DRZ400 for Trip & Trails
 

Hey everyone,

Ive recently sold my bigger bike in favour of getting something more able at the rough stuff but is still capable of the longer distances.

The DRZ400 has always caught my eye but posting on the TRF forums has generally gone with them persuading me against it. If i were looking purely for a trail bike id agree but having only space for means i need to compromise.

So i figured id call on the varied experience of you guys. Can the DRZ be both good at a bit of fun on a Sunday as well as longer trips?

My only concern is that the latest model was released (i think) in 2009 making any bike i buy at least 5 years old. What would be the modern equivalent of the DRZ?

The CRF250L seems to be highly rated.

Thanks everyone

Lee

I rode to Capetown on mine... Did the job fine with some sensible modifications.

If you're in a rush and like comfort, don't bother....

If you like a simple, lightweight, off-road capable bike...... Bother :)


I have a page on DRZ prep on my blog...

Ted

Thanks Ted.

Im hoping to also learn to do my own maintenance so a simple bike like the DRZ would be a great start I think.

Ive already checked out some accessories so know i can get a bigger tank and pannier rails if neccessary (got some ardcases already).

Howdy Lee,
Can we assume you're in the UK? I'm in the US ... so riding requirements/opportunities may be a bit different. What "big bike" did you sell off?

It sounds like you're looking more for a road bike that can do some "light" off road? If that is the case, the DRZ400S is a pretty good pick. No idea what TRF is (some UK forum I suspect?)

I owned the "E" model DRZ (off road only). No longer made. It was the BEST of the DRZ line. There was also a K model early on. The S model is what you now get in UK, and far as I know, it has not changed a bit since it's 2002 introduction.

I would not worry about a 5 year old bike. Take your time, be willing to pay a bit more ... and find a true Virgin.

There are a few other choices but most are more OFF ROAD oriented, and most are more expensive than a DRZ400S ... and NONE are as reliable as the Suzuki:

Husky TE250, TE450, TE650 Terra
KTM 250EXC, 450EXC, 690EXC
CCM 450 (new, not released yet)
Yamaha WR450F (off road only but can be made street legal)
BMW 450 (no longer made but may be around used)
Beta 450 (excellent bike! Not sure if sold in UK)

About 250's
The current crop of 250's are pretty interesting and getting better all the time. The new (made in Thailand) Honda CRF250L is rated very high, but for most the WR250R rates highest and does most things better. It's expensive and I'm not even sure you can get it in the UK. It's street legal (unlike the WR450F I listed above)

Thing about 250's is ... they pretty much suck on fast roads and long-ish runs. If you lived or traveled in S. America or Asia ... I'd say go 250. Reason? Towns are slow and crowded, even on highways speeds fairly moderate. 250's work there.

In UK, EU or USA ... not so much. Most 250's top out at about 70 mph ... and may not be that smooth or comfortable at that speed. Off road of course they have a BIG advantage over heavier bikes if set up right. (a big IF)

The DRZ-S can be a good choice and work on road with some good mods. Find Adam Lewis's thread (Jedi Master), he rides (or rode?) a DRZ400S.

I'd say it for sure will need a custom seat. For ALL ROAD, better lights (HID),
next would be suspension work to suit and then some elegant solutions for carrying luggage. Go higher gearing for road use ... and lower for off road. Could just work.
Good luck!

Thanks for the helpful feeback Molly.

Right now id say your right, 70% road is what im working to at the moment. My previous Tiger 800 was just too road focused.

The TRF is an organisation here in the UK that fights for the rights trail riders have to use the green lanes. The members are seeming to concentrate on that bit rather than the all round nature im looking for, so they also suggest 250cc or less.

I agree with the TRF guys regards 250's if you'd only be doing technical off road riding. 250's are the perfect starter bikes ... and even work for experts. My last dirt bike was a Yam WR250F. Now sold. The F is off road only race bike, not road legal. It was a great bike on the tough trails. Hopeless on road with a top speed of about 60 mph! :nono:

Wow, you're lucky you had an 800 Tiger! Great bike. But it would be a shame if you dropped it off road. Lots of breakable and expensive plastic and parts. I've ridden the 800 ... but not off road.

Good shopping! bier

Lee,

Saw and replied to your post on the TRF forum.

The trail-only guys will try to convince you to buy something a lot lighter and racier than a Dee Arr Zee but for a do anything bike, you can't go wrong.

Yes, they are heavier than a modern enduro bike but they cost bugger-all to buy, run and own.

I have two. My "E" has been raced and trail-ridden hard for the last 10 years (it was two years old when I bought it). My "S" has toured; camping and trailriding in the UK and I've ridden it through FRance and into Spain for more of the same.

If you want to get narly on the trails on a Sunday then get a 250 and have a lot of fun learning your craft.

If you want a do anything bike, and S or an SM(with trail-wheels) will just about do all you ask of it.

If you're local to Aldershit, I can let you have a cabbie if you want. Just post here or PM me and we'll arrange it.

Thanka BYT, wasnt having a dig at the TRF at all most of the posts seem a bit one-way thinking as you say. Between HU and the TRF im hoping to get the views on both uses so ill sit right in the middle.

Thanks for the offer, not a million miles a way but am going to give one of the off road schools a try before doing anything else.

After much more reading (square eyed and eye drops needed) im pretty much decided on a DRZ400SM.

In its basic form its not the best for off roading but for fire roads and the less technical stuff all info points to it being ok with the right tyres.

Some also consider the suspension being stiffer therefore less likely to bottom out and its easier/cheaper to swap wheels than suspension. For road riding the brakes are better apparantly. On the wheels front i can get the larger ones from the S and make use of the existing rotors, only issue being the speedo drive.

Ive worked out that my immediate goal is an adventure trip to Morrocco so that shouldnt call for to deal with anything like deep mud. Theres a few companies that run these sorts of trips.

Anyone point out anything where ive gone wrong in my logic?

There you go Lee, I'm not often wrong (ask my wife !!!)

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. :scooter:

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! doh)

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". :rofl:

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! :scooter:)

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. :D

http://patricksphotos.smugmug.com/ph...-Gb4FGSC-L.jpg
DRZ400S ... Bone stock ... 2000 miles of Baja off road. (yes, this is my pic)

Hi,
I think the 400s would be a better buy than the 400sm because you can have a proper laugh with the 400s on dirt tyres (t63) on road but then go up the side of a mountain if needs be..............cant say the same for the 400sm:thumbup1:

Unless I'm mistaken most of the SM'd have spoked wheels and need tubes, for example:
SUZUKI DRZ400 SM 2007 SUPERMOTO MOTORBIKE | eBay

The main reason for sticking with the SM is that there's a lot more around that the 'S's and for now at least my main focus is still the road which a little bit of experimenting off road. I'd like to get a different set of wheels mainly to not have to sod around which changing tyres if I get into more serious offroading.

Even when I had the Tiger I was considering the Heidanau K60 Scouts and there seems to be a suitable version for the SM in the form of 150/70 (stock is 140/70), I think's thats right anyway. There was similar issue with the Tiger in that stock is 100/90 where as Triumph confirmed a 110/80 would fit.

Completely illogical reason but i do prefer the look of the 'S's with it's bigger wheels.

Appreciate all the feedback.

for those not in the UK, the TRF is the Trail Riders Fellowship- an organisation that campaigns to keep 'green lanes' (trails) open to all traffic, and organises and promotes responsible trail riding.

There are very few DRZ400S for sale in UK, and tonnes of SM for sale.

I bought an SM.. and it came with S wheels, although it turned out the rear was a 19' so I bought an 18' (19' tyres and 17' tyres were very hard to come by in some countries).

Changing the wheels over is easy- tweeking the suspension is not rocket science either, but maybe worth paying a visit to someone who knows their stuff and getting them to set it up and write down the settings for riding both with and without luggage.

I did some TRF rides in East Anglia on the DRZ, sometimes it was the biggest bike, sometimes there were was the odd BMW along too.. the DRZ was never to big for the rides, the only setback was my riding ability, which would obviously not be so much of a problem on a more nimble bike.

I busted two rear shocks on the SM, one in Turkey, one in Iran, I have a much heavier shock now, and would obviously recommend going down this route.

You are 100% correct ... my mistake! doh I must have been thinking of one I saw at the track a while back. But I still believe the wide tire thing may catch you out off road.

Two sets of wheels makes sense ... but would you go with the same size wheels as stock or go to a 18/21 combo? I have two sets of wheels on my DR650 ...(both stock sizes) one has knobbies, other street tires. And you're right ... much easier than swapping tires.

The wider tire looks cool for sure ... but wider is not a formula for success off road! :smartass:

You could run Scouts ... and they'd be fine on hard packed Piste or dirt roads in fair condition. Rougher stuff, steep, rocky, muddy ... not so much.

Riding off road, front tire is the more important one for control. But try all this out ... see how it works for you. If you just swap tires ... then no need to worry about geometry changes or even a different rotor set up.

Hope you find a good deal. I'd love to see how you rig up luggage to suit for travel. Do post up some pics if you snag a good one!