Drz400 Thread

[ptgarcia]

Originally Posted by BMWf800gs

What should I ask the dealer to do if anything before I pick up the bike?
What should I check?
It is supposed to come with a 6 month warranty for $4300
Do I understand correctly the Automatic chain tensioner issues have been fixed by this model?
Any other bugs/issues/short comings I may want to address?
The bike was crashed on the right side. The plastic plate on the side is all scratched up and the handlebar is bent on the right, so they are replacing with a Moose Racing Flex Series bar I think the HI bend(its the one with the most sweep and rise).
I looked the bike over at the first look/ride and I did not see any other dents, etc. I may want to check the radiator fins.
Should I ask them to change the oil? Although if I change the oil I will see what it looks like/shavings, etc.
The guy that bought it put the Perelli scorpion pro tires on it which I think fits the kind of riding I want to do with it. I have the f800gs for other riding, I want to use this like a woods/dirt bike. I think I will have to ride it to the trails. I have a 07 VW GTI so I do not think I should or could trailer it.
Pluses and minuses of a trailer: theft, cops, cost,etc.
Am I making a wise purchase or is it too high a cost/purchase price?
Any thing else I am missing or may want to know?
Thank you for your wisdom!

I would replace the ACCT with a manual unit. The newer ACCTs don't break but they still put too much pressure on the chain.

Do the oil change yourself. Clean the screen in the frame, replace the drain screw crush washers, replace the filter, make certain the o-ring under the filter is present (if not, replace it), and don't overtighten the drain screws when buttoning everything up.

Make certain the radiator isn't bent up. If it is, get them to discount the price then send it off to Myler's to have it straightened out.

Check all the fluids (replace as necessary), check the chain and sprockets, do the loc-tite fixes then rip shit up!

[One Less Harley]

I'm wanting to buy a street legal, relatively low mile DRZ 400 or KLX400.

Looking at 2000 to 2006 years low miles and spending no more than $2,500

W/ the DRZwhat denotes that it is a street legal off road version (dual sport)?

Also what was the change over year for the digital instruments?

When did the DRZ dual sport get updated to the larger better forks?

any particular years which are better or worse?

Anything to look out for, i.e. problem areas?

Electric start?

Thanks for any and all information provided. I'm new to DRZ's and want to get a bike which is a little smaller and lighter than my R80G/S, but still road worthy.

[ptgarcia]

Originally Posted by One Less Harley

I'm wanting to buy a street legal, relatively low mile DRZ 400 or KLX400.

Looking at 2000 to 2006 years low miles and spending no more than $2,500

W/ the DRZwhat denotes that it is a street legal off road version (dual sport)?

Also what was the change over year for the digital instruments?

When did the DRZ dual sport get updated to the larger better forks?

any particular years which are better or worse?

Anything to look out for, i.e. problem areas?

Electric start?

Thanks for any and all information provided. I'm new to DRZ's and want to get a bike which is a little smaller and lighter than my R80G/S, but still road worthy.

DR-Z400S is the dual sport model. Model year 2002 and later has the better suspension. All years have the same digital dash. I would look for 2002 and later to get the better suspension. Other than color and graphics there are no additional changes to speak of. Well, I guess they updated the ACCT somewhere along the way but I'd replace it with an MCCT no matter the year.

[Moby]

any one know were I can get a front fender brace for a 2010 drz400s. TPI had one but they don't have them any more. thanks

[One Less Harley]

THANKS, I was most interested in the fork change, and had heard about the tensioner.

Is it that difficult to do? What happens if not done?? When was it changed or updated???

[ptgarcia]

Originally Posted by One Less Harley

THANKS, I was most interested in the fork change, and had heard about the tensioner.

Is it that difficult to do? What happens if not done?? When was it changed or updated???

Its a piece of cake. Took me ten minutes to swap and I'm a mediocre shade-tree mechanic. Retaining the ACCT increases the chance on over tensioning the cam chain, leading to accelerated cam chain wear. Suzuki updated the ACCT somewhere around 2003.

[Jon_PDX]

Originally Posted by Moby

any one know were I can get a front fender brace for a 2010 drz400s. TPI had one but they don't have them any more. thanks

Fender brace? Do you mean something to stiffen the front fender?

I ask because I do not remember reading about one.

Jon...

[nicomama]

Originally Posted by DRZ Charlie

Nicole,

I run heated grips and a heated vest. However, I don't run them at the same time. Conventional wisdom dictates that you have about 50 watts excess to use. This doesn't take into account that you still have to charge the battery.

Check the specs of the liners. What is wattage rating of the gloves at full on? (If they are Gerbings they take 27 watts full on). You can check the charging voltage with the grips on and see what you actually have going to the battery in the way of charge. (engine running, gps on in you have one hardwired).

TT articles say that you need 14.4 +/-volts coming from the stator to keep the battery charged fully but in reality it takes about 13.5 from my experience.

Also, you should know that the stator is an inherent weak link in the DRZ.

Charlie,

For the life of me, I can't find the specs. They are Warm n Safe liners. I think I'll be ok, because they are pretty small. Wish I had time to go pick up a voltage meter.

I'll be going up the 395 to the 31 to hit Summer Lake Hot Springs on the way up then through Bend. Then I'll cruise down the coast on the way back.

Keep you posted on the ride report ; )

Thanks so much,
Nicole

[planemanx15]

Just wondering...

Do the body panels of the DR 650 fit the DRZ? Mainly the supermoto fender available from procycle?

Im looking to get the DRZ but its all scratched up and I dont like the yellow. Since procycle offers the DR 650 body panels all together, I would just purchase that.

[Drizzt]

Originally Posted by planemanx15

Just wondering...

Do the body panels of the DR 650 fit the DRZ? Mainly the supermoto fender available from procycle?

Im looking to get the DRZ but its all scratched up and I dont like the yellow. Since procycle offers the DR 650 body panels all together, I would just purchase that.

First of all, yellow is awesome.

But my real advice is that there are venders that offer sets of drz plastic. I'm fairly certain wheeling cycle supply does, I'm not sure about others.

I don't actually know first hand, but I would doubt that dr650 plastics would fit drz

[tabananjp]

Hello. I have a #2 Kouba link that I'm gonna install on my DRZ400S. My question is: do I really need to install handlebar risers? I read that I have to drop the front fork to compensate for the lower rear...how do I do that? Is it pretty simple? Can anyone post so "how to" guide on how to lower the front fork? Thank you so much.

[Keeper]

I'm not sure how much a #2 will lower the rear end, but I put a 3/4" lowering Kouba link on mine and only had to lower the front about 2mm.
The handle bar risers, not unless you will stand up a bunch.

My first how-to:

Lift the front tire off the ground.
Easiest would be to remove the front tire.
On the outside of the forks are 2 top bolts and 2 bottom bolts right at the same height as the headlight shroud.
Loosen the bolts (one side at a time), but not enough for the fork to fall out of the triple tree.
To lower the front you will need to push up on the fork.
It takes less than you might think to lower the front of the bike.
Again I don't know how far a #2 will lower the rear end, but on my 3/4" lowering link I only dropped the front by 2mm. YMMV
It may take some fitment testing on your part to find out where you are more comfortable.
Anyway, make sure that both are the same distance from the triple tree to the top of the fork.
When you tighten the bolts on the triple tree remember that you're tightening into aluminum and don't tighten too much, or get a torque wrench. Sorry I don't have the specs.

I found it harder to change the links than the forks.

Hope this points you in the right direction.

Originally Posted by tabananjp

Hello. I have a #2 Kouba link that I'm gonna install on my DRZ400S. My question is: do I really need to install handlebar risers? I read that I have to drop the front fork to compensate for the lower rear...how do I do that? Is it pretty simple? Can anyone post so "how to" guide on how to lower the front fork? Thank you so much.

[ptgarcia]

Originally Posted by planemanx15

Just wondering...

Do the body panels of the DR 650 fit the DRZ? Mainly the supermoto fender available from procycle?

Im looking to get the DRZ but its all scratched up and I dont like the yellow. Since procycle offers the DR 650 body panels all together, I would just purchase that.

No, DR-650 body panels do not fit.

[murgatroid42]

Originally Posted by BMWf800gs

... The guy that bought it put the Perelli scorpion pro tires on it which I think fits the kind of riding I want to do with it. I have the f800gs for other riding, I want to use this like a woods/dirt bike. I think I will have to ride it to the trails. I have a 07 VW GTI so I do not think I should or could trailer it. ...

The DRZ engine and drivetrain are durable, you can ride the bike arcross the country with no problems. If you have extreme offroad tires, they might not last long on pavement. Tires are replaceable, though, so it doesn't matter if you are willing to replace tires all the time. If not, MT21's or D606's might be a good compromise between tire life and offroad capabilities.

I have a Harbor Freight folding trailer to haul my bikes. It is very light, easy to store, and could be towed by a VW (my 4Runner doesn't even notice it's there). There are several threads on this trailer, search for them. I saw fairly large caravans (travel trailers) being towed by VW's in Germany, so a small, light trailer with a 300 lb. bike should not be a problem. However, if your GTI is turbocharged, you might not want to tow with it. The engine will have plenty of power, but some turbo engines are not designed to be running sustained boost all the time, which could happen if you have a heavy trailer and climbing mountains. YMMV.

[Jon_PDX]

Originally Posted by nicomama

Charlie,

For the life of me, I can't find the specs. They are Warm n Safe liners. I think I'll be ok, because they are pretty small. Wish I had time to go pick up a voltage meter.

Nicole,

If they are the ones on the page you linked to then it says they 8 Watts of Heat in Each Glove. So you will be pulling 16 watts if you run both glove liners on high.

Hope that helps,

Jon...