After troubleshooting all morning as to why I’m not showing above 12V on the battery while revving this was one of the issues I came across with.
The other, seemingly unrelated is that the stator doesn’t put out any Voltage at it’s pigtail before the rest of the system, looks like it’s got to go too :banghead
thing nearly caught fire. was very cracked, dry. my bike lost a battery, i replaced it but every day or so the battery was dead… it would die while riding, blowing the main 30amp fuse. so i replaced the fuse, charged the battery, put it back in. 12.6v when off. turned on. and within 5 seconds, it blows the fuse. so i start testing things(at this time the bike is apart) the stator is working on all 3 phases, so i figure, this is the only part of the charging system left, so i read a few forums, and its a recall apparently(which i didnt know at the time) i bought a new R/R and its been trouble free for the last 1k miles.
with the new r/r 12.6v off, when running, its 14.1-14.4, at 5k, same voltage. good to go.
Aside from charging issues, how do you like the DRZ400? I was looking at those as a first bike (the enduro one, not the 400SM supermoto bike) with the idea that I’d get my stupidity out off the pavement/explore some of the ATV trails that are around my school in a way that’s a bit more subtle than taking an SUV through them. Getting a bike got put off by a year or two, but I still want an enduro.
I absolutely love the bike (SM). In the city it will do everything a sport bike will do but then you can go off the road or make your own shortcut over somebody’s lawn without blinking an eye.
Stock they are very slow however. With basic upgrades (Pipe, 3x3 mod, carb of a different bike etc) it opens up to be a lot of fun up to 40/60 mph. After that it’s rather a dog but will get upto 100.
Some guys put the big bore kits on them for under a G however and make upto 60hp, which is very respectable.
Two biggest issues with the bike are the fact that it’s 5 speed and the fact that it’s got a steel frame, but thats it.
I have not found anybody who rode it who didn’t like it and wanted one after. Boxersix is looking for one at the very moment after riding mine, the fun you get for the price you can’t beat.
As far as the E model (the enduro with nobbies), I rode one after I met a random guy with a brand new one and we swapped bikes for a second. While his tires felt surprisingly just like street tires (after market) the bike definitely felt more enduro like instead of street and was lacking a bit in power. Plus for me (5"7) the enduro was just too tall being a 2 to 3 inches taller than the moto.
You can’t go wrong with one, I think mine has 20,000 miles on it now.
Mk4 - yes I bought it used and it’s 6 years old buy now, so wouldn’t be surprised if previous owner dabbled there as it is a common fail point due to corrosion.
Edit: found this useful link for DRZ as a starter bike
Sounds pretty awesome. I’m 6’1" and around 215lbs, so the enduro bikes I’ve sat on felt pretty much the perfect height. Plus I’d take it into the woods. Some pretty good ATV trails near my school. Basically it sounds like people only bitch about the seat being too hard. I thought a 400 would be a better idea since I’m pretty heavy, and I don’t know how well the smaller motor would drag me around. Plus I have zero interest in cruiser motorcycles, which is the main thing I’ve been recommended as a starter bike.