Suzuki’s New DR-Z4S Seems Like The Perfect One-Motorcycle Solution

If you were forced to have one bike and one bike only to ride for the rest of your days, what bike would it be? Chances are some of you would say some kind of adventure bike. But perhaps a good number of you, myself included, would say a reliable and dependable dual-sport.

Indeed, it seems that this is exactly what Suzuki has cooked up, as it has just pulled the covers off the new DR-Z4S—a 400cc dual-sport that, in true Suzuki fashion, looks like it could ride to the very ends of the earth.

Now, I don’t think this needs any justification, but dual-sports are among the coolest and most versatile things on two wheels out there. You can ride them on the street for commuting on a daily basis—and these things tend to be pretty darn good at it. After all, a slim profile, lightweight construction, and punchy engine all make the perfect recipe for a capable city-slicker.

But when the weekend comes and it’s time to have some fun in the dirt, all you have to do is literally show up and go for a ride. The DR-Z4S’s long-travel suspension, knobby tires, and switchable ABS and traction control make it more than happy to get sideways in the dirt.

Heck, you could even strap on some luggage and go on a long-distance tour with this thing. After all, its 398cc liquid-cooled thumper has more than enough oomph to get this thing up to freeway speeds.

But to make things even cooler, Suzuki has launched the DR-Z4SM alongside the DR-Z4S. As its name suggests, the DR-Z4SM is the supermoto counterpart of the dual-sport, rocking 17-inch wheels front and back, and is ready to rip it up both on the street and on the track. Like the DR-Z4S, the SM model gets Suzuki’s Intelligent Ride System and Drive Mode Selector, as well as LED lights and an LCD instrument panel keeping things functional yet simple.

But let’s face it, these two are essentially the same bike wearing different shoes. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of folks who end up buying the DR-Z4S would also end up buying a set of 17-inch wheels with road tires slapped on. That way, swapping between dual-sport and supermoto setups could be done in minutes, and yeah, you’ll technically have two bikes in one. How dope is that?

Personally, I’m crossing my fingers and toes that Suzuki will eventually decide to launch this thing in the Philippines. I’ve long been dreaming of a freeway-legal dual-sport, and given the fact that this thing will most likely be registered as a 400cc-class motorcycle, it’ll more than likely be granted freeway access and open doors to some serious adventure.