My new toy - Suzuki DR-Z 400 Supermoto

[mikey]

Hey everyone! Just picked this bike up today to inject my life with a bit of hooliganism
She is a K7 DR-Z400 registered '09 with 3500 miles on her in what can only be described as showroom condition.
She has been fitted with a tail tidy, Barkbuster handguards and an Acerbis front mudguard and is currently running a Bridgestone race wet tyre on the front which will be changed to a normal road tyre in the next couple of weeks.
The engine has been tuned with the addition of a 41mm flatside carb, stage 1 intake and exhaust cams, thinner base gasket rasing compression ratio, modified airbox with K&N filter and full FMF Powercore exhaust with "Powerbomb" header. Gearing has been changed with a -2 sprocket on the rear.
For only having 40-45bhp the bike performs remarkably well getting to the legal limit every bit as quick as the Hornet if you feed her the gears quick enough and she is really easy to throw about. Can't wait for a dry spell to really let her at it on some twisty roads with the foot out Best part about her is the sound though. The suck from the carb and the thunder from the exhaust are hard to beat lol.
Only forseeable plans are to change the front tyre and spend some time messing about with the jetting in the carb. Maybe down the line I'll look at getting a bore/stroker kit and headwork done....maybe.
As usual, C&C and any suggestions are welcome!

 

[jason912]

Very nice...i shall be looking a run on this

 

[areofall]

Love the thump of a single, really nice.

 

[slag]

Nice mods, I really regret buyin the XTX instead of one of these, many moons ago..

Wheelie much?

 

[hwajones]

Looks Mighty!
Had a real notion of a DRZ then i bought an FMX650...
Great handling and sounded amazing with Arrow cans but i think the suki would have quite an edge in performance terms!
Let us know how you get on...

 

[mikey]

Wheelie much?

No officer

Looks Mighty!
Had a real notion of a DRZ then i bought an FMX650...
Great handling and sounded amazing with Arrow cans but i think the suki would have quite an edge in performance terms!
Let us know how you get on...

Cheers! Had a look round the other Jap supermotos before I settled on this, and being a Honda man the FMX was tempting but I felt it was a wee bit weighty for me, same as the Yam XT. Almost bought a Husqvarna SMR510, a "proper" supermoto, but the fact it needs a full engine rebuild every 6k put me off!
A 440 big bore kit is currently in the post and theres a slight leak from the carb, so this weekend is going to be a busy one for me!

 

[forde]

nice one mate your only from lurgan too im in pdown, ive a xt supermoto we should get a spin sometime

 

[Con]

Nice get some spare wheels with off road tyres on for some fun

 

[DaddyCC]

nice one mate your only from lurgan too im in pdown, ive a xt supermoto we should get a spin sometime

Ohhhh, supermoto frieennndddd....

 

[Ben P]

looks like great craic, something like this would be an ideal daily for me!

 

[Lee A]

lovely bike....... my dad usta have a 610 Husky they were some job and sounded the ticket too with the twins on it

 

[mikey]

nice one mate your only from lurgan too im in pdown, ive a xt supermoto we should get a spin sometime

Definitely! It will be after I fit the bore kit to her and get her run in though, have to give myself a bit of a chance against the 660

Nice get some spare wheels with off road tyres on for some fun

Was thinking that myself. A plan in the pipeline!

looks like great craic, something like this would be an ideal daily for me!

Twice the fun at half the speed so the cliche goes Reliable and surprisingly vibe free/comfortable compared to hardcore motos! I'm sure MPG would be right and good if I could stop twisting the right hand so much as well.

lovely bike....... my dad usta have a 610 Husky they were some job and sounded the ticket too with the twins on it

Cheers! Always fancied the Huskys, but as I said above the full rebuilds every few k miles would put me off one as a daily. Might look into one as a second, weekend bike though.

 

[forde]

Ohhhh, supermoto frieennndddd....

LMAO

 

[forde]

Definitely! It will be after I fit the bore kit to her and get her run in though, have to give myself a bit of a chance against the 660

lol! the 440 kit will be sweet are you fittin it yourself?

the led tail tidy kit on yours looks sweet i have purchased basically the same thing for the XT but not fitted yet.


that wasnt you i seen poppin a wheelie out of the G road then taking over the bridge to edenderry the other day was it lmao i didnt see real well, think that bike may have been all white but it was a DRZ for sure

 

[moglie]

What do you think of the drz compared to the hornet mate? Im torn between going for one or the other for a bit of summer fun, though as itll be my first motorbike im not sure if im wise going for a hornet?? Also do you think you'd be able to take the drz up and down the motorway the odd day say 30/40mile round trip?

 

[mikey]

lol! the 440 kit will be sweet are you fittin it yourself?
the led tail tidy kit on yours looks sweet i have purchased basically the same thing for the XT but not fitted yet.
that wasnt you i seen poppin a wheelie out of the G road then taking over the bridge to edenderry the other day was it lmao i didnt see real well, think that bike may have been all white but it was a DRZ for sure

Aye, fitting the kit myself! Might be a bit fiddly but looks handy enough! I work in Eddie Mays VW and I let a work mate take her for a rip at a quarter past/half one on tuesday so if that fits your timeframe it was probably him! He was standing her on the back wheel the whole way up bridge street

 

[forde]

yeah that sounds about right lol has it a HID light in it or something it was wild bright, maybe just on full beam

 

[DaddyCC]

Did you sell the Hornet then Mikey? I dont get the appeal of these supermoto's, what is it about them in all honesty?

Being a bike n00b they just look like something you should be tramping about a field in for a laugh

 

[mikey]

Did you sell the Hornet then Mikey? I dont get the appeal of these supermoto's, what is it about them in all honesty?
Being a bike n00b they just look like something you should be tramping about a field in for a laugh

Hornet is gone for the reason I now have a car and don't have the need to do big distances on a bike anymore so can afford to get something with a bit less comfort/practicality.
Pure and simple the motos are about fun (read hooliganism). Pulling stoppies up to junctions, clutching it up in second and riding it out through the rest of the gears, doing donuts and sliding into corners for the heck of it, all while remaining in, or not far above, the national speed limit (on my massive private driveway officer). Things which I personally couldn't have done, knowing my own skill level, on the Hornet. Yes, they are noisy, vibey, slow (compared to IL4s), can be unreliable at times and need constant tuning/tightening of bolts to keep them sweet, but for me, I am having more fun on the DRZ than I ever had on the Hornet in 2 years of ownership. It gives me an instant fix of fun, which for me is what biking should be about. If you ever get a chance to have a go on a supermoto, take it and wring the neck off it up some twisty road and I guarantee you will enjoy it.
Supermotos. The most fun you can have with 17 inches