Need help DRZ400S vs DRZ400SM

[dgarlepp]

I will do mostly street riding but some sandy Florida trail riding on the weekends. My first mod would be putting offroad tires on the 17" rims. My question is, is the suspension on the SM better then the S? Will the SM suspension be able to handle jumps and bumps offroad. I figured the SM suspension should be better then the S since it's from the RM. (inverted forks). THANKS ?

[NateTheGreat]

Both bikes suspension should be setup for how or where you ride and your weight.

Either would do just fine when adjusted properly.

If its mostly street just get the SM and save yourself gobs of money in the end. ?

[chrome-crf]

Why would you put offroad tires on the 17's ?. I don't think they even make offroad tires that wide. Did you mean you were going to swap the wheels between the offroad set and the street set? That would make a little more sense. I would definitely go for the 400sm over the 400s. It has much better suspension, brakes, and setup.

[CrashMW]

Hey Chrome,

I am not questioning your understanding of bikes, but I wonder where you got the information that the suspension, brakes and setup are "much better"?

I agree that USD forks are nice and typically perform better as in more stable, but the setup and brakes? Looking at the bike, it looks like a stock caliper on a 310-320mm rotor. Would you have either of those on any of your bikes? The caliper I doubt...and the wheels being painted?? -I also doubt.

Back to the suspension, I believe that for racing USD would be mandatory, however this matters for the better riders out there.

This all comes down to cost. You are likely able to get a very good deal on an S, and if used, far better and to build it the way that you would like...which from what I have seen, certainly that way you do everything. I cannot imagine you leaving anything stock.

Anyway, you cannot buy a DRZ-SM right now, but you can build one heck of an SM right now that will outperform and be far more unique than an off the shelf unit.

And this way, you have two sets of wheels all for less than a new bike...

MW

[a109drvr]

My suggestion, buy a used S. With the money you save you can buy a set of SM wheels, revalve the suspension, get a skid plate and case guards etc... I recently bought a slightly used(<500 miles) 2004 S with the stock wheels and Talon/Excel 17 SM wheels for 5 grand. The previous owner did the biggest upgrade for me ($1500 set of SM wheels and tires). The upside down fork is the only advantage the SM has over the S, although don't have any idea how it will handle with standard dirt wheels 21/18's.

[oliwally]

The SM Has A Different Rake To The S To Make It Turn Better With The 17" Wheels.

If It Was Me I'd Look At A Husaberg FS450 Or Vor 450 SM-E

These Hadle Sweet And Look Well Tasty

[drzoomn]

The SM Has A Different Rake To The S To Make It Turn Better With The 17" Wheels.

yeah, but is that a different frame or just different triples or fork lenghts etc? i find it hard to believe zuki would make different frames. it seems getting similar handling out of an E or S would not be too hard.

my 2 cents

droo

[oliwally]

I Think The Report Said A New Frame,But That Was About Six Months Ago And The Details Were Sketchy At Best.

[drzoomn]

who knows. the uk zuki site list different rakes and trails, but again for cost i can't imagine them making a different frame from the S & E. maybe they are all new?

isn't rake also related to the rear of the bike as well. like if you increase or decrease the rear height you affect the both the front rake and trail?

?

all i know is that if my DRZ wasn't already black and soon to be SM, i'd buy one in a heartbeat. ?

cheers

andrew

[oliwally]

I May Be Wrong But I Thought Trail Was The Distance Between The Axle.

Rake Is The Angle The Forks Are I.E Too Many Degrees It Ends Up Looking Like An OCC Chopper,Too Little And It Looks Like You've Ridden Into A Wall.

But What Do I Know,I Work On Cars Not Bikes And I Could Be Talking Out Of My Arse For All I Know ? :cry: ?

[drzoomn]

right, but say i have my long ass DRZ forks and i lower the hell out of my rear, then the bike will start to look like a chopper. by lowering the rear i'm tilting the frame back effectively changing the rake. then i raise the rear a whole bunch and it starts to look like a sport bike...well a funny looking sport bike.

according to this page i'm not totally crazy ? ...

http://www.american-v.co.uk/technical/handling/geometry/body.html

[oliwally]

I Stand Corrected ?