Custom Suzuki DR-Z400E Looks Delicious Flaunting Tracker Cues and Mustard Yellow Paint

At autoevolution, we’ve seen no shortage of phenomenal one-offs based on Suzuki’s thumper over the years. Big Suzie – a svelte 2005 DR-Z400S from Federal Moto – gave us an excellent demonstration of what can be achieved with this platform, but it’s just one of many fantastic exemplars we could point to. Built by Ellaspede some time ago, the bike pictured above is equally astounding if you ask me!

It was a lengthy in-house project put together for Leo, one of the Brisbane shop’s co-owners. Although their initial plan was to have the transformation finished in a mere three months, client orders got in the way and turned it into something of a back burner. Sure, custom bikes are all about passion, but you’ve still got to put food on the table, right?

As a starting point, Leo chose a DR-Z400E from the model-year 2009, aiming to restyle it as an old-school flat tracker with a modern twist. Ellaspede sketched out his vision, then they proceeded to dismantle the donor and get started on the modifications. First things first, the seat height had to be reduced as Leo is a fairly short individual.

The forks got lowered by around 100 mm (3.9 inches) with fresh internals, and the rear shock absorber has also been revised to follow suit. Down in the unsprung sector, you will now find 19-inch aftermarket rims from Excel – laced to the stock wheel hubs and enveloped in Mitas H-18 rubber. These tires are actually road-legal, while giving Leo plenty of grip to play with off-road, as well.

Originally, the guys planned on fabricating a bespoke fuel tank from scratch, but that changed when Leo stumbled upon a perfect fit on eBay. It had once belonged to an unidentified vintage Suzuki, and Ellaspede’s artisans were able to get it installed with a few minor tweaks. Then, the DR-Z made its way to the owner’s house and the project stalled for longer than they are comfortable admitting.

Things did eventually continue to move forward, however, with some intricate fabrication work being the crew’s next priority. Employing CNC machining and a mixture of billet aluminum, Polycarbonate, and ABS blocks, they fashioned the rest of the specimen’s custom equipment. Aluminum was the material of choice for a fork brace and front fender mount combo, while the tail section and headlight bucket were shaped out of ABS.

Polycarbonate came in handy for the taillight lens, which encases bright LED componentry underneath. Front-end lighting is also achieved through LED hardware, and the premium turn signals on both ends were supplied by Posh. At the back, there’s also a handmade saddle upholstered in standard and perforated UV vinyl; all held together by yellow stitching for contrast.

Right beneath the taillight sits a bare-bones license plate bracket, and a custom-built electronics tray can be found below the seat. Prior to these goodies being installed, the DR-Z400's subframe was thoughtfully reworked to lower the seat height a bit further. Moreover, the aforementioned electronics box houses a modern lithium battery from Antigravity’s catalog.

It’s linked to an aircraft-grade wiring harness that lives beneath the fuel tank (mostly), keeping the motorcycle’s appearance as tidy as possible. Ellaspede kept the powertrain mods simple, yet effective, fitting a high-grade Uni air filter and a one-into-two Yoshimura exhaust system. The pipework is particularly enthralling, with an aftermarket skid plate shielding its header from harmful road debris.

We also love how the air filter is color-matched to the bike’s livery, but we’ll get back to that a bit later. Up in the cockpit area, one may find a single Daytona dial and a Renthal handlebar placed on CNC-milled aluminum risers. Although Ellaspede hasn’t provided any details concerning the hand controls, what we can tell you is that the whole setup looks superb.

It’s precisely the level of fit and finish we’ve come to expect from these gifted Aussies, and considerably less cluttered than the factory offering. A tailor-made front fender was the last piece of bespoke bodywork to go on this DR-Z400E flat tracker, but no such item has been placed at the other end. Now, let’s talk about the paintwork before we wrap this up.

At first, Leo wanted to go with a white colorway accompanied by charcoal grey accents. The tank he scored from eBay came in a mustard yellow hue that was just too gorgeous to get rid of, though, so another change of plans had to be made at the last minute. The said mustard yellow finish became the predominant color on the fuel tank and tail – a very wise decision, indeed!