DR BIG TO MAKE
A RETURN?
weeping the internet this month
have been rumours about the return
of one of Suzuki’s all-time great
adventurers - the DR Big.
Now, we need to take this with a grain of
salt as with all ‘internet rumours’ due to
the sheer lack of evidence other than a
tantalising rendering and claims regarding
“sources at the Japanese brand”, but damn
if we’re not keen on this. After all, Suzuki
did something eerily similar when it came
to the revival of the Katana moniker in the
last year, so a new DR-Big isn’t such a far
fetched idea.
The 2020 DR Big – if the rumours
22 KIWI RIDER
emanating out of Spanish e-zine TRAIL
RIDERS are to be believed – will be based
on the DL1000X with a new subframe,
revised bodywork, engine armour and of
course knobbly shod wire wheels. If the
bike is to live up to the DR-BIG name.
It all sounds quite enticing, but one thing
does have us a little conflicted, and that’s
the name. The DR Big was, of course, an
oversized, adventurised version of the DR-
Z400 and DR650 bred specifically from the
trials of the Dakar Rally. So maybe a name
change to DL Big or perhaps the DR Big’s
original ‘Desert Express’ would be more
appropriate…