drz400 as first bike

[gilraine]

I'm looking at dirt bikes for some trails, but I also want something street legal so i could ride it to work if need be..I have not rode a motorcycle at all since 7th grade and that was almost 20 years ago.. so I feel like I'm starting over skill wise.. would the DRZ400 be a good choice for me? Im 6'1 and 240 pounds.. it would be about a 50/50 split of on and off road use for me.

[Kyron]

Perfect first bike....

what your going to learn is that there is no 1 perfect bike though

[-Jake-]

good choice.

[jpcrawleram]

had one. Was never happy with it. I ended up getting a XR400 and loved it. It was a slead but loved that bike to learn

[threadkiller]

Originally Posted by gilraine

I'm looking at dirt bikes for some trails, but I also want something street legal so i could ride it to work if need be..I have not rode a motorcycle at all since 7th grade and that was almost 20 years ago.. so I feel like I'm starting over skill wise.. would the DRZ400 be a good choice for me? Im 6'1 and 240 pounds.. it would be about a 50/50 split of on and off road use for me.

You have the perfect excuse to own two bikes. I'm bigger and heavier than you and use a DRZ for road and trail. It is NOT a bike I'd want for 50/50 use. I think a Honda XR650L would be well suited to you, and would make a first bike for someone with some dirtbike experience, no matter how old it is.

But seriously, get a DRZ and a decent streetbike (SV650 or the like).

[gilraine]

Originally Posted by threadkiller

You have the perfect excuse to own two bikes. I'm bigger and heavier than you and use a DRZ for road and trail. It is NOT a bike I'd want for 50/50 use. I think a Honda XR650L would be well suited to you, and would make a first bike for someone with some dirtbike experience, no matter how old it is.

But seriously, get a DRZ and a decent streetbike (SV650 or the like).

the only expirence i had was like 3 weeks on an old yamaha 50 cc dirt bike..thats why I'm saying Im basically starting over. I'm kinda concerned that the XR650 would be too much bike for me to start on.

[Ricks72ntx]

http://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/2981478737.html

How about this one as a first bike?

[krouoffroad]

i have a 2007 drz400e and love it. i dont know if it would be good 50/50. i use mine 99% off road and 1% on. with some gearing it would likly do just fine. im 6'4'' and 230 lbs and it hauls me just fine. the suspension in factory form leaves alot to be desired, revalving it with racetech valves does wonders. also the bar height was very low as well some bar risers/adapters and 1-1/8th bars made it perfect. i did have to reroute the throttle cable to get a little bit of extra length but it was fairly easy. the bike pulls very hard and have had 0 issues with mine since i bought it new in 07. i have owned several bikes thru the years including a xr400 and hands down i like the DRZ the best, but thats just my opinion.

[fuggy]

Can't go wrong with the DRZ for a dual-sport bike. I had an 'E' model that was for mostly off-road but they also make some more street legal versions like the 'S, SM'. I wouldn't want to ride much freeway on these bikes but mine performed good off-road, easy to ride, plush suspension, low maintanence motor, etc. Only complaint was it was a little too heavy for me on tight/rocky trails.

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I bought a DRZ400S as my first bike and it was pretty much perfect.

Unfortunately, there's not much for riding around me, and I don't have the time to get out there anyways so mine is for sale.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...2#post14368642

[chevy_man]

Go for it, with the correct gearing you can cruise at 65 and still ride trails. Just dont plan on going too fast either place. Unless you set it up for one or the other itll always be a compromise, and that just gets boring after awhile. Id plan on mostly tail use, as itll be a lot more fun there.

I helped a guy lift one out of the mud at an enduro last weekend and when he informed me of its 296lb. Weight i about shit myself. Theyre heavy beasts.