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Devon TRF Group Open Forum -> General Discussion Board -> DRZ400 Advice needed
Post Info TOPIC: DRZ400 Advice needed
dbak


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DRZ400 Advice needed
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Hi all, I have just been out for a play around my neck of the woods (Colyton/Axminster) on my new ride (DRZ400S) and I need some advice.

I only fell off twice, but they were very soft landings and doing 2mph Plus, I landed in horse ****

What gearing would be the best option for green lanes?

What tyres / tubes / rim locks / pressures should I be running?

I need taller bars too, as standing up is not that good with standard bars.

My tyres are shot at the moment, so will be getting some shortly.

Many thanks

Another point.......I forgot how unfit I am, need a sleep now.



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Dave B

 
RichT4


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Standard E gearing works well 14/47, I also run 14/49 too as it allows you to run slower without clutching so much - good for technical lanes.

Tyres
Front Maxxis IT
Rear Maxxis IT or MT43 depending on ground.

No idea on rim locks, I'm still running the original Suzuki ones (standard fit on the E's).

Front Pressure 16, rear 14psi.

Also pin out your side stand switch (S only) if it hasn't already been done.
Remove as much of the road kit as you can - mirrors, bar end weights etc. whatever is superfluous.
Remove the front sprocket cover as it just holds the mud in. Retain the case saver though so you'll need shorter bolts - Don't use the longer ones!
Rear light - If it's standard you might want something smaller & less likely to be destroyed.
Post up a few pics of your bike and we can see what's on there that could be removed.

Finally you want to get on over to Thumper talk and read up on the reliability fixes, it's up to you whether you want to bother or not. Many don't and experience no issues but I went with peace of mind and did them all.



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devondan


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Tyres are a real personal choice and will start a debate almost as long as an oil thread! But you need some that are primarily off road, avoid dual purpose tyres like the trail wing

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Nige


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I'd agree with Rich.
Also MD racing in Yeovil do bar risers up to 30mm for about £20

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jt


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Tim (gaschef on this forum) at Beer would make you some 'bespoke' ones to the height you wanted for a very reasonable price I'm sure. Made me a set for my gas gas trials bike recently and they are top notch ally jobs.



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dbak


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Thanks for the advice Rich, I am definitely going to start ripping things off it this weekend.
I need a new chain, so am gonna try the 14/49 setup and get a 47 tooth as well as currently its a 15/44.
Tyres - I still here bad reports about the Maxxis but will need to investigate further.....will get a MT43 though.
The S version does not come with rim locks as standard, so will get some.
I will get the side stand bypass done soon and tail tidy sorted.
I will put some pics up soon.

As for bar risers, I know Tim (Gaschef) so will be tapping him up soon for bits and to take me out on the lanes again.

Thanks for your pointers guys, just keep an eye out for a portly fella who is tippy toed on a yellow DRZ

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Dave B

 
RichT4


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If you go for 14/49 combo you'll need a chain that is 114 links, standard for 14/47 is 112 links but 114 works ok for that gearing.

You can cut 1" off the standard seat BTW and not feel the difference other than being able to get your feet down, better still is to give the seat to an Upholsterer and they'll recover with softer foam - stops it from destroying your bum in under 2 hours, costs about £30.

I've also slipped my forks up slightly (15mm) so that the wheel can near as dam it touch the underside of the front mud guard at full travel, that lowered the front end by approx 10mm so I re-adjusted the rear sag to lower that by 10mm while riding (racing sag) - so that's another 10mm lower the bike can become without having to resort to lower links.smile



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snasher


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I used an AC10 on the front MT43 on the rear. Tyre pressures depended on the terrain as when its bone dry you can run higher pressures but what's been said above is all good. 

I went with 14/49 off road and 14/44 on the road for longer trips. Took about 10 mins to change the rear cog.

I used Renthal Dakar bars which have a high rise on them anyway. Standard bars were made of chocolate

I had the saddle beefed up (extra foam) plus chucked a gel pad and sheepskin on it.

Added stainless wheel spacers (to stop the bearings getting shot), stainless gear shaft spacer (standard mod to stop it dumping the engine oil), folding mirrors, a rack, andy stapz and wolfman luggage for going adventuring.

Twin spark spark plug helps plus re-route the breather pipe into the air box to stop it sucking up water. Apart from the gents above Gruff knows pretty much all you need to know about DRZ's

I really miss my DRZ400e it was a cracking do anything bike.  I want one again now.

 



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devondan


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Just to confuse things I used to run 13/48 but then I had the kicker with the lighter flywheel.

Dan

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RichT4


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snasher wrote:

stainless gear shaft spacer (standard mod to stop it dumping the engine oil) 

I think it's probably the sprocket spacer (or CS spacer) that you change for a stainless one? - that's the common replacement anyway?

I'm not even sure the gear shaft has a spacer on it.confuse



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snasher


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RichT4 wrote:
snasher wrote:

stainless gear shaft spacer (standard mod to stop it dumping the engine oil) 

I think it's probably the sprocket spacer (or CS spacer) that you change for a stainless one? - that's the common replacement anyway?

I'm not even sure the gear shaft has a spacer on it.confuse

 Yes its the spacer between the front sprocket and the seal where the drive shaft comes out. Sorry for the confusion nothing to do with the gear shaft. very common replacement used to be able to find supplier off thumper talk web pages. But local engineering forms will sometimes knock you up stainless steel replacements. Rich and Dan gave me loads of useful tips when I got my DRZ.

 

Best workshop manual is the Klymer one. I made the mistake of giving mine away when I traded the DRZ in.     



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dbak


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cheers guys, just spent a fortune on the bay on your recommended bits to change / upgrade and haven't even bought the tyres yet ....gulp?
I guess some overtime is due

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Dave B

 
Mike Wright


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Having had my DRZ400s for a few months now I reckon its a superb all round bike. Theres always loads of spares easily available at sensible prices. See you out on the lanes! There are some good quality pdf manuals available if you need them let me know.



-- Edited by Mike Wright on Sunday 20th of October 2013 07:20:54 AM

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