would you replace the DRZ with RMX450?

[jamieMember]

Scotty, you answered something i was thinking about there on brand loyalty, and whether or not blokes are using drz cause Suzuki just don’t have another option.

It just seems like a waste to have these specialized bikes sitting in the garage so much when you could use them to get to work etc.Makes DRZ practical.

[glennMember]

Yep what Scotty said..

[Matt BakerMember]

ECKS-Man wrote:

Quote:

I dunno Scotty, about the price thing in particular. You have to do a lot to a banana to make it good to ride and it all costs money, wheras most of the others are much closer to the mark. I admit, there is no such thing as a bike ready to ride straight out of the box, but a lot of them come close. Just thinking about what I put on my banana that came standard on the WRF – barkies, bashplate, small blinkers, lighter headlight (although I didn’t get the smaller version, razzm frazzm). And suspension mods, well they are not free on any bike, but I have decided that the WRF is close enough to right that I don’t have to spend anything on the suspenders, while the banana absolutely needed some attention.

It is horses for courses, but I think Suzuki are doing themselves and any potential customers a disservice by not offering a real competitor for the class leaders – whoever they may be! There is no reason they would have to stop selling DRZ’s to do that.

But, after all that, what bikes finished the Safari with bugger-all work? Banana’s, Huskies and old LC4 KTM’s. Results that speak for themselves!

yeah boy

[dennis da menaceMember]

DRZs are………..

the new fangled XR400s of yesteryear:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

and before anyone spits a tooth at me, i will add,

xr400s were a good bike, almost unstoppable, there are plenty of them still getting around today, and for the average joe who likes thrashing around the scrub, were almost perfect.

i had a TT350 for years. it never gave me grief, and many a man was suprised about what it could do.
sometimes i wish i still had it, it was easy to ride and like a lounge chair.

not like the 300, but thats a different kettle of fish.

i wonder how many DRZ owners have come from XRs???

(i almost choked typing that):laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Bruce CurtisMember]

I have a soft spot for suzukis, traditionally they have had the steering and suspension on the the others, the motors are always a bit softer but always reliable, the RMZ450 is possibly the pick of the crossers in these fields still. I agree with Mr TB what doughhead at Suzuki wants this to fail, cause that’s what it looks like to me, and ADRing is not really a huge issue all the gear is on other models already and would cross-over well.

BC

[Paul BolandMember]

Jeffro wrote:

Quote:

I’d have to say that it’s only the true Suzuki loyalists that might feel left out, like Scotty I bought mine based on price, reliability reputation and of course the low maintenance factor. If I go to a more performance based bike (which I am considering) the brand is less important than the initial price and running/maintenance costs.

Hi Jeffro,

Sounds like you’re in a similar postion to me at the moment.
I’m curious as to what bike you are contemplating.
Does it start with ‘WR’ and end in ‘450F’?

TW

[alanMember]

just a quick question are drz s more reliable than a wr or similar bike are prably easyer on chains sprockets and tyres but have only herd people on forums say they are .they seem to break down on the trails just as much from my odservations

[Scott SouthwellMember]

white rocket wrote:

Quote:

just a quick question are drz s more reliable than a wr or similar bike are prably easyer on chains sprockets and tyres but have only herd people on forums say they are .they seem to break down on the trails just as much from my odservations

Any bike is only as reliable as the way it’s looked after. Unfortunatly some DRZ owners interpret LOW maintenance as NO mantenance.

The only DRZ ive seen stop was Chop’s which is an ex-police bike. Suzuki service book recommends 5000K service intervals for the DRZ and I can tell you from experiance police vehicle rarely get serviced on time and get treated like they were stolen.

[GregMember]

Scotty I so agree with what you have written there its so true, Fathead services some of the police DRs over that side of Sydney and it wrong the lack of maiantance they get, I mean they wont spend the money.

When I went to the Cape we saw the hire bikes (DR’s all of them) up there and they looked like they had very little service and the guys flogged the guts out of them, when we spoke with one of the tour operators he said they had tried everything and came back to the DRs, air filters he said was the key, but thats any bike

Of the performance based bikes 450’s I think the WR450 would take some beating for value, reliability, performance, longevity, availability of spares and after market accessories

TB

[Eric SmithMember]

Trailboss wrote:

Quote:

Scotty I so agree with what you have written there its so true, Fathead services some of the police DRs over that side of Sydney and it wrong the lack of maiantance they get, I mean they wont spend the money.

When I went to the Cape we saw the hire bikes (DR’s all of them) up there and they looked like they had very little service and the guys flogged the guts out of them, when we spoke with one of the tour operators he said they had tried everything and came back to the DRs, air filters he said was the key, but thats any bike

Of the performance based bikes 450’s I think the WR450 would take some beating for value, reliability, performance, longevity, availability of spares and after market accessories

TB

Scotty is right again, any bike can go bung with the incorrect maintenance. I have seen more DRZ’s break down than anything else, but I believe that is because they are like armpits – everyone has them! (Censored version!) Second most broken-down I have seen would be KTM’s – again because there are so many of them.

And TB is also right, the WRF is the pick of the current crop, even though it is a “two year old model” now, for value, performance, reliability, etc as TB says they really take some beating. And I am not a Yamaha man, never was anyway! Got one now though so what does that tell you!?

[Brendon CarreMember]

I came off a wr426 which i still have and never regret buying, its a great bike and really good fun to ride. My 426 did some really big outback rides that it was’nt designed for and always did the job very well.
The DRZ is also a great bike and is more suitable for the longer rides but it can do the job just about everywhere. Yes it needs suspension work but that can be said of most bikes out of the box as with good engine and radiator protection. I find that the DRZ is easy to ride and less taxing on my poor OLD body than the 426. The wr450 seems to be proving itself to be reliable and the gearboxes seem to hold out better than the 400 and 426 models have in the past. The new bikes whatever make are more like race bikes and seem to be more reliable with each new model and suzuki will miss out on sales if they dont catch up!! In saying all that the DRZ is one of the last old style trail bikes, is there still a market for such a bike?? only time will tell.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s a silly step by Suzuki to not ADR the bike. The costs involved will surely be outweighed by profit from bike sales. Every bike they sell (and someone sees in the bush) in also an advertisment for them, so the value extends beyond just the profit gained by selling the bike.

It’s like KTM, some people just buy/bought because they were/are the ‘in’ bike to have.

I’d definitely consider an RMZ as my next bike if it was ADR compliant. Despite all my joking and jibing about KTM I don’t have any brand loyalty and my next bike will be the bike that I think best suits me at the price I want to pay.

I really like the new Bergs as you probably all know, but they might be off my list due to the price to buy one now. Second in line is likely a Husky 450/510, however, it could be an RMZ if Suzuki pulled their finger out…..

[Bruce CurtisMember]

I reckon Yamaha are very smart cookies, they have also got the softer version of the 250 the WR250R, also they are the only Jap manufacturer to retain the 250 2T MXer in their lineup, and they instill reliability in their reputation. I say this as a Bloke who used to dread throwing a leg over anything with a tuning fork on the tank.

I still have a soft spot for Suzukis’ but I think their marketing section is lacking appropriate testicular development

BC

[Eric SmithMember]

True that BC, and it must be pointed out that Yamaha still make the TTR250, a design older than a DRZ but still quite capable of running around the trails. I see no reason that Suzuki can’t do the same with their lineup.

[Scott SouthwellMember]

Mr Blue wrote:

Quote:

I reckon Yamaha are very smart cookies, they have also got the softer version of the 250 the WR250R, also they are the only Jap manufacturer to retain the 250 2T MXer in their lineup, and they instill reliability in their reputation. I say this as a Bloke who used to dread throwing a leg over anything with a tuning fork on the tank.

I still have a soft spot for Suzukis’ but I think their marketing section is lacking appropriate testicular development

BC

agree Yamaha has it right making a trail version of the WR250, I wish they would also do a WR450R.

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