Thinking Of Getting A Drz400sm??

[sportriderwv]

Hello Just Commng Off A Zx6r I Am Looking For Something Different ( Tired Of All The Sportbikers Around Here) Was Wondering How You All Like Your Drz400sm As Far As Ridding Hard In The Twistys Ect, Any Other Info Would Be Great Also,,

Thanks

[JoeKher]

DRZ's are okay but alittle slow and underpowered for street. Check out the MZ Baghira (same money) or the KTM 625smc. Either of these will give you more for the money.

[Donkeyjyna]

The new DRZ is awesome! I love mine. The power isn't really an issue unless you live in Florida or Texas or somethin'. With a few easy mods they can be made MUCH faster too. Great handling, light feel, and surprisingly smooth.

The KTM 625 looks cool, but they rattle and shake, and they cost as much as a 600.

[Jolly705]

Donkeyjyna

The KTM 625 costs as much as a 600 because they are one ?

The DRZ is great for what it is but it is alittle underpowered. I owned a 625 and my only regret is having to sell it (needed a race bike). They do vibrate more than a DRZ but they also weigh around the same (DRZ 295, 2004 SMC 291, 2005 SMC 320) and have wayyy more power. The vibration did not bother me though. If you are going to stay away from the highway and do a lot of tight twisties you can go wrong with either one.

[Speedzilla]

Husqvarna SM610S

[CrashMW]

To at least partially answer your question unlike many of the posts above, I would say that the bike is very good in the twisties. The partial aspect is because I have an 02 DRZ 400S and converted it to supermotard. I then piped it, carbed it (FCR39), and made a few personal changes, and the bike is great. I have ridden with only an XR650R on the street, and it did have a little more power, but if you want to keep up, you can do a pretty good job on the 400.

With stock street gearing, (15-44) 3rd gear wheelies are a snap, and even 4th if standing on the pegs with a good pull on the bars. The bike is butter smooth, which cannot be said of many of the higher displacement bikes, and can be modded to the moon with all the information out there that has been tried and tested.

It is NOT a racebike...it is a very fun urban assault vehicle that despite weighing more than full on race bikes, hides it's weight well.

Read the latest issue of SMR, they admit to being very surprised with the bike -pleasantly surprised at that. AND they ALL race for a living, so are not likely to cut the bike much slack.

BTW -I also have a CRF450 motard, and the DRZ can be a lot of fun on the track, even compared to the CRF. Just not as quick or fast.

Just my $0.02 since you asked,

[MWDRZ]

Here's my opinion... ? ...The DRZ is a great, fun bike. It has big potential to be faster and to be modified to taste. The KTM 625 SMC is simply more bike out of the crate. I have fairly extensive experience with my own DRZ, with riding my good friends KTM 625 SMC, and in owning my KTM Duke with the 625 motor in it. If you like the DRZ, buy it and never look back. If you are looking for other options, check out the KTM 625 SMC. It is quite a bike...IMO ?

Mike

[mickeydee]

i just picked mine up yesterday and i'm quite surprised. this thing pulls alright.yes it needs more power but thats easy to fix.the more it breaks in the more pull it has.it just needs a pipe and jet kit and mabey a couple of other mods and it should go a lot better.

mikeydee

05drz400sm

99yzf400

[sliverdcpl]

The 625 SMC's are nice bikes, but they come restricted as well. They have the FCR carbs on them from the factory but with huge throttlestops in them. With some tweaking they can be opened up and a lot of power regained. Plus the new SMCs are running dual exhausts. This is to allow better breathing while still having some flow and be quiet. I would imagine some folks ditching the dual pipes in favor of an unrestricted single.

We bought a DRZ400SM and the more I ride it the better I like it. We have had it for a few months now and have added a larger tank and changed the tires for a bit more gravel road use. The AVON Distanzia are great tires, just pricy. I have ridden a 625 breifly and had a chance to compare. The 625 does have a ton more motor and is much more bike out of the box. But the DRZ definately has merit. Plus it is much easier to get one. The SMC's are limited release in the States. Plus the DRZ has a huge assortment of Aftermarket available due to the corresponding 400s. I have the DRZ but would not shy away from the potential of either bike. KTM is getting better about getting parts in a timely fashion. In the long run compare $6099 retail for the DRZ Vs. $8000+ for the SMC. 1 of only about 130 in the states for 05.

[SuperMotoPilot]

I bought the DRZ400SM back in May. I have owned a few sport bikes in the past (CB900F, CBR600F, RC51) and while they make a lot more horsepower and go a lot faster, they were not as much fun to ride on the street, IMO. The 400SM feels so light and flickable and the riding position so much more comfortable than a sport bike that you aren't afraid to throw it over and back it into a corner, especially if there is some loose stuff on the road. I have not ridden with sport bikers, but some say that you can get through tight corners faster than a sport bike.

I still had my RC51 when I bought the 400SM and actually preferred the 400 for around town where you can actually ride it full throttle without getting pulled over. On the highway, forget it; a sport bike will be smoother, faster, and more stable. But around town and on gravel / dirt roads, you can't have any more fun than riding the DRZ400SM.

When comparing the 400SM against other SM bikes, the key is really to figure out your budget first. How much can you spend and how much maintenance do you want to do? I think those two factors will help you decide.

[norcal-sti]

i got one in may, and it's a blast. you can really ride the crap out of it, and not really risk getting nailed. it really goes around corners well, the tighter the better. did the yosh trs full ti and had it jetted. the bump in hp is pretty good. it needs a bigger tank, and maybe the fcr will happen soon. great fun!

[LaneMM]

I just got my '06 400SM today and like everyone else said, the power is a lil disappointing but can be increased easily. Handling is good and you can ride the hell out of it and have plenty of fun at 65mph. Couldnt say that about any sportbike I ever owned.

[BUBONICON]

So after scouring the web to ease my mind that buying a DRZ400SM would be the best place to sink my paychecks into it seems i have just dug myself deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole....

what i want: to finally purchase a spanking new bike and to keep it for as long as friggin possible!

What I have been able to derive so far:

DRZ

-Street legal supermoto's are still in their infancy. With the success of the drz this year surely the other big names will want a piece of this market niche.

-the drz needs another 50cc and another gear (this from my brief experience with it and subject to opinion) I guess what i'm really trying to say is what if kawasaki or yamaha or honda was to come out with a 450 with 6 gears and a comfy ass seat in 06 (which prob won't but how soon until competition for drzSM)... how many people would we see jumping ship for one?

-the drz falls just outside of practical use (freeway commute)

KTM & Husqvarna

-More $$$, more difficult to aquire (if you can even in BC), but oh my what toys! These are closer to what i want

amount of $$$ is scary but how much more will modding a drzSM to keep up with these or what will be coming out....

just some intial thoughts, is anyone else in my boat?

[J-S]

I'm in B-C on Vancouver Island and you can get a KTM even a husky if you go in Seattle but the price is way higher and the price for the maintenance is way up there too. I was looking for a KTM525smr street legal (you want a real beast it's one) and found one brand new in Victoria, but I looked at the underpowered drz and it was half the price at the end and the maint was way cheaper, so what did I do? I went for the drz and I have been riding it for 3 weeks now, yes it is underpowered yes a 6 speed would be nice but it still a blast to ride and it's not my first bike I had sport bike even raced sport bikes and I just trade my 2001 KX250R for the drz so yes the bike is the smaller I had powerwise but it's the most fun.

I am due for an oil; change the first one 1000 km and the next one won't be before another 5000 km. With the KTM I would already have 3 to 4 oil change min. at 17$ each oil filter and you need 2 of them, I think I like the drz. Don't get me wrong sometime I still think of the 525 but what the h**l I will modify the 400 and have as much power as the ktm and still pay the insurance of a 400 witch mean 362$ for basic for a year.

[SpikedLemon]

I've got a CBR929RR and I just picked up a DRZ400SM on Friday. I was looking at the KTM too; but the cost to purchase along with running costs were more than I want to spend on a second bike.

I'm actually thinking of selling the 929 as the DRZ pretty much covers short distances better than the 929. And 100km/h (60mph) is pretty slow on the 929 while it's still a blast on the DRZ. All the fun at half the speed - keeps me safer from speeding tickets!

My first impressions were essentially disappointment that I bought this wimpy bike... But I quickly warmed up to it and now I love it! I think I'll sell the 929 next year.

[mickeydee]

So after scouring the web to ease my mind that buying a DRZ400SM would be the best place to sink my paychecks into it seems i have just dug myself deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole....

what i want: to finally purchase a spanking new bike and to keep it for as long as friggin possible!

What I have been able to derive so far:

DRZ

-Street legal supermoto's are still in their infancy. With the success of the drz this year surely the other big names will want a piece of this market niche.

-the drz needs another 50cc and another gear (this from my brief experience with it and subject to opinion) I guess what i'm really trying to say is what if kawasaki or yamaha or honda was to come out with a 450 with 6 gears and a comfy ass seat in 06 (which prob won't but how soon until competition for drzSM)... how many people would we see jumping ship for one?

-the drz falls just outside of practical use (freeway commute)

KTM & Husqvarna

-More $$$, more difficult to aquire (if you can even in BC), but oh my what toys! These are closer to what i want

amount of $$$ is scary but how much more will modding a drzSM to keep up with these or what will be coming out....

just some intial thoughts, is anyone else in my boat?

ya i know what you mean but i've done the 3x3mod,yosh pipe jet kit and it's almost there. i'll run to work and back able to easily hold 145 on my drzsm.i don't think any sm would be great for hwy commuting unless you ad some more wind deflectors it won't be long till i make this drz rip like my yzf

[mrriggs]

I have ridden sport bikes for the last couple years, just got rid of my Superhawk. Lot's of fun but I got into too much trouble. I always rode too fast, it was just too easy. A little flick of the wrist and I was doing tripple digits. It never felt like I was going as fast as I was. I bought a DR-Z400SM because it has no power. It is a blast to ride. Just as fun as any sport bike but at legal speeds. You can bang through the gears quickly so it feels like your hauling ass but your not. It's like driving an MG. I have no intentions of modding it for more power. Honestly, it doesn't NEED any more power. It goes down the road just fine and has no trouble keeping up with trafic on the freeway. It gets good gas mileage and the insurance is only $173 per YEAR for liability and theft. It is everything I could possibly want or need in a street bike and it's fun.

[MES Racing]

The DRZ SM is a good bike. I just bought mine 2 weeks ago. I have ridden sportbikes for the last twelve years and currently Road Race with WERA. The hp issue worried me too, but I wasn't having any fun with my GSXR on the street, so I purchased the SM. Yes, it could use more hp, but I'm having fun on this thing. If you want an out of the box super motard street legal, then I think this is the way to go. I may not get a ticket from speeding, but I'll probably get one from reckless driving.

[YZthumperTX]

i love my SM! i have never smiled so much when riding a bike before. after i did the full yosh and 150 in the rear the fun factor went up WAY high. and my ins in only $40 bucks a month with full coverage

[ClutchTsi]

I just got my 06' black drz400sm 2 days ago , and am very happy with it . Its pretty cold out , bit I still managed to put a few miles on her , and i just love it . With a few mods she'll rip pretty well .