2025 Suzuki DR-Z4SM Review

There’s a legend that goes like this: A fisherman needed to transport large amounts of live fish (typically cod) to market, and it was critical that the fish remained active and alert during the journey. If they didn’t, the fish would eventually fade away and die, risking much of the fisherman’s profits. The solution? A catfish. That’s right, after the day’s catch, the fisherman would drop a single catfish in the lot, and because the catfish was a fantastic disrupter of sorts, it would agitate the cod and keep them moving so they didn’t get sedentary and waste away.

No, this is not a review about fishing. I’m here to inform you of an inconvenient truth, because you, my friend, have become the cod in this saga. And while you might not appreciate it just yet, we need to get you moving and back in the game before it’s too late.

The catfish? The new 2025 Suzuki DR-Z4SM.

Related: 2025 Suzuki DR-Z4S Dual-Sport Review

Now if you are looking at the motorcycle in the photos and dismissing it, thinking I should be talking to somebody else, you’d be wrong. I’m talking to you, the “comfort over corners, landscape over lap times, yawning over yelling” person that life has contorted you into. The cod. And I’m ringing the alarm bell that now more than ever, you need to grab ahold of that wild catfish and do everything you can to get the blood flowing and get your old self back.

Listen, at 55 years old, I’m speaking with experience when I tell you that we can get you there, because I just spent the last two days accomplishing exactly that, and so can you. Allow me to explain.

My reincarnation started with a presentation of the DR-Z4SM’s technical details, a little lunch, then an afternoon of street and canyon riding around the motorcycling mecca that is Temecula, California. My first thought when I rested my eyes on the 400cc supermoto was, It’s not really aimed at somebody my age, and I’d probably be more at home on the big BMW I normally roll around on for my police training and demonstrations. But gosh darn it, I was there to do a job, so I tried to push that thinking out of my head and approach the DR-Z with fresh eyes and an open mind.

After the obvious recognition that this was a street-legal supermoto bike, I glanced around some more. I noticed the instrument panel and could see it was offering some electronic rider aids via the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System, but the bike just looked so raw and felt so light and friendly when I sat on it, the technology seemed irrelevant at the time. And then, something strange happened. After I toggled through various drive (throttle-response) modes, figured out all the ABS engagement and traction control options, a younger Quinn appeared on my shoulder and told me to shut it all off. And for no good reason I did just that. I turned the traction control off, the ABS to front-wheel-only, and the throttle response to full send. It was approximately 5 seconds later that I started to hear the catfish moving around in my head.

With a quick press of the start button, the bike fired. Boy was it quiet. And if I’m honest, the advertised 38 hp at 8,000 rpm and 28 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm didn’t make my palms sweat in anticipation of an arm-socket readjustment, but then my inner child generated a mild 1st-gear throttle blip, lofting the front wheel over a speed bump in the parking lot. And just like that a big, stupid smile was plastered on my face. Once at the onramp, I clicked through the 5-speed gearbox enroute to Mach 3 freeway speeds. The 400cc Single had enough power on tap to hustle from lane to lane, effect overtakes, and put me where I wanted to be with the other riders in my group. The DR-Z4SM has a top speed of over 90 mph. Or so I’ve heard.

Gear Up: Street

• Helmet: Schuberth C5 Omega
• Jacket: Richa Infinity 2 Adventure
• Baselayer Shirt: VNM Sport ActivCool-GP Baselayer Top Monochrome
• Airbag Vest: Alpinestars Tech-Air 7x
• Gloves: Lee Parks Design DeerTours Outseam
• Pants: Richa Apache
• Armor: Bohn Original Cool-Air Mesh Armored Pant
• Boots: Indie Ridge Comanche

Freeway speeds can feel a bit buzzy with bikes like these, but I was relieved that it felt better than expected. No, it wasn’t Hayabusa smooth, but I was comfortable, all things considered for a 6-foot-2 guy on a 340-lb supermoto at speed. I noticed the 35-inch-tall seat was quite firm and thus transferred a bit of vibration, but it got wider the farther back I slid and mitigated the vibes.

The KYB suspension – a compression- and rebound-adjustable inverted fork with 10.2 inches of stroke and a fully adjustable single shock with 10.8 inches of stroke – was compliant when I hit dips and imperfections at speed. Initially I assumed, since this model is a supermoto, that it was going to be rock hard on the street, but it turned out to be comfortable for the duration of the street testing.

Once we dropped into the canyons, the DR-Z4SM acquired my full and undivided attention. Now I would get to use this bike in the way it was intended: in the twisties. At this point, I started to ask questions I hadn’t asked in years. Was the suspension going to be too soft and blow through its stroke under hard braking and direction changes? And maybe more crucial, was the front brake powerful enough to consistently knock down full-throttle blasts with a 200-lb rider on board? Fair questions indeed.

The suspension was probably the biggest magic trick performed by Suzuki. Due to smart internal valving and spring rates, the KYB suspension was supple on the street but also managed to remain composed, with stiffer valving when the suspension began moving through its stroke from greater load forces. Sure, both the fork and shock are adjustable, but I didn’t need to make any changes from the standard settings on the street or in the canyons. The suspension planted the wheels beautifully and enabled me to focus on laughing inside my helmet as the scenery blurred past. The catfish was waking me from my slumber, and I loved it.

As for the brakes, they delivered fantastically. With a 2-piston Nissin caliper clamping down on a 310mm front rotor, I had everything I needed. As for the rear brake, I’m sure it worked just fine, but I didn’t use it much, instead choosing engine braking as I slowed into turns, just like I used to when me and my friends rode Mulholland out to the PCH in high school during summer break.

The next day we were treated to some track blasting at K1 Circuit, a premier outdoor karting track in Winchester. This facility offered elevation changes, chicanes, long straights, and plenty of opportunities to see what the DR-Z4SM could deliver when common sense and self-preservation took the day off. Suzuki techs dropped my tire pressures a bit and asked if I wanted any suspension adjustments prior to my first session. Anticipating serious forces imposed on the twin-spar frame, I requested a few clicks to stiffen compression damping in the fork and shock, but I probably didn’t need it.

Once on track, I focused my first session on determining how much traction and brakes I had on tap. It was confidence-inspiring to discover the Dunlop Sportmax Q5A tires Suzuki spooned onto the 17-inch aluminum wheels stayed glued to the track when I wanted and broke traction only when I employed the technique to do so. And the front brake at track speeds? I never needed more power than my little index finger could muster, it didn’t fade, and feel at the lever never changed, so it was a nonissue from the word “go.”

Honestly nothing about this bike caused me concern or required me to rethink my approach on the track. I heard a few riders mention a little excessive heat from the right side of the engine, and a few others niggled that the DR-Z4SM didn’t have a quickshifter, but honestly, I didn’t notice any of that and had no struggles ripping through up and downshifts at all speeds and throttle positions.

Gear Up: Track

• Helmet: Schuberth E2 Atlas
• Suit: Mithos Custom Kangaroo
• Baselayer (Shirt): VNM Sport ActivCool-GP Baselayer Top Monochrome
• Airbag Vest: Alpinestars Tech-Air 7x
• Gloves: Lee Parks Design Sumo
• Baselayer (Pant): VNM Activcool-GP Compression Pant
• Armor: Bohn Adventure All Season Armored Shorts
• Boots: Richa Speedmaster

By the third session, I was drifting the back end into turns, smoothly rolling back into full throttle, and absolutely hammering the brakes all over the place. Thanks to the seamless fueling and purpose-built slipper clutch system, the entries and exits felt sublime, with no chatter or hiccups to be found. Just wheelies, slides, and speed.

In the last few sessions, I pretty much forgot all about the motorcycle and just melted my knee pucks lap after lap, yelling and laughing as I battled with other riders on the track. This bike was so composed, all I had to do was concentrate on having fun. I was deeply engaged, hyper-focused, and living in a manner analogous to how I’d direct it if somebody were foolish enough to make a feel-good after-school special about it. Then, after a few long wheelies down the back straight it hit me: I was experiencing pure joy, and this was the closest I’d come to the original motorcycling nirvana that started all this craziness so many years ago. I’m still buzzing as I type this.

Listen, I can keep burning the clock rambling on about this motorcycle’s fantastic fuel economy, its impressive valve-inspection intervals, high-performance fuel-injection system updates, on and on. But what needs to happen here is that you simply need to ride this damn bike and appreciate the specific and pointed opportunity you have in front of you. The opportunity to wake yourself up. The opportunity to be a little dangerous. The opportunity to toggle off the mute button that somehow made everything a bit too predictable. The opportunity to grab hold of a catfish and never let it go. 

Check out more new bikes in Rider’s 2025 Motorcycle Buyers Guide

2025 Suzuki DR-Z4SM Specs

• Base Price: $8,999
• Website: SuzukiCycles.com
• Warranty: 1 yr., unltd. miles
• Engine Type: Liquid-cooled, transverse Single, DOHC w/ 4 valves
• Displacement: 399cc
• Bore x Stroke: 89.0 x 64.0mm
• Horsepower: 38 hp @ 8,000 rpm (factory claim)
• Torque: 28 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm (factory claim)
• Transmission: 5-speed, cable-actuated slip/assist wet clutch
• Final Drive: Chain
• Wheelbase: 57.7 in.
• Rake/Trail: 26.5 degrees/3.74 in.
• Seat Height: 35.0 in.
• Wet Weight: 340 lb (factory claim)
• Fuel Capacity: 2.3 gal.