Suzuki DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals

This is the maintenance schedule and associated service intervals for the 2025+ Suzuki DR-Z4 range of motorcycles, including the DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM.

Suzuki released the DR-Z4S and DR-Z4SM in 2025 to replace the iconic but aging DR-Z400SM and DR-Z400SE, whose maintenance schedule is here. Those bikes had been around for decades and had semi-cult status, especially the SM, known for being a sleeper track bike that could, in the hands of a capable rider, give much larger bikes a run for their money.

Both revamed DR-Z4 motorcycles are based on the same engine platform — a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 398 cc single-cylinder engine, with dual overhead cams and four valves. They’re in a new, twin-spar frame, with updated suspension, braking, and even ABS. Power is (still) put to the ground through a five-speed transmission and chain drive.

The DR-Z4S is the dual sport, while the DR-Z4SM is the supermoto, with enhanced braking and 17-inch wheels. You can see them side-by-side below.

This site has links for things like oil and spark plugs from which we earn a commission (which unfortunately nobody can save, not even us). If you appreciate this work, then please use those links. Thanks!

Suzuki DR-Z4 Service Intervals

Both DR-Z4 models share the same maintenance schedule. The general service interval is every 3750 miles or 6000 km, at which point you change the oil and do a general inspection.

The major valve service interval is every 15,000 miles or 24,000 km.

Aside from that, regularly check the brake fluid and coolant, and keep the chain maintained, and you’re good to go — the DR-Z4 is as simple and reliable as ever.

What you need to service the Suzuki DR-Z4

If you’re servicing your DR-Z, you are in for a treat — servicing it is both easy and rewarding.

The updated DR-Z4’s engine, like that of its predecessor, is a straightforward one to service. It has a 4-valve single-cylinder engine and everything is very accessible.

Suzuki DR-Z4 (S/SM) Maintenance Schedule

Below is the maintenance schedule for the 2025 Suzuki DR-Z4 motorcycles. It’s the same between the DR-Z4S and the DR-Z4SM (same engine).

The maintenance schedule is the same as that which you see in the manual — it’s just formatted differently here so it’s easier to parse.

NOTES

• There are time-based and distance-based intervals — follow the shorter of the two.
• At the end of the service schedule, keep following it in the pattern shown.

Suzuki DR-Z4 (S/S) Standard Inspection Checklist

Below is a service checklist for the DR-Z4. Do these checks / actions per the schedule above.

Some of these items should be done more often. These are noted first.

Drive Chain Maintenance on the Suzuki DR-Z4S / SM

Check the drive chain condition every time you use the motorcycle, or at least at every service.

Drive chain slack

Check the drive chain slack every time you use the motorcycle. The chain should have

• DR-Z4S: 30-40 mm (1.2-1.6 in) deflection
• DR-Z4SM: 20-30 mm (0.8-1.2 in) deflection

Measure the drive chain slack by moving the middle of the bottom of the chain up and down (with your finger or anything), using a ruler to measure deflection.

If it’s too loose (or has been over-tightened), you need to adjust the slack.

To adjust slack, put the motorcycle on its side stand.

1. Remove the axle slider (removing the bolt from the inside of it)
2. Loosen the axle nut and the left and right lock nuts on each side
3. Turn the adjuster bolts until the chain has the right tension. Make sure you adjust them both by the same amount — the adjuster lines should be the same on each side.
4. Tighten the axle nut (110 Nm / 80 lb-ft)
5. Tighten the lock nuts (22 Nm / 16.5 lb-ft)

Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Suzuki DR-Z4 (S / SM)

The manual gives the following tyre specs for the DR-Z4, as well as the following recommended tyre pressure ranges when cold.

The below specs are for the latest iterations of the DR-Z4 (both S and SM).

DR-Z4S (Dual sport) tyres

DR-Z4SM (Supermoto) tyres

About the Suzuki DR-Z4S / DR-Z4SM

The Suzuki DR-Z platform has always occupied a very specific niche: simple, durable, and versatile enough to live comfortably as an enduro, dual sport, or supermoto with minimal fuss. For years, the DR-Z400 earned its reputation by staying mechanically conservative and largely unchanged.

With the introduction of the DR-Z4 models, Suzuki has finally moved the platform forward in a meaningful way — not by abandoning the original concept, but by modernising it where regulation, usability, and long-term ownership demanded it.

The two current versions of the DR-Z4 are:

• DR-Z4S: The enduro / dual sport
• DR-Z4SM: The supermoto

While these replace the outgoing DR-Z400S and DR-Z400SM, the philosophy remains familiar. The DR-Z4 is still a single-cylinder, dry-sump dual sport with long-travel suspension, wide service margins, and a focus on mechanical longevity rather than outright performance.

That said, the DR-Z4 is not a lightly revised DR-Z400. Suzuki has redesigned almost every major system to meet Euro 5B emissions and modern expectations, including the engine, chassis, electronics, and fueling. That said, many aspects of the maintenance schedule are similar — and thanks to there being no carburettors, there are fewer line items — the new model has ride-by-wire, which also means one fewer cable to lube.

At the core is a 398cc liquid-cooled DOHC single, retaining the DR-Z’s traditional dry-sump lubrication system. This remains an important distinction for off-road use, helping maintain oil pressure when riding inclines and giving generous ground clearance.

Even though the engine size is the same, internally, the engine is almost entirely new. Suzuki revised the cylinder head, cams, valves, piston, crankcases, clutch assembly, and magneto. Suzuki gave the engine lightweight titanium intake valves and hollow sodium-filled exhaust valves to improve heat management and durability. The new cam profiles bias torque toward the low- and mid-range — exactly where these bikes tend to live.

Maintaining the valve clearances still means replacing shims, as the engine is a shim-and-bucket design, as it previously was.

The DR-Z4 moves to a new steel twin-spar frame with a bolt-on aluminium subframe, replacing the older single-backbone design. This improves rigidity while keeping crash repair and subframe replacement straightforward — a practical choice for a bike that’s likely to see dirt naps.

Both models use fully adjustable KYB suspension front and rear. The DR-Z4S runs longer travel and larger wheels (21” / 18”), while the DR-Z4SM trades travel for sharper geometry and 17” wheels.

Both tyres are still tube type, and both motorcycles have a single front disc, though of different diameters.

The biggest philosophical shift from the DR-Z400 is the addition of Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (SIRS) electronics:

• Multiple ride modes
• Traction control with a dedicated gravel mode
• Switchable ABS
• Ride-by-wire throttle

While this adds complexity compared to the outgoing models, Suzuki has kept the system relatively contained. There’s no IMU, no adaptive suspension, and no linked braking.

You could still think of the DR-Z4 as a conceptual sibling to the DR650, but the gap between them is now clearer. The DR-Z4 is lighter, more electronically sophisticated, and more emissions-constrained, but it still has the basic mechanical toughness that made the DR-Z name stick in the first place.

For owners coming from a DR-Z400S or SM, the DR-Z4 will feel familiar in use, but meaningfully different to own and maintain. It’s less “tractor-simple,” but far more refined, compliant, and usable as a modern dual-sport or supermoto.

Reference — Manual for the Suzuki DR-Z4S / SM

The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Suzuki DR-Z4 models. It’s identical between the two models (the S and SM).

You can download it for recent year models from here.