Suzuki Wants You To Pay $9,000 For A 400cc Dual Sport
Riders have loved the Suzuki DR-Z400 since approximately the stone age for being a cheap, do-anything, go-anywhere dual sport. We've loved it so much, in fact, that Suzuki saw fit to grace us with an all-new update to the 400cc line this year in the form of the DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM. Except that Suzuki doesn't seem concerned about preserving the old bike's cheapness — the new DRZ costs nearly $2,000 more than the outgoing model, bringing it up to an MSRP of $8,999.
The DRZ fans among you might be confused about hearing a single price tag, since the DR-Z400 line was split between two models: The $7,199 DR-Z400S dual sport and the $7,899 DR-Z400SM supermoto. That split still exists on the new bikes, between the DR-Z4S dual sport and DR-Z4SM supermoto, but now the two share a starting price. They also share a $600 destination charge, up from $460 on the old DRZs, though it's unclear if that includes the $100 freight surcharge from the old bikes. Even if it does, that's $600 to the old bike's $560, and a pre-tax post-shipping price of $9,599 for the 4S compared to $7,659 for the 400S.
That's very nearly a $2,000 difference for a bike that occupies the same spot in Suzuki's lineup: A 400cc dual-sport (or sumo) that's meant to be the brand's entry level. Yet the (admittedly ancient) DR650 sits at the same price as the old DRZ, far below the new small bike. Compare the DR-Z4S to the competition, and it only looks worse: Kawasaki's KLX300 and Honda's CRF300L both start at $5,449, while the Yamaha XT250 sits just $50 richer at $5,499. Dual sports are traditionally cheap motorcycles, accessible to masses too young to get their drivers' licenses, but the new DRZ just isn't.
It's just too expensive
Not only does that price not match the DR-Z4S's direct competitors, it outprices bigger and almost certainly nicer bikes. The Suzuki is more expensive not only than Honda's CRF300L, but that bike's Rally version with a full windscreen and even its bigger XR650L brother. The NX500 adventure bike is cheaper, and that $8,999 price tag is almost within spitting distance of the Transalp's $9,999 figure. The Suzuki is pricier than every single Kawasaki dual-sport, including the venerable KLR650. If you're willing to dip into the used market, this is a 400cc Suzuki that's asking very nearly new KTM 690 Enduro R money.
This pricing is such an odd swing from Suzuki, a company not known for exorbitant pricing. The company's bikes may have a reputation for coming in heavier than the competition, sure, but the prices are good enough that I went out and got a Suzuki of my own just last month. It's easy to understand why the company had to update the stalwart DRZ — the outgoing bike isn't even fuel injected, let alone capable of meeting modern emissions standards — but it seems Suzuki may have priced itself out of its own market.