16 year DRZ owner here. Never thought I’d still have it that long when I bought in 2006. Somewhere on my channel is a cool trick… “how to go swimming with my DRZ!” The DRZ lived to ride another day. I’ve got somewhere over 16k miles on mine.
Awesome to see that old of a DRZ that still looks stock and unmolested. Looks like a 2000 or 2001. Mod 6… jettison the “wheelie bar” rear fender and taillight and upgrade to a sleek, small license plate bracket and the DRC Edge tail light. Mod 7… extended shift lever so you can get your riding boot under the shifter with IMS wide pegs you are running. Mod 8… remove the grab handle on your seat. Mod 9… IMS 3.2 gallon tank.
I actually have unibiker radiator guards and have run them since I first bought the bike. Good call, I just don't think they're top 5 material. Certainly in my top 10!
I think i found the bike that i want to learn how to perform some basic mechanics on. Im not even 18 yet but Im looking forward to getting one of these sometime in the future.
One trick loosen both clutch and brake levers so they rotate in case of a fall, levers less likely to break! Also, I put 'Green Slime in both tires to guard against flats.
I'm thinking of buying this bike. It'd be my first at 40 yrs old. Though performance mods would appeal to some, your pragmatic suggestions are appreciated by others. Thanks!
You should know then that the stock jetting is fine. I’ve been a mechanic for almost 30 years and have built a couple old Cb759s. I have a 22 DRZ and if anything it runs a touch rich. At 6300-7000 feet of elevation.
Unfortunately Suzuki never fixed the issue that I know of so they still do begin leaking pretty early on. I'd just keep an eye on it and fix it once it starts dripping.
# 1 get rid of stock tires....#2 case covers #3 jd jet kit and air box mod oooo Yeaaa..#4 get rid of heavy ass gas tank.#5 .14 tooth sprocket...... And send it
Haha to each their own! I personally prefer inexpensive mods that protect my bike, make it mechanically sound, and make it perform better in most conditions. But if you wanna spend as much as I did on all of these mods combined on an aftermarket header without the accompanying muffler that it's designed to work with, be my guest!
Well obviously you'd put a better muffler on the header. But I thought that was obvious. The drz is a sleeping bike without the powerbomb. The header wakes it up.
Fair enough. My point is simply that it's a bit of a nitpick to attempt to invalidate my recommended inexpensive common sense mods by suggesting that an expensive aftermarket exhaust is more important than relatively cheap mods that can and often will save your bike from catastrophic engine failure.
RaNdoM- -ThoUghTs Bull SHIT... the drz headers are actually just straight pipes... the muffler is the thing that is restrictive, but still if you want to wake up the bike you should get a better carb like the fcr39 ... and if you get a new exhaust and do the free mods it will have too much power for most people to handle ...
16 year DRZ owner here. Never thought I’d still have it that long when I bought in 2006. Somewhere on my channel is a cool trick… “how to go swimming with my DRZ!”
The DRZ lived to ride another day.
I’ve got somewhere over 16k miles on mine.
Awesome to see that old of a DRZ that still looks stock and unmolested. Looks like a 2000 or 2001.
Mod 6… jettison the “wheelie bar” rear fender and taillight and upgrade to a sleek, small license plate bracket and the DRC Edge tail light.
Mod 7… extended shift lever so you can get your riding boot under the shifter with IMS wide pegs you are running.
Mod 8… remove the grab handle on your seat.
Mod 9… IMS 3.2 gallon tank.
What shifter did you find that is longer? I want a longer shifter but all I find are out of stock.
Case savers are a must & 1st thing to do on a DRZ 400 !! One mod to consider is to add protective covers for
the radiator.. Enjoyed your video !!
I actually have unibiker radiator guards and have run them since I first bought the bike. Good call, I just don't think they're top 5 material. Certainly in my top 10!
I think i found the bike that i want to learn how to perform some basic mechanics on. Im not even 18 yet but Im looking forward to getting one of these sometime in the future.
Good choice. I started out on a fresh Honda CRF250l with 500 miles on it and switching to a DSR. Not too tough to start with and still a lot of fun.
I shot my protaper bars with silicon sealant to kill about 80% of the vibration the old weights did.
One trick loosen both clutch and brake levers so they rotate in case of a fall, levers less likely to break! Also, I put 'Green Slime in both tires to guard against flats.
I'm thinking of buying this bike. It'd be my first at 40 yrs old. Though performance mods would appeal to some, your pragmatic suggestions are appreciated by others. Thanks!
Very glad to have been helpful!
You should know then that the stock jetting is fine. I’ve been a mechanic for almost 30 years and have built a couple old Cb759s. I have a 22 DRZ and if anything it runs a touch rich. At 6300-7000 feet of elevation.
Great bike for older riders who like exploring forest roads.
@NS Videos are you old?
@NS Videos Myself being older and x racer rider bikes like the Honda xr650l are to tall. many people cut seats down !
Good data!
What about the seat?!
Do you think the water pump is still a common problem on drz400sm 2019
Unfortunately Suzuki never fixed the issue that I know of so they still do begin leaking pretty early on. I'd just keep an eye on it and fix it once it starts dripping.
# 1 get rid of stock tires....#2 case covers #3 jd jet kit and air box mod oooo Yeaaa..#4 get rid of heavy ass gas tank.#5 .14 tooth sprocket...... And send it
How much does the skid plate weight?
Cole Miller honestly not sure. No kore than 4 or 5 pounds I'd guess.
A few pounds ---good investment... they are out of aluminum,,,,
most important for the drz400 is the powerbomb head pipe, which this guy didn't even do lol
Haha to each their own! I personally prefer inexpensive mods that protect my bike, make it mechanically sound, and make it perform better in most conditions. But if you wanna spend as much as I did on all of these mods combined on an aftermarket header without the accompanying muffler that it's designed to work with, be my guest!
Well obviously you'd put a better muffler on the header. But I thought that was obvious.
The drz is a sleeping bike without the powerbomb.
The header wakes it up.
Fair enough. My point is simply that it's a bit of a nitpick to attempt to invalidate my recommended inexpensive common sense mods by suggesting that an expensive aftermarket exhaust is more important than relatively cheap mods that can and often will save your bike from catastrophic engine failure.
RaNdoM- -ThoUghTs
Bull SHIT... the drz headers are actually just straight pipes... the muffler is the thing that is restrictive, but still if you want to wake up the bike you should get a better carb like the fcr39 ... and if you get a new exhaust and do the free mods it will have too much power for most people to handle ...
the header wakes others up lol