Hi maria, I only got back 2 weeks ago from Cape Town, and am delighted to say that Daisy (my DRZ) performed exceptionally well.
As for the things mentioned above, Corbin seat ... I bought mine second hand and not sure whether this influences it's performance but I will be having that re-built when the bike arrives in a few days, it was rather firm to be honest, and still a little too narrow.
Shock, I believe, only believe, that the shock in the SM must be firmer than the S/E. Look it up, I'm not sure, however, mine seemed to do pretty damn good. Remember, never overload the bike, it's a lightweight bike, the frames aren't designed for too much.
As for fuel economy and range, my Aqualine 28L tank... a bit pointless, fuel stops were far too regular to justify it. I'd opt for the 17 by Aqualine, speak to
Alec at Core Racing. My MPG was exceptional, after my exhaust wadding falling out and the end-cap of my can coming loose, I was with no loss of power but a gigantic leap of MPG... I was running 3.1 litres/100km = 91mpg... obviously the range on the tank about 1000km. Also a notable thing about the 28 L tank, don't use a paper fuel filter, it'll inhibit the flow of fuel to the carb on those last 5 litres you have in the tank.
Good luck