It doesn’t look like a bike
that’s been on NZ trails for
over 20 years
S
uzuki’s DR-Z400 is a bike that’s stood
the test of time. Something of a gnarly
ol’ timer, that still manages to be an
impressive all-rounder decades later.
Walking around, looking at our brand-new
test machine it sure didn’t look like a bike
design that has been battling Kiwi trails for
over twenty years. I’m fairly certainly it has
knocked up more than a few NZ titles along
the way too, although that is more than a few
years back now. though, I have to say that the ol’ timer Suzuki
still looks bloody good. Despite its age, it still
looks like a proper dirt-bike, is slim through
the middle and front to back. It has long
travel suspension, disc brakes at both ends,
as well as small but functional lighting along
with all other WOF necessities. Importantly,
the seat is quite well padded although still
narrow – good for a trail bike, not so great if
you’re used to a proper road bike seat from a
comfort perspective.
Sure, there are a few minor signs that it’s
not an ultra-modern machine. There is
no alloy frame… a mainstay of Japanese
machines for a couple of decades now, and
the swingarm is a simple box section shape.
The forks are not upside-down style which
is almost unheard of now-a-days on an
off-road capable machine. That said, they
are a large diameter, great Showa design
that works very well on a trail bike. Overall Starting with a brand new bike, my first test
ride was an 80km loop that included open
road riding, some slow, tighter tarmac work,
about 10km of gravel, 15km of beach riding,
52 KIWI RIDER
The tyres have quite aggressive knobs for
standard fitment on a road going trail bike.
In essence the DR-Z still looks the business
and the fact is, it is that bang for buck there is
no beating it, other than perhaps with its big
brother, the DR650.