Jacob has officially popped his long-termer cherry and the Suzuki DR-Z4S couldn’t have landed with a more fitting owner. As a dual-sport tragic who splits his time between commuting, trail riding and the occasional adventure loop, Jacob ticks every box for the sort of rider this bike is built for.
After the first month in the saddle the DR-Z has already clocked up 1365km and recently rolled through its first service milestone at 1000km. The break-in service was as uneventful as you’d expect from a Suzuki — fresh oil, a once-over inspection and it was ready to head back out for another 6000km of riding.
The first “mods” to the bike were the best kind: free ones that also happened to save a bit of weight. The rubber inserts in the footpegs were the first casualties after a muddy off-road ride. To be fair, they actually stayed on longer than expected and did make commuting a little more comfortable on the bitumen. The mirrors were next to disappear after a low-hanging branch managed to shatter one on the bike’s very first bush outing.
Next on the modification list is shedding a few more kilos by removing some of the ADR extras, along with a tail tidy and an exhaust to give the bike a bit more life. As the riding starts to shift more towards fire trails and singletrack, freeing up a bit of performance and trimming some weight will help the DR-Z feel a little more at home in the dirt.
The factory dual-sport tyres have proven pretty capable on the road and on dry fire roads, which is exactly what they’re designed for. Once the riding moved into sand and mud though, it became clear they’ll need replacing if the bike is going to reach its full potential off-road. Suspension-wise the DR-Z feels good for the mix of riding Jacob is currently doing, but once the bike is pushed further into proper trail riding territory it might need a few tweaks to match its evolving role.
The first crash came on a soft sandy corner while riding at pace on a fire trail. The bike spun around in a quick 180 before gently laying down on the gear shifter. Somehow the tip of the shifter sheared clean off the lever. With some quick bush mechanics — a bit of zip-tie engineering and a multitool pressed into service as a temporary shifter — Jacob managed to finish the ride and knock out another seven hours on a big dual-sport loop out of Sydney before making it home.
If anything, the incident reinforced the DR’s reputation. The bike might have its quirks but it’s built in the mould of those cult-classic Suzukis that just keep going and get you home no matter what.
Fuel economy has remained impressively consistent too, averaging around 4L/100km (roughly 25km/L) across a mix of commuting, trail riding and general exploring. That figure might change a little once an aftermarket exhaust and some tuning find their way onto the bike, but for now it’s proving to be a very economical machine to live with.
2026 Suzuki DR-Z4S
RRP
$14,490 + Ride Away
WARRANTY
3 years
DISTRIBUTOR
Suzuki Australia
INTERNET
suzukimotorcycles.com.au
SO FAR
TOTAL KM
1365km
MODS THIS MONTH
None
MODS next MONTH
None
