What 400 to get

[bamafutbal]

i am helping my brother n law get back into dirt biking. he is no where near ready to ride my crf450 but i want to steer him in the direction of a 400 ( he wants a xr650, but too heavy and that equals no fun). is there a particular year to look for a drz400. also what is the pros/cons on the drz400/xr400/klx300. i think reliability/no-minimal maintenance/easy power delivery is the key for him with a potential for a hare scramble one day

thanks

john

[drjack]

2002 or newer if you're looking for a street legal S. Any year E.

DRZ is much better than XR as it's newer technology.

Very reliable and low maintence too.

[Mauser]

is there a particular year to look for a drz400

The dirt models DRZ, aside from small design improvements are the same since 2000. The "S" model was improved in 2002 with the dirt models suspension. I had a 01 Drz400e which was sold, never did a thing to it in a year and a half (except change fluids) perfect trail bike, capable of modification for racing if desired. I realized I missed dirt riding and bought

the 05 "S" because I also street ride.

I have a KLX300 and there is a very noticable power difference when compared to the 400's. The 300 chassis is small, good for a 5 ft 8 inch

rider and down, also is noticably lighter. Great beginner and tight woods riding machine. Power spread is decent.

The XR400 is a grunt master, good turning chassis. probably the lowest maintenence, least prone to damage bike. But is outdated. almost as tall as the DRZ. The DRZ will out horsepower it.

It depends on the legality in your area, terrain, funds, height, weight, etc.

IMHO Hope it helps.

[MutualBill]

There is an 01 S for sale in Florida for $1800 in the classified section. The big draw back of the 01 is the suspension for that year. But for that price you could afford to source some RM forks and a better shock and be golden.

I'd check it out.

https://www.thumpertalk.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=1173&sort=1&cat=2&page=4

[drjack]

I'd snap that up in a minute if it wasn't 3000 miles away. My 13 year old will need one eventually And until then I could try out the SM thing everyone is going crazy about without having to mess up my DRZ which is just right the way it is.....for now