I took the MSF course and got my motorcycle license last summer. I've been holding off on buying a motorcycle since then due to not having a place to store it, however it looks like next year I'll be living somewhere with a shed/enclosed back yard. Originally I was thinking about getting an SV650, but I'm starting to take a more serious look at the DRZ400SM.

I'm also open to other dual-purpose/motard bikes, but I would say that the majority of the riding I will be doing is cruising around on paved back roads (speed limit is 35mph, which I've broken on the bicycle a few times and is downright terrifying ).

There's no reason for me to go out on the highway to get anywhere around here, so I'm not too concerned about the top speed/high speed cruising comfort. If I do decide to take it out to Ohio, there I think it would be manageable as there are a few short sections that are higher speed interstates.

I know there is a beginner bike thread, but I am wondering what your thoughts are based on the criteria I've listed and if any of you have experience with the DRZ400 (or a similar motorcycle).

 

It's a good little bike, slightly underpowered for what I like personally... but that wouldn't keep me away from it.

 

I have a 2009 and love it!!! Sure its fat and slow compared to a ktm/husky/husaberg but doesn't need oil changes every 500-600 miles and valve adjustments every other oil change. If you get on thats BONE stock and are looking for simple mods that make a huge difference, 3x3 air box mod, JD jetting kit along w/extended fuel screw, and a full exhaust. Much more enjoyable to ride! I was really close to just getting a 600 sport bike instead but glad I didn't, this kept my speed in check and I learned to ride better overall, hell I blew my buddy away who has a cbr600rr on some local backroads and I also had my girlfriend on the back lol

Im not completely sure but I think MSchu is the go to motorcycle guy here on honda-tech.....

Also, Thumpertalk.com has a great dr-z forum with tons of info!

 

the drz is a proven workhorse, and if you like to tinker they have tons of aftermarket. i ended up getting a wr250x because i didn't want to deal with carbs. the drz and wr250r/x have roughly the same power stock, but the drz produces a bit more torque so you don't have to work it as hard.

i ended up buying a set of 18/21s for my wr and to be honest it's all i really run on the bike. i haven't used the street wheels in about 2 years. with an engine guard and some bark busters it's basically a go anywhere, do anything machine. i love the bike in its current configuration and wouldn't ever go without a dual sport again.

lately i've been drooling over the ktm 690 enduro and husky's te510. i just worry that they will not have the every day reliability of the yamaha.

 

Nice. How has yours been with respect to reliability?

WR250 is one of the other bikes I'm looking at. Basically any of the smaller dual sports I think I'd be happy with, it just depends on what is available/pricing (will definitely be being used).

Do you have a picture of your bike, ragnaroek?

 

dirt wheels:


street wheels:

 

The ONLY issue I have with mine is theres a pressed in breather fitting in the cylinder bore section that seeps some oil but didn't have it fixed under warranty because of the following:
1) Didn't want the local dealer tearing my motor apart
2) If the leak gets bad or annoys me too much I'll just do a bigbore kit

Other then the slight oil seep I've had a worry free 2500+miles on it and I beat the **** outta this thing everytime it's ridden

 

Dave, where in VA would you be riding? You can demolish some roads on either bike in the mountains of VA/West VA.

 

DRZ-400 was my first bike! plenty of power to keep you happy.

The only downside i can think of is, it's a little under geared for freeway use but you can get up to speed with higher RPMS. I wouldn't recommend it for long rides.

people keep saying (my self included) that the bike is a little under powered. There was an off road version of the bike that had more power, not sure what years they were selling it. The engine was 99.9% the same. The difference came with the compression ratio. 11.3 vs 12.2. The engine uses a cylinder base gasket that is 3 metal plys thick. the 2 outer layers are coated in rubber. if you take that gasket (i would recommend buying a new one) and trill out the rivets holding it together you are left with 3 individual gaskets. use a single rubber gasket to get the 12.2:1 compression ratio. you can still run it just fine on pump gas. If you know your way around an engine, you can do it with a $50 tool kit (basic tools) and a couple hours. If and when you actually get the bike, PM me and i can guide you further.

 

They earlier off road non Cali bike came with thinner base gasket for higher compression ratio, hotter cams, larger header pipe, airbox had bigger intake hole(3x3 mod factory), and a FCR pumper carb. These bikes went largely unchanged over the years, manly just got slower and slower to meet emission requirements.

 

i stand corrected

 

Nice
Good to hear. I'll definitely be looking used when I start looking more seriously (possibly later in the summer due to budget right now).
That's the area that I'm in. I split time between Blacksburg, VA and Dayton, OH. I'm debating staying a little longer in Blacksburg as the roads out in Ohio are a bit boring in comparison.
I'll definitely keep that in mind. I don't plan on doing much, if any at all, freeway riding. I can get to my friend's place in NC via back roads pretty easily.

 

I wish I could ride an enduro, but they're all too tall for me. Bought an XR600 once and got a lot of laughs at red lights when people would see the bike sitting at a 70 degree angle so I could stand up on one foot.

 

DRZ SM is fun . The motor will not make it much past 20 k miles.
I had this tach on mine. It was not mounted, I just kinda stuck it next
to the speedo. One tooth up on the cs sprocket for less rpm at
highway speed.
Mods - front fender, tach, +1 cs sprocket, brake light, rear t signals
http://www.autometer.com/cat_accesso...st.aspx?pid=48
if you use this tach - they are not water proof pm me
I got some parts from these guys
http://www.wheelingcyclesupply.com/index.shtml

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYu7DQn5vAI

 

The other thing I would add to this thread is that the Husky's are actually pretty reliable (Pre BMW 2009-2010 models) and make a lot more power. They are more race oriented but if you're just putting casual street miles on them you can relax the scheduled maintenance a little. They should stay reliable.

The KTM 530's require valve shims more frequently from what I understand.

 

I haven't seen many Husky's for sale around here, same with KTM.

I started getting the itch again after seeing a design team here was testing the electric motorcycle they are building on a dyno outdoors near my office over the weekend.


http://www.bolt.org.vt.edu/index.html

 

also check out the wr450's. i have a 04 wr450 and love it...They are a lil hard to get street legal in some states..

 

Dave, I went to tech a long time ago. We took a bike trip to Beckley, and hit the roads west of there. It was fantastic. One of my more memorable rides.

 

There are many, many drzs with over 20k on the original engine.


I love my drz. Mine is a dual sport version that I put sm wheels on ($2k for the bike, $500 for a used set of wheels)

It still gets dirty even with street tires haha



My buddy liked mine so much, he went out and bought a blue one (couldn't have the EXACT same bike haha)

With knobbies on. Takes about 30 mins to switch wheels.



The bike on the left is a yz400. He almost bought a kawi branded drz but someone got it before he had the cash.