Suzuki will offer the first truly portable outboard motors with electronic fuel injection with its new DF20A and DF15A models, which it revealed last week at the Düsseldorf Boat Show in Germany. I am expecting that Suzuki will also show these new models at the Miami International Boat Show, which opens Feb. 16. My usual sources at American Suzuki will only offer a “no comment” reply when asked about the DF20A/15A, which could mean they’ll show it at Miami, or it could mean this motor is not intended for the North American market.

This cut-away view of the new Suzuki DF20A shows key components of the fuel injections system, highlighted in green.



The motors shown at Düsseldorf are an all-new design, with a twin-cylinder powerhead displacing 327cc. Suzuki currently offers a 302cc 15-hp model, but does not have a 20-hp model in its outboard range. The key feature is an electronic fuel injection system that does not require a battery, which means these motors can be manually rope-started and used in small, light, and portable boats. The motors can also be equipped with electric starting. Mercury offers a “battery-less” EFI system on its 25/30-hp model. The two-stroke, direct-injected Evinrude E-TEC 25 can also be started manually without battery power. Yamaha and Honda don’t offer EFI below 40 horsepower.

The Suzuki system seems to work like the Mercury, in that starting requires at least two pulls on the rope. The first energizes the fuel injectors, and the second will start the engine. It’s interesting that Suzuki designed a similar no-battery EFI for the two-stroke engines it manufactured for Arctic Cat snowmobiles in the early 1990s.

The new fuel-injected Suzuki DF20A weighs in at just 97 pounds.



Suzuki says that components of its new EFI system, including a high-pressure fuel pump, throttle body, vapor separator and injectors, were scaled down for this portable outboard, which has a dry weight of just 97 pounds. Competing outboards in the 15- to-20-hp range weigh between 104 and 115 pounds. The Mercury 25 with EFI weighs 157 pounds, while an Evinrude 25 E-TEC weighs 146 pounds.

Electronic fuel injection should deliver better fuel economy than a carburetor, although Suzuki makes no economy claims in the materials it distributed at Düsseldorf. EFI should also provide easier starting and smoother operation. These motors also feature a Lean Burn Fuel Control system, which electronically leans out the air/fuel mixture at cruising speeds to further enhance economy.

These new Suzuki portables bring a new level of sophistication to small outboards. I’m hoping to get a chance to give one a test-drive in Miami. If that happens, I’ll file an updated report.

- Charles Plueddeman

Written by: Charles Plueddeman
Charles Plueddeman is Boats.com's outboard, trailer, and PWC expert. He is a former editor at Boating Magazine and contributor to many national publications since 1986.