Hopeless causes: People love them. The Buffalo Bills vs. the Super Bowl. The Coyote vs. the Road Runner. And, some riders’ incessant desire for an updated Suzuki DR650. Now, we see a petition circulating around online, trying to convince Suzuki to finally update its dual sport, which has remained basically unchanged since 1996.

Note that I said “basically” unchanged. Minor upgrades have occurred; the NSU (neutral sending unit) is now Loctited from the factory. Suzuki uses a metal base gasket, instead of a prone-to-leak paper gasket. But while even the Kawasaki KLR650 is now available with electronic fuel injection and ABS brakes, Suzuki continues to make the DR650 with a carburetor and basic 1990s safety equipment.

That means that it’s increasingly limited in its marketability. While many customers still want that simple formula, most governments around the world ban the DR650 because of its tailpipe emissions, or because it lacks antilock brakes (increasingly, a requirement). So, we now getthis petitionfrom George Cerigo, asking Suzuki for an updated version of the bike that’s available worldwide. As the petition says:

Suzuki has not upgraded the reliable thumper for 27 years

Europe lost access to it in 2004 and the past 2 years New Zealand then Australia.

Let’s push Suzuki to finally redesign and fix the issue that DRs are available widely in Latin America and not the rest of the world

They can increase mobility of dual sport enthusiasts and RTW platform seekers around the world.

So please Suzuki keep the design and the platform and tweak the necessary systems needed to pass inspections at least and finally create a rally version.

At this point, only a few dozen people have signed the petition, which is hardly going to convince Suzuki to make this happen. But maybe you want to see an updated DR? If so,go sign up!

Is an updated DR650 feasible?

It’s worth asking: Is an updated DR650 feasible? Or is the platform too antiquated to update for the 2020s?

The short answer is yeah, Suzuki could totally do it. TheVanVan 200showed Suzuki can take old air-cooled tech and graft in an EFI system. ABS should also be an easy add-on, as this tech is now available on super-cheap entry-level machines now—but not on Suzuki’s super-cheap entry-level bikes.

So Suzukicando this, butthat doesn’t mean it will, even with a petition. Plenty of riders would like ABS on other Suzukis, but at this point, Suzuki seems only interested in putting that tech on more powerful bikes. Would that change, if tens of thousands of riders signed up for a next-gen DR? There’s only one way to find out–go sign the petition yourself.