The Suzuki DR200 is well thought out to deliver at just $5495.
I'd expected the Suzuki to be smaller than the Yamaha, and not just in terms of its 199cc engine, but everywhere else, too. In fact it's just 5mm shorter front to back, the wheelbase is actually 45mm longer, and though overall height is less - perhaps due to those stumpier mirrors - the seat is 35mm further from the ground. Because these bikes are slim, you don't really notice that when climbing aboard, but you do once you're underway, for centre of gravity feels a whisker higher - and it seemed to turn in more sharply. Off road you'd likely notice the reduced ground clearance too, at 255mm it's 30mm closer to the dirt.
Nevertheless this is an engaging machine, and one well-thought-out to deliver at a compact price - at $5495, it costs an appreciable amount below the $7999 XT.
Thumb the electric start to liberate a surprisingly throaty note, leave it a minute or two to warm, push the choke in (no fuel injection here, folks, this Suzi's old-school) and you're off.
There's a five-speed transmission, disc front brakes with just enough bite from the firm lever, and a drum rear stopper, serrated-top footpegs to improve off-road grip, and a sharp black-and-white paint job enhancing its purposeful look. It's also available in yellow.
The DR200S has been on sale here for just four months, as a commuter-trial sibling to the DR200 Trojan farm bike, the latest in a long line that stretches back to 1986 in one form or another. Suzuki told us it's currently the biggest-selling model in the country and the pair use a similar motor, the S with a few changes to improve power for on-road riding. It's a torquey little unit, with gearing intended as a road-trail compromise, so it'll reach 100km/h (the mph speedo has tiny km/h figures to assist the mathematically challenged), and pulls well off the line thanks in part to a relatively light, 126kg weight - less if you don't fill the 12.5-litre tank to the brim.
Not much? Not for a road bike, but small unstressed single-cylinder motors like this don't use a lot of fuel - you're rarely likely to reach for the reserve lever (the instruments don't include a fuel gauge or warning light).
Suspension travel is more generous than for a road mount, at 205mm front and rear - a tad less than the XT up front and better out back, the XT's reduced rear compliance its Achilles heel on rocky ground.
That said, neither bike is intended as the ultimate trail weapon. Both are aimed at shorter folk heading off-road, or those wanting a commuter runabout without also buying a dirt bike for weekends.
The Suzuki DR200 is a torquey little unit, with gearing intended as a road-trail compromise.
Like the Yamaha the Suzuki extracts a few compromises both on- and off-seal, but not too many. Even the seat is a tad rounder to improve comfort, though it is firm enough to be felt after a 50km commute. We didn't go further off road than the paddocks of the photo, given time restraints, but would expect that like its Trojan stablemate it would be reasonably effective.
Those on a limited budget - or with limited leg length - at last have another lightweight and affordable dual-purpose option for their shopping list.
