Adventure Bike Rider Forum

stanbloke wrote:??. your 400 is a little cracker An.....why the change ?

I think I may of been going through a midclife crisis when posting Stan.
The DRZ's in the peaks seem less bouncy on the rough stuff.
Maybe need to drop the old girl over to SHMX to get my rebound sorted :laugh:

Tyrant68 wrote:

stanbloke wrote:??. your 400 is a little cracker An.....why the change ?

I think I may of been going through a midclife crisis when posting Stan.
The DRZ's in the peaks seem less bouncy on the rough stuff.
Maybe need to drop the old girl over to SHMX to get my rebound sorted :laugh:

phew...next you'll be tellin me you gone all blonde lmao.

catch up soon.

Dave DRZ wrote:Of course, you can always buy some Acerbis plastics and keep the blue / yellow stuff safe in a box...

DRZ400roadbits.JPG

DRZ400offroad.JPG

I've found that they bounce better this way...

Dave

That's the way to do it, my o/e bodykit, mirrors, bars etc etc for my DR350 are up in the loft

Richard Simpson wrote:I've got a CCM, which combines KTM suspension and Suzuki engine, but is not quite as good as the sum of its parts.

The engine (Oz spec E type in the CCM, with a pumper carb) is just a quick as the KTM's, but it needs a 6th gear. It's heavier than a KTM engine, but needs less servicing.

On an MX circuit the CCM can easily stay ahead of a 400 KTM...but only when it has a better rider (not me) on board.

On balance, I honestly believe that the DR350S was a better trailbike than the DR-Z400S. When I rode the DR-Z, I was surprised by how little progress had been made compared to the 350. A radiator to clog up and get bent, coolant hoses to split, no top gear, shims so it's difficult to do the tappets at home, and heavier. The extra power from the bigger engine didn't really compensate for the loss of that lovely six-speed gearbox with its perfectly spaced ratios.

But that's just me.

Re: DRZ shims, they're due for checking every 15,000 miles. I checked the shims on my girlfriends DRZ400S before she embarked a 14,600 mile solo ride through South America. On her return I was in no hurry to check them immediately and when I did so after 16,000+ miles, they were still in spec. One other point, DRZ shims are easy to replace as long as you have a basic understanding of cam timing, torque settings and don't try to rush it. I've removed both cams, replaced shims and bolted it back together in about 90 minutes. It even ran properly afterwards.

Tyrant68 wrote:

stanbloke wrote:??. your 400 is a little cracker An.....why the change ?

The DRZ's in the peaks seem less bouncy on the rough stuff.
:

I'm sure it did: DRZ is 'trail suspension' (even the enduro) while the KTM is enduro expert/mx.

My theory is that stiff suspension is fine on terrain like Northamptonshire clay, where it compensates for the inevitable build up of weighty mud on the bike (keeping enough ride height to keep the pegs away from the sides of ruts) and the ground is soft so impacts aren't that hard. Stiff rear suspension will find better grip on mud too.

All that changes when you ride on rocks. No build up of mud, and the harsh impacts just go straight through the suspension and knock the bike about unless you really attack the terrain...which you shouldn't be doing on a trail ride.

If you think about it, trials bikes have soft suspension and at low speeds can climb over rocks and bumps with complete control, far better than a KTM enduro bike could.

So, on hard ground go soft, and on soft ground go hard.

Well I moved from an early DR350 to a 2003 DRZ400E a few months ago. I've since done maybe 10 greenlaning days and 5 solid days of high trail riding in the Pyrennees on the HISS. Fantastic bike in every respect. The e model is the one to look for if you want to concentrate on off-road work. Heaps of power and very stable and planted. I haven't even taken a mud-nap yet, which is unbelievable considering what i've done with the bike, and not exactly hanging about most of the time either. I used to come off the DR350 pretty much every trip out. DRZ suspension is well-sorted; not for motorcross obviously but a brilliant all-day greenlane bike. Tank range has been fine for 3 hours (running time) and could probably do another half hour. Mine is geared down for acceleration, so you really notice the lack of a 6th gear over 60mph, but that's easily sorted with longer gearing if you prefer. Keihin flatside carb needs good fuel and repays careful warming up before giving it a handful, after which it is all-day reliable. I love my E so much, I want to have its babies....

i had one for near 7 years ..just leaned it against the garage wall ..and then went back and started it ...even had the original battery
its a good trail bike for sure very reliable .. gear shaft can be vunerable without a spacer to stop it pushing ...
check radiators a lot of people have them braced ..road gearing its not to bad but not too good for distance .. but will be pretty tall off road

the problem with the dr for distance is getting the gearing right to do both jobs
as its its a pretty narrow box and a very high primary drive too ..there will be a big difference between the dr and the ktm for sure

somone may correct me here ithink its 14/47 standard on the drz i found this a little to tall and went to a 13 ..brilliant off road but revving its nuts off a 65 mph ..
a quick look on gear commander http://www.gearingcommander.com/ 14/47 confirmed

has the stock 400e at 7574 revs at 70mph .. which is pretty much as i remember it

i think the drz is a great bike for a lot of reasons but for 200 mile road work id be a little wary if any long motorway stints were on the cards

its got the big 32ml locknut and tab on the sprocket too ..so popping a 15 on could be done if you are doing a big trip ..so as im sure your aware ..it can be overcome
its a pity more bikes dont use the little retaining bolts with a coller like the xrs to make the job easy push comes to shove your not exactly standing still at a staedy 60mph 120 miles from home .. B) but it will be a bit lacking on the motorway for sure

other than that if it just the odd longer road trip with no rush fill your boots
60mph is a nice pace on a bike with off road tyres anyway
..im sure you will take to it well i really liked mine no complaints at all

As you can see from my Avatar I have a DRZ400S, its ace, I'm just back from a 1200 mile ride around Europe and it was fine, even on the motorway. The engine is a joy at low revs and whilst I still try and select the non existant 6th gear on fast roads the engine will happily scream along at an indicated 80mph. I say indicated as the speedo on mine is way off. Behind HGVs on the motor way (which you can safely assume are all doing 56mph it reads 62mph. 80 is probably less than 75mph...

have you considered the Yamaha WR450? I went from KTM 400exc (3 KTM in a row) and never thought i would move from the brand but a mate pursuaded me to check the Yam out and i am sure glad i did. No weight difference, more useable low down torque and makes a poor rider look average.
Also ask Nick (NDC) he has checked it out. He has also seen me bin the KTM but not the Yam. It just seems to track anywhere you point it.
PM if you fancy using it for a weekend. I am in Stoke but travel to Leicester most days so can trailer it nearer to you or meet. Whatever, very welcome to try it out.

Tyrant68 wrote:I've been contemplating swapping the KTM 400EXC for a DRZ400.
The only things I know about the bikes is A) Heavier B ) Go anywhere C) come in yellow or blue :laugh: D) 400cc
Most importantly E) they can open gates on their own :whistle:

So it'll be used for trailriding but with that comfort for a longer day (say 200 miles) in the saddle.
Whats the difference between the E and S and I'm led to believe that the plastic tank came in on the 02 model.
I reckon the 400 has a value of roughly £1800 (2004 and farkled) would rather do a straight swap or swap with cash coming my way.
have seen quite a few on ebay.
Not a definite sell of the EXC but fancy exploring other options.
Ta

i know i will get shot down here as many folk love their drz400,s.
i had two dr350 and loved them,it seemed like a fairly natural upgrade to have a 400 a few years later.i hated it and sold it after 1600 miles :pinch:
i tried changing the gearing,tyres ,lowering links then back to standard.
the bike was too tall,too heavy and underpowered :whistle:
it just didnt seem to excell at any thing,if you got the gearing right for the trails it was crap on the road and the seat was like a plank anyway,so it kind of defeated the idea of a duel sport bike cos if you wanted to go further afield to ride you had to put it in a van to get there(so may as well have something a bit more"focused" like a wr400 ktm etc)
this is only my opinion and i could of spent even more money on the bike to make it better.
i eventually found myself to be a lot happier on a 650 that could be ridden 200miles on the road to the trails then ridden home again B) horses for courses