For an adventure trip to Morocco the DRZ SM will do fine on road sections of the ride. Once off road ... it may not be ideal. :confused1: For a first "adventure" ride a guided tour is not a bad idea! Sometimes these companies provide a bike. Maybe use their bike for your first ride? Less liability.

If you're willing to absorb the expense ... and difficulty ... of changing out wheels and tires on an SM and then trying to balance front to rear bias and re-set geometry so the bike will actually handle well ... then go for it.

Taking on such an endeavor is, IMO, an Experts Only project.
Are you an expert? Or can you pay an expert to convert your SM to a dual sport bike ... and do it right? ( a bodged up job means the bike will never handle properly ... and you may never know it! )

EDIT .... The below bit is WRONG ... my mistake, sorry! SM wheels are spoked 17's, front/rear
The SM stock wheels are WIDE 17", cast Alu road race wheels. No normal dirt bike knobby tire will fit. Plus ... cast wheels may CRACK (or dent) if ridden hard off road on a loaded up bike and no longer hold air! Spoked wheels like on DRZ S are far tougher off road.

Mounting knobbies on wide stock SM wheels may be akin to "Lip Stick On A Pig".

If you change out stock SM wheels for 18"/21" "S" spoked wheels/rotor ... then you may as well just buy an S model DRZ to start with.

I'd be curious to hear from SM owners who have done this conversion and hear comments on how the bike worked on a Morocco trip (or similar) in full ADV mode.

The SM is a fun twisty road hooligan bike. (my best friend own's own, and I work on it for him) It's a low cost option for a beginner's SM bike ... but it's been designed from day one as a street bike. Wide wheels/tires, street biased suspension/brakes, a light weight minimalist bike.

The DRZ S model dual sport with its 18/21" spoked wheels, can use any knobby or dual sport tire made. It has off road oriented suspension, is super tough and reliable. (like all Suzuki's! )

Wide 17" wheels W/street tires not ideal off road. The front will have a tendency to easily "wash out" in corners. The rear can step out under power. Sure, you can fit TKC 80 semi knobs (that's about it) ... but it's just not going to be ideal in rough going or when making progress on challenging mountain roads in Morocco on a loaded up bike.

And ... if you need a spare tire ... you may be out of luck. Wide, 17" TKC semi-knobby is Not a common tire.

A 21" knobby front gives far more confidence (and "feel") on loose scree or any challenging trail or Piste. A 21" front steers better and rolls over objects better than a wide 17" wheel/tire. Ruts and big rocks are handled easier with a skinny 21" front tire. It just flat works! Nothing else is as good.

You could leave the 17" rear on and convert front end to 21". Be careful with geometry and balance here. You are treading into unknown territory. If it's done ... hopefully it gets done buy someone with experience doing this specific conversion, someone who's done lots of testing and development.
Sure, it can be done, but to do it wrong would be a shame.

As a raw off road Newbie ... I would not try to re-invent the wheel just yet.
Go with a tried and true machine. Do the common and proven mods ....
AND GO RIDING. At this point seat time is THE most important thing.


DRZ400S ... Bone stock ... 2000 miles of Baja off road. (yes, this is my pic)