch, a slip/assist unit that uses two mechanisms. One increases pressure on the clutch plates with rpm, meaning it can hold power without the need for heavy springs this helps with light, one-finger clutch action. The other slip assist mechanism partially disengages the plates on the overrun, helping prevent excessive back torque from locking the rear wheel.
Cruising along, the new DR is easy, chilled in a great way because – that also translates into capable. Yes, we jumped them, we railed them through the berms and we threw them up and down our little koppie. The bikes didn’t skip a beat and just soaked it all up. There’s a bit of extra power down low, but the DRZ-4S isn’t here to race, it’s all about usability, capability and having fun.
Heading down the little single spoors, we opened the bikes up a bit – and that’s where they really shine for us – tight, fast twisty sections are a proper chuckle and the bike is seriously forgiving if you overshoot or make a mistake. The brakes are excellent.
Our trail took us onto a section of tar where we opened up a bit.Â
With standard gearing and a five speed gearbox, the bikes haul up to a vibe-free speed quickly. 130kph is what she’ll do all day, but there’s still puff for overtaking.Â
Your absolute top-speed hovers around the 160KPH mark.
It’s brilliant fun on the road – we reckon that it would be a great choice for the daily commute to the office and if you need a bit more, dropping the rear sprocket by a tooth or two will still keep it fun on the trails, but it will also give the bike slightly longer legs.
Suzuki has a motard too, we’ll be keen to see what gearing they run on that one.
Turning off the tar, we started the clamber up the koppie. Came back down again, switched modes and did it again because it was so much fun. Eventually, as happens we had a little dice on the go between the two riders… that’s the joy of bikes for you. Even with the stock tyres we had a lot of fun. Engage gravel mode and the bike limits the amount of rear wheel slip. Fit knobblies and you’ll go anywhere.
The Suzuki feels solid and well-made. It is comfortable to ride and exceptionally capable. History dictates that it will be as reliable as anvil.
Suzuki has got it right. The bike is great in the softer trail type stuff, but perhaps fit a pipe and knobblies and we’d take it just about anywhere.
Suzuki has a basic range of accessories, too: The sump guard, hand guards are sensible additions.
Watch this space… We’ll bring you more on these bikes soon.
Chat to your dealer.
Priced from R160 odd k.
Specs | |
Engine size | 398cc |
Engine type | Liquid-cooled, 4v single cylinder |
Frame type | Steel cradle |
Fuel capacity | 8.7 litres |
Seat height | 920mm |
Bike weight | 151kg |
Front suspension | 46mm, KYB forks adjustable for preload, rebound and compression damping |
Rear suspension | Single KYB rear shock, preload, rebound and compression damping adjustment |
Front brake | 270mm disc with Nissin two-piston caliper, switchable ABS |
Rear brake | 240mm disc with Nissin single-piston caliper, switchable ABS |
Front tyre size | 80/100 x 21 |
Rear tyre size | 120/80 x 18 |
