written by vstromgomez on 29/06/2022
A good motorcycle, I loved that there is a supermotard version. It is light, has a good torque output, versatile and i like its components a lot. Sometimes i feel a lot of vibrations in high revolution regimen and I must say that it bothers me a lot. Another thing, I would like an update, maybe with a fuel injection
written by on 13/11/2012
Love it - easy to ride. Usable power. great handling. Very reliable.
written by Newfoundland on 10/05/2012
I bought this bike after not riding for about 20 years and am nothing but pleased. Only downside is no sixth gear and very very uncomfortable seat. Other than that I have nothing negative to say about this machine.
written by on 08/07/2010
I have now had my DR for 4 months. Firstly, lets get the moans out of the way. I have to say that I agree with some comments and you should avoid motorways and it would be great to have a 6th gear. The Dunlop tyres are not great, bit twitchy on the front on a wet road. Okay moans over.
This bike is a great laugh. It is such good fun on normal roads. The engine is bullet proof, it has never stalled and it sounds great. It handles great in the dry and for a 400 single smoto it is quick off the mark. I like the more upright position, given up the crouched over style years ago. I am getting Pirelli diablos fitted tomorrow so hopefully these will make a difference on the wet tarmac. I am putting a 150/60 on the rear.
Overall, the fun aspect of this bike makes the commute to work a real breath of fresh air. Good fun.
written by on 06/07/2010
I had a old DRZ400 scrambler for about 4 years and it was the most reliable machine ever. Unfortunately in Dec 2008 it was stolen and I bought myself a DRZ400SM from a useless dealer in Dundee Terrace Edinburgh. What a problem bike this machine turned out to be. Two of us had two bikes both about the same age and both had the same problems. Within 6 months both rear indicators had simply fallen off their poor built brackets. We repaired these using wood screws. 6 months after buying the bike on a very cold day in Scotland I went to start the bike only to find it was totally dead. I then traced the fault to a corroded wire in the main lead from the battery and repaired it myself. The steering on my DRZ always felt really heavy and so I changed the tyres a few times but it made no difference. I then went away for 6 weeks and returned only to find the steering ceased and the rear brakes non operational. I then discovered the steering bearings had destroyed themselves due to never having been lubricated since new. The back brake has two tiny air holes in the reservoir right by the chain and these had become blocked and so stopping the fluid getting to the cylinder.
With the bearings now destroyed and the bike only a year old I took the bike back to Suzuki in Edinburgh where they were not at all interested in even hearing about the problems. I finally got them repaired at my own expense as Suzuki had no intentions of doing anything for me even though the bike was still under warranty.
While the bike was in Suzuki for new tyres I got a call from the mechanic saying he could not start the bike. I went back to the shop and switched on the kill switch on the right handlebar. A few weeks after they fitted new tyres I found the chain guide under the sprocket rather loose and realized it had been left loose by Suzuki as they would have had to loosen it off to remove the rear wheel.
Now with everything sorted on this bike it is a magical machine and a great fun bike to ride. It is fantastic riding in the mountains during the cold winters of Scotland. I would recommend it for anyone but not from Suzuki in Edinburgh.
written by on 29/05/2010
This is a fantastic little bike, although motorway riding is a bit of a nightmare and i would agree with everyone else it could do with a sixth gear.But get this on the twistys and it becomes a totally different bike,just handles like a dream.The best thing to do with this bike is to tune it up.I've got the yoshi pipe, k&n filter, 3x3 airbox mod, dyno jet kit. When the rear tyre went i stuck pirelli diablo 150 on the back which is an excellent choice. I changed the headlight as the orignal looked stupid.Even thought this is only a 400sm it can still show some of the sportbikes up.
Good Points
good in town and fantastic on the twistys
cheap and cheerful
good for new riders
Bad points
Not so good on long journeys
small tank range
written by on 05/02/2010
got nothing more to say than i love the dam thing back tyre life dissapointing averaging 2500 miles [dunlop sportmax] and seat uncomfartable on long journeys which eventually you get used to and small tank capacity[not much more than my previous bike 125 van van in which it shares same naff mirrors] other than that i loooooooooove it
written by on 05/02/2010
I've got a 40 mile commute on motorways a roads and town and I've got all sorts of bikes to do it with but when the weather is rubbish the DRZ is my favourite. It'll do 95mph comfortably at below freezing(with earplugs and no headwind). It'll lean over in the wet and slides predictably at 70+ mph. It's the best way to get to work with a big stupid grin on your face. Oh and it might get you a few tickets.
written by on 22/08/2009
Spent a lot of time looking before going for a black one,found it to be good value for money,cheap to run, easy to ride and simple to look after.Sixth gear would be nice,and the back tyre can wear quickly ,and fuel tank range is a bit poor,but for a bit of fun without too much outlay for a blast on days off,travel to work or pop to the shop Suzuki DR-Z400SM is a good buy!
written by on 12/07/2009
I have a Suzuki DR 2007 400SM. A little underpowered at first but I added a K&N air filter, a stage 2 jet kit, a Yoshi pipe and a 39 tooth rear sprocket. Now the bike is great fun to ride. After the original 140 rear tyre was finished I put on a Conti 160sm. Looks good but it is a little harder to slide out the rear now. Perhaps a 150 would be a better choice. Overall I would say that the 400 SM is good bang for your buck.
written by lewigit on 21/06/2009
Suzuki DR-Z400SM is an incredible machine. Upside down forks standard, excellent engine, reliable, fun, bargain.
written by kmeachin on 18/04/2009
The Suzuki DR-Z400SM is a really cool bike but a little revy in top gear( 5th) agree with most other owners it could do with a 6th gear. Have a Yoshy pipe on so sounds cool. some guys say should change to 44 sprocket but sure this would make it more revvy in top gear??????
written by kava on 02/04/2009
This Suzuki DR-Z400SM bike is where I've come to after a few different bikes and it fits me well. Started on 70cc 4 strokes, then XT350 to Mexico and around, then ninja zx750r for quite a few years. To me this is what an adventure touring platform should be like, but there are some sorely lacking details (see Bad Points). I can stop on the shoulder of the interstate and wind it out back into traffic pretty well, but it's no 750, you really have to wind it out to catch into traffic. Plenty of torque around town, wheel gets off the ground without trying when I'm happy even in 2nd gear.
written by on 11/02/2009
The Suzuki DR-Z400SM is an excellent bike for beginners / commuters
- cheap to run and maintain, easy to drive in town,
- a lot of fun !
Not as powerful as other SM , probably needs another 10 bhp and a 6th gear
- very small fuel tank
- gets uncomfortable after 40 ms riding
recommended !
written by PeteNfla on 29/01/2009
The DRZ400sm is a blast to ride, even if you are used to riding a hi-po 1000cc sport bike. Its a bike in a whole new category, (MOTARD!). It does almost everything right. It could use a 6th gear to drop the rpms down at interstate speeds. If you want a motorcycle that is a great in-town or rural commuter, and also a back-road-carving-bullet-proof-engined-wheelie-machine, this is the bike for you. Oh, and it looks cool too!
written by on 21/12/2008
For a road supermoto its the best i have owned one for a while and its great quite pokey no r1 lovely bike to wheelie. Everythings great except stupid little tool bag on the back but it is easily changed. The battery is not the best needs a few parts to make it have more feel.
written by jonny99 on 28/09/2008
An absolutely fantastic bike, zips through traffic, good on fuel, very pokey engine, highest CC in the road tax band. I love it. Even on a motorway hike of 100 miles and another hundred or so on dual carridgeway and A-roads (riding smoothly and at the speed limits as i'm still running in) i was getting close to 70mpg.
Only slight downside i will otherwise mention is the street-cred. So many cars see it and think it's a 50CC or 125CC, and stupidly overtake at the wrong times. You need to be aware that you may be coming out of a 30 limit and the car behind might not be expecting you to accelerate at the rate you can. Keep both eyes open!
Other minor point, in the last month alone, i have had to argue with 20+ teenagers that the bike is not a 50CC. Many think it's a 2 stroke and cannot grasp the concept that you don't mix oil in the petrol.
If you can stand the uneducated 16yo moped generation, and keep your eyes open for stupid overtaking, this is a fantastic bike.
written by aderunner on 13/09/2008
To get the best out of this bike, the carburettor, camshafts, and base gasket should all be changed for the stock items which are fitted to the DRZ400E model. None of these changes affect the reliability of the bike, but improve the power tremendously, and are all Suzuki items. If a 44 tooth sprocket is used on the back wheel, more bottom end power is achieved, and the standard chain (110 links) can still be used. The 47 tooth used on the DRZ400E, is too much for road use. An aftermarket exhaust will also allow the power to flow more. To sum up, a DRZ400SM with the power of a DRZ400E is the perfect Supermoto for the road, with reliability to match. Suzuki should have supplied these parts as standard.
written by corkymoore on 29/06/2008
All in all not bad but understand it rides like a dirtbike not a street bike.
written by on 14/05/2008
Excellent value for money and a lot of fun. Not expensive to buy or run (falls into lower tax band £32 pa). Very light so easy to handle and goes like stink! Suspension and brakes fabulous. Build quality mostly OK and many body parts very cheap.
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Mike Hinch's Response to aderunner's Review
Written on: 27/02/2010
I found this review very helpful because...Good technical solid info, Just bought 1! cheers