DRZ400E

[lurch]

I've been toying with the idea of a DR650 for a while, I'd be very interested in whatever you have to say about them Lurch, if you feel inclined.

Careful what you wish for! We've had one in the fleet since 2019 and I love the thing. At the risk of hijacking Tony's post I'll put something together later on.

[Tony Nitrous]

I've been toying with the idea of a DR650 for a while, I'd be very interested in whatever you have to say about them Lurch, if you feel inclined.

I wanted a new bike this time, but I do keep an eye on 650 sales. I won't rule out adding one if I found the right bike. They have a lot of fans here so good bones aren't cheap.

[Tony Nitrous]

I've been toying with the idea of a DR650 for a while, I'd be very interested in whatever you have to say about them Lurch, if you feel inclined.

Careful what you wish for! We've had one in the fleet since 2019 and I love the thing. At the risk of hijacking Tony's post I'll put something together later on.

Mate feel free to hijack away.
It's all DR / Suzuki and I'd love any info you can share.

It's good to have someone knowledgeable about them on here.

[lurch]

The DR is a great choice for slightly more on road biased riding. If basic maintenance is kept on top of they're capable of 100,000km or more quite comfortably. They'll handle anything the rider can throw at them but are a bit more pleasant for that thanks to the cush drive hub and less revvy nature. Still only 5 gears but regular highway speeds are no problem.

They're a torquey, low revving beast. No point flogging them to max revs as the party's over well before that. Performance is restricted by lean jetting, small valves and a muffler that I'm amazed exhaust gases can find a way out of.

The model was released in 1996 and had little to no change right through until Suzuki stopped selling them in Aus in 2021 (they're still being sold in some countries). There are a couple of potential issues, the first being screws working their way out of the neutral sending unit (NSU) inside the motor - easily fixed with some loctite or lock wire but it does involve removing the clutch basket. Part of a circlip ear breaking off from within the gearbox pops up occasionally also, some shrug if off while others start shedding hard facing from gears it may damage on the way through. The sprocket carrier bearing should be closely monitored also, they create a bit of a mess if they fail and I'd suggest buying an aftermarket improved version or modifying the OEM item to add a second bearing.

They're roughly 20kg heavier than a DRZ and have basic, non-adjustable damper rod forks with progressive rate springs. They're very soft and don't offer much damping. There's a few options available for drop-in fork valves which, with a set of straight rate fork springs, is enough for most people. There are a few front end swap options, DRZ & RMZ being the easiest, but all do away with the steering security lock. The shock is also quite basic with only compression adjustment. They can be made to perform quite nicely or there are plenty of bolt-in options.

Just like the DRZ there are a series of tried and proven mods to wake them up a little. You can modify the stock CV carb and grind the needle or just buy a readymade jet kit. Or throw a pumper carb at it and enjoy much improved response and rideability.

Both the DR and DRZ have seats which border on being torture devices for most people, and both suffer from the lack of bearing grease issue I mentioned previously.

Mine is what many would consider fairly heavily modified. I'm happy to share what's been done and I could probably go on discussing the model in general, but I think I should stop 

[KiwiCol]

Thx Lurch, appreciated.

[Tony Nitrous]

First ride. No real surprises, just very different to what I'm used to.  Choke and fuel tap, no rev counter, 5 speed box, skinny knobblies moving about under me etc.

As expected and predicted... it's too tall, I'm toes only on 1 foot, I will live with it and consider the options, low seat, suspension links, bar raisers to let the forks move through the yokes. I doubt it'll feel as drastic as doing the same mods on a Hayabusa.

Gearing is too low. 80 feels busy, 100 feels borderline cruel. I'm not off to cross rivers or climb mountains. Even on today's gravel roads I was mostly in 5th (top) gear. Higher gearing won't harm the piss easy off bitumen I will do.

Street bike clothing is do-able but you really see why folk buy more appropriate stuff. A full face Shoei, leather jacket, jeans and smooth soled sports bike boots really are not ideal !!

It has the power to pull higher gearing happily on the street, and it's got enough go that it's easily up to the very tame off road stuff I'll be doing.





As always, I judge a bike by "If it's crashed or stolen today, what do I get tomorrow" After actually putting a few K's on one, I'd buy another the same.

[Tony Nitrous]

Check the oil.
(Looks for little window near the clutch cover)
Nothing there.

Owners hand book.
Start and run bike.
Turn off bike and let it rest.
Remove dipstick / cap near steering head.
Hold upright and check with dipstick.

Every days a school day !

[lurch]

Yep, dry sump with oil in frame. There's actually a strainer hidden in the bottom of the oil tank section of the frame (behind the front wheel) that should be cleaned regularly.

Be careful riding in that area after rain. The red clay through the forestry is like ice!

[Tony Nitrous]

Yep, dry sump with oil in frame. There's actually a strainer hidden in the bottom of the oil tank section of the frame (behind the front wheel) that should be cleaned regularly.

Be careful riding in that area after rain. The red clay through the forestry is like ice!

Noted! 

I had a look in the tank, there's a harder white insert that drops into the larger black rubber insert.

I'm not sure why it's there, fuel slopping around shouldn't be a drama with a tiny tank?
Are there any downsides to pulling it out?

Tyre info says 18 psi, sound low but I have no idea what's best on this bike, 50/50 bitumen and easy dirt roads.

Books says 95 fuel, rarely see any where I go, it's 91 or 98 so I'll go 98 for now.

I felt like a newbie today.
It's a different world to me!

[lurch]

No downsides to pulling those parts out of the tank. That's what I was referring to that'll give you a couple of extra litres capacity.

Tyre pressure is about right for your mixed used. If you're struggling with the skatey feeling you could go a bit lower while you're getting used to it and just be extra cautious on the bitumen.

It'll run happily on 91 but I tend to favour higher octane. In some remote areas you can only get Opal fuel (low-aromatic to deter sniffing) which is 91 but horrible shit, they run fine on that too.

[Hooli]

That looks a lot of fun. I'd love to try the offroad lark, but around here you'd be lucky to get a new dirtbike home before it was stolen.

[Tony Nitrous]

That looks a lot of fun. I'd love to try the offroad lark, but around here you'd be lucky to get a new dirtbike home before it was stolen.

It isn't too bad where I am, but rural theft is certainly a thing.  I'd guess that out of my stuff the DRZ although small and cheap is the most desirable one to a thief.  The ferals out here would love an off road bike or quad, a lot most than a big heavy road bike.

[Tony Nitrous]

No downsides to pulling those parts out of the tank. That's what I was referring to that'll give you a couple of extra litres capacity.

Done, and topped up with the 91 fuel I had in a can at hand.

[lurch]

Quite a contraption. I don't think they've always had that, can't think what benefit it would provide though. Maybe a safety feature to help the nozzle shut off, or just to prevent expansion causing issues 

[Tony Nitrous]

Quite a contraption. I don't think they've always had that, can't think what benefit it would provide though. Maybe a safety feature to help the nozzle shut off, or just to prevent expansion causing issues 

I've found two different story's that the bike would have failed more recent compliance. Changes like the now 7 not 10 ltr fuel tank, no tool kit etc uses a "road legal enduro" class to get AU approval. It's sounds odd and questionable but I haven't found anything else or found it done elsewhere.