What if you saw a dinosaur roaming your neighbourhood, with some small updates that brought them into the 21st century—maybe they have a cellphone? It appears that Suzuki is offering the moto equivalent of that scenario, with patent drawings for an updated DR-Z400 appearing, showing the bike with what appears to be a new EFI system.
The current-gen DR-Z400 has been basically unchanged since its introduction in 2000, with a poky carburetor fueling the engine. It works, but many riders would be happy to upgrade to electronic fuel injection, for a smoother-running engine and more even performance at varying altitudes.
A set of patent images that the crew at Motorcycle.com uncovered show Suzuki patenting a new electronic throttle system for an updated DR-Z400, which certainly suggests we’ll see a Dizzer with EFI soon.
The images also show updated bodywork on the new bike, with more of an off-road look than the current model. No surprise there, rally-raid and enduro or bikes that look like they could handle rally-raid or enduro are increasingly becoming more popular and Suzuki probably reckons the 1990s-inspired plastics on the current DR-Z are well in need of a refresh.
There’s nothing in the patents about the gearbox, which is the other area where most DR-Z owners want to see an update. The current 400 has a five-speed that leaves the engine buzzy at highway rpm; a revised ratio, or even better, a six-speed ‘box would transform this machine in many owners’ eyes. However, if Suzuki does a just-the-basics update with the DR-Z400 like Kawasaki did with the most recent KLR650, it probably wouldn’t do to get your hopes up.
Suzuki doesn’t list the DR-Z400 as a 2025 model on its Canadian or US websites; we expect a new dual sport to be revealed in coming months, perhaps as an early 2026 model.
Happy for this considering how old the basic designs of Suzuki’s DR offerings (the DR-Z400 twins date back to 2000, while the DR650 dates all the way back to 1990 with its last major changes in 1996) are compared to equivalent Kawasaki and Honda products.