Suzuki DR-Z4 could be morphed into an '80s retro

Reports from Japan suggest that Suzuki is about to answer everybody's prayers and reboot a retro dual sport bike with the help of the DR-Z4 platform.

The report comes from WeBike, a Japanese tuning and aftermarket parts company that is famously well-connected to the Japanese bike industry. If the whispers are true, it could mean a return of the much-liked Djebel nameplate from the ‘90s and 2000s.

Retro off-roaders are a pretty popular niche within a niche right now, with brands like Holy Moly paving the way for Dakar-inspired off-roaders built around bikes with thoroughly modern underpinnings.

And the business of building retro cool for muddy trails is partly the fault of the bike manufacturers. Adventure bikes aren’t always aesthetically pleasing, with their vast rally tower instrument binnacles and angular bodywork. But it hasn’t always been that way.

Cast your mind back to the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and adventure bikes (or dual-sport, as they were then known) were a whole different kettle of cool. Bold graphics, oversized fuel tanks, and twin headlights with the obligatory oval crash bar screamed off-road. And it’s a look we at Visordown can wholeheartedly get behind.

Quite how this modern-day Djebel will shape up if it does arrive remains unclear, although some outlets point to the recently refreshed DR-Z4 platform as the starting point. Soymotero points to a weight of around 150kg and output of 40bhp, which are both about identical to the off-road and supermoto versions of that machine.

And while this is just pie-in-the-sky thinking right now, it’s not like Suzuki doesn’t have form for looking back when it looks forward with its off-road and adventure models. The last version of the V-Strom 1100 leaned heavily on the styling of the legendary DR Big. And while its off-road performance wasn’t quite as Dakar-ready as its styling, it was welcome to see an ADV bike putting its looks a little higher up the list. More recently, Suzuki France rolled out a special edition of the V-Strom 800 DE with Djebel-a-like graphics and colours. Whether that was shrewd foreshadowing or total serendipity remains to be seen.

Back on planet reality, we’d really love to see Suzuki reveal a properly funky retro off-roader with all the tech and ability of a modern bike, but the looks and graphics of a ‘90s dual-sport. But here's the thing, it will, sadly, probably never happen. For starters, the Djebel nameplate isn't a globally known entity, as it was only officially sold in certain regions, including Japan and Central Asia. There were some bikes imported to the UK, USA and Europe privately, but it's not a name that is swimming in motorcycling lore. And if they don’t build it, perhaps some custom bike makers like Holy Moly could do it for them instead!

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