The Ref ·
The A2 supermoto class finally matters again
For a decade the small supermoto class was one bike deep. In 2025 the KTM 390 SMC R and the reborn Suzuki DR-Z4SM turned it into a real fight. Here is how to choose.
Supermoto is the format everyone loves and almost nobody buys, which is why manufacturers kept ignoring it. Then two things happened in the same model year: KTM shrank its SMC R formula down to the 399 cc single from the 390 Duke, and Suzuki finally replaced the twenty-year-old DR-Z400SM with an actual new motorcycle. Suddenly an A2 licence buys you a choice.
Two philosophies, one corner
The KTM 390 SMC R is the spec-sheet bully: 45 hp, 161 kg wet, cornering ABS with a proper supermoto mode and a TFT dash, for 6,999 EUR. The Suzuki DR-Z4SM answers with fully adjustable KYB suspension at both ends, legendary DR-Z bones and a softer, friendlier power delivery, and asks over 2,500 EUR more for 7 fewer horsepower.
On our points system the KTM takes the comparison, and it is not particularly close on performance per euro. But the Suzuki is the bike a lot of riders will keep longer: simpler, tougher, and the suspension is genuinely better out of the crate. The full breakdown is in the head to head comparison.
What to actually check before you buy
- Seat height: 860 mm on the KTM, 890 mm on the Suzuki. If you cannot get a ball of one foot down, neither bike cares about your feelings.
- Tank range: 9 litres on the KTM, 8.7 on the Suzuki. These are not touring bikes; plan fuel stops under 200 km.
- Electronics: the KTM's cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control are a class above. The Suzuki's switchable setup is simpler but proven.
- Running costs: KTM services every 10,000 km, Suzuki every 6,000 km. That gap adds up if you commute.
The wildcard nobody expected
If your budget stretches past A2 money, the big-bore class got its own shake-up: Ducati's Hypermotard 698 Mono crashed a party that the KTM 690 SMC R had to itself for years. That comparison is just as one-sided on paper and just as interesting in practice, and we scored it here.
Whichever way you go, buy the one you will actually ride. A supermoto that sits in the garage loses to a commuter that gets used, every single time.