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Opinions please!! (get a DRZ?)

L

luckymoamoa

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2012
Location
almaden
Moto(s)
07 drz400sm
Name
Mike
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/4086827532.html



Just sold my gsxr-750 and am looking for something with less power. I'm a 20 year old college student and looking for reliability and looks (of the bike).

This bike has 22k miles, but according to the owner it has a fresh build, with less than 50 miles.

I will be commuting to college, roughly 45 miles total a day Monday-Friday.

After school my friends with r1's cbr 954's, ducati 848's, and 1098's and i will be going on hwy 9.

And yes I could definitely handle the power of the 750, i just want to downgrade so i don't get a speeding ticket.

I am located in San Jose

Mostly this bike will be used for commuting.

I'm checking this out tomorrow morning. Can I get your guys opinions? Fair price? Good for the job of commuting? Alternate recommendations?
 
I was just talking to a friend who wanted one. He realized while test riding one that it's a bike with a very narrow focus. Great for being a hooligan, but sucks at everything else. Not a commuting bike.
 
It's best to not post CL ad LINKS - they expire after a few days and the thread becomes useless...

Here's a (lazy) copy for ya: (pics didn't copy, oops - can someone else do it?)

Suzuki DRZ400 '06 w/ 432cc Kit and Tilt-A- Rack Carrier - $3900 (mountain view)

Original owner. I have all receipts for this meticulously maintained bike.

Used 100% commute/pleasure ...never taken on dirt. New job with ~50mi each way commute necessitates a more highway compatible bike so I bought a 650SV. Now I need to sell my baby.

New, 432cc full top end (head and piston etc. Job completed 8/30/13. . . only a couple of miles from mechanic test rides. Runs perfect. I can bring it to any mechanic we agree upon for you to check it out.
Yoshimura full exhaust stainless pipes with aluminum can
Pro taper bars,
RM 250 inverted forks,
James dean jet kit,
3x3 airbox mod w k&n filter,
Cycra brush guards with KTM tapered bar clamps
Accerabis 2 part front fender with removable radiator deflector for more air flow and the original.
I have the original exhaust, the baffle for the Yoshimura exhaust, the right hand mirror and the original fender. (not shown in photos)
Includes Tilt-A Rack towing carrier (see photos) •it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Click to expand...

That said, I'm on my second DRZ in a row (after many other bikes, mostly sporty 600's). No tickets since I got the first one back in '07! :angel

Reliable, low-maintenance, 55-60 mpg, and a TON of fun!

Is your commute mostly freeways? If so, this won't be ideal unless you're in slow rush hour speeds. They prefer not to do 70+ for too long. Single cylinder, 5 gears, no windscreen...

Oh, it seems to have the aftermarket front fender, yay - with a stock one this light (300 lbs) bike picks up every gust of wind on the freeway; with this $30 aftermarket Acerbis one, it cuts like an arrow! :cool

Take it to Evolution Suspension for a once-over -- Rob owns one and knows them inside and out. :thumbup

:teeth
Yana:banana
 
luckymoamoa said:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/4086827532.html
Just sold my gsxr-750 and am looking for something with less power. I'm a 20 year old college student and looking for reliability and looks (of the bike).
This bike has 22k miles, but according to the owner it has a fresh build, with less than 50 miles.
I will be commuting to college, roughly 45 miles total a day Monday-Friday.
After school my friends with r1's cbr 954's, ducati 848's, and 1098's and i will be going on hwy 9.
And yes I could definitely handle the power of the 750, i just want to downgrade so i don't get a speeding ticket.
I am located in San Jose
Mostly this bike will be used for commuting.
I'm checking this out tomorrow morning. Can I get your guys opinions? Fair price? Good for the job of commuting? Alternate recommendations?
Click to expand...
Good deal for a DRZ400sm IMO, after much searching last spring, I finally found one about like that. Now, as for commuting.. ehhh probably not the best if you're doing 45 miles on the freeway everyday. Hwy 9 should be plenty of fun, but Yana is right, these bikes aren't really meant to for the freeway, and you'll burn out the engine trying to keep up with your friends if they decided to take off over 75mph for a long time.

I bought my SM for SF city commuting, about 25 miles a day tops. For the city, the bike is amazing. I've taken it on trips down to the southbay because I love the bike so damn much, and for a point in your favor, it keeps me in check speed wise on the freeway. However, like tfkrocks said and two points against you, it is a hooligan machine, and I can't believe my license hasn't been taken away for all the stuff I've pulled on this thing under 30 mph, and I can't even wheelie that well.

All that BS being said, I hear Ninja 250/300s are actually pretty damn fun to ride because they're so damn light and easy to throw around, and ride the piss out of, and would still do fine on the freeways, but you'll still get left behind :p
 
10-25 miles (more accurately any riding for less than 45 mins--city, twisties, freeway, doesn't matter it loses a lot of fun after the TIME on the bike) is about the limit....

I never wheelied mine, but curbs and stairs were slain. It is VERY fun as a city/screw around bike.

after one two hour ride at 75+ I pretty much vowed to get ANY other bike lol....

Im thinkin SV650 in my future, maybe you should also??

edit: The funny part is the posted bike has a ton of good mods...and still has the stock rubber inserts in the footpegs!! lol
 
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If you are looking for less power and a good commuter 45 miles each way I'd go with a KLR. YOur future children will thank me ;)
 
ThumperX said:
If you are looking for less power and a good commuter 45 miles each way I'd go with a KLR. YOur future children will thank me ;)
Click to expand...

DL650 Vstrom ticks all the boxes a street use only KLR does but better in every category--except can't be found as dirt cheap.
 
Suz Drz4 great for everything except the freeway.
 
Wouldnt a Husqvarna sm610 fit your needs better for this?
 
Okay guys, thanks for looking out for me advising against the 400sm as a commuter.

I'll try out a newer style ninja 250. If anyone sees a nice ninja 250 with an exhaust system that looks clean, please let me know =)

A fellow barfer has a 08 ninja 250 with full leo vince exhaust system with woodcraft clip ons for $3,200, lime green color. Looks really clean.

Also this one http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/4071090052.html

Looks like its missing the frame slider on the left slide, possibly crashed, thats why it has aftermarket fairings.
 
luckymoamoa said:
Okay guys, thanks for looking out for me advising against the 400sm as a commuter.

I'll try out a newer style ninja 250. If anyone sees a nice ninja 250 with an exhaust system that looks clean, please let me know =)

A fellow barfer has a 08 ninja 250 with full leo vince exhaust system with woodcraft clip ons for $3,200, lime green color. Looks really clean.

Also this one http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/4071090052.html

Looks like its missing the frame slider on the left slide, possibly crashed, thats why it has aftermarket fairings.
Click to expand...

Those aren't aftermarket fairings unless the seller replaced with matching fairings. That's just the 2009 SE color scheme with stickers all over it.
 
luckymoamoa said:
Okay guys, thanks for looking out for me advising against the 400sm as a commuter.

I'll try out a newer style ninja 250. If anyone sees a nice ninja 250 with an exhaust system that looks clean, please let me know =)

A fellow barfer has a 08 ninja 250 with full leo vince exhaust system with woodcraft clip ons for $3,200, lime green color. Looks really clean.

Also this one http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/mcy/4071090052.html

Looks like its missing the frame slider on the left slide, possibly crashed, thats why it has aftermarket fairings.
Click to expand...

Look into an SV650S or ninja 650r over a ninja 250 for commuting, much better than a ninja 250 and about the same price.
 
Great commuter, cheap insurance, low maintenance, great mpg, excellent vision from the tall upright seating position, far better suspension than the 250, not much to break if it gets knocked over.

You should have no problem keeping up in the twisties with far more powerful bikes...especially with the inexpensive Stage II kit.

Obviously not great for long distance touring or freeway droning.

A ton of fun and you never have to worry about a ticket for going triple digits.

EDIT: DRZ 319lbs, 44mpg (I get 52), 94mph top speed, 5.5 o-60, 13.7 1/4mile @88mph.
Ninja 378lbs, 48mpg, 96mph top speed, 7.8 0-60, 15.6 1/4 mile @ 81 mph.

Figures are from MCN USA.
 
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My 250 is still for sale I'm just not actively promoting it....shoot me a pm if still interested.
I also have a drz400sm...it's awesome at everything except freeway stints. I commute 40 miles with it no problem... but it's all twisties:teeth.
 
kxmike said:
My 250 is still for sale I'm just not actively promoting it....shoot me a pm if still interested.
I also have a drz400sm...it's awesome at everything except freeway stints. I commute 40 miles with it no problem... but it's all twisties:teeth.
Click to expand...

How would you compare the Ninja 250 against the DRZ400sm in general?
 
The SV650s in my opinion is not very attractive =(, I'm sure its great for what it's built for, but I would something a bit more appealing
 
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That sounds like a good deal. Looks like the bike has all the mods you'd want. If you're looking for a DRZ-SM, that's the bike to get.

However, you have to think about how you're going to use the bike. How long is your commute, and what does it look like? If you're mostly riding on city streets and twisties, that would be the perfect bike. If your commute is 50 miles of boring highway, then it would be less than perfect. The DRZ isn't exactly a very comfortable bike for long trips, and it vibrates a lot. I have done 100+ mile interstate trips on mine, and it was OK, but not really pleasant.

You might hear from people that the DRZ is underpowered, but this bike has all the power-up mods you could do, so it will be significantly more powerful than a stock bike - the airbox mod, Yoshimura full system, and a big bore kit. My bike has the airbox mod and the exhaust, and it has a lot more power than a stock DRZ I had before.

The only thing I'd worry about is who did the big-bore job, and where the components came from. There is a guy on Thumpertalk.com who does big-bore mods on DRZ engines for people, he's done a ton of them, and he's supposedly great. Or is it a homebrew job with cheapo Chinese pistons that are going to grenade in a few weeks?

But assuming that it's a good big-bore job, and that you do't need to ride for more than 10-20 miles on the highway on a regular basis, this DRZ would be a freaking awesome commuter bike, for a good price.
 
45 miles per day round trip. roughly 18 miles will be on the freeway each way


Edit: That bike is located in Santa Rosa, I don't have a truck. And I need something that is extremely reliable, with low maintenance.

I'd like to get a bike that has good resale value even at higher miles, is very reliable, local parts support, has an exhaust, $4,500 or less. Something that looks nice, yet very tame to commute with but *good* on highway 9.

Trying to get a bike by tomorrow if possible

If you guys see any good deals, please post links!
 
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