There’s nothing better than a proper back-to-back test to work out what a bike is actually good at. This month our Suzuki DR-Z4S lined up alongside a KTM 390 Enduro R, but this wasn’t your standard little KTM. It had been treated to WP Pro Components suspension, with a 6500 cartridge kit in the fork and a Pro shock out the back.
We have a cracking one-day loop that starts at Laguna, NSW before heading across to Putty Road via Yango Track, then down to Broke via the dirt. From Broke, we head back towards Yango through the dirt again before eventually jumping onto the bitumen for the run home. It gives you a bit of everything from bush trails and faster dirt roads to some tar work.
The biggest surprise? Fuel consumption. We expected the smaller-capacity KTM to have the advantage, but the DR-Z4S was actually the more economical bike. Considering fuel range has always been something we’ve been keeping a close eye on with the Suzuki, that was a bloody good result.
Once we hit the tighter trails, the DR-Z4S really came into its own. Its motor feels much more like a dirtbike engine than the KTM’s. It’s livelier, more responsive and encourages you to have a crack rather than just chug your way through.
The Suzuki also feels lighter and more agile underneath you. It steers better in the tight stuff and is much easier to change direction when you’re weaving between trees. The KTM can sometimes feel like it doesn’t really want to turn. It almost feels like the wheelbase is too long, whereas the DR-Z feels light, nimble and happy to be thrown around.
Where the KTM really surprised us was the suspension. We’ve ridden the 390 Enduro R in standard trim and the suspension is simply too soft when you start pushing it properly off-road. The WP Pro Components setup completely transformed it.
The 6500 cartridge kit and Pro shock gave the KTM the support and control it was missing and essentially brought its off-road performance up alongside the DR-Z4S and possibly beyond it. That’s a huge improvement. You could attack bumps harder, carry more speed and generally trust the bike much more than you can with the standard suspension.
It made for an interesting comparison because the Suzuki still felt like the more natural dirtbike. But the WP-equipped KTM suddenly had very good suspension performance.
Next month, though, our DR-Z is heading off to an adventure show with Suzuki Australia. That means someone else will have their grubby hands on our long-termer for a while. They’d better bloody look after it. Jacob Remin
2026 Suzuki DR-Z4S
RRP
$14,490 + Ride Away
WARRANTY
3 years
DISTRIBUTOR
Suzuki Australia
INTERNET
suzukimotorcycles.com.au
SO FAR
TOTAL KM
5000km+
MODS THIS MONTH
none
MODS NEXT MONTH
None planned
