automated as you could expect. Key in ignition, press start button. Don’ t add choke, don’ t touch the throttle, and it’ s just one stab of the button as it engages the starter for just as long as it needs, it’ ll click out exactly when is right and the motor will settle immediately into a quiet tickover. The clutch and gearbox are as light and easy as we’ ve always had from Suzuki, masters of the slick transmission as they are. Throttle response on my test bike was a bit vague right off the bottom, but thereafter crisp enough. The feeling of power, it wasn’ t what you would immediately call punchy, again because this is a trail bike not a competition model. So, linear-ish, yes, and if you abused it, yes, it would rev hard and do all the semi-angry things you might want. I should add here a sidenote – for it does seem the European bike is a slightly different spec to that the rest of the world and NZ will get. The Euro-models, most noticeably, have this aforementioned little black plastic emissionsrelated canister and a bunch of plumbing hanging off the rear subframe, something that isn’ t there in the photos and videos we’ ve seen from the US launch, and don’ t appear in the images on Suzuki NZ’ s website. I’ d lay fair money on that stuff clipping the engine responses on the bike I tested.
All the same, the short deep sand climb on the test venue did at least reveal the DR-Z still has muscle. It has about half as much torque again as the CRF300L and that gives it the energy to dig in and power strongly up such a climb. I’ ve actually found the little Hondas to be excellent climbers, they’ ll plod up some pretty steep sustained climbs but in deep sand they’ d probably run out of puff where the DR-Z is more authoritative, as it should be, given the extra ccs. So the DR-Z’ s resting-face was of an amiable, efficient trail snake. Quiet, manageable, comfortable. And ever so slightly heavy. I don’ t like saying that last bit because the DR-Z handles sweetly, I found it would do tight turns nice, it will powerslide predictably, carry over roots and logs more than well enough, the biggest limitation in the woods is the standard IRC tyres which are at best a 50:50( road / dirt) compromise. I think chassis-wise this is a great job they’ ve done. But just as with the DR-Z of old, if your point of reference is an enduro bike then you will notice the weight, there’ s just no way of disguising 150kg when you’ re tippy-toeing around on technical trail. Never could, never will. But again, we should remember this is a trail bike being manufactured in 2025 with all that brings, not an enduro competition model. Gearing was good on the trails we rode and I
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