The new, slimmer 2025 Suzuki DR-Z4S goes straight to the heart of dual-sport riding. No stranger to this Suzuki model, I turned a 2003 DR-Z400S into a lightweight adventure bike with a few key updates. That bike has stayed with me, proving its off-road capabilities on the Idaho BDR and other adventures. People say, “You can’t kill those things,” and I’ve found that to be true.
How different would a modern version of the DR‐Z be from my own? And would the new model carry the DR‐Z’s do‐it‐all, bulletproof legacy into the future? To find out, I traveled to Portland, Oregon, to ride the updated Suzuki DR-Z4S over mountains and through canyons at the global press launch.
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A host of changes to the 398cc DOHC Single, from titanium intake valves to dual spark plugs and a new cylinder head, increase power output enough to offset losses in meeting the Euro 5+ emissions standard. That effort also included tackling pumping and mechanical losses, a new airbox for increased efficiency, and fitting two catalysts to the exhaust system. Overall, it’s a very effective update, as we discovered during the ride.
After a 25-year run with minimal changes, and with more stringent air-quality requirements closing in, the carbureted DR-Z was ripe for revision. The 2025 DR-Z4S is the result of a complete makeover that created a new but familiar motorcycle. At the press briefing prior to our ride, Suzuki turned the mic over to the Japanese engineers who designed the new parts and systems. Each gave a slideshow talk that impressed us with the number of updates, the careful consideration that went into them, and the reasons why they were necessary.
As a DR-Z400S rider, my favorite improvement is fuel injection: no more fiddling with a carburetor, plus smoother fueling, easier starting, and improved mileage. Where the test bike averaged close to 60 mpg with aggressive use, my 2003 model nudges 55 if ridden with a light throttle hand. The engine is still a dry-sump design with oil carried in the frame.
A new compact display takes centerstage in the cockpit. Though still an LCD unit and lacking a tachometer, it now features a fuel gauge, status and controls for new electronic aids, plus a mileage readout and tripmeters. LED lighting rules on this machine, with a bright mono-eye headlight and small but eye-catching turnsignals that I could easily see in daylight on motorcycles several riders ahead of me.
The Suzuki Intelligent Ride System, an effective and easy-to-master suite of electronic rider aids that’s been offered in various forms on Suzuki’s streetbikes and adventure bikes, is now standard equipment on the DR-Z4S. S.I.R.S. comprises drive modes, traction control, and ABS. The three drive modes make a significant difference in acceleration while arriving at the same full-throttle power output. The modes are labeled as A, B, and C, and I got to know them as full-honk, normal, and chill (C is perfect for new riders).
Traction control allows the appropriate amount of rear-wheel spin for off-road use at any throttle setting, and it has four options: Off, 1, 2, and G (gravel) mode. Everyone I spoke to agreed that G mode gives amazing control, while levels 1 and 2 seem middling by comparison. They might come into their own on other slippery surfaces like wet pavement. Drive mode B with TC mode G makes for manageable single-track riding, with A being preferable for strafing apexes on the tarmac or power-sliding on forest roads.
GEAR UP
- Helmet: Leatt Helmet Kit 9.5
- Suit: Leatt ADV MultiTour 7.5
- Gloves: Leatt ADV X-Flow 7.5
- Boots: TCX Baja Gore-Tex
The “All Off” ABS setting is a first for a Suzuki production machine and a welcome addition. The other two modes are On (both ends) and Rear Off. The All-Off feature was especially useful for finessing the steep, rocky downhills we encountered. The 8-second button push to disable ABS on startup is annoying, but once set, this step can be bypassed by using the kill switch to stop the motor rather than turning off the ignition.
One thing that’s always bothered me about my DR-Z is the 5-speed transmission. It’s just too buzzy at freeway speeds, and the bike has enough power to handle an overdrive. Surely the new bike would have a 6th gear, right? Uh, no. When asked why, the engineer said that adding another gear would raise the cost and widen the cases, which are currently quite narrow, and that five speeds are enough for the bike’s purpose. The tranny shifts with a touch of the toe, with or without the help of the light-pull, cable-actuated Suzuki Clutch Assist System.
KYB front and rear suspension bolts to a stiffer steel frame and new aluminum swingarm, improving the Z’s handling on every surface. The inverted 46mm, 11.0-inch travel fork (no more fork boots!) absorbed everything Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest dished out, as did the link-type shock with its 11.6 inches of travel. Both are fully adjustable. Ground clearance remains the same at 11.8 inches.
Larger rotors adorn both brakes, the single front disc going from 250mm to 270 and the rear from 220mm to 240. Both brakes pack plenty of stopping power, but the rear binder is especially strong. The new brakes have more to stop: Claimed curb weight is 333 lb against the previous model’s 317.
The Z4S’s blacked-out aluminum rims carry IRC GP410 rubber made especially for this bike. I’d rate them as 50/50 tires – they certainly look the part – but found traction hard to obtain on some of the steeper, rockier pitches. Deflating them a bit would no doubt help. The GP410s stuck to pavement as well or better than any 50/50 I’ve used, easily handling the tight twisties through the forest.
Small changes to the Z4S’s ergonomics make it both more comfortable and more accessible to smaller riders. The footpegs are wider and slightly rear-set, with rubber inserts over grippy steel, and the new handlebar is higher by just over an inch. The seat is 0.6 inch lower (36.2 inches) and 0.7 inch wider with comfortable chamfered sides. My 31-inch inseam is just tall enough to swing a leg over without scraping a boot on the seat, put the balls of both feet on the ground, and settle into one of the most comfortable stock seats I’ve tested. Vibration is not an issue for off-road riding, but it is noticeable on the street in the seat, handlebar, and pegs. Things get downright buzzy over 60 mph.
A 2.3-gallon fuel cell and a claimed 155-mile range are adequate for dual-sport duty, which is right where Suzuki places the Z4S. But just like my 2003 model, this machine is only a few simple mods away from becoming a lightweight ADV machine. With a better skid pan (Suzuki offers a full aluminum skid plate), more fuel capacity, and luggage, it’s ready for a BDR.
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Suzuki’s styling goals were to create a bike as sleek and svelte as possible while keeping the DR-Z look we’re all familiar with. Mission accomplished, and they even tamed the previous machine’s bulge over the exhaust canister. And of course, the Z4S comes in Suzuki’s factory two-tone Champion Yellow No. 2 / Solid Special White No. 2 colors, with Solid Iron Gray as an optional choice.
Kudos to Suzuki for taking a bike that every dual-sporter knows and updating it to be one they want to own. The DR-Z4S felt like it was always working with me to stay on the dicey downhills, gnarly uphills, and twisted tarmac we experienced. Like a well-trained dog, it did what I asked without complaint and was eager to do more.
For a motorcycle that gained everything but horsepower, the DR-Z4S promises to be another dual-purpose success for Suzuki.
2025 Suzuki DR-Z4S Specs
- Base Price: $8,999
- Website: SuzukiCycles.com
- Warranty: 1 yr., unltd. miles
- Engine Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse Single, DOHC w/ 4 valves
- Displacement: 398cc
- Bore x Stroke: 90.0 x 62.6mm
- Horsepower: 38 hp @ 8,000 rpm (factory claim)
- Torque: 27.3 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm (factory claim)
- Transmission: 5-speed, cable-actuated slip/assist wet clutch
- Final Drive: Chain
- Wheelbase: 58.6 in.
- Rake/Trail: 27.5 degrees/4.3 in.
- Seat Height: 36.2 in.
- Wet Weight: 333 lb (factory claim)
- Fuel Capacity: 2.3 gal.
Arden Kysely has contributed to Rider for 30 years, testing bikes, writing travel stories, and evaluating riding gear. He started adventuring before it was popular, exploring the red rocks of Utah on a 1987 Kawasaki KLR650. Today he rides a 2003 Suzuki DR-Z400S and a 2021 Yamaha Ténéré 700.
Good review! Let’s get back to basics.