Take the chain off and have a look at them. If they are hooked out or worn down change them. If the chain is stuffed, get a new one. Check your sprocket bolts and nuts for tightness while your there. Take it for a fang, tHen get a beer, sit down, look at your bike, go over it and make sure nothing else is loose\worn in need of attention. THeres no fun sitting on the side of a trail waiting for collection if you or the bike let you down. Remember the 6 P's Planning & prerperation prevent piss poor performance
Sounds way to rich to me. I'm sure you know that Thumpertalk has a whole section on jetting. And one of the moderators(burned) is an expert on DRZ's and jetting. I was running the JD kit with the 35 pilot in moab. Loaded up on all the rocks like a 2 smoke. 150 main on top clip. I have since returned to 25 pilot and 2nd clip on main. Still seems rich in mid range and top end. Stock "S".
OK....first you have to know exactly what's in your carb. Take it apart and tell us. Until then, we really can't help much. If the bike is running rich, at least you can't hurt it. Here's the problem: Uneducated owners think that the 3X3 mod and a pipe will give them lots of power but, for some reason, they don't put in the better needle (Dean, Dynojet). Because the stock needle is so lean, they have to compensate with a richer pilot and main. This will let the bike run but pretty much negates all the other mods because the jetting is a mess. Stupid, really. If you find an aftermarket needle (providing its the correct one) you can jet your bike correctly and make it run better. (see above posts or Thumpertalk jetting forum) If you find the stock needle you can (a) keep current jetting and have the bike run poorly (b) return the airbox and pipe to stock and run stock needle and return the main and pilot to stock or (c) BUY THE JET KIT and use the correct jetting to match the mods you have. Pick one.
I'll see if I can pull the carb within the next two weeks, life is busy right now as a junior in high school so I can't gaurantee this weekend. I might be getting some income soon (hopefully), so if I do find the stock needle I'll just buy the jetting kit. If it's not the stock clip, we'll see what I can do from there. I"ll post up the results when I get there, thanks for the help, Drizzt
Apologies for sounding a bit terse. I should have looked at your profile. I was having a hard time understanding why you couldn't afford the jet kit. Now that I see your a HS Junior....it all makes sense. With your income (or lack thereof) the jet kit seems like a lot of money for one little needle (which is the main thing you're getting) however, it is the ONE thing that will let you bike run like it's supposed to. Hopefully, there is a "kitted" needle in there and all you have to do it straighten out the pilot and main (less pricey)
I've been street riding 10+ years and have just developed an interest in some off road riding. Am currently looking at an 01 DRZ400 on line. I've asked the owner this question but haven't heard back yet so thought I would post here. What do the different designations (E,S,SM) at the end of 400 stand for/how do the models differ. Also, is there just a DRZ400 without E,S or SM? I've done some google searches trying to get an answer but not having much luck. Any explanation would be appreciated.
The models are as follows IIRC: E, electric start dirt model. S, electric start dual sport model. SM, electric start super motard street model. K, kick start dirt model. The E and K models before 2008 IIRC had the FCR pumper carb and a little higher compression than the S and SM models which have the CV type carb. If you are looking at a street legal model that you can ride off-road I would look for an S or a plated version of the E model IMHO. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the information. I saw in Motorcycle Consumer News' spring Used Bike Value Guide that an 01 DRZ400S (doesn't list the 400E) is estimated at $1795. I'm looking at two '01's - an S model (11.5k miles) for $2200 and E model (9k miles) with a "baja kit" for $2300. Based on the estimated market value these both seem a bit high. Any input as to what would be a fair price would be appreciated.
Not knowing what part of the country your in it's hard to tell, you might add that to your profile, but you could look these up on NADA or KBB to see what the prices are like in your area.
A fair price is whatever someone (or you) is willing to pay. Seriously, when I bought my DRZ a couple years ago here in Oregon, used DRZ's were difficult to find. I ended up getting one from the Seattle area (six hour drive). "Blue Book" or other value guides don't really apply in a market like that - only you can decide whether it's worth waiting for another month to see if a better deal comes along. Also, for bikes that old, most of them will have various accessories on them - handlebars, lever protectors, case protection, skid plates, new seat, etc. Those things add value, unless they're something you don't want or think you don't need. Judging by your level of "newbie-ness" I think you should spend some time reading up on the DRZ and/or any other bike you're interested in (altho the DRZ is a good choice). Check out www.thumpertalk.com and go look at the forums section - the Suzuki DRZ 400 forum there has months of reading material for you - similar questions to what you're asking.
The markets the market - regardless of the Value Guides, there's going to be wide variance. When I was looking for an E I was surprised what people thought they could get out of garbage. I'd be more concerned about proper care (maint records) and condition than price. Drop a bearing and the deal you just got aint such a deal. Those prices seem to be in the ballpark. I'd try to find a 2002 or newer S if you had to stay in the $2k range. The 2001 S had an "inferior" suspension - 2002+ the suspensions were the same. The E is a much more snappy ride, but more high strung and maint intensive as well. They also tend to be bought by active riders and used hard. So they tend to see more wear than the S. The additional performance may not be all that useful in comparison to condition. Plus, You're more likely to find a lightly used, low mile S - often bought by older riders who take better care of the bikes (Kinda like Porsches - 911s survive better than the 944s). I'd make sure any DRZ had frequent changes - the 3500 mile OIC and 11k filter change isnt sufficient in my book - especially hard offroad use. The brake fluid yearly and the coolant every other. If these things were'nt being done, I'd pass - esp on 10k+ mile bikes. If you could spend another $1k I think you could find a hardly ridden '06-07 S pretty easily. The later bikes had some of the common issues improved by the factory - the ACCT was the worst - and if the bikes been ridden little and not put up right, aint good. There's more info than you'll ever need on the Thumpertalk DRZ forum
Any idea which seatpad is better. The atv seatpad at walmart or a airhawk seatpad?? Doing some long days and would like to keep the stock seat and just add a seatpad. Anyone have experience with either??????????????
Thanks guys - much appreciated. As Remarksman noted, definitely new to this segment of riding so I have lots of questions. Understood about value guides and market etc. just wanted to get a sense of what's reasonable and negotiating room. Will put Thumpertalk and this forum to good use and may be posting in the near future about a new addition.
Kevin, The E models had 5 more HP than the S and that was due to a little higher compression and snappier cam package. I would suggest getting an "03 or newer because for 2003, Suzy upgraded the automatic cam chain tensioner as the older one would fail occasionally. Thumper Talk sells a manual one that is an easy bolt in replacement for the older models. That said, I know of at least 2 guys who have the older DRZ who've ridden them very hard, one guy races his offroad, and are still running the factory unit with no problems. Another thing to remember is that Kawasaki sold the DRZ in 2003 as their KLX400. Their designations were KLX400R (offroad) and KLX400SR (street model). They are the exact same bike, just in Kawi colors.
Hi, just thought I'd pop in to say hello. Bought a 400E yesterday to add to my 350SEV & my 1200GS. This 400E is a serious bit of kit & I'm really impressed! I'm thinking of selling my 350, I'll post it up on the European boards.
Kevin: Here's the most recent E - clean, low hour, street legal '06. As she sits, including the Trick DS kit, skid plate, case guards (still in the bag), rad guards, mirrors, Vapor, rack, tool kit, Tender lead, new bars and risers, etc - I have less than $3300. That should give you a sense of what you can find in today's market. I imagine central VA is similar to the Midwest, but I'd cast a wide net for the right example. The third item that separates the E from S/SMs is the FCR carb. Makes a significant difference - esp when tuned correctly. For your intended use a S would be perfect
Hey guys, I've been lurking around this site for a couple of weeks now doing some research. Yesterday I bought my first bike, a brand spanking new 2007 DRZ400S in blue. I'm super excited to get out and ride, but I just wanted to introduce myself & say thank you for all of the info which ultimatlaey helped me decide what to buy. Ride safe! -Blake
