DRZ400e to what?

[dern]

I have a DRZ400e for green laning on and it's easily there with my ability range. I don't attempt anything gnarly on it just green lanes and plenty of mud, I don't go rock climbing or anything like that. It's got the perfect amount of power and is the perfect size and weight for me off road but is utterly toss on road. If I want to go anywhere further afield it's just a drag it puts me off. I rode it with camping gear from home to Ragley hall for the ADV show a few years ago and it's very tiring at 60mph with luggage. I could compromise on the tyres a regain more blood flow to my hands but the 5 gear box is hard work on the senses. I could take to places in the van but I want to go wandering a lot more this year.

I had an 1190adv but it's far to big for me to take off road and I don't want to fit knobblies to it anyway.

Anyone had a drz and moved up potentially to give me somewhere near the same capability off road, not a massive amount of weight but additional ability to go further afield?

I don't really know about budget, the drz might be worth about 3k and I could probably stick the same again on top or thereabouts. I'm not in the market for buying a brand new bike unless there's a bloody good 0% deal.

Thanks.

[Couchy]

There isn't really a modern equivalent, most are too heavy 790adv/T7/800GS or too road focused 390adv or too slow himalayan, CRF300rally. There is a market for something like you want. A CRF300Rally is close as it will sit at 75 in comfort all day long but it's a bit heavier off road. A KTM 690 enduro another choice but they are expensive and it won't be as bulletproof as the DRZ.

Take the DRZ sort the gearing, add a small screen and comfort seat with a bigger tank

Or go the other way and do the same to a KTM500EXC but add some extra oil capacity with the wider crankcase covers, but no chance with a £6k budget so back to the 300 Rally or CRF300L. I had the 250 Rally and it was good enough to go everywhere I could off road and very nice on road.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I had a DRZ400 for 9 years, they're a great trail bike, but the seat is literally a pain in the arse for any distance. I had a Husky 610 that was a little better on road and a bit worse off, tbh I can't think of anything much better than a DRZ for what you want, a 15 front sprocket makes them better on road and not much worse off, but the biggest thing is tyres, if you like mud you need enduro tyres which are like riding on marbles on tarmac, no matter what bike they're on.

My only suggestion bike wise is the KTM690 trail bike version, but it's only benefit over a DRZ is more power.

[Gregor]

I went from DRZ400s to a Yamaha XT660Z which is a great road bike with around 300 mile range, very comfy seat and can cruise easily at 90.

Offroad the Yam is fine apart from tight twisty stuff where it can’t turn as easily as the DRZ,having a larger turning circle, and it’s quite top heavy with the large fuel tank so can tip quite easily if you can’t get a foot down in time.I did a long distance trial on it and missed loads of sections coz it just doesn’t make tight turns at a slow pace, no such problems with the DRZ.The Yam is very stable at speed on fast open byways where it beats the DRZ but the FI on the yam means a high tickover which robs it of engine braking on steep downhills.

Oh and the 17 inch rear is a massive pain in the arse getting decent tyres, Mitas CO2 are about the only decent option.

If your fittesh and young the any of the XTs are great, now I’m an old fart I’ve opted for a KDX 250 which is probably the best trailbike I’ve ever owned but long distances are out of the question on something like that.

[Supermofo]

Honda CRF300 or KTM 690 Enduro I'd say. Having said that my mate has a 690 Enduro with full rally raid stuff and even that isn't great on road due to soft suspension and knobblies.

[Supermofo]

MCN matey went 690

[dern]

Interesting comments, thanks all. Good video too, that 690 does look nice and they've been around for ages so some decent priced examples.

I could try a 15T on the front (maybe it'll fit with the standard chain) and see if that makes it better. I don't want to tour the world on it but I'd like to be able to do a few hundred miles on it to get to Wales. I'll check the tyres too as maybe there's a better setup that gives it more legs on the road. I had a d606/mt21 combo on a TTR250 and that felt a little better from memory but I didn't exactly take that far or that fast. Can't recall what tyres are on it at the moment but I know that the rear is a little worn.

Maybe I should just be happy to sit at 50 and steer clear of dual-cs. I just don't like being in the traffic, feels really unnatural. I overtook a lorry at 65 on a dual-c going to Ragley and it felt stable as long as I sat very still, didn't breath and didn't put any input in to the bars because then it would shake like a bastard. Dead relaxing

The seat on the drz was shite but I got a sheepskin on it and it really isn't a problem any more, it's perfectly fine.

The lack of a screen has been much less of a problem.

drz.jpeg (802.09 KiB) Viewed 775 times

[dern]

I went from DRZ400s to a Yamaha XT660Z which is a great road bike with around 300 mile range, very comfy seat and can cruise easily at 90.

Offroad the Yam is fine apart from tight twisty stuff where it can’t turn as easily as the DRZ,having a larger turning circle, and it’s quite top heavy with the large fuel tank so can tip quite easily if you can’t get a foot down in time.I did a long distance trial on it and missed loads of sections coz it just doesn’t make tight turns at a slow pace, no such problems with the DRZ.The Yam is very stable at speed on fast open byways where it beats the DRZ but the FI on the yam means a high tickover which robs it of engine braking on steep downhills.

Oh and the 17 inch rear is a massive pain in the arse getting decent tyres, Mitas CO2 are about the only decent option.

If your fittesh and young the any of the XTs are great, now I’m an old fart I’ve opted for a KDX 250 which is probably the best trailbike I’ve ever owned but long distances are out of the question on something like that.

This looks like an interesting option. I've looked at a few bike of this age and size and the only thing that has held me back in the combination of their size and my confidence with that based on my lack of experience. It may be something I look at in a few years time but at the moment I know I can pick up the drz wherever I drop it and as I tend to ride alone that's important.

[Supermofo]

A 690 has a load more power for road riding, some really high mileage ones about too so the engines can be robust. If you're handy with spanners and can do your own valve checks then you can also check the rocker arms. Can't remember what year the Enduro got the updated head that got rid of that issue. For Dukes it was 2016. Other than rockers (and its a big other) the engines don't have any issues I know of.

[Gregor]

I went from DRZ400s to a Yamaha XT660Z which is a great road bike with around 300 mile range, very comfy seat and can cruise easily at 90.

Offroad the Yam is fine apart from tight twisty stuff where it can’t turn as easily as the DRZ,having a larger turning circle, and it’s quite top heavy with the large fuel tank so can tip quite easily if you can’t get a foot down in time.I did a long distance trial on it and missed loads of sections coz it just doesn’t make tight turns at a slow pace, no such problems with the DRZ.The Yam is very stable at speed on fast open byways where it beats the DRZ but the FI on the yam means a high tickover which robs it of engine braking on steep downhills.

Oh and the 17 inch rear is a massive pain in the arse getting decent tyres, Mitas CO2 are about the only decent option.

If your fittesh and young the any of the XTs are great, now I’m an old fart I’ve opted for a KDX 250 which is probably the best trailbike I’ve ever owned but long distances are out of the question on something like that.

This looks like an interesting option. I've looked at a few bike of this age and size and the only thing that has held me back in the combination of their size and my confidence with that based on my lack of experience. It may be something I look at in a few years time but at the moment I know I can pick up the drz wherever I drop it and as I tend to ride alone that's important.

Yeah it’s a fat old pig probably weighs 50kg more than the DRZ.

Sheepskin is the best mod there is for a DRZ ......... that seat really is a killer

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

15T sprocket fits with the standard chain.
From memory, the DRZ400E is 14/47 and the DRZ400S is 15/44, an S will cruise all day at 70, but the gearing is way too high for off road, 15/47 is okay for both, 14/47 is too low for the road.
I think the E and S have the same length chain, weirdly enough so does a Husky 610.
Mentioning Husky 610s has reminded me of something good about them, they have 6 speed gearboxes, the lower 3 are good off road and the upper 3 are good for road use, shame the engine is made out of cheese and has lubrication issues.

[KungFooBob]

My old man had a DRZE, he put a larger front sprocket on it and I clocked him at 90mph (following on my R6).

IIRC the E wasn't great for prolonged high revs, it had a smaller little end than the S or something, I forget the exact details.

[dern]

My old man had a DRZE, he put a larger front sprocket on it and I clocked him at 90mph (following on my R6).

IIRC the E wasn't great for prolonged high revs, it had a smaller little end than the S or something, I forget the exact details.

90! Shit the bed

[KungFooBob]

A semi related memory...

Back in the early 00's I bought a 1990 JDM DR250SHM from dealer in Mansfield as I fancied a bit of off road and the UK 350's were still top dollar.

My dad borrowed it a few times (as I kept it in his garage) and decided he wanted the grown up 350 version. He struggled to find a nice one 2nd hand and they weren't making the 350 anymore.

So he went to the same dealer I got mine from and bought a brand new DRZ-E that they were knocking out road registered for less than the price of an official road going S. They just fitted as shitty round chrome mechanical speedo and an ignition lock.

He was 60 at the time.

[Felix]

Who was the lass that ridden hers to NZ?

[Dodgy69]

My mate bought a new crf300l and loves it. L or rally would do you nicely.

[Gregor]

Who was the lass that ridden hers to NZ?

Fern I think.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My old man had a DRZE, he put a larger front sprocket on it and I clocked him at 90mph (following on my R6).

IIRC the E wasn't great for prolonged high revs, it had a smaller little end than the S or something, I forget the exact details.

The only difference between an S and an E engine is the inlet cam, everything else is the same, most of the Es extra power is down to the carb and exhaust, neither of them like prolonged high revs, they throw rods if you rev the tits off them for long periods.

My S would scrape an indicated 100 on the standard gearing and tyres.

[dern]

Mine has the 3x3 airbox mod, has been jetted to suit and still has the E model carb. It's not short of power at speed, just stability. I'll find out what tyres are on it at lunch time and what gearing it's running.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Mine has the 3x3 airbox mod, has been jetted to suit and still has the E model carb. It's not short of power at speed, just stability. I'll find out what tyres are on it at lunch time and what gearing it's running.

That's the tyres, on the original trailwings mine was fine at speed, on Bridgestone Enduro tyres (can't remember the model) it felt dangerous at 60mph and ate through the tyres, it was okayish on Pirelli MT21s.