new to me drz400, please answer these questions...

[drzinwyo]

I picked up a 2003 drz400 with only 123 miles on it the other day. the previous owner bought it and realized it was too tall for him.

I'm happy with the bike, but it doesn't seem to have tons of power. what can I do to make the bike more spunky? I really don't want to dump lots of $ into it right now, so some cheap mods will get me by for a while.

Also, when i was riding it the other day, I got on it and it seemed to sputter like it was not getting gas. It was fine until I went to gun it, it acted like it was cutting out. Is this the rev limiter?

Sorry for the noob questions, but I am a noob with thumpers...

thanks in advance..

mark

[smcalpac]

First things first, check the FAQs at the top of the page. There is a wealth of information there regarding the DRZ.

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440104

As for getting some more ponies, there is always the FCR conversion, Yoshi muffler and header. Those are the two most common. Then there is cams, headwork, ignition, big bores, stroker kits, etc.

As for the bogging, could be incorrect jetting, clogged jet, sloshing fuel, etc.

Really hard to say on that one.

[blt]

Which model E or S?

If its an S the best thing for increased power and throttle response is to get a yosh full pipe and 39mm FCR carb from the TT store.

[Noble]

What can I do to make the bike more spunky? I really don't want to dump lots of $ into it right now----About the most bang for the buck is a carb kit. I assume this is a S model so you want a DinoJet jet kit or a JD Jetting jet kit at about $70.

Also, when I was riding it the other day, I got on it and it seemed to sputter like it was not getting gas. It was fine until I went to gun it, it acted like it was cutting out. Is this the rev limiter?---Not unless you were at 9,500 rpm where the limiter kicks in. I suspect a carb cleaning and jet kit will cure the problems.

[drzinwyo]

it has the blinkers, etc. to make it street legal.

The gas had been sitting in there for about a year, while it was not ridden. should I put some sea foam in the tank? do you think that will help with the cutting out?

thanks again.

[Regalman]

I'd pull the carb and clean it.

As for some more power cheaply, this is what I did.

Used E Exhaust 25 bucks.

New E Intake Cam 115 bucks.

New E Base Gasket 10 bucks.

Jet Kit (and 3x3 mod) 55 bucks.

Granted, this was pretty labor intensive (which for me was free) but it netted me a decent gain for around 200 bucks.

Once you start talking FCR and Pipe your into the $1,000+ range.

[DaaL1973]

Also, when i was riding it the other day, I got on it and it seemed to sputter like it was not getting gas. It was fine until I went to gun it, it acted like it was cutting out. Is this the rev limiter?

Could well be the rev limiter... I recently got my first thumper too, and bounced it off the limiter in every gear, I was used to a nice smooth 4 cylinder bandit, the DRZ revs higher than it sounds like, and the rev limit is probably lower than you are used to.

[RobotMachines]

Are you riding off-road only or on the street as well.

If you're just riding off-road, get a 13 or 14 tooth front sprocket and a 47 rear (or something like that), that'll give you huge power per $.

[smcalpac]

Is your bike an E model or an S model? That will make a big difference as to what else you might want to do.

I assumed because the bike was street legal, it is an S, but if it is an E model, you will already have the FCR carb and the better cams, etc.

Drain the tank and the carb, run the sea foam and put some fresh fuel in there.

[gordium7]

Typical stuff for a bike that's been sitting around a while.... (ordered by easy-to-do & $$)

0) could have water in gas - check it and/or replace it

1) venting. check all your various tank/carb vents and vent hoses are clear. bugs like to build nests in them. no air == no gas

2) check air filter (just in case)

3) check gas filter if bike has one

4) check lines to tank petcock - air leaks in vacuum line are bad

4) check condition of spark plug - check you are getting spark

4) run a tank of gas with sea foam or some other fuel system cleaner through bike - if improvement noted but still not 100%, rinse and repeat

5) clean just carb jets

6) last resort -- remove carb and clean it thoroughly (*if* you have tools & know-how to do correctly)

Am I forgetting anything?

[KillDozer]

If I were you I would get the James Dean jetting kit and do the 3x3 mod to the airbox. I think if you get the Dyno Jet kit you won't get all the jets that are needed from what I understand.

That's what I did to my stock 07', made a big difference in how it runs. Used to

surge and hesitate, runs clean now.

[MrTucker]

...I'm happy with the bike, but it doesn't seem to have tons of power...

That's because you bought a DRZ. It's a 1 cylindar, 400cc thumper with 33-35 hp - it wasn't made for power. On the street is leaves much to be desired for. On trails and somewhat technical stuff is what it was made for.

Adding power is definitely doable, but be careful what mods you do expecting to make a lot of difference.

I had the SM model and did the 3x3, set up the jetting, and added a full Yosh exhaust and to be honest, the power difference was minimal. The throttle response was a huge difference, but I doubt I even picked up 3hp.

You need to dig into the internals for significant hp gains. The FCR is a good start, but a big bore kit, hot cams, E base gasket, etc are where the hp gains are.

Simply rejetting the stock carb, cutting the 3x3 mod, and adding an exhaust will definitely increase throttle response and make it seem more "peppy", but the difference wont knock your socks off.

It took me riding the piss out of it the morning of, and immediately after doing the exhaust and 3x3 mods to notice a difference. Your low end will be much improved, but nothing on the top end.

Adding an FCR would be one of the best things you can do if you do only one thing...