Suzuki DR-Z250
2001—

I have tried to tell the Suzuki DR-Z 250 model history on this page as I know it. This page is still under construction. I would be grateful of any contributions — sales brochures, magazine ads, magazine articles, pictures, specs, facts, corrections etc. Please scan the material in JPEG format (large enough that all the details are visible) and send them to me. Please tell me the source and the publication date if possible. If you send me pictures of your own bike, please follow these instructions.

The Suzuki DR-Z250, launced in 2001, is a versatile middleweight off-road model with performance and features suitable for a wide range of riders. It has a compact 249cc 4-stroke, DOHC, single-cylinder, SACS air/oil-cooled engine with 4-valve TSCC cylinder head for low-rpm torque and power that is easy to control. It has a balancer shaft for smooth running, just like its big brother DR-Z400. The motor’s power comes courtesy of its 249 cc displacement via 73.0 x 62.6 mm bore and stroke figures. The mid-sized motor also features a 10.4:1 compression ratio and a six-speed gearbox. The DR-Z250 has an electrical starter with back-up kickstart system and automatic decompression system. DR-Z250 has a steel frame with aluminum swingarm and skid-plate. It has a conventional-style long-travel front fork with 12-way compression and 17-way rebound damping adjustments. The rear suspension has a remote-reservoir-type shock absorber with fully adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload. At the front, it has a single hydraulic front disc brake with twin-piston caliper. At the rear, there's a single disc brake with caliper and disc guard. The DR-Z250 has a lightweight lighting system. Although it's an off-road bike, it's also street legal. The model was developed together with Kawasaki, as a part of the Kawasaki-Suzuki alliance. It was also sold as the Kawasaki KLX250 from 2003 to 2006. Most major parts are interchangeable between both early Kawasaki and Suzuki models as the Kawasaki is simply a rebranded DR-Z250. Other shared models were the RM100 (Kawasaki KX100), DR-Z110 (Kawasaki KLX110), the RM65 (Kawasaki KX65), the DR-Z125 (Kawasaki KLX125), the DR-Z400 (Kawasaki KLX400) and they jointly developed the RM-Z 250 (Kawasaki KX-F 250). Suzuki designed the engine and Kawasaki did all the leg work, which explains how it acts nothing like any other Suzuki. Suzuki DR-Z250 was a long-lived model with few changes made to the model during the years. Suzuki sold the DR-Z250 in USA until 2019.

2001 Suzuki year code: K1

2001 Suzuki DR-Z 250 E Overall Length: 2 150 mm (84.6 in) Overall Width: 880 mm (34.6 in) Overall Height: 1 205 mm (47.4 in) Seat Height: 900 mm (35.4 in) Ground Clearance: 300 mm (11.8 in) Wheelbase: 1 455 mm (57.3 in) Dry Weight: 115 kg (253 lbs) Engine: Liquid-cooled 249 cc DOHC 1-cylinder, 4 valves. Click on the image for larger format.

2002 Suzuki year code: K2

2002 Suzuki DR-Z 250 Overall Length: 2 150 mm (84.6 in) Overall Width: 880 mm (34.6 in) Overall Height: 1 205 mm (47.4 in) Seat Height: 900 mm (35.4 in) Ground Clearance: 300 mm (11.8 in) Wheelbase: 1 455 mm (57.3 in) Dry Weight: 115 kg (253 lbs) Engine: Liquid-cooled 249 cc DOHC 1-cylinder, 4 valves. Click on the image for larger format.

2003 Suzuki year code: K3

2003 Suzuki DR-Z 250 Overall Length: 2 150 mm (84.6 in) Overall Width: 880 mm (34.6 in) Overall Height: 1 205 mm (47.4 in) Seat Height: 900 mm (35.4 in) Ground Clearance: 300 mm (11.8 in) Wheelbase: 1 455 mm (57.3 in) Dry Weight: 115 kg (253 lbs) Engine: Liquid-cooled 249 cc DOHC 1-cylinder, 4 valves. 32 hp (23.5 kW) @ 7 000 rpm, 19.1 Nm @ 5 500 rpm Here's even larger picture.

2004 Suzuki year code: K4

2004 Suzuki DR-Z 250 Overall Length: 2 150 mm (84.6 in) Overall Width: 880 mm (34.6 in) Overall Height: 1 205 mm (47.4 in) Seat Height: 895 mm (35.2 in) Ground Clearance: 300 mm (11.8 in) Wheelbase: 1 455 mm (57.3 in) Dry Weight: 115 kg (253 lbs) Engine: Liquid-cooled 249 cc DOHC 1-cylinder, 4 valves. 32 hp (23.5 kW) @ 7 000 rpm, 19.1 Nm @ 5 500 rpm Here's more Suzuki RM-Z250 info.

2005 Suzuki year code: K5

2005 Suzuki DR-Z 250 Overall Length: 1 810 mm (71.3 in) Overall Width: 770 mm (30.3 in) Overall Height: 1 060 mm (41.7 in) Wheelbase: 1 245 mm (49.0 in) Ground Clearance: 260 mm (10.2 in) Seat Height: 770 mm (30.3 in) Dry Weight: 80 kg (176 lbs) Engine: Air-cooled 124.5 cc 1-cylinder, SOHC, 2 valves. 12 hp (8.83 kW) @ 9 500 rpm, 10 Nm (1.0 kg-m) @ 8 600 rpm Here's even larger picture.

2006 Suzuki year code: K6

2006 Suzuki DR-Z 250 Overall Length: 2 150 mm (84.6 in) Overall Width: 880 mm (34.6 in) Overall Height: 1 205 mm (47.4 in) Seat Height: 895 mm (35.2 in) Ground Clearance: 300 mm (11.8 in) Wheelbase: 1 455 mm (57.3 in) Dry Weight: 115 kg (253 lbs) Engine: Liquid-cooled 249 cc DOHC 1-cylinder, 4 valves. 32 hp (23.5 kW) @ 7 000 rpm, 19.1 Nm @ 5 500 rpm Here's even larger picture.

2007 Suzuki year code: K7

2007 Suzuki DR-Z250, Champion Yellow No.2 (YU1)

2007 Suzuki DR-Z 250 Overall Length: 2 150 mm (84.6 in) Overall Width: 880 mm (34.6 in) Overall Height: 1 205 mm (47.4 in) Seat Height: 890 mm (35.0 in) Ground Clearance: 300 mm (11.8 in) Wheelbase: 1 455 mm (57.3 in) Dry Weight: 115 kg (253 lbs) Engine: Liquid-cooled 249 cc DOHC 1-cylinder, 4 valves. 32 hp (23.5 kW) @ 7 000 rpm, 19.1 Nm @ 5 500 rpm Here's more Suzuki DR-Z250 info.

This page is still under construction. More info and pictures are still to come. Have patience.

More: Suzuki DR series

More: All Suzuki models


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