Suzuki DR-Z400E

Since then the street legal DR-Z400E has been one of Suzuki's best selling nameplates, and always among the top 10 or 12 most popular bikes in Australia.

But the DR occupies something of a niche in the 400 market. Daryl Hurley did very well on one-off race bikes built for the Thumper Nats by Jay Foreman's Suzuki race team, but with the exception of the XR, the Suzuki is the least race-oriented of all the 400s. It's faster than an XR400 but slower than the Yamaha WR450. We reckon a lot of blokes who bought DR-Z400s did so because they wanted an XR with electric-start but couldn't have one, because there's no such thing, so they bought the next best thing. If that's true, the DR-Z400 is the XR400 of the new century. (How many sales Honda has lost because of that we have no idea.)

Then again, maybe that's being unfair to the Suzuki. Trail riders aren't stupid. They know a dud when they see one. These guys aren't buying DR-Z400s because the bike is pretty - it's not - but because it's good value for money and offers a lot of what trail riders want. If you ask a DR-Z400 owner why he bought the Suzuki and what he likes about it, this'll be the answer: 'I bought the DR-Z because it's simple to work on, it has electric-start, it's good value for money at just over 10 grand plus on-road, and it's easy to live with. It's like a tractor when the going gets really snotty so it's also easy to ride.' No surprise that XR400 owners say exactly the same thing, without reference to electric-start.

We liked the Suzuki for the same reasons. When jetted right the DR-Z400 pulls hard down to very low revs and won't stall unless you do something dumb. It hangs on. The suspension isn't perfect and will benefit from expert tuning to suit an individual's weight. Replacement parts aren't cheap, more like 'reasonable', and there's nothing fancy about this 400 to confuse blokes who like to do their own servicing and maintenance. The only quirky thing about the DR-Z is the size of the front sprocket retaining nut. Why it has to be larger than the rear axle nut we have no idea.

This bike has most of what the majority of trail riders want. It doesn't do anything brilliantly but does a lot of things quite well. That's why it's a best seller. And that's why it's the XR400 of the new century.

WHAT WE LIKED:

NOT SO MUCH:

By Barry Ashenhurst

TRANSMISSION:
Type: Five-speed;
Final drive: 0-ring chain.

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR:
Frame type: Semi double-cradle;
Front suspension: 49mm Showa adjustable fork;
Rear suspension: Showa adjustable shock;
Front brake: Single disc and twin-piston calliper;
Rear brake: Single disc with single-piston calliper.

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES:
Claimed dry weight: 119kg;
Claimed seat height: 945mm;
Fuel capacity: 10 litres (incl reserve).
Price: $10,290.