Thinking about a DRZ400SM

[carver]

my experience tells me they're shit, THEY"RE GUTLESS !

agreed.
i had to rape my one just to keep up

motards suck

sportsbikes rule

or get a real trail bike

[thealmightytaco]

my experience tells me they're shit, THEY"RE GUTLESS !

Disagreed, I only get into top gear once it's near illegal to go any faster, and I don't care for much faster than that. And other than that, it's as good as anything else I've thrown around town, I'm not really up for killing myself though.

Sportsbike's are too twitchy and real trail bikes need too much maintenance.

[carver]

i like my DR650, its a better bike than a drz sm if you look at the big picture

[thealmightytaco]

I test rode the DR650 between testing the DRZ,the DR air cooled mega reliability was attractive, but engine felt less powerful and was thumpy as, and overall it didn't ride as nicely as the DRZ I thought.

We could be comparing dirt and street bikes though, I do zero actual dirt/trail riding, all street/commuting, and for that I was rockin' on the DRZ. DRZ could be complete pants on the trail for all I know though, and I imagine the DR rocks the crotch off it off road.

[SVboy]

I really like mine now. Took 4000kms to get it. With my mods-jetting/airbox/full yoshi/pilot powers, it is a fun wee bike. Just great on the shit roads on banks penninsula.

[meteor]

Hey SVboy, what mods gave you the biggest gains? Did you do a bit at a time or all in one hit? Also what'd the full Yoshi cost you??
And also what a pilot powers?

[SVboy]

Meteor. I got the bike with the full yoshi system on it and standard jetting, and it ran poorly. I took it to Avon city Suzuki. They did the jetting thru trial trial and error, fitted a free flow DNA air filter and did the 3x3 air box mod. They also set the static sags for the suspension. This sorted the power and it has a lot more than standard. I found the OEM Dunlop tyres , especially the rear, to be shit, in my opinion. I LOOOOVE the Mitchelin pilot powers I fitted-transformed my opinion of the bike! Where did you get your DRC edge kit, and how much?

[meteor]

SVboy, I'm hunting down an exhaust now, options are probably Two Brothers, Yoshi, or a new one here called Doma (unless of course you want to give me your Yoshi!). DRC stuff I got thru Wheeling Cycles in the States. Got the LED indicators, LED light and DRZ kit plus post landed here for $190 NZ. that was $40 cheaper than anyone here and I had it in six days. If you do put LED's on you need to put a IC relay in too, ($US22.).

Websit for Wheelings is: www.wheelingcyclesupply.com

[SVboy]

Thanks for that. Consider also a CYCLEWORKS full system from Wellington. They advertise on Trademe.

[Mikkel]

I test rode the DR650 between testing the DRZ,the DR air cooled mega reliability was attractive, but engine felt less powerful and was thumpy as, and overall it didn't ride as nicely as the DRZ I thought.

We could be comparing dirt and street bikes though, I do zero actual dirt/trail riding, all street/commuting, and for that I was rockin' on the DRZ. DRZ could be complete pants on the trail for all I know though, and I imagine the DR rocks the crotch off it off road.

Any advantage the DR650 might have on the gravel would come down to it having proper off-road wheels and a softer suspension setting - it'll be heavier and the engine will not have any significant advantage, if anything it'll most likely be more chunky at it's low end making it more difficult to put the power down without loosing traction.
Ultimately it boils down to skill - I went for a ride with a mate who's done plenty of trail riding (I haven't...). He was on a DRZ400E with motard wheels and pilot powers. I was on my husky 610SM with Pirelli M60R (dual-sport type tyres). He rode up no worries while I got badly stuck in the mud and had to have a bunch of mountainbikers give me a hand...

Air cooling is all good as long as you are moving - if you get yourself into some hairy off-road stuff it can become a liability since the bike will be working hard without really moving forward much.

I really like mine now. Took 4000kms to get it. With my mods-jetting/airbox/full yoshi/pilot powers, it is a fun wee bike. Just great on the shit roads on banks penninsula.

Motards are wonderful, provided you don't feel the need to sit at 200 km/h - or have the need to ride long distances. It's not a sportsbike, and a comparison is not really relevant. Also, being able to go for a hoon down a gravel road without having to worry about fairings holds its own rewards. Still, 53 bhp to the ground (for the Husky) is less than a third of what a modern 1000 ccm sportsbike can achieve - but it's not all about the power.

What I'd really like would be a proper registrable motard with a reliable, snappy engine putting out around 75 bhp - but they just aren't there yet. The DRZSM has a nice and smooth engine, they are actually very nice to ride - but they do lack punch. The husky on the other hand is generously handing out large chunks of torque down low, but gets a bit flat up top - and it feels lazy in it's power delivery (at least compared to the 510TX enduro I had a go on once - what a lovely lively engine).

[Buddha#81:Me]

Any advantage the DR650 might have on the gravel would come down to it having proper off-road wheels and a softer suspension setting - it'll be heavier and the engine will not have any significant advantage, if anything it'll most likely be more chunky at it's low end making it more difficult to put the power down without loosing traction.

Gazbur (DR650) and I (DRZ400E) had many battles at levels both bikes were fairly standard with GSX250 wheels there were nothing between the bikes. Slip streaming down the back straight you pull out for the pass and end up sitting side by side looking at each other. power and handling there was little between the two. Gremouth street races I seemed to have a advantage.

[carver]

Any advantage the DR650 might have on the gravel would come down to it having proper off-road wheels and a softer suspension setting - it'll be heavier and the engine will not have any significant advantage, if anything it'll most likely be more chunky at it's low end making it more difficult to put the power down without loosing traction.
Ultimately it boils down to skill - I went for a ride with a mate who's done plenty of trail riding (I haven't...). He was on a DRZ400E with motard wheels and pilot powers. I was on my husky 610SM with Pirelli M60R (dual-sport type tyres). He rode up no worries while I got badly stuck in the mud and had to have a bunch of mountainbikers give me a hand...

Air cooling is all good as long as you are moving - if you get yourself into some hairy off-road stuff it can become a liability since the bike will be working hard without really moving forward much.



Motards are wonderful, provided you don't feel the need to sit at 200 km/h - or have the need to ride long distances. It's not a sportsbike, and a comparison is not really relevant. Also, being able to go for a hoon down a gravel road without having to worry about fairings holds its own rewards. Still, 53 bhp to the ground (for the Husky) is less than a third of what a modern 1000 ccm sportsbike can achieve - but it's not all about the power.

What I'd really like would be a proper registrable motard with a reliable, snappy engine putting out around 75 bhp - but they just aren't there yet. The DRZSM has a nice and smooth engine, they are actually very nice to ride - but they do lack punch. The husky on the other hand is generously handing out large chunks of torque down low, but gets a bit flat up top - and it feels lazy in it's power delivery (at least compared to the 510TX enduro I had a go on once - what a lovely lively engine).

Ah, all the old XR's were air cooled.
water cooling is for tighter tolerances, not to prevent overheating.
The DR has a oil cooler too....

Motards suck in high wind, rain or if you want to go explore a area with few gas stations

[Mikkel]

Motards suck in high wind, rain or if you want to go explore a area with few gas stations

They certainly are tiring in high wind (speed induced head winds included), rain doesn't bother me anymore on the motard than on the sportsbike and I get almost 250 km to a tank.

[carver]

got a safari tank on it?

if you want to do gravel, you need a 19-21 inch to make it cope well.

[thealmightytaco]

Motards suck in high wind, rain or if you want to go explore a area with few gas stations

Wind you can still tuck up in, gas, can't argue with ya, but I've done rain twice now, heaps better than the gixxer. Motard seems magic over unseen steel covers that lie in wait midcorner too, only hit the smaller variety so far though, I'm sure a big one will still be a party.