dropping the brand new drz400s :(

[George209]

Hello,

 

   So i just bought a brand new leftover 2013 Drz 400s 4 days ago and ive dumped it six times in under 100 miles. I feel like a complete idiot, my pretty bike is now covered in scratches and my pride went out the window the first dump in front of my house. My house is next to a huge lumber store and one of the guys that works there suggested training wheels lol. Prior to this i owned a 1994 ktm 300 exc which i did not dump once! Would of preferred to trade it dump for dump lol. I think its a height issue, im 5-7 and i have to tip toe one side when stopped, if i rest my left thigh on the seat i can put my whole right foot flat lol. Aside from the first dump at my house after 20 miles, my other 5 dumps came from trail riding soppy wet mountain trails and super soft gated roads that have not been touched yet this spring. My location is western Massachusetts. Did i just battle harden my drz? or am i a complete fool? Next question is should i tune the rear suspension to lower it and lose rear travel? I know i need to trade out the death wings, but no money for that right now.

 

My goal is to tear through trails and over the mountain 80% dirt 20 % road getting to the dirt. I know i just spurt out a mouth full but i guess im looking for the cheaper mods with high effectiveness and of course my height problem.

[George209]

anyone? chirp chirp

[motoinmoab]

Here's a link about lowering options for your DRZ.  I've got short legs too, 29" inseam, and the DRZ is just to tall for me.  I dropped mine in my driveway trying to get my leg over the saddle.  Then later that ride I dropped it again when I stopped perfectly over a hole; I didn't find earth with my foot, but I did find it with my hip and shoulder.

 

 

[George209]

Thanks man, glad im not the only one lol, makes me feel a little better 

Edited April 20, 2014 by George209

[Qqqqqqqqqqqq]

The Death wings are not doing you any favours , decent tires off the show room floor would of been a Great Move .

[George209]

wanted to put dunlop 606s on, but it off set my loan also heard pirelli makes a good knobby that is street legal from a local store

 

[Qqqqqqqqqqqq]

Yeah , the 606 or Pirelli would have given you some stability .

[George209]

i read that page moto. is thier a adjustment i can do right now to this suspension to lower it? on The DRZ 400S?
 

[BushPig]

Yeah , the 606 or Pirelli would have given you some stability .

 

606s are a a great tire.

 

Very versatile. However, try to keep up with mates that have MX tires, and it gets a bit "thrilling"   

 

But then again I could just be krap  ?

[BushPig]

Hello,

 

   So i just bought a brand new leftover 2013 Drz 400s 4 days ago and ive dumped it six times in under 100 miles. I feel like a complete idiot, my pretty bike is now covered in scratches and my pride went out the window the first dump in front of my house. My house is next to a huge lumber store and one of the guys that works there suggested training wheels lol. Prior to this i owned a 1994 ktm 300 exc which i did not dump once! Would of preferred to trade it dump for dump lol. I think its a height issue, im 5-7 and i have to tip toe one side when stopped, if i rest my left thigh on the seat i can put my whole right foot flat lol. Aside from the first dump at my house after 20 miles, my other 5 dumps came from trail riding soppy wet mountain trails and super soft gated roads that have not been touched yet this spring. My location is western Massachusetts. Did i just battle harden my drz? or am i a complete fool? Next question is should i tune the rear suspension to lower it and lose rear travel? I know i need to trade out the death wings, but no money for that right now.

 

My goal is to tear through trails and over the mountain 80% dirt 20 % road getting to the dirt. I know i just spurt out a mouth full but i guess im looking for the cheaper mods with high effectiveness and of course my height problem.

 

I think the height/weight and tires on the DRZ are your problem.

 

Set sag and go from there.

 

Are you getting back into riding, or were you riding the EXC immediately prior to the DRZ?

 

If the first, don't worry about it, change as you can afford, if the second I'd say the DRZ is just that different to the EXC.

 

Either way don't worry, we all crash, some more than others. 

 

When I put my bike back together after seizing it and not riding or months, I crashed at least 4 times on my first ride...

[Kioti]

I'm inseam impaired also.On mine I installed 1' lowering links, bar risers so I could raise the forks in the triple tree's the same 1" and added a Seatconcepts low saddle.

[George209]

i weight 170lbs,  so maybe there is room for that

[George209]

how do you lower it, is that an adjustment stock on the bike?

[brucen]

I would definitely get a set of case savers. You can get them at the TT store. The cases on the DRZ are brittle and the brake pedal and shifter can put a hole in them in a tip-over.

[DrD]

First things first, if taking it off road loose the trail wings ASAP! Second thing is the DRZ 400 is top heavy and loves to take a NAP. I was in the same situation as you after my purchase. Like you mentioned I also had several other bikes and am an experienced rider growing up on dirt bikes and never a dump.The DRZ had me flying through the air like superman. Some of the things I did to become more comfortable with my purchase were... Scott's steering damper, Rekluse auto clutch, $hitcan the trail wings, and 1" lowering links. I can probably ditch the lowering links but the Scott's and Rekluse are a must on this bike for me!

[blakestree]

i weight 170lbs,  so maybe there is room for that

 

The DRZ suspension is set up for about your weight, from the factory. Kioti has the right idea. I would try a lower seat, first. If that isn't enough, then look at raising the forks and a lowering link.

[DrD]

wanted to put dunlop 606s on, but it off set my loan also heard pirelli makes a good knobby that is street legal from a local store

Look at the Kenda Track master 2 it's a better tire on the rear. Pirelli for the front. The 606 front sucks and washes out pretty easily unless you run it at 12psi

[quick221680]

If you are not willing to drop it, it isn't a good dual sport bike. This is why I love my Drz and don't have a crazy expensive ktm. Buddy of mine dropped his brand new wr250 in the dealer parking lot pushing it up the ramp onto the bed of a pick up.

[150ron]

George,  very simple m8,  get yourself tusk handlebar risers ($20) and that will allow you to slide the forks up 1'' or so,  then get a kouba link drz1 lowers the bike 3/4, drz2 11/2 and drz3 like 2 inches i think,  get the 2,  i tried the kouba 1 which is suppose to lower the bike 3/4 of an inch,  but i dont think it lowered it at all,  its almost identical to the stock part its replacing. 

 

It was very hard for me at 5'9,  so at 5'7 for sure you should lower it.

[DrD]

George, very simple m8, get yourself tusk handlebar risers ($20) and that will allow you to slide the forks up 1'' or so, then get a kouba link drz1 lowers the bike 3/4, drz2 11/2 and drz3 like 2 inches i think, get the 2, i tried the kouba 1 which is suppose to lower the bike 3/4 of an inch, but i dont think it lowered it at all, its almost identical to the stock part its replacing.

It was very hard for me at 5'9, so at 5'7 for sure you should lower it.

Yup I went with the DRZ 2 and it lowered my bike 1" after I re adjusted the sag for my weight. DONT buy the eBay links or the other adjustable ones they suck. The eBay links lower the bike way more than they claim (ask me how I know)