Thinking of a DRZ400

[J.K.R]

One just came into my work and i'm really considering it. Cant remember but i think its on an 04 plate.

Far as i can tell its an E model, Off-Road type wheels with knobblies. Has head and tail lights, KM clocks (trip only), A gay little horn thing on the bars, No ignition and a kickstart. Seems to have been looked after but has been off road. Also has a (iirc) CRC pipe and Neoprene fork gaitors. Insurance is looking good too (£230 TPO, £320 TPFT) Should be getting a shot on it tommorow or sometime next week

Really fancy another bike as i've kinda lost confidence in the DR650 since i crashed it and i could be having so much more fun on another bike (its pretty rough, heavy and poor riding aswell) but i'll have to get my act together and sell my 2 scooters aswell as the DR. I also just bought a car to start lessons in that i'd be happy enough to sell if it meant riding a decent bike. (I also rode a ZX6-R today which made me smile immensly and that i dont need to be riding about on a shitter)

I'm a bit concerned about the kickstart and no ignition but i've come up with the ingenious idea of removing the kickstart when i leave it. Only other trouble is my right knee isnt 100% up to scratch yet so kicking it could be a tad sore/amusing to watch me do.

Aaaaaanyway, My questions (for now):

- What bhp are they? (I'm on an A2)
- How reliable are they (Will be doing 20 miles a day - Occasionally 120!)
- Top speed (Not expecting much)
- MPG? (Or tank capacity and range)


Cheers
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[garyd]

An 04 with no leccy boot?dont bother far more rideable stuff out there without buying the first thing that comes knockin on yer door £230 TPO!!!!!!!!!!that is NO payout for getting it nicked from your garage,and you mend when YOU bend, £51 tpft but im an old fart(46)

[J.K.R]

Actually i think its one of the early E models (more off-road biased) as it has a kickstart. Gotta mind i'm only 18 and the accident doesnt help with my premium either.

I'm happy enough to have TPO, But i will be going TPFT should i get it

...And dunno if you noticed but i'm away up past inverness - Enduro's arent as common or cheap as more populated areas Hence why i'm kinda pouncing on this one.
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[garyd]

Fair comment

[Dom]

I can't remember how much power they make, but it should be up to around 85mph, maybe a little more. I say maybe because the tyres I had on mine were only rated for 80mph and frankly doing those sorts of speeds on fully knobbly tyres is not ideal, so even if the engine could do churn out enough horses for 200mph it still wouldn't really be an option.

Reliability should be excellent compared to other bikes of that style, but look out for damage from off road abuse.

Tank range, iirc, was about 90 miles.

If you're thinking of buying the bike for the road then I'd look elsewhere. At the best of times the E model is dirt focussed, but with no ignition and full on knobblies it's going to be a bad choice. An S or SM model would make much more sense.
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Photos and that

[J.K.R]

Bit of an update, Its a 52 reg and its a full CRD system on it.

Still not made my mind up yet, I intend to get some supermoto wheels and brakes on it when i can afford them (Then i can put the enduro wheels back on when i fancy a bit of off-roading, Theres loads of places to go around here and a lot of forestry roads)

I would get an ignition on it and the kickstart only doesnt really bother me, Apart from that it doesnt seem too impractical

Its not long taxed and MOT'd, Taking that into account what do you reckon for £1800?
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[Dom]

Too expensive, imo. I sold a 2002 E model for 1400 quid a few months ago, with only around 4k on the clock. Admittedly it wasn't mint (few are) and it needed new tyres ASAP but it had a key ignition and leccy starter, which are big plus points.

Have a look around eBay to see what they're going for now to get a better idea, I do think 1800 is high.
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Photos and that

[J.K.R]

Ah ok. Coming to terms with what i'll be paying (thats overbudget as is) so will try and knock it down...I'll still get a shot on it just for the fun of it

Quite fancy an XR650R but the prices seem strong on them, Wouldnt mind a bandit 600 though - Probably the best way for me to go.
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[lilredmachine]

You manage to find an XR650R for sensible money jump on it. They seem to be as rare as rocking horse shit.
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[crasher76]

the DRZ400 E 'Y' (y donates kick start model) is an early DRZ suzuki used to test the water before importing them properly. I picked up an 2001 model with electric start for £1050, in good condition. e model with proper knobblies is pretty shocking on the road. they are generally not equipped with proper lights / indicators therefore only have daytime MoT.

I wouldn't relish a 20 mile road trip let alone 120 miles!

[V2]

Mine is a DRZ400S and pokes out about 41 RWBHP (straight through pipe and aftermarket filter) if thats any help

[Kiss_My_Rs]

race pipe and aftermarket filter wont make it 41bhp

Will be more like 35-36

https://www.125ccsportsbikes.com/forums//index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=4946
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[V2]

it is 41, i got the dyno print out somewhere.. what do you reckon its had done then? its a 2000 (w) drz400s

[Kiss_My_Rs]

Not sure what the S model came standard with back then.

Dont think they had the fcr39mm carb.

Could well of had the hot camms etc.
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[V2]

[lilredmachine]

My 2001 E-spec is 41hp at the rear wheel. To get an S spec to that sort of power you'd be looking at getting the FCR carb on it (plus a rejet to make the most of the aftermarket filter and exhaust), changing the cams, raising the compression ratio etc. Essentially a lot of work. If it genuinley is kicking out that much, i hope you change the oil in it reasonably often...
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[V2]

Methinks ill have to decrease the service intervals on it , seriously i thought all it had done was pipe, filter and a dyno set up, oh well you live and learn!!

[Kiss_My_Rs]

You need to find out what as been done that that motor as im very intrested.
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[V2]

I want to find out too, ill look through some of the old recepits i have from when i got it but other than that, short of stripping the engine i dont know what i can do (and im not stripping the engine )

[UKRobT309]

Right, let me start off by saying i own a Suzuki DRZ400S and a Honda XR650R. Ive just sold my Honda XR400R as it was surplus to requirement you could say (brilliant bike though).
Right, all this malarky about weight issues and the likes are all well and good when trying to impress mates down the pub with power to weight ratios and how your going to be the next David Knight but really thats all they are for. A couple of kilos here or there isnt an issue. The main issue is what you want the bike for, how reliable you want it and how much ease of use you need (im guessing at the age of 18 you aint right up on bikes yet? Im 40 and still dont know anything after riding for 31 years.
I'd go for an XR400 if i was going to get a bike with kick start only. An XR650R would be overkill, especially if your not used to off road.
A Suzuki DRZ400S is every bit as good as the E version to your normal average off roader and it is more comfy and less spanner time is needed.
Go for reliability and ease of use over weight saving and bullshit horsepower every time. The people who quote the weights and powers of bikes etc are usually the ones that can wheelie for miles but can never ride fast, its all a pose to them and you'll be laughing your face off when you pass them a few miles up the road .
Ok, dont get me wrong, some people can ride and can tell the difference in weight, if the frame flexes right blah blah blah but these people are rare and usually earning money at it or racing.
Christ, im turning into a boring and sensible old fart, it does make sense though, trust me, ive got the scars to prove it

My bikes by the way.
https://i26.tinypic.com/289e6tv.jpg
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[G]

Weight isn't something I have a big problem with on off road bikes.
I've ridden a DR600 for a fair bit off road. Hardly heavy, but not light weight either. Owned and ridden off road a range of trail bikes between that and a KTM 2 stroke enduro. I'm far from a 'fast' off road rider, but nor have I had trouble keeping up generally.

You're quite tall and quite strong I presume, from seeing a previous pic at some point, so may have noticed the weight differences less.
The heavier bikes I find do tend to fatigue me more through general trail riding - trying to turn quickly /is/ going to be harder and put more stress through your arms.
If you're not in decent physical shape this is going to make more of a difference.

Also, something that most people will find can make a very noticeable difference is after dropping it - picking up the KTM was significantly easier than the DR600 (similar weight to the DRZ), especially when in the middle of a sloped muddy puddle, say.

When I was looking at the DRZ/CCM I asked around and the answer I got was "The E model is just as reliable as the S model" - based on that I went for an E model, as I don't see the point about of choosing to have less power, especially as you often pay more for the privelege.

I would agree that peak power means very little on a first-trail-bike, unless you're considering how usable it is on the road, at which points it makes a fair bit more of a difference.
A decent range of power does make it easier to ride, but 'easy to ride' doesn't always equal fun - the DR600 I could just leave in second or third, while my poor-running I probably enjoyed more as I had to dance up and down the gear box to keep it sweet.

Reliability is rarely a big issue for trail bikes if the bike's looked after in my experience - it's this that's the issue and you do have to work out if you're willing to spend the time/money on maintaining an enduro bike, say... especially if you're talking a 4 stroke enduro.

[Robchester]

I keep on looking at DRZs and more so than ever now as I only have a 7 mile commute to work & back. Id like a trailie style bike which can put up with the commute, put up with the weather and occasionally take it off road (probably light use bearing in mind some of the other folks ride GS') so dont know whether to go for the E or the S.

Alternatively Honda reliability has me looking at the XR400.
Which is the better bike?

I dont want silly service intervals, just something which will expect one every 3-4k. Budget is limited to around £2k

[G]

The 'S' model is a bit more road biased, but not massively - does have a bit more weight. Apparantly reliability is the same, so in most cases I'd go for the 'E'.

The XR is aircooled and makes a bit less power than the DRZ. Weight is similar or a little less than the DRZ-E.

I'd go for the DRZ for the generally monder-er design.