We have already brought you news that Suzuki is looking to bring a new big-displacement dual-sport to market, one that treads on the old “DR Big” name of yesteryear.
Now, we get word that the large off-road capable motorcycle has been spotted in the wild, in what appears to be Italy, which gives us our first glimpse of this rumored machine.
If we believe the internet chatter, then at the heart of this new motorcycle will be Suzuki’s venerable 1,037cc v-twin engine, which has been around in one form or another for the better part of two decades now.
The machine appears to be an evolution of the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 though, and likely will fit a similar role in Suzuki’s – hence the use of the same power plant.
Assuming the rumors are true, the “Big DR” name will hint towards a motorcycle that is more comfortable in the dirt than the V-Strom 1000, hopefully closer in application to what we have seen with the Honda Africa Twin.
As we have experienced before with the Africa Twin, and more recently with the KTM 790 Adventure R, the ADV market is looking for more off-road capable machines, with a focus on lighter weight. Presumably, Suzuki aims to answer this call with the new “DR Big” motorcycle.
What we can see from the bike’s spy photos is promising. The bike looks to have long suspension, and plenty of ground clearance. It has all the usual ADV bits, including a peak/mudguard design. We see the machine shod in street shoes, though we can presume that a knobby option will exist as well.
While Suzuki’s future lineup of machines plays more like the company’s greatest hits album, remastered for the taste of a new audience, we are quite looking forward to see what comes of this machine.
We expect the Suzuki “DR Big” to debut later this year, likely at the EICMA show in Milan, which is in November. Will this bike give the Honda Africa Twin a run for its money? Will it be available before the Yamaha Ténéré 700?
As we are fond of saying, only time will tell.
Source: Acidmoto.ch
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