DRZ400s good trail bike

[EXracer14]

i am thinking about geting a 2001 drz400s... i am going to do mostly trail riding.. is this a good bike for trails is it geared to high.. is it too heavy??? thanks

[Toadyfatz]

I have the same year s model and it does pretty good on the trails. You will need to change the tires if the Trailwings are still on. I know the suspension is a bit different on the 01's and I think they changed it to the same suspension as the drz400 in maybe 03? I am also getting ready to change the sprockets to have it geared the same as a drz400. This is a cheap and very noticeable mod as I have a friend who has done it. If you do a search here you can find plenty of info on that. It will not be able to hit highway speeds with ease anymore, but if you are mainly riding on trails that should not matter. I'm not a big fan of taking this bike on the highway anyway since it just gets blown around to much. I've had the bike for about 4 months now and I love it. I am finally getting some decent dot knobbies this week and I can't wait. Here is a good site that shows alot of the mods that can be done to this bike.

So in a nutshell if the bike is stock imo with a bit of work it is a great trail bike. I think another option might be to just buy a drz400 and get a dual-sport kit for it. I don't know much about that subject, but I think it can be done. Good luck!http://www.4strokes.com/tech/suzuki/drz400su.asp

[GSBill]

I have 2 DRZs models..A few easy mods and they are great trail bikes...

[jeremyM]

I have an '04 DRZ -400s and It works pretty good on the trails. It needs a lot of mods to make it decent though. First of all, you have to change the gearing to 14-47 or 14-49. The stock gearing is terrible in the woods. You must also stiffen the forks with aftermarket springs. As stated by Toadyfatz, the tires must go. I run regular old Dunlap 756 dirt tires. In order to pass inspection, you must have the dual sport tires on though.

The DRZ works o.k. for the woods, but if you are serious about trail riding, I would recomend buying a used CRF-x or wr and making it street legal. You would have a 50-60 lb lighter bike and a lot more response out of the motor. My buddy bought an '04 CRF 250x that he made street legal and I wish I had done the same. I can go a lot faster on his bike than mine, and I hardly ever ride it. I'm not saying the DRZ isn't a good trail bike, but iit s a better street bike than a trail bike. Its biggest problem is its massive girth. 291 lb dry weight is a lot to muscle around the woods and jump. If you get a race bike and put a baja designs dual sport kit on it, you will be ready to ride right away with no other modifications. I wish I had done that.

[HomerDRZ]

.........Its biggest problem is its massive girth. 291 lb dry weight is a lot to muscle around the woods and jump. If you get a race bike and put a baja designs dual sport kit on it, you will be ready to ride right away with no other modifications. I wish I had done that.

Me too....I probably will after trying to muscle mine through Missouri woods.

I'm thinking of buying my neighbors 00 E or a XR250R.

[kman780]

The DRZ is a pig in very tight trails, it will whip your ass into shape. Once you get used to it, you will love it. I rode a 250 the other day and it was fund but for some reason I was some much happier to get back on my 400.

If your going to race motocross the DRZ400 is not a good choice, its heavy and will be expensive to make race worthy....

Bottom line the DRZ is a great duel sport, the S is more dirt bike than street so it does well in the trails, with new tires and some simple mods...

[EXracer14]

well.. im not really sure about this bike anymore.. im going to ride mostly trails.. i might look at a wr400 or something... maybe a drz400e.. idk im not really sure at this point.. i need to sell my bike before i do anything.. check my signature.. if you know of anyone who is interested let me know..

[gszfoster]

I have an '06 DRZ400S and have ridden it in Colorado from 5000 to 13000 ft completely stock and it ran great, no problems. I like it because I can come off a trail, hit the highway, get some gas, and continue to explore whereever I want completely legal.

It is not as fast as the DRZ E model or other dirt bikes, however, you have to trailer them everywhere you go, can't ride them out of the parks, or ride them on the highway. It runs great out of the box and I am very pleased with mine, would definitely recommend it.

If you want to make it faster there are a lot of mods out there, the great thing is you don't have to mod it in order to use it.

[seehenry]

gszfoster, very true I do enjoy watching my friends muscle their stuff back onto the truck, lol.

[mdm_rides]

I love it for dual sport rides, b level trails and general fun. There doesn't seem to be a hill that will stop it and even with 15:47 gearing you can run it at a continuous 70. Last weekend I rode it up to the Washougal MX round, a couple weeks back, a 2 day dual sport where I ended up riding 55 miles on a flat front.

For serious A level trail work however, it isn't even close to my ktm 200.

My $.02

[oldmanb777]

I like my DRz's, but not for tight single track or woods. It is a fun play bike, but heavy for tight technical stuff. In the tight stuff, the smaller bikes always smoke me, but I can smoke them on more open stuff. Swap bikes and the smaller bike always do better in tight stuff. The S model is seriously detuned from the E and weighs more. However it will run an any gas you put in it. The E can be a littel temperamental. But its weight makes it a pig, but more stable on the street.

[DRZ400Squid]

Shougal was awesome!!!! Other than climbing the hill with crutches that is.

I would say that the S is a decent, entry level trail bike. I've been riding mine on the trail for about a year now and have never had a problem keeping up with some pretty fast guys, on some pretty fast bikes, on some pretty gnarly trails. The DRZ is a touch heavy and it wears on me around mile 50(which is a long-ass ride around here), but it makes up for all that with the magic button, very plush suspension and pleanty of easy to manage power. I can't say enough about the power, it just climbs... while my friends are all looping, spinning or stalling out, the DRZ just motors up anything I ask it to.

I changed the gearing to 14/48, did the jets/needle and 3x3 mod, put on a pipe, got rid of some guages and switches, dumped the mirrors, signals and rear fender, put on case, frame, hand and radiator guards, put 10wt oil in the forks, cranked up the rear spring a bit and cranked all the suspension settings up quite a bit(except the front rebound, which I found was better left out about 15 clicks) and set it off with some S12's at 10-13psi.

The only other bikes I would recommend to start on are a WR250, only a little less power, but a lot less weight. A 99? WR400 or a DRZ400E.

[Kaskade]

I have an '04 DRZ -400s and It works pretty good on the trails. It needs a lot of mods to make it decent though. First of all, you have to change the gearing to 14-47 or 14-49. The stock gearing is terrible in the woods. You must also stiffen the forks with aftermarket springs. As stated by Toadyfatz, the tires must go. I run regular old Dunlap 756 dirt tires. In order to pass inspection, you must have the dual sport tires on though.

The DRZ works o.k. for the woods, but if you are serious about trail riding, I would recomend buying a used CRF-x or wr and making it street legal. You would have a 50-60 lb lighter bike and a lot more response out of the motor. My buddy bought an '04 CRF 250x that he made street legal and I wish I had done the same. I can go a lot faster on his bike than mine, and I hardly ever ride it. I'm not saying the DRZ isn't a good trail bike, but iit s a better street bike than a trail bike. Its biggest problem is its massive girth. 291 lb dry weight is a lot to muscle around the woods and jump. If you get a race bike and put a baja designs dual sport kit on it, you will be ready to ride right away with no other modifications. I wish I had done that.

 

What makes it terrible in the woods? What do you mean by the gearing makes it terrible in the woods?

[Decil Moto]

What makes it terrible in the woods? What do you mean by the gearing makes it terrible in the woods?

You do understand this thread is almost 8 years old? And second, there are tons of other bikes that a lot better than the Drz if it's a trail only bike!

[Kaskade]

You do understand this thread is almost 8 years old? And second, there are tons of other bikes that a lot better than the Drz if it's a trail only bike!

 

Yes yes i'm very sorry to dig up old posts, but I really need to know!

 

And i'm not looking for a trail bike, i'm looking for a bike that can do 60% street 40% woods/trails. I want a bike that can drive 300 miles a day and not overheat or work to hard, but I want a bike that will be able to pop over logs and ride around in the trails.

 

But do you know the answer to my question? What makes the drz400s terrible in trails? What do these people mean when they say the gearing makes it terrible??

[Decil Moto]

Yes yes i'm very sorry to dig up old posts, but I really need to know!

And i'm not looking for a trail bike, i'm looking for a bike that can do 60% street 40% woods/trails. I want a bike that can drive 300 miles a day and not overheat or work to hard, but I want a bike that will be able to pop over logs and ride around in the trails.

But do you know the answer to my question? What makes the drz400s terrible in trails? What do these people mean when they say the gearing makes it terrible??

1 is heavy so every time you dump it it takes a bit of energy to lift, and as far as stock gearing I does dick in the woods you'll find yourself constantly shifting gears and riding the clutch. Aleast from my experience in the woods on stock s gearing. But as far as a reliable street bike that can Hit the trails any time you.want there is no better showroom ready bike for the job! Wr250 is also a real option to but it won't be as good on the.street as the drz

[Decil Moto]

Yes yes i'm very sorry to dig up old posts, but I really need to know!

And i'm not looking for a trail bike, i'm looking for a bike that can do 60% street 40% woods/trails. I want a bike that can drive 300 miles a day and not overheat or work to hard, but I want a bike that will be able to pop over logs and ride around in the trails.

But do you know the answer to my question? What makes the drz400s terrible in trails? What do these people mean when they say the gearing makes it terrible??

Oh Ya and as far as digging up threads is cool I was seeing if you realized how old it was lol sometimes people who made it aren't on the forums or pay attention anymore lol but you are good

[ZEDJUNKY93]

Get a drz slap 15/47 gearing on it And some decent and you'll love it. This gearing is a good combo if your doing street and trail riding I run it and can cruise 70 all day a little buzzy but not bad! as for the weight.. It's not that bad really I've had mine fall on me to many times I've dumped it to many times. for real tight technical stuff it's not the best but it's doable and you'll beat the little 250s in the open stuff all day especially with some suspension and a couple power mods.

[ohgood]

Yes yes i'm very sorry to dig up old posts, but I really need to know!

 

And i'm not looking for a trail bike, i'm looking for a bike that can do 60% street 40% woods/trails. I want a bike that can drive 300 miles a day and not overheat or work to hard, but I want a bike that will be able to pop over logs and ride around in the trails.

 

But do you know the answer to my question? What makes the drz400s terrible in trails? What do these people mean when they say the gearing makes it terrible??

 

 

I traveled 260 miles on the drz yesterday in hooligan trim (see hooligan mod). Last weekend it did single track all day. The week before that, gymkhana.

 

 

a motorcross bike is lighter, better sprung, faster, etc

a street bike is more comfortable, faster, and geared better for 80mph

a cruiser has more chrome to polish

 

the drz will do single track just fine. and tight woods. and enduros. and camping. and hillclimbs. and DUALSPORTING. it needs slight changes for each discipline. 

[xchallengeme]

I’ll dig up this old post because it came up in a google search while I was looking for guidance on my DRZ 400 off road kick start only model. 

For anyone looking for a “do it all Awesome bike” it’s my opinion…..that that motorcycle doesn’t exist.

I’ve gone from the dual sport version of the DR to my current kick start only DRZ 400(the lightest version). It takes premium fuel. Has dirt only tires on it. It has a super high seat height. Stiff suspension. Super minimal instrumentation. Kinda bonkers quick throttle response. The bike performs like crap on the roads (ride quality, comfort, gearing, smoothness, noise) compared to my old DR and the tire noise on even compact dirt roads is defending BUT and this is a big BUT the 400 dirt model is LIGHTYEARS ahead of the s off-road. It’s much SAFER to ride in the woods because of all the compromises that the dual sport model has. 

If I was going to spend any significant time in the dirt on a 400s I’d buy the most aggressive street legal knobbies I could on it. Stiffen the suspension (especially the forks for sand). I’d gear it down a little. I’d do all the power mods. (It still wouldn’t be a lot of power) I’d take off the heavy rear frame. I’d remove the blinkers. Even after you do all of that it’s still gonna be heavier than a DRZ400e which is already a yellow pig. A Badass yellow pig.

if you buy a off-road bike it’s much easier (at least where I live) to make it street legal than it is to make one of these dual sporters perform off road. It’s a light kit. New tires (that may or may not need to stay on ? ) a license plate mount. A 5$ horn (not electric) and some easy paperwork and an inspection. And maybe a bigger front sprocket. 

So yes the 400s is a bike that really CAN do it all but it’s a big compromise. Bigger than I thought it would be and ultimately I couldn’t justify keeping it because the trails where I live are seriously technical with sand, mud, single track, trees, and steep hills all over the place. Riding the same trails on the 400 off road model is a much less stressful experience and ultimately way more fun.