New from NC

[Shag67]

Hey guys. Just picked up an '05 DRZ400S yesterday. I've been riding street bikes about 23 years now. Have been getting into offroading with bajas and Jeeps for years but only recently decided to try out some dual purpose stuff. I have a '03 Yamaha XT 225 that I've been riding a lot. I love the bike but I may have been pushing that bike just a little too hard. Pic from recent trip out to the mountains, around 540 miles round-trip just before I headed out: ?

The 12-pack of beer I had crammed into the tank saddlebags was about the only thing that kept the front end from popping up every time I took off. That trip kinda made me certain I needed something with a little more power and suspension so I got this yesterday:

I know it's no sport-bike but WOW, the power difference between it and the XT225 is INCREDIBLE. Looking forward to enjoying some adventures on this bike now. I'll try to search the forum before asking too many dumb questions. ?

[hyper7driver]

That wasn't this bike by any chance was it?

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/2685329799.html

[jtiv19]

Welcome to TT?

Where are you in NC?

[Brandon B]

Welcome to TT?

Where are you in NC?

I'm interested in where both of you guys are from lol

[jtiv19]

I'm interested in where both of you guys are from lol

I'm here in Goldsboro. How bout you Moterreal?

[Shag67]

That wasn't this bike by any chance was it?

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/2685329799.html

No... I did get it from a craigslist ad but it was in Chapel Hill. The one I got has about 7600 miles on it and isn't quite as clean looking as the one in that ad. I see now (by looking at that ad) what's missing on the head pipe on my bike. There's supposed to be a short heat shield there but mine is missing that piece.

[Brandon B]

Jacksonville

[Shag67]

Welcome to TT?

Where are you in NC?

My mailing address says Fuquay Varina on it. Little town just south of Raleigh. But technically I live in Duncan. Duncan is just too small to have a post office. That's why my mailing address says Fuquay. Where are y'all?

edit: oops... I see you just said where you were from...

[jtiv19]

We need to get together and ride some time. Fuquay isnt very far from Goldsboro. Moterreal I think we've talked before about the Dual Sport riding group down there in Jacksonville.

Hate to hijack your thread shag67...... Sorry about that?

Make sure you read the DRZ FAQs. Lots of good info there

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=397

This inspires me to start a N.C. DRZ thread. ?

https://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=10830374#post10830374

[JUNURE]

Nice bike, you will love it. Welcome to TT.

[DRZ-Nut]

Holly crap...I had to go out and see if you took my bike.?.I too have a blue/white 05 same pipe as well. I'll have to post a pic soon.

[Shag67]

Wahoo! Took it out for the first time for real today and had a blast tearing up the backroads with my friend. He was on a Concours. Strange pair of bikes. 1400cc touring bike and a 400cc dual-sport. ? The DRZ impressed the hell out of me and my friend. ?

[hyper7driver]

Wahoo! Took it out for the first time for real today and had a blast tearing up the backroads with my friend. He was on a Concours. Strange pair of bikes. 1400cc touring bike and a 400cc dual-sport. ? The DRZ impressed the hell out of me and my friend. ?

Yeah, a few of my friends that ride "big bikes" have thrown a leg over my DRZ, and they always ask "now where did you get that"? Along with things like, "how much did that cost?" I usually answer; "they cost about half as much as your bike, sometimes less," and; "around here you get them the same place you got your bike." Providing they're on a metric bike of some sort.

I'm in Lenoir NC, quite a clip from your 10-20. But I do have a vast amount of places to ride over here. Often times I'm asked by some of my old friends from my old home state, "don't you ever go on long rides?" Then I remind them that some of the best is virtually in my backyard, why go somewhere else? I'm about three hours from Deal's Gap, ten minutes from Brown Mountain, 20 minutes from Morganton, which has a few tracks and quite a bit of Dual Sport trails, 45 minutes from the OHV park in Taylorsville, Just go look at the where to ride section on this site. And there's sooo many mountain roads around here that are just as good as Deal's Gap, just not as long, and they've yet to be publicized.

OK, I'll hush, I just am truly thankful to live here!

[Shag67]

Yeah, a few of my friends that ride "big bikes" have thrown a leg over my DRZ, and they always ask "now where did you get that"? Along with things like, "how much did that cost?" I usually answer; "they cost about half as much as your bike, sometimes less," and; "around here you get them the same place you got your bike." Providing they're on a metric bike of some sort.

I'm in Lenoir NC, quite a clip from your 10-20. But I do have a vast amount of places to ride over here. Often times I'm asked by some of my old friends from my old home state, "don't you ever go on long rides?" Then I remind them that some of the best is virtually in my backyard, why go somewhere else? I'm about three hours from Deal's Gap, ten minutes from Brown Mountain, 20 minutes from Morganton, which has a few tracks and quite a bit of Dual Sport trails, 45 minutes from the OHV park in Taylorsville, Just go look at the where to ride section on this site. And there's sooo many mountain roads around here that are just as good as Deal's Gap, just not as long, and they've yet to be publicized.

OK, I'll hush, I just am truly thankful to live here!

Sounds like a nice area you're in. I've been to Deal's Gap five or six times so far and have been around the Brown Mountain area a few times. I've told my wife several times I wouldn't mind retiring in Morganton some day. I like to camp just north of there off of Old Jonah's Ridge Road up 18/181. The picture I posted of my XT all loaded down was right before I went camping up in that area. I rode all the way out to Boone while I was out that way but was camping off of Jonah's Ridge Rd. I love that area. I didn't know they had a bunch of dual sport kinda trails in Morganton. I live in the middle of nowhere and have power line trails that are on the back side of the 3 acres we have out here. I can ride my dirtbike out of the garage, cut through the woods behind my house and be in the middle of some stuff you wouldn't believe. Beyond those power line trails are LITERALLY thousands of wooded acres and miles and miles and miles of trails that are really about perfect for a bike like the drz400. I've been riding them for 5 years now on ATVs, my XT225, and even a little bit with a VW baja and a 4WD Ford Ranger. I love this stuff. ? Only thing that sucks is when it's hunting season (like right now) and it's just not safe to ride back there because of the hunters. But I'm glad they hunt to help knock down some of the zillions of deer we have out here so that I can ride on the street and have at least a 50% chance of not getting killed by one of them. ?

[hyper7driver]

Awesome dude! Yeah, lot's of riding around here. The Fuzzy Beaver rally is something I'm definitely going to do next year if at all possible. They even serve you food if you want!