http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com Our Suzuki DRZ400 review! The Suzuki DRZ400, or DR Zee as some incorrectly call it, has been around for 23 years with almost no changes. We will look into DRZ400 known issues later. I should know with this DRZ400 long term review. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. Over the years I have owned all three models... the soft dual sport DRZ400S, the supermoto DRZ400SM, and the more dirt-oriented yellow DRZ400E. Suzuki DRZ400 fanatics will tell you most riders aren't worthy to ride this beast. The choice of champions... for some riders. The DRZ400 is cheap, reliable, long service intervals, parts are relatively cheap, and there's a huge array of aftermarket goodies too. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids and DRZ400 mods. I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Australia it has traditionally been one of the biggest selling models- check out the DRZ400 known issues. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. There's something about old style bikes that almost never get updated which appeals to some riders. The DRZ400 fills an important niche in the market. The majority of cheap relatively light dual sport motorbikes are 250 and 300 models which means high revs at highway speeds and only 20 to 25hp. The DRZ400 is only a tad more expensive, not much heavier at 144kg wet weight (317lb), but has a lot more punch for highway cruising and spirited riding. The main downside? Others just keep it stock and use it as commuter during the week and some mild dirt riding on the weekends. At 34hp it's also not intimidating for learner riders. Enough positive points. What sucks? Like the vast majority of Japanese dual sport motorbikes the Suzuki DRZ400 suspension is truly awful unless you are a featherweight. The taller seat height compared to the 250s and 300s. A Suzuki DRZ400 is a flexible platform. Plenty of guys fit big tanks to these, upgrade the suspension, and do seriously long adventure rides. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. Undersprung. Weak damping. Thankfully it has cartridge forks so stiffer springs and revalving will transform the DRZ400. Stators tend to burn out at around 20000km. Most owners remove this as your engine will cut out over rough terrain if the sidestand flaps up and down. The fasteners for the stator, starter gear and primary gear can loosen over time. Get in there with the loctite. Like quite a few Japanese bikes, there isn't a lot of grease on the Suzuki DRZ400swingarm and steering bearings with the Suzuki DRZ400. If you find a really old DRZ, the 2000 and 2001 models needed a manual cam chain tensioner. The seat is far too hard for riders who like to sit. The Suzuki DRZ400 sidestand has a safety switch. The primitive five speed gearbox doesn't have a very good spread of ratios. Quite a few guys spend a fortune on aftermarket gears to improve this. The Suzuki DRZ400 reminds me very much of the DR650. A great basic bike, which could be so much more with tweaks from the factory that would cost next to nothing. For example, change those Suzuki DRZ400 gear ratios. So the Cross Training Adventure focus is just get out there and have fun on two wheels. Cross Training Adventure actively avoids sponsorship. I suspect that Suzuki just doesn't care if it's selling well. We like doing seriously critical reviews. Manufacturers make some really bad mistakes. and there is a lot of dodgy crap being sold out there. Instead of glowing dual sport reviews for kickbacks or free product, we will try to keep the buggers honest. So subscribe. Put heavier oil and springs in the suspension. Change the seat to a softer foam. And possibly they would risk the 'grandfather clause' is some countries where they don't have to meet new emission and safety standards if no changes are made. Viewers often ask me if a DR650 or a DRZ400 would suit them better. It is such a common question I have actually done an entire video about this. It depends where you riding fits on this spectrum. If good off-road performance is your main priority, you will want the old DRZ400E model. Or don't subscribe to our Cross Training Adventure riding channel. The main thing is get out and ride while you can with dual sport riding or Adventure riding in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Romania and beyond! So check out Cross Training Adventure. A light dual sport motorbike with good road manners? The old S model will suit better. If you like grunt, enjoy low revs on the highway and don't mind the extra weight? The DR650 will probably suit better. Have you owned a Suzuki DRZ400? What sort of mods did you make? Or have you ever ridden a DRZ400? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.
Music "Microcosmos" Jason Corder

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