Nope, nobody, not never. The stock tank is bigger than the stock tank on a DRZ-400. The stock tank is bigger than the first aftermarket sized tank for a DRZ (the 3.2). It surprised me that they would put such a BIG tank on the little DR-200 to begin with (we used to have one). With 3.4 gallons and maybe 100 mpg (depending on conditions) it goes farther on a tank of gas than some cars. Propbably not much of a market for that conversion. Not saying you couldn't come up with some exotic mission that fewer than 100 people on the planet routinely ride, but if you really need that range, you are probably on a bigger bike to begin with!
Anyone running kenda 270s? I need to get my wife off of those death wings. After seeing those pics of their outstanding quality I went and checked the rubber on my wifes bike, an 07 with only 150 miles on it and guess what they are weatherchecked, top notch oem quality eh
I'm thinking of getting a DR200.With gas prises at $3.40 + here in the Pacific Northwest, I'd like a smaller bike I could commute with and use for trail riding too. I'm about 5'10" or 11" tall and about 172 pounds-anyone my size riding one of these? I like the simplicity (air cooling,easily adjusted valves with screw type adjusters,large tank for a 200cc,long track record of reliability etc.). Are you owners really getting close to 100mpg?? If you are, I'm going in this weekend.... Jon
for 5"10 or 11, I'd recommend something bigger. I think it'll be too small for you. maybe a KLX250 (new ones) for your height.
No problem with the weight because I have often ridden 2 up with daughter, 250 lbs combined less riding gear. The comfort issue is a little trickier. I have a 30" inseam and consider the seat to peg height at my minimum. I hope you have also checked out the Minimalist Tourer thread because the 200 has been thoroughly discussed there. I'm running a 15:42 final and with speed/rpm discipline (about 4500-4800 rpm/42-45mph) I generally pull 290 miles before hitting reserve. Fills at this point are 2.7 gal. I may try a 15:40 final sometime this summer. The 200 is not a bike for 55mph+ roadways but once away from the urban insanity you can run at your own pace and enjoy the ride. Another excellent performer is the Kawasaki 250 Ninja that will get about 85 mpg with a 15:42 final(not OEM). I can usually pull 85-90 mpg if I hold the rpm to 6000 or less. With this final, 6000 rpm equates to 60 mph. The ergos could be an issue so be honest with yourself. Another great ride...
I am 5'-10" and while I have ridden the wife's DR-200 in the woods, it is way WAY too small. My knees were up towards my chin. Transitions from sitting to standing sucked. It is okay for riding around town on the pavement (no need to get up off the seat) but the bike is too small for woods riding. Also, the suspension is eak for trail use. On dirt roads it would be okay, but not in the rocks. I found the front suspension very harsh, probably because I was using up too much of the softer part of the suspension travel just geting on the bike. Compared to my DRZ it was awful. For a taller person, KLX-250 dualsport. We have full-sized guys in our club who ride those.
I, too, am 5'10", 30" inseam, about 200lbs., and the dr200 is not too small for me but I'm glad it's not any smaller. I don't get off-road with it, don't ride aggressively, and am content with it's placid speeds. However, inside 30 minutes on the bike and my posterior is uncomfortable. I like nearly everything about this little bike but seat comfort may end up being a deal-killer for me. In the attached pic (along the Salmon River just south of Cottonwood, Idaho) you'll notice the usually purple seat is covered by the much-discussed Walmart seat pad. I wish it improved the seat's comfort level for me but it doesn't much. I don't need car-like comfort, but when trying to get comfortable becomes the main focus of the ride after just 20 minutes or so the fun starts fading fast. I'm sure my 55 year old butt just doesn't tolerate what it used to 40 years ago, and I know comfort is a subjective and personal issue. Still, there's got to be something out there that's better than this!
Well, that's why. For 5'-10" (which is my height) it is okay to just sit your ass on it, as in street/road riding. It is when you are rising to standing that its inadequate pegs to seat height is apparent. Kind of like a jockey position (okay the Preakness was just on) but a jockey's ride is only about 5 minutes "up on the pegs".
i can fit two cans of guinness in the small chase harper bag i bought for the bike! i've put about 250 miles on since getting the bike last week. once i hit 100 miles the engine seemed to smooth out a bit. and frankly, i'm not one of those break-it-in-too-gently sort of guys. i hit as many dirt roads as i could last weekend, just to get my legs back for that sort of thing. there was gravel, hard packed dirt, loose (but shallow) dirt, and mud (though no standing water). i was feeling pretty good about things today i mapped the backroads path to work, in case i decided to commute occassionally with this bike. sweet merciful crap! i got into some loose, deep dirt and the ass-end was trying to swap places with the front. after gracelessly recovering from that, i about worked up a 30mph high-side when i over-corrected riding in some deep hard ruts. alright, i said to myself, don't get cocky. ooooh, look! deep mud with standing water! how bad could that be? why, pretty bad, thanks! i kept it up, but i'm sure there was no skill involved on my part. so with my ego in check, i've learned that you can put some really strong input into the handlebars to keep things vertical and not to think that i'm going to float over any obstacle in the road. i did drill out the plug over the pilot and back it out about 1/4 turn. this has been standard procedure on all of the carbed bikes i've had in the past. at first i was unimpressed with my efforts, but once the bike warmed up a bit it seemed like the throttle response was improved somewhat. i also have a 39 tooth sprocket coming soon, with the hope that it will make the sporadic highway run a little smoother. so other than scaring the crap out of myself a few times, i'm pretty happy with my purchase. tires may be next on the list of upgrades. these trailwings kinda suck in anything even vaguely deep, and i'm not good enough to compensate for them.
If you like everything less the seat call one of the many "seat" guys and have it reworked. They can do wonders. I'm only 5'7" and 150# so I don't have the seat react in the same way as you heavier riders do. For riding in a recreational trials mode I really liked the bike and even peg top seat dimension but not the large tank (the only circumstance where a big tank would be a negative) which gets in the way of the knees when standing on steep climbs. We all know the 200 is in no way a woods or trail blaster and I don't expect mine to be. It's a reasonable compromise that I can accept.
my wife's sd card got hosed (more specifically, i hosed it ) and we sent it to some place that managed to recover all the photos. i don't remember who it was; we googled around. i'm quite impressed with the mileage and timing. nice trip!
And another item one might want to consider are good quality cycling shorts. I'll have to try that sheepskin cover. I wonder if the shorts when combined with the cover would improve the comfort further. Klay, didn't expect you back so soon, you must have been doing 300-400 mile days. What was your longest (mileage) day. Also, what were your average cruise speeds on the surfaced vs graveled roads. After your experience with the Kendas how do you rate them. Not much left after your trip. Will you refit again or look elsewhere. Looked like a great trip, thanks for the pics. Another great ride...
We had a rider on a DR-200 in yesterday's 3rd Annual Massachusetts Dualsport ride. I don't know if she did any of the Hero Sections, but then a lot of the 1200 GS bikes didn't either. It is ironic or sumthin' to see the 200 and the 1200s riding the same event.
minor update: i drilled out the plug and backed out the pilot about 1/4 turn. i don't have a ton of miles on her, but after she warms up the throttle response is improved and 55 seems to come up a bit quicker. the hesitation is gone when the throttle is opened. the idle seems a little off though. i adjusted the idle screw based on feel, comparing it to the f650 since they are supposed to idle at 1400~1600 rpm. once warm, with the choke out, the bike seems to race a bit. warm up is pretty quick though. i think 1/4 turn might have been a bit much; i'll play with it and see how 1/8 is. overall i think it's an improvement. still needs a some fine tuning...
