I came off a wr426 which i still have and never regret buying, its a great bike and really good fun to ride. My 426 did some really big outback rides that it was’nt designed for and always did the job very well.
The DRZ is also a great bike and is more suitable for the longer rides but it can do the job just about everywhere. Yes it needs suspension work but that can be said of most bikes out of the box as with good engine and radiator protection. I find that the DRZ is easy to ride and less taxing on my poor OLD body than the 426. The wr450 seems to be proving itself to be reliable and the gearboxes seem to hold out better than the 400 and 426 models have in the past. The new bikes whatever make are more like race bikes and seem to be more reliable with each new model and suzuki will miss out on sales if they dont catch up!! In saying all that the DRZ is one of the last old style trail bikes, is there still a market for such a bike?? only time will tell.