2002 SUZUKI DRZ 400 S?

I'm thinking about getting a dual purpose Suzuki DRZ 400 S.

Anybody have any insight to share?

just this hotlink for awesomeness:

I'm talking more like this:

Reputed to be just the right combination of on road, and off road. The perfect dual sport according to many.

Very good bikes.

Awesome bikes.

My old shop had one for a while that we brought to the vintage races at Mid Ohio to use as a pit bike. It spent all weekend putting around the infield ferrying guys to corners to watch the racing or up and down the aisles of the swap meet. Sometimes two up with a couple big guys, riding rough grooved grassy surfaces and muddy ruts at a walking pace. No problem.

And on Friday night I hustled it down the interstate to the dirt track races, doing a solid 80 the whole way. (And I'm one of those big guys.) No problem.

As long as high speed long distance touring or scraping elbows on a racetrack aren't on your Must Do list, these things will cover just about all the bases.

(That said, I would probably go for a 600/650 just because I'm a torque junkie.)

It's the XJ of motorcycles

Not a bad bike at all. It's a little heavy, and you'll keep looking for another gear, but they're cheap and well rounded.

Had I been smart and bought one instead of my XR600R, I'd probably have ridden it more.

I gotta stop browsing this forum... it gives me bad ideas... a friend of mine has one of these (~10 year old DRZ400) that I don't think she has touched since we moved it from my shed to one of her other friends' shed about 3 years ago...

Hmm, you're within driving distance of me. Mind asking her if she'd like to sell it?

Friend of mine just bought one and i rode it a few weeks ago, and I actually had quite a hard time getting comfortable on it on-road. It is a MAJOR adjustment from riding a regular street bike. I'll have to wait and see how it is now that it has supermoto wheels/tires...

Woody wrote: Hmm, you're within driving distance of me. Mind asking her if she'd like to sell it?

Not until I decide if I want it first, assuming a DRZ would be a good beginner-bike.

If she still has the it and it's still in the same condition I last saw it, I'm guessing the entire fuel system needs to be gone through. Not a big deal for those of in GRM-land, but I think it's beyond her mechanical capabilities. However, she tends to over-value things she needs to sell, but has some attachment to, so I doubt her asking price would be realistic.

Unfortunately, she is one of those types to hang on to things. I think she still has her Intense M-1 DH bike, despite the fact she hasn't ridden DH in more than 5 years, although she did talk abotu selling it a year or so ago. While it's still a great bike, Intense doesn't support them anymore so values have plummeted.

I've had a DRZ400s for 2 years now. Use it mostly for commuting and get between 55 and 60 mpg. Take it to a local offroad place occasionally. Makes a pretty good trail bike though it is a bit hefty.

Tons of aftermarket stuff for it. Visit Thumpertalk.com. Lots of helpful information there for you.