VSM DRZ400S

This entry is part 28 of 24 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #3

It’s not a big step to take Suzuki’s DRZ400E from being a trailbike to an adventure bike. But when someone like Vince Strang, Australia’s foremost authority on Suzuki’s DR line, elected to start with the softer ‘S’ version, we had to find out why, and whether or not the result was a good one.

The 400cc trailbike has almost disappeared from the Australian landscape. There was a time when it seemed the 400 traillie was the people’s choice. It offered good, manageable horsepower, incredible versatility and light weight.

Those days are gone it seems, and Suzuki’s DRZ pretty much flies the flag for the once-popular class of bike, even though there have been innumerable occasions where the hardy little thumper has proved itself to be far more capable than the name ‘trailbike’ implies.

There’s two off-road versions of the DRZ, and it’s the E version that gets all the attention. The most noticeable difference between the E and S models is the plastic tank on the E. There are other variations, but that’s the giveaway. The S is a tad heavier, but it’s the steel tank that marks the S as the soft option.

‘E’ for enduro. ‘S’ for soft.

Strang, but true

It’s strange people think that about the two versions, because neither is an enduro bike. The model run has covered 10 years so far, and even when the bike first appeared it couldn’t have been considered an enduro bike. Now there’s bikes like the WRF, EXC and KLX, and the DRZ looks slow and timid by comparison.

Of course, the durability and comfort of the Suzuki leaves those other bikes way behind over any kind of distance, and for the multitude of riders who never front a special test, the performance is actually pretty good. It’s not competitive-enduro good, but it’s well capable on single track and smooth as on the road. That sounds like a good start for an adventure bike.

The thing is, why would anyone choose the S model over the E as a starting platform? With anyone else we’d think it was a peculiarity, but we know from plenty of experience that Vince builds great adventure bikes, and he doesn’t miss much. So we asked him, “Why the S model?”

“My preference is generally for the S model for the majority of people,” insighted Vince. “It’s got a fan on it, so you can really ride it slow, whether it be mustering or poking along in traffic or stuck on a hill. The fan helps it keep calm in the heat department a lot better.

“Also, the S has a CV carb that’s slightly smaller than the carburettor on the E model, so it’s better on fuel, and it has a brilliant, quiet exhaust. To me it feels like it has a similar power output to the E, but the quietness is really nice.”

“I set this bike up for my daughter to come on her first outback ride,” Suzukied Vince. “We went out west through Bollon, Thargomindah, rode the properties there for a few days, then came back through Hungerford to Inverell.”

Crikey. That’s an adventure ride, for sure.

Details

You can bet Vince won’t cut any corners when he’s setting up a bike for a family member, so let’s have a look at how he treats the DRZ.

Heavy-duty tubes are dropped inside a Michelin AC10 front and Dunlop 606 rear, and a Polisport front guard goes in place of the stocker. “It’s just a better-looking front guard,” explained Vince. A screen helps with protection from the wind and rain, and Renthal ’bars replace the low-bend Suzuki stockers, topped off with ProTaper grips, grip heaters and Acerbis handguards.

The Acerbis handguards fit the Suzuki very nicely, says Vince, and accommodate the longer levers, especially on the DR650, very well.

A Ralle-Moto under-’bar steering damper lifts the ’bars a tad and helps deal with tankslappers. The DRZ is a shortish bike by adventure standards, and the damper helps control weaving in the sand or at speed on loose terrain.

This bike also has a Talon lowering link on the rear, and the forks are raised a few millimetres in the triple clamp to keep the geometry level. That change is purely to suit Vince’s daughter, who’s not overly tall.

The fuel cell is a 17-litre Safari Tanks tank, which Vince says is really 20 litres.

“I guarantee they’re 20 litres, not 17,” laughed the Inverellian. “I think Robin (Box, owner of Safari Tanks) sells them as 17 litres so people don’t think they’re too big, but they fit this DRZ perfectly, and they’re made to accommodate the fan.”

The stock seat was replaced with a Sargent’s seat, and Vince says this was an important change.

“It’s still the same, narrow width at the front if you’re paddling or have your feet down,” he explained, “but where your bum sits most of the time it’s broader and kind of scalloped out. It tends to fit most smaller bums a lot better than the Suzuki seat.”

A quiet pipe makes a big difference on long rides. The differences to the E model are hard to spot.

Suspension front and rear stays dead stock, as does the gearing (15/44), and a B&B bashplate and rack and Pivot Pegz, are bolted on.

A FunnelWeb airfilter rounds out the package.

A brand-new S model DRZ starts out at around $7900, and Vince reckons the bike we see here would cost about another $3000.

That makes for a very inexpensive adventure bike.

The business

Inexpensive if it works, of course.

We clambered on board the DRZ ready to treat it gently and with our expectations suitably held in check.

It was a girl’s bike, after all.

Protection from the wind and the worst of the weather.

The first thing to shatter our complacency was the height of the bike. After Vince saying the bike had been lowered to suit his daughter, we were a little nonplussed to feel as though we wouldn’t want the thing any taller. It’s not like a skinny, section-shredding enduro bike, but it’s not a Postie either. The height felt entirely comfortable to ‘regular’ Aussie blokes. It’s easy to get the feet on the ground and there’s no danger of tearing a gusset while swinging a leg over, and that’s surely a big plus for a loaded adventurer.

Not only did the bike not feel short to mount and dismount, it didn’t feel as though it was short on ground clearance, either. We’d’ve been happy to steer this bike into the same ruts and rocks as we’d steer any other bike.

The next facet of the DRZ-S we’d badly underestimated was horsepower

A Sargent seat offers a more comfortable perch for long-distance riding.

Because we’re so manly and really only ride ‘big’ bikes these days, we were ready for a 400cc traillee to be a bit soft in the rort department. The delivery was very smooth – as was everything about this bike – and for sure it won’t stretch anyone’s arms with its incredibly ferocious thrust, but without the rider making any effort at all the DRZ sung along at 100kph and 110kph on the tarmac. On the dirt it seemed to take less effort to go everywhere and do everything we were used to doing. The rider has to think a little more instead of just relying on a blast of throttle and wheelspin, but there’s enough grunt available to take this lightweight package just about anywhere.

It finally dawned on us that the DRZ might have less horsepower than we’re used to, but it still has plenty for just about everything short of high-speed desert running. Because the bike’s so light, popping it over logs and ruts and steering it through tight going is a breeze.

Short shift

As Vince pointed out, the mid-size Suzi is a little tighter in the steering geometry than some, and it’s noticeable when the bike is pushed toward the upper limit of its speed. It never gave a moment of trepidation or behaved unexpectedly, but the steering is undoubtedly light and fast. The payback, of course, is on any kind of tight going. The bike is like a hot knife through butter compared to, say, the DR650.

The ergos on the bike felt brilliant. Things like the ’pegs, seat, Ralle-Moto damper, screen and ’bars make for a very high-level of rider comfort, and the motor being so incredibly easy to use means minimal fatigue. It’s light, so it’s a piece of cake to pick up, its reliability is unquestionable, and there’s a gazillion accessories and aftermarket parts available.

And buzzing along the bitumen it’s as much at home as any dualsporter we’ve ridden.

All this for around $11,000.That’s pretty hard to beat.

Think about it

We’ve overheard a lot of discussion lately from riders chewing over the idea of riding much smaller, lighter bikes and of the benefits they offer. They’re easier for the rider to handle, they’re far less expensive to run, they’ll do much greater distances on very much smaller fuel loads, and with the way policing and regulation is going in This Great Country Of Ours, there’s not a lot of point in owning a bike capable of intergalactic velocities.

If you let your mind wander in that direction, and you begin feeling that a bike that’ll double as a trailbike and an adventurer would make a lot of sense, the DRZ would have to be a frontrunner. If you’ll take the advice of a seasoned campaigner who knows what he’s talking about, the S model is probably a better proposition than the more commonly fancied E model.

Think about that next time you’re trying to drag your 220kg longhauler from a creek or boghole, contemplating a 40 litre fuel load, or looking at a destroyed rear tyre you only fitted that morning.

VSM

Thanks to Vince and his entourage for roosting down from Inverell to let us ride this excellent little bike. Vince knows more about Suzuki off-roaders than just about anyone. For advice and a huge range of products give Vince Strang Motorcycles a call on (02) 6721 0610, or log on to www.vincestrangmotorcycles.com.au for more info.

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