Suzuki DRZ400sm, Is it as RELIABLE as People Say?
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- čas přidán 17. 07. 2023
- The Suzuki DRZ400sm is known for being " an outstandingly reliable “dirt bike” and is commonly referred to as bullet-proof!" But, is it really? After owning one for many years, talking to many other owners, and hearing stories, I think I have a more truthful answer, at least for the UK!
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I think anyone looking at the purchase of a new DR-Z even here in the US needs to understand a bit of the “history” of the bike. Originally conceived as an enduro bike, the “E” model, (That explains the instruments with count up, count down timers 😉.), in 2000. Then sold as the dual sport “S” model. And finally as the SuperMoto “SM” starting in 2005. So a purchaser really need to compare its reliability and service intervals to other enduro bikes from 23 years ago. Because as you have said, except for addressing some of its early design issues, the bike is unchanged since it was introduced. So where do I stand on the issue you may ask ? I own one, ride it regularly for around town errands, love the torque and the “bark” of the “nearly” open exhaust 🤪, and it never sees a speed over 60 mph, and even that for short runs. Besides, I’m an old fossil just like it is 😆😆😆!
Have to admit, it sure does have some character to it 👌
I have a 2020 drz400SM I got with 1000 miles, now has 3400 and I bled the brakes and put new brake fluid in today and wow it stops so much better! I’d consider mine new, so if mine needed it, yours probably does too!
I do maintenance so it's never old.
I have my DRZS over 10years. Not modded engine. Used hard.. offroad and also hi speeds. No major issues. Just doing standard service. No need to be gentle on the throttle🙂
I mentioned that I did not mod the engine - this is probably important. As you said in the vid if you mod and stress your engine more than the service intervals must be shorter. No other way around
How long do you do motorway/highway speeds? like 70mph+ sustained?
@@spicy110 I admit I dont do long highway trips. About 1h in one way. And sure i dont do extreeme revs but never worried too much 🙂 ofcourse this is not a highway speed machine🙂 but a more offroad oriented dual sport. If you need high speeds at comfortable revs - a heavier bike with more cc would be a better choice. Something like 600cc does much better in highway. No dubt about it. Had bigger bikes also. All probably depends on what you expect from a bike, there is always quid pro quo🙂
@@spicy110also on this bike, chain gears are probably important to optimize for the kind od riding you want to do
That is what I said in this video when I talked about motorway miles, I am not surprised yours is lasting so well if you do not do it day after day. This is why after mine went wrong I got a 600cc sports tourer as a work horse bike.
I am currently restoring a Suzuki TS125R 1994. Getting parts is a nightmare lol . But it's all about the enjoyment.
My friend had one but sold ot and got a dr350
The drz was meant to be thrashed. If you do the scheduled maintenance and use quality oils/parts then the thing will be reliable and last a long time. But every bike wears out, so you have to be mindful of running the thing st high revs for long periods. Keep the thing stock with a simple carb tune kit and itll last as long as you're willing to maintain it.
Also high speeds can be had with different sprockets, 15-38 is usually good for sitting at 70-75mph on the freeway for an almost indefinite amount of time. 16-39(41) is good too, if you're willing to grind away some metal for clearance on the front sprocket.
I think you have a great point. The DRZ is a maintenance heavy bike compared to most street bikes!
However, compared to other supermoto bikes like a KTM 450exc or Yamaha WR450 the DRZ is very low maintenance as those motocrossbike based sumos need an oil change every 10hours, shims checked often etc.
So, if you want a reliable commuter bike, don't get a DRZ. If you're in the market for a supermoto but don't want to change your oil every 8-10 hours, get a DRZ
Yep that is a fair way to put it!
@midgrade1747I think he’s just bought a lemon unfortunately
sounds like this will break down if i try ride it 70miles a day to work but i want to get off my heavy motorcycle
@@actionroom9226 With proper maintenance and rebuilds the bike will be fine. But you can't expect it to be maintenance free. A DRZ needs to be rebuild every x amount of miles. (When it starts consuming oil, depends on your ride style).
However.... One very important thing to remember: the seat is hard as wood. I think your butt will break before the bike does. 70 miles is a long time to be sitting on a plank
In exactly the same boat with a 1992 DR650. Online you will only ever see 'bullet proof' ''goes forever''. When I got this one (42k miles on it) I Ended up replacing the top end and then pretty much doing a full restoration of the whole bike as inspecting the motor, suspension, it had just been ragged with little mechanical sympathy for it and was practically worn out. This is the annoying part of people just parroting ''bulletproof'' as at least for this 650, its the same deal, weak gearbox prone to shedding teeth, you have to manually adjust the balancer chain every 4k miles and adjust the valves, you will do the top end of prolonged motorway high rpm. Which in reality, for todays travel, makes them quite fragile things.
Only spastics that know fuck all about bikes say bikes are unbreakable and can't be killed
I've bought a few bikes with "bullet proof" reputations...they are all gone now because I was tired of dealing with the issue, no bike is as reliable as an old Toyota 4 banger lol
I'm an aspiring rider. This video is a nice reality check, but I'm not dissuaded from saving up for a DRZ.
The only design changes I'm aware of are were implemented in 2007. Tapered handle bars and axle sliders.
They updated the ACCT too after 05 I think.
@@spicy110 Interesting! I looked it up and that is indeed another little design change!
@@USAltefore Yer the old one was applying too much pressure and was leading to issues, although mine is a 07/08 I put a MCCT on mine.
Really helpful thanks. I want a smaller supermoto as my first big bike and was pretty convinced on a DRZ before this vid. What would you reccomend? Wr? Crf? Ktm or husky? For a newbie with a tight budget
If you can afford a KTM, you are not on a tight budget. Look into the KLX300sm, 230sm or the older 250sm
Would this start well, in the cold (extreme cold, I was gonna put grip studs series 1200 studs on the tires and ride it), with the kickstarter installed, but no other mods?
Carby bikes start hard in winter and need to sit with the choke on till full temps, but otherwise it'll be fine. And the kickstart kit for the 400e model fits in the s/sm model (minus the decompression bits) and are oem parts from Suzuki so it would have the same overall reliability with or without the kickstart installed. There's videos on installing the kickstart kit, it's not hard just time consuming and you need a tool to take the clutch basket out.
I know you might never read this , could you possibly see about reviewing the seat mo escooter 125 , as you have a lot of electric experience i would like your opinion on this seemingly cheap but adequate scooter .
Hey spice been watching you for years man, I'm moving away from 125cc an going to do my a2 license and the only supermoto I can set my eyes on is the drz, I see them on Facebook market and some are really clean looking and some have real low miles and good prices, I'd love some input from u dude, personally I think itd be a score for sure
The simple answer is someone who know bikes would need to look at it in person. No.1 rule start from cold and see if it smokes, that's a big clue to bore/ring related issues.
@@spicy110 my dad knows a fair bit, he will be coming with me, Is that the only thing to look out for other than physical stuff, thanks so much man I cant wait to have the same bike as u and abuse her hahaha
That is the common problems, but clearly you need to so all the normal checks you would for any bike. I would also ask how often they changed the oil because as I say in the video, many people do not keep up with the true maintenance these bikes need.
@@spicy110 thank u bro
My mate is selling his drz sm! In Donegal Ireland
didn't ryan f9 recently explain that high revs actually cause less damage to motorbike engines in terms of wear? great video
I mean you think he is always right? That video has been pulled apart a bit. I don't watch the channel but heard about that one.
@@spicy110 wow dude why don't you watch the channel? and i have no idea personally, i'm super new to motorbikes. i have a drz400s from 2006! love it to bits
@pitchwife7573 I used to watch the channel maybe 7-8 years ago, when it was just Ryan in that garage but did not like the way they were not honest about the fact it was a front for a website selling you the same things they talked about. It is the same as when they did a video on some oil or something and claimed it to be the best while also selling mostly only that brand. I have been riding for over 15 years on the roads, off-road for 22 years and tinkering with engines and things since I was born almost. I am 37 now and hardly anything they talk about is new to me and often I do not agree with what they are saying (or more like the way they are saying it.) Like the fact they gave you the idea, high revs is good!
Here is the video pulling the revs one apart , I have time-coded it for a point you should see. czcams.com/video/cHn_Jjztq2Y/video.htmlsi=9H0kdHQ1UcyLnxsw&t=1737
I would say mines been very reliable and idiot proof. 25,000mi 2022 -jumped/wheelied daily and crashed several times. sliders and barkbusters help. I let the countershaft nut work loose and it ruined the seal causing an oil down. I had to replace the stator at 24,000 miles.
are you saying it is a 2022 bike?
@@spicy110
Yes. 2022 with 25k mi of abuse. I have a self control problem lol
What was the mileage when it started leaking?
@@jakubolszewski856 15k. If u just tighten the countershaft nut it won't happen. I retorque on pre-ride now
I put 17k on my 2022 before it was stolen. 😢 Same story tho jumped stoppied and wheelied daily, threw it down a tunnel once messing up a stoppie and rode it home, took it to glamis, best the fck out of it every day basically. Indestructible bike really. Oh and I should mention a good 2k miles easy was witn my overweight ex girlfriend and the bike took it like a champ!
well yeah you got a point. However, the question is: As a first a2 bike, what is the alternative if you want a somewhat quick/fun bike? smcrs and 701s are very expensive and also too heavy for the restricted power, supermoto converted enduros typically are very unreliable comnpared to street bikes and the conversion is expensive and not easy to do legally. And other than supermotos, I can´t rlly imagine a class that´s very fun with 48hp
MT07, if you really want a supermoto then yer you don't have a high he range of options in the UK.
@@spicy110 well I'm in Germany so it shouldn't be much different. Isn't the Mt07 pretty expensive as well?
I don't know what German prices are like but older ones can be had pretty cheap.
@@spicy110 I'm from Germany too, own a DRZ myself, thought about selling it and buying a SMC-R or 701. I ended up not selling it but currently saving for a MT07 as a "daily bike", used they are relatively expensive (used ones for around 6500€, new for around 8000€). I couldn't get rid of the DRZ as a fun second bike.
thank you
What IS your recommendation for beginner bikes that will last 100k+ miles and be cheap and easy to own and maintenance?
By the way, all three bikes above are easy to maintain and last a long time. The 300cc Versys is a twin cylinder high revving machine which is counterintuitive to being long lasting but in reality, this little twin motor design has very try little stress on it which aids on the longevity.
I love my drz im a little harsh on my bake i like wheelies haha mine is also a 2008
I dont think there is any bike that is bullet proof. I would say its more Idiot resistant, in terms of riding style and how regular the upkeep is done. I ride a little harshly in terms of nailing it from stop light to stop light but I do maintenance and checks on a regular basis. That being said, I think as much as I want a super moto they seem to be higher maintenance than I would want to do. They are also high value targets for thieves in my area. They look like so much fun tho......
Agree, agree, agree! 👍
something i find a bit overlooked when you state that drz's are not a bulletproof bike is the fact that they might not be as bulletproof compared to a xt600 or xr600 or whatever. but the fact that the DRZ actually is a (somewhat agrueably) decent supermoto hooligan bike puts it in a very diffrent catagory. imho the bulletproof claim is still very much true when you compare it to other actual supermoto's. i mean lets be real here, you will never be able to trash (or daily) a ktm as much as you can trash a drz for 50 000 km's without having to replace the piston once. if indeed you take propper care of the basics, that is clean fuel, oil every 1500km's and clean air filter, a DRZ can absolutely last 50 000 km's on a single piston and having to reshim the valves maybe once or twice. and even when you brake something, most of it is easy to find (maybe not in the uk but in all of europe with ease) either used, aftermarked or oem through suzuki dealers and by far not as expensive as lets say a ktm.
even current bikes that are in terms of reliability, weight etc etc more compareble to a DRZ like the wr250 or crf300 are still not as reliable as a drz while still being way underpowered in comparison.
also i find the claim that making performance mods to a DRZ will effect the reliability completely false, the drz is actually one of the few bikes that are totaly fine with having big bore kits, fcr carb, hotcams etc etc installed. because they where litterally designed to have most of the upgrades.
if you do a decent inspection when buying the bike and when you fix the bit of querks it has a DRZ is the absolute best beginners supermoto out there.
I have a friend in the states who has 48,000 mikes on his 2009
Nice! Many repairs? and what sort of riding? It is all data I add in to my opinions.
@@spicy110 he replaced a seal on waterpump, and stays up with fresh oil and air filter maintenance he rides it to work everyday at a bike shop and he does not ride it to hard
How many big Mike's 😂
Thanks, Yep that all makes perfect sense!
I'm still going to get a street legal drz400e in the US tomarrow. $2800. Unless you can find an xr400r thats street legal theres still nothing better cheeper more reliable than the drz400. It will be my 4th suzuki
I didn't say don't buy one, just know its limitations and maintain it.
DRZ 400S are mint so much fun. But as i have little leggs. I have to pick up some sm wheels.
Why do you change the oil every 1500mi when the service manual recommends every 3500mi after the break in?
Yes, I can answer that, think about it. If the bores are wearing out at 17-18k, do you think that 3500 miles is good enough? I and many owners would say it is not and if you look into what owners do you will find many keep to 1500 miles. 3500-mile oil changes are the sort of thing you do on a 600cc inline-four with 3-4 litres of oil in it. The DRZ is single cylinder and only has 1.8 litres of oil and people ride them hard all the time. If you putt about on it, yer I could see that being doable but not if you ride the bike hard. Basically, it is preventive maintenance.
Oh my god. The roads looked really familiar. I know these roads I live in Havant.
That's because I live on Hayling haha
Most reliable bike I had was the fz6 07 beat the piss outta it used rotella t6 oil and 50k miles and it’s still around somewhere I regret selling it
1 thing that lets it down and prevents me from getting one is that they are carburated.
It's a bummer. My first bike was carbed. Didnt know.much about them, crashed an got a fuel injected 125 it was nice having the auto choke and such but I did miss putting the choke on my self, a carb brings character I believe
what is your intro song i can't put my finger on it but i think i recognise it from the soundtrack of the TV show "spaced"
yes! fuzz townshend
If you do a big bore do it day one. Once a crank gets higher miles keep it stock bore you will see 50 k do a big bore 10 k it will be time for a crank
I agree if you do the whole lot, 3x3, cams, carb and so on. I decided to just change the bore and jetting, yes I am not getting the power out of the bore I could but for the very reason you say here I want to not push my luck. 13k miles on its all still good.
What are you hinting at, a big bore will wear out crank, but not if installed when bike is new? Dont understand. As long as piston is same weight as stock piston, there shouldn't be much difference in stress on crank.
Dammerls from Indian queens have a drz 400 for sale 😅
On the cheap, just get a Kawa KLX 300. For the ultimate, just get KTM 690, or Ducati 698 mono.
The klx 300 isn't sold in the UK, as far as I know.
@@spicy110 Regretful! It is an ideal entry level Supermoto, straight out of the box.
Ah, the most boring, but most correct answer: "It depends". Damn you, nuance!
I do set some strong parameters to that and you know what to look for when buying one. If it smokes on start up and or hard revs...it has the lurgy! haha
they crash well, don't mind minor damage to me as we have the NHS
They do do that!
They crash well....I took a slide around 30 mph, going around a circle, and the Only damage was bark busters, Peg, and shifter got bent in, picked the bike up and kept riding before some idiot passerby could even call the cops, Lol. I got home and removed the Shifter and Bent it back with a hammer and vice.
Suzuki won't change the bike, because it has ZERO competition in that price range!.....and it sells good in America. The second you update the bike to Fuel Injection or 6-spd.....the price Instantly jumps to $10k+ US, and now you're Fighting to compete with Honda and everyone else in a cramped market space.......plus the Tens of Millions of dollars on designing the upgrades and compliance for other countries. Yes, no doubt an updated DRZ would produce hype at first, but that always fades....now you gotta spend Lots of money competing for new models each year, and Suzuki is a more relaxed company these days, they don't have the Size they once had.
Suzuki should update it because there is no middleweight road going supermoto available to buy new in Europe. It's 125cc and then a jump up to the KTM/Husqvarna 700cc.
I wish I could buy a new supermoto between 400-550cc.
It has zero completion because it is banned in most European countries. Suzuki does not care to compete, otherwise they would have updated it.
Of course it wont be ultra reliable, its a DRZ with carb and single cylinder while being more focused for off road use. Is it easy to fix? Yes, less moving parts, but reliable probably not.
Weird how I don't agree with all of that.
Care to say in what way?
I put 9000k on my 2021 drz400sm in 2 years and it has been trouble free. 50/50 street/trail riding. And i beat the piss out of it. Regular maintenance and quality fluids. Dosent burn a drop of oil. Thing is a beast and i sold my MT07 because the drz is so much more fun go ride.
Do u have a pair of dirt tires for it, you just swap out? Or u take the SM tires on the dirt ?