The Best Suzuki Dirt Bikes of All Time

One of the best dirt bike manufacturers in the world today is Suzuki and is considered one of the best companies that have made huge success all over the world. Because of my love for this company, I decided to show you the best dirt bike models it has created since its existence.

But before getting started, let me first share you some history about Suzuki.

History of Suzuki dirt bikes

Suzuki is considered to be one of the best dirt bike companies in the world and offers a wide range of dirt bike models. It has won a lot of world competitions and championships and offers very successful series such as the RM, RMZ, PE, and TS series.

In fact, Suzuki started their journey as early as 1909 by the founding president in Japan, but Suzuki didn’t do something really serious about dirt bikes for many years. Suzuki produced their first dirt bike in 1952 (a 36cc two-stroke engine), and in 1954, they changed their name to Suzuki Motor which also led them to focus on ATVs, boat engines, wheelchairs, and cars.

From there and over the years, Suzuki has been very dominant in the market and has made a huge success. To this day, Suzuki continues to produce one of the best dirt bikes in the world.

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Suzuki RM125

The Suzuki RM125 is one of the most successful dirt bikes Suzuki has ever made and it made a crazy change in the market when it first arrived in 1981. Many thanks to its fluid cooled engine which is simply a monster. It has everything you would expect from a dirt bike for racing, and at that time in 1981, it had no competitor. In general, it was simply the best dirt bike in the market during that year.

But the success of the Suzuki RM125 was just for a year, which is very short, because in 1982, Yamaha and Kawasaki started catching up with the gaps and created more dirt bikes to compete with the Suzuki RM125 which made it less dominant.

To this day, the Suzuki RM125 is manufactured by Suzuki but with 2 stroke engine which is much faster and stronger and with awesome design. So, if you want to get a Suzuki RM125 of 1981, it is very rare to find one and very expensive, but you can always buy the DR-Z125L which Suzuki produces today that costs $3,299.

Suzuki RM-Z250

The Suzuki RM-Z250 started its journey as early as 1976 and introduced itself as RM250A. It was very dominant in the market and was the best model at that time even though Yamaha and Honda introduce different models to compete with it.

The biggest change of the RM-Z250 was in 1979 when it changed to RM250N. Although other companies also had 250cc models, the RM250N was so much better than them. Remember I told you the RM125 fell and deteriorated in 1982, the RM-Z250 came to its rescue that year. The RM-Z250 was the best of all its competitors and exhibited lighter speed than any of them.

Just like the RM125 in 1983, the RM-Z250 also depreciated when the Japanese companies bypassed Suzuki, but after a few years, the RM-Z250 continued to get better and underwent its biggest changes in 1986, 1989 and 2001.

To this day, Suzuki still makes the RM-Z250 and continues to invest and upgrade it every year. It is considered one of the best 250cc dirt bikes in the market with a four-stroke 249cc engine and reverse forks. It also has an excellent design and sold for $7,749.

Suzuki RM-Z450

The Suzuki RM-Z450 was produced in 2006 and was the most powerful and strongest machine in the market then. It also won two prestigious racing (the MX1 racing and the AMA Supercross) in 2012, making it one of the best dirt bike in the world.

The RM-Z450 has undergone pretty basic changes from 2008 but it hasn’t really changed so much technologically except for a few small changes like the electric start, break, and basic design. Suzuki did so because it wanted to sell the RM-Z450 at a relatively lower price than other 450cc models like the HONDA CRF450R and the Kawasaki kx450 that cost higher.

Considering that, the RM-Z450 is still considered one of the best dirt bike models in the market and the best bike Suzuki has ever made a huge success. It is currently sold for $8,999, which is cheaper than the rest 450cc dirt bike and is a great choice for professional riders.

Suzuki DR-Z400S

The Suzuki DR-Z400S was introduced in 2000 and is considered one of the best dual sport bike of all time.

The DR-Z400S is an amazing machine that came with a 398cc engine (24.3 cu in) 4-stroke single design with crazy comfort and is one of the best dirt bikes you can find for used. Its used is sold for about $3,000 and around $7,000 for new.

Suzuki DR350SE

The Suzuki DR350SE is a little bit forgetful and I don’t know why. It was the best dirt bike at that time before Suzuki continued with the DRZ series.

The Suzuki DR350SE came out in 1991, was amazing and was a pleasure to ride. It had an electric start and a great 349cc engine with 4 strokes. But Suzuki has already stopped producing it at the end of 2001 which is almost 20 years ago. There are still plenty of people who will be happy to sell it used and is one of the best-used dirt bike models you can find around $1,500 to $2,000.

Suzuki DR650

The Suzuki DR650 is a sport motorcycle introduced in 1990 and was one of the best in the market that year. It came with a two-sport electric starter and a cooled, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine.

In addition, the DR650 is a very popular motorcycle and is the best of the entire DRZ series. It is also one of the most successful models Suzuki has released.

To this day, Suzuki continues to produce the DR650 and is considered one of the best two-sport motorcycles in the world. Even after 2 generations, it still gives comfort to riders while the countries it sells the most are New Zealand, Canada and Australia and is priced at $6,699.

Suzuki DR-Z125

The Suzuki DR-Z125 is another very successful dirt bike from the DRZ series. Suzuki manufactured it from 2003 to 2009 and sold it in quantities but Suzuki produces the DR-Z125L today which is the latest version and is very successful in the market.

The DR-Z125 comes with a 4-stroke, 124cc engine with lightweight hydraulic brakes and a modern design, making it one of the best 125cc dirt bike models in the market.

DR-Z70, DR-Z50 & RM85

Although these three Suzuki models are very different, they are designed for kids. These three models are one of the best you can find in the market for kids. The DR-Z70 and DR-Z50 are designed for kids who are beginner while the RM85 is designed for kids who are racers. So, if you are looking for good dirt bikes for your child, Suzuki also has a great selection for you.

DR200S

The DR200S is a very inexpensive model of Suzuki DUALSPORT and is one of the best and most powerful dirt bike models Suzuki has. It offers a very reliable 199cc engine of 3.3 liters, weighing 278 pounds.

You can buy a new DR200S from the Niloni at $4,649 which is very worthwhile considering it’s one of the best models you can find for your money because it really gives great value for its price.

The PE series (from 1977 to 1984)

The Suzuki PE series included several successful dirt bike models such as PE175C, PE250C, and PE400T with 175cc to 400cc engine, produced from 1977 to 1984.

PE175C – The PE175 was launched in 1978 which included a 2-stroke 175cc engine with 6 gears and is 230 pounds in weight. It made a huge success that even today’s RM125 model is based on almost all its construction detail. So, the PE175 of 1978 is today’s RM125.

PE250 – The PE250 was first released in 1977 with 19.92 ft/lbs (27.0 Nm) @7,500rpm. It has a horsepower of 28.03hp (20.9 KW) @8,000rpm and went through amazing changes and processes over the years. It was very much loved and gained by riders.

PE400 – The PE400 is another dirt bike in this series that made a huge success and came with an elaborate engine. It was the most successful and best of all 3 models for many years, but if you want to see a small comparison between the PE400 and PE250, you are invited to click here

In general, listed below are some competitions won with Suzuki’s PE series:

Don Cichucci, Mike Russo, and Dave Halls won Gold with the PE175.
Ray Cosgrove won Gold in 1979 with the PE250.

Jeff Fredette was recruited by Suzuki in 1979 and raced with the PE250. He earned Gold medal side events in Germany with it.
British team entered into the 1976 Austrian ISDT with 3 PE250s and won 3 gold medals.

Source

That’s just examples of some high-end races and competitions these machines have won, proving that the PE series is one of the best dirt bikes Suzuki has ever created. In fact, all the new models you see today in the market that Suzuki produces are built and based on the PE series.

Suzuki TS series

The Suzuki TS series is another very successful dirt bike series of Suzuki and Suzuki continued to develop and manufacture them since 1969. They were one of the best and most popular dirt bikes of the ’80s and ’90s, and 11 of the series includes:

TS50 (1971–2009) – The TS50 was one of the most popular models of the 50-stroke twin-stroke engine introduced in 1971. It had everything such as speed, stability, lightness, and other features, which made it loved by most riders.

TS75 (1975-1977) – The TS75 was a very successful model that works with a 70cc 4-speed engine, produced from 1975 to 1977.

TS80 (1984–1990) – The TS80 was an 80cc engine primarily designed for children.

TS90 Honcho (1970–1976) – The TS90 was introduced in the 1970s and had a 2 stroke 90cc engine. It’s less designed for terrain but more for road riding.

TS100 Blazer 1973 to 1981 – The TS100 Blazer has two-stroke 97cc engine at 11 kW @ 7000rpm and was very popular in the United States. Much of it was sold at that time.

TS125 Duster (1971–2007) – The TS125 Duster came with a single cylinder in 125cc version.

TS185 Sierra (1971–2015) – The TS185 came with a two-stroke, single-cylinder aluminum engine with 183cc piston output and 5-speed transmission, and works superbly with all gear.

TS200R (1989–1996) – The TS200R was very advanced at the time. It worked with a 195cc 2-stroke engine, was very advanced with lots of new technologies, and was mainly intended for riding in difficult areas.

TS250 (1969-1981) – The TS250 came with a two-stroke, single-cylinder, 246cc engine and was mostly sold in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

TS250X (1985-1989) – The TS250X came with a 246cc two-stroke engine and was more of an old version for off-road.

TS400 (1971–1979) – The TS400 came with a two-stroke single-cylinder aluminum 396cc engine and made lots of changes over the years. It came out in 2 different versions, namely the TS400L APACHE/HUSTLE and the TS400J APACHE/HUSTLER.

To sum up, the TS series is definitely one of the best dirt bike series Suzuki has ever made and includes some of the most historic and best models of all time.