Suzuki DR-Z400S (2001-current)

Now on my second 400SM as someone else decided they would like my black 2007 model so took it from outside my front door, now have blue/white 2008 model & only difference is the brake fluid resevoir is slightly higher. Love the look of it & as my first roadbike although nothing to compare against it handles great (although fell off on grass the other day). Only niggles are that you can't fit an alarm/immobiliser & gets a little bit light on the front around top end speed. Also, seat is not the most comfortable on long journeys. Currently restricted to 33bhp so haven't bothered with any mods until that comes off next year. I would be interested to know what is available & worth fitting to improve performance as seen some stuff on the net but want to spend my money on the right gear. Also, the review states about a rev counter, is this something you can switch on because I don't have one! Good value though, ideal for new riders.

Bought my Suzuki DRZ400S last month for £2100. It is a SK model, but had been fitted with Excel rims, Braking wavy discs, a Braking caliper,Renthal bars, Full Akrapovic titanium exhaust, bark busters, iridium mini indicators, Acerbis led rear light, and the number plate ends DRZ! Fantastic looking bike, i took the Akropovic off & sold on Ebay for £300, it was really loud, and the bike was running lean with it on. Put standard can on, & saw previous owner had drilled 4 large holes in airbox. Taped these up & it now runs fine (doesnt pull as strongly, but much quieter) Top speed about 95mph, does about 65-70 mpg. The brakes & handling are fantastic. I ride an R1 in the sunny weather, but if i'm going down country lanes i will take the DRZ. Power wise i was happy, until i rode a mates CCM R30 (a 650cc). This was a revalation, and now means the DRZ now needs to go, but it is a great bike anyway

Bought this bike for greenlaning, accident at work knackered my back so no more off road. Converted back for road use and I love it! Punchy engine and high position great for country riding down smaller lanes where I wouldn't take a sports bike, Metzeller enduro3 sahara tyres are grippy but still wearing in at the moment, stable after knobblies. FMF Ti full exhaust and iridium plug have freed up breathing and pickup, top fun but exhaust a bit noisy, so made baffle as I am a bit more responsible now (42)Finish easily marked but not treated with kid gloves. Have Bandit 1200 and Yam dt, but this is the bike I use for messing about on, quicker than you think, and safer not to annoy the plod more than you have to,. Buy another? In a heartbeat

I ride a Blackbird and wanted something completely different - this is it! Positives: Light, manouverable, upright, loads of "guts", fun to ride and chuck around, incredible value for money Negatives: A little heavy to lift back up when green laneing if you accidentally put it down!, Saddle not brilliantly comfortable for long periods of road riding.

Strengths: gem of an engine with bags of character. Looks brilliant (especially in rare black/silver). Light, manoeuvrable, and loads on fun on short journeys -makes a BMW 1200 GS feel like a massive unwieldy wildebeest. Weaknesses: horrible hard narrow saddle (aftermarket saddles now at last available tho I haven't tried one). Windblast (Cee Baileys now make a screen, I haven't tried it).

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I've been riding sportbikes for 6 years, mainly gsx-r's, which were all mighty great bikes but not in the environment I was spending most of my time. In town the gixer was cumbersome and intimidating and there are no nice twisty roads in the area where i live. The only real point to own a gixer was trackdays which happens like 2 or 3 times a year. So it was time for some drastic decisions. The reason why I ride is to have fun every minute I'm on the bike and not 2 or 3 times a year. And the SM fulfils the task admirably. It has such a playful personality it hurts. And its sooo easy to manage! Around town it will blow a sportsbike to weeds no questions asked. The ergos are perfect for city commuting and the bike feels almost weightless. Its a trafic jam ultimate weapon. And if you had enough on the street just jump off the tarmac and make your way through that lawn or park. Oh, and i was 3s faster compared to gixer around the local go-kart track first day I took it there. Strengths:
Looks funky, completely reliable, handles beautifuly, seriously cheap to run, excellent build quality (I mean it), good adjustable suspenion, breaks have good power and feel, unintimidating to ride but tons and tons of fun. If you never managed a rolling stoppie in your life you will on this puppy, trust me on that one. And it crashes well too - I looped it in 5th doing 80mph and all the damage went to the rear lights, sidestand and handlebar cover. Gixer wouldnt be even rideable after this one. Weaknesses: Seat is hard and pain in the ass after an hour of riding. Avoid highways - you will bore yourself to death. Could use another 50cc of motor. Its not a beast like other SM's from husky or berg but I prefer Suzukis reliability instead. Standard Dunlops are ok, but not great - I wouldnt buy them again. Pilot Powers seem to be the choice for ultimate performance on tarmac and Avon Distanzias - the ones to go if you like to jump off the road ocasionally and still have excellent grip on the road.

What can you say about this bike that the sales figures don't already tell you? Currently the best dual purpose bike you can buy, and Suzuki can shift every one that they make for good reason-its a great bike Engine has enough power for gentle off-roading although it aint no 'crosser in terms of power (or weight for that matter). Can easily be pepped up with the 3x3 mod. This will add 2-3bhp all the way through the rev range, with much improved throttle response. Suspension is excellent esp on post 02 models as it is the same as that on the E model, Pre 02 models should be avoided due to soft soggy suspension. I bought mine after owning a modded KMX 200, and it is without doubt light years ahead in terms of engine and suspension. Doesn't rev like a 2 stroke though-despite what some people say Has a few design/reliabilty issues which need curing first but then its bullet proof Much better bike than my old KMX200 visit www.thumpertalk.com/forum for tips from other owners. Strengths: Engine, suspension. Weaknesses: A couple of design/reliability issues which need sorting ie Camchain tensioner, front sprocket loosening off, primary drive nut coming loose, thin engine cases.