The DRZ-4 SM

Sometimes life gets so complicated that you forget to switch off and just go and have fun. At other times, the tools we use to have fun can be big, cumbersome and overly complicated. Suzuki decided to skip all of that and gave us a great time in the form of the DRZ-4 SM…

“I need to do a shoot this arvie – how about we hop onto that Suzuki and take a ride into JHB Central and get some pics.”

That was Donovan Fouries from The Bike Show. The immediate reply is – “But there’s work to be done, websites need updating, I’m still waiting for quotes…”

“Ah sod it! Let’s go for a ride!”

That was the best decision we made all week. A few amazing hours were spent in the company of one of the simplest, most fun to ride bikes on the road.

Our route took us from our offices, out along the freeway and past the airport. The crazy 4pm traffic through Gillooly’s was a non-event. The Suzuki is light, small and simple enough to carve between the cars and trucks.

We ducked down past Eastgate and hit a right at Bruma, past the old Bruma Lake, over Humphreys bump and into the heart of Yeoville (Gulp!) our old stomping grounds. It’s an interesting place for sure, but we were greeted by curious, friendly stares. At one point a gent informed us that “It is illegal to go up a one way street…” He was correct, but there were no signs indicating where we were.

On we went, fearlessly through Braamfontein and out towards the JHB zoo. The road along the back of the zoo is a bit like a race track and we had a great time shooting the bends.

Isn’t it strange how, when you are having such a good time, you just know that your other half is tapping her foot somewhere…

We had a 6h30 dinner thing – and – well being late is never a good idea…

Back through Braamfontein and over Nelson Mandela Bridge we went. The idea was to stop here and there to grab a pic – but African cities are manic, that was not an option. Onwards – right through town, past the old post office, the Diamond exchange, small street mall – all the while drawing curious glances from people and friendly waves from the kids. We even took a detour around Hellen Zille’s swimming pool, but it was chilly, she was not in her scuba gear.

End street loomed, under the freeway, up past the police station and back towards Eastgate along Kitchener avenue we went. A sensory overload on a bike that is custom made for a ride like this…

The little Suzuki is a brilliant companion, small, nippy, fun. Naughty for sure!

It’s all built around Suzuki’s tried and tested DR-Z dual-sport bike. This version trades its dual-purpose off-road setup for a road going configuration with 17” motard wheels and sticky Sportmax Q5A Dunlop road tyres. It’s made for those sensible peeps who want to slice through traffic too and from work and to carve corners on the weekend.

The 2025 4-SM shares about 90 per cent of the upgrades the 4S brings to the market. Suzuki claims 37.5 hp at 8000 rpm and 38 Nm at 6500 rpm from the 398 cc single-cylinder motor – it’s all about useable fun, not arm wrenching power.

Light, nimble…

This is a bike that light to light and corner to corner delivers a grin every time.

Having adjustable traction control and switchable ABS is a great feature.

She buzzes a bit at speed on the freeways, top speed is around 160KPH with happy styling at the 130 mark, but that’s not where you want to ride this bike. You want it for the back roads and of course, to blitz it around the track…

So we took it off to the FK track which is made for Go Karts – but it doubles as a perfect motard track too!

Hardcore riders will want to stiffen her up a bit, we took a screwdriver along so that the Wetterman brothers who are long time Motard racers could do the setup for our track session. Just a few clicks and the KYB’s react, stiffen up and off they went.

We also disconnected the front ABS – you can turn the rear off, but not the front.

After whizzing around the FK track a few times, the boys came in grinning with comments like:

“This bike is so easy to ride,” and “Feels solid, quality ride!”

Both would like to spend time on the suspension for track application and both felt that a pipe would liven things up a lot.

“This bike is perfect for anyone who wants to know what riding a motard is like”, said Louan. “Im surprised how well it handles considering that it’s a street Motard”, Said Ruben.

It’s not a crazy fast bike, it’s built as a fun, manageable bike to ride.

Suzuki has a solid reputation for build quality. This bike is manufactured in Japan at the Hamamatsu factory. You can bet that it’s as reliable as an anvil.