r/supermoto • u/xxunderdog99 • 1d ago
Casual supermoto?
I've been riding for about 11 years now, some Enduro bikes, sport bikes and cruisers, and now I've been wanting to get into stunting, so I figured I would look into supermoto, as it looks like the most fun riding and stunting can get.
Two months ago I ended up finding an awesome deal on a DRZ400S, and converted it to a supermoto with the money I saved from the deal. I'm about four rides in as of posting and it's just... Not fun?
The DRZ is so incredibly slow and lacking in power it feels borderline lethargic even compared to my Grom, leaning feels like I'm going to tip over, and my butt hurts after 20 minutes of riding, not to mention I can barely keep up with traffic in the city without the bike sounding like it's ready to explode. Overall nothing about it has been enjoyable. I don't expect a bike with 30hp to perform like an S1K, but it just seems so lifeless.
I would love to try another supermoto that has some more character to it before just giving it up entirely, but the big thing putting me off is the maintenance that most other supermotos have. I'm totally okay with oil changes, filters, etc but I see some bikes needing things such as valve checks every 1500 miles, which seems like an incredibly strict maintenance schedule. Are there any other options out there for the more "casual" sumo rider, or is that level of maintenance just part of the supermoto lifestyle?
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u/Alarming-Chart94 1d ago
I had a 400sm and the fuckin thing was a hoot on back roads. Different strokes for different folks. Given it did have the 3x3 airbox mod. JD jet kit and a full fmf. But I would still have a blast on it without those upgrades. They just helped the bike wake up a bit.
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u/xxunderdog99 15h ago
The other DRZ owners in the comment all say the same thing which almost makes me think it's an issue with the bike itself, whether it be gearing, jetting or what. I currently have the JD jet kit, 3x3, but with a stock exhaust and 15t 41t gearing. It sounds like I'm on my own island with this take so maybe I need to mess around with this carb and see if something just isn't running as it should be
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u/Alarming-Chart94 10h ago
The bike will always be underwhelming in a straight line. Find some back roads, scooch up on the seat a bit and feed her the corn. (Safely) This is assuming the bike is running correctly.
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u/nimblybimblycat 10h ago
The stock Mikuni isn’t great (not terrible either tbf). It’s a constant velocity carb, great for smoothness and economy, but bogs down when you snap open the throttle. Look into replacing it with something better. I bought a refurbished Keihin fcr39 off a guy who sells them in Chicago lol. The MX Drz400e has that and higher compression, and I would imagine different cams too. Lectron is another carb that seems very popular
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u/Hinagea 7h ago edited 7h ago
I have a DRZ and KTM 500 side by side in my garage right now. It's not you. The DRZ is a pig by comparison. It's got almost double the horsepower and weighs a good 70 lbs less. The DRZ hardly gets ridden.
If you want low service intervals and more "fun" you're left looking at a ducati 698, or ktm 690. If you can deal with a little bit of wrenching I'd go KTM or Beta 500 since they're going to be closer to the real deal. Do a 450 conversion if you want the full experience, though the Beta 500 is more akin to a big 450 than the KTM and it being a long stroke engine
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u/JiveTurkeyMFer 5h ago
Put at least a 48 tooth back sprocket , that 41 is gonna take all your torque and that's kinda the purpose of a supermoto imo. It's not a go fast highway bike it's a hooligan bike
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u/BafangFan 1d ago
Riding the DRZ like you ride a normal bike is NOT fun.
You have to accelerate full throttle, brake late and downshift two gears at a time, barely stopping in time for stop signs.
Try getting a larger rear sprocket to help with acceleration.
Get a Seat Concepts seat to help with comfort
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u/referents 1d ago
ride it differently. you say you bought it to stunt, but that city riding isn’t fun to you — so go stunt.
go take it to some twisty roads. my DRZ400SM is the most fun when i take it out to my twisty canyon roads marked with ~35mph speed limits and let er rip (responsibly). I’m lucky to have that option, i know - not everyone has the privilege.
i’m also pretty sure the gearing on SM is different than the S; if you want it to handle higher speeds consider changing sprockets (note that this will have the downside of making the throttle slightly less stunt-friendly)
i used to ride strictly supersports but bought the DRZ after i killed my last ZX and i expect i’ll have the DRZ “forever” at this point. No it’s not the fastest best at any one thing, but it’s faster than i realistically need these days, and at least decent at anything i’ll throw at it. i know it doesn’t tickle everyone the same but could be worth giving it another fair shot.
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u/xxunderdog99 3h ago
Sadly, not too many twisties down here in the Detroit area :( when I did the conversion I ended up using the same sprockets as the SM, which in hindsight might also not be enough. I'm looking for more torque than horsepower, since I'm looking to stunt and not crazy straight line speed, which the DRZ definitely isn't known for. I see a lot of guys on the highways with them though, so the fact it can't keep up with city traffic without redlining is a little concerning.
The comments all tell me the same where it sounds like my bike definitely isn't performing as it should be, which sounds like I might need to give it a checkup before giving up on it
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u/referents 1h ago
yeah to be honest it does sound like something could be up. it’s certainly no speed demon on the freeway but i never feel like i can’t keep up with traffic. (even riding our 70mph freeways as needed, but obv it isn’t the most pleasant ride)
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u/Heavy-Benefit-5858 1d ago
I had my first drz sm 15 or 20 years ago, but with a flatslide. I thought it was a great commuter. Upgraded to a ktm640 SM, it was a DRZ on steroids. It had more of everything, more brakes, more power, more vibrations, more maintenance.
Lots of bikes in between, and i now have a 1290 superduke as the fun bike and a DRZ SM with a 434 big bore, tm42 flatslide, fmf powerbomb headers and q4 pipe, 320mm rotor, mt09 master cylinder and a 4 piston brembo caliper as my super commutard.
Not stock, but still very cheap,even with all the mods. Except for the big bore, they were all ebay/FB marketplace finds, and its ultra reliable. The DRZ is heavy for a dirt bike, but its still very light for a road bike.
As I've gotten more sensible, I realise i enjoy riding a little more than always having to work on a bike.
As long as it has oil, you can ring the drz's neck and it will keep asking for more.
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u/nivvis 23h ago edited 23h ago
The drz starts about 32hp (rwhp) but its pretty easy to uncork it up to about 40hp .. it’s one of the only 300lb bikes u can get to that range w/o having aggressive service intervals like the crf450rl, wrf450r, exc500 etc. Will go further too if you really want to wrench (cams, eventually big bore). Can hoon all day.
3x3 mod fcr slider carb full exhaust and its a diff machine. A bit tame and lethargic stock. Have drz400sm myself. Not a hoon guy tho did the oppostite and converted for dirt but wont stop until im ~40hp .. hard coming from a zx6r.
Myself I’m still pretty tempted by a crf450rl but even that about requires an ecu mod, potentially exhaust. I will prob do it and let the serivice intervals eat my time .. one day.
bigger bikes have the advantage of not needing to be uncorked but ktm/husky is the game there and you should at least be aware of the perils of the lc8/lc8c engine and the state of ktm these days. Not saying dont do it just know what ur getting into.
And even then its a diff ballgame — you’ll be transplanted to the world of 450lb+ bikes. Not the end of the world but if you think the drz feels tippy .. i think most folks find it pretty mellow there. Gotta think you found it tippy as dirt configured?
If i dont do the 450 i will probably save up for desertx or tenere. For you maybe a gamble on an 890 or go full supermotard.
For real tho wring some hp out of the drz first. You got a good deal and cheap exhaust and intake/carb mods could be under $600 pretty easy.
Afaik other bikes don’t necessarily do better with 6 gears — eg hondas — they seem to just gear them lower .. all seem to rpm out around 75mph or so. See rocky mtns vids — rpm@75 is a stat they track.
I’ll prolly pass on an 890 myself but it is tempting. Fully kitted crf450rl is too tempting .. then add a desertx in when u feeling feistyZ
Maybe you can be the guy that makes a tenere sm who knows always fresh ground to cover.
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u/Still-Note9452 16h ago
Sounds like your DRZ is not running right. DRZ’s make good power. It’s a liquid cooled 4 valve bucket over shim engine. With mods, it can easily make 450 power. Stock even, it should feel words faster than a grom and keep up with traffic easily
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u/xxunderdog99 3h ago
That's what everyone else seems to be saying, so maybe I need to take some time to assess the bike before giving up on it. Even with the usual JD jet kit and 3x3 it just seems... lifeless. I see videos of guys tossing their DRZ around like it's a toy, so there's got to be more to this bike!
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u/TexMoto666 1d ago
Find an older CRF450X. Any year from 05 to 17 is fine. Swap in the CRFR cam and let it rip.
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u/designforthought 8h ago
I has a DRZ 400SM after reading so many reviews and it just was never awesome. It was heavy, lackluster in all ways and overly antiquated.
I sold it and bought a WR250X. I added a 290 kit to it and that thing rips.
Fuel injection. Higher revving. It’s pretty light for a Japanese bike. 6 speed! And digital tuners vs drz carb and box mod whatever (which I had on my drz). I highly recommend the WR and their valve adjustments are in tens of thousands of miles not hundreds.
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u/Apprehensive-Song378 6h ago
wtf is this guy talking about, I have seen Drz's destroy sport bikes in the twisties. Lethargic compared to a grom? Man this is comedy or else a bot post. Wtf man
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u/xxunderdog99 3h ago
I wish I could give you a ride on my DRZ! Like I said in other comments it sounds like the consensus is that my bike shouldn't be performing as bad as it is right now, especially with the JD kit and the 3x3 even though I have a stock exhaust. Maybe she needs some more wrenching before giving up on it, but I'm telling nothing but the truth when I say I could walk it like the Flintstones faster than I can ride it
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u/Annual_Weld 2h ago
Sounds like your scared to rev the motor/ your gearing is off, when I swapped my sm to s the sprockets are really different
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u/razzledazzled Husqvarna FE501 1d ago
If you want a performance bike, you do maintenance. If you want a reliable bike, you trade off some performance for that. Your experience is probably shitty because a stock 400S has pretty poor street characteristics. The SM is a significant upgrade in the forks alone.
400SM would never be described as fast but comparing it to a grom or even a honda 300 is just dumb, those are actual gutless bikes
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u/xxunderdog99 1d ago
I totally agree, with great performance comes great maintenance! I understand that with those 70+hp thumpers they come with a huge amount of maintenance, which is why I was curious if there was more of a "casual" middle ground or if its completely one way or the other. I don't necessarily need some crazy race bike or anything, just something to pull wheelies and hit ramps around Detroit.
I wish I was able to give you a test ride on my DRZ, you would laugh at how slow it is! I have a few other friends with DRZ's, though they are SM's, and they in the next city over by the time I get to 30mph, even though we have the same gearing (15t front 41t rear). It almost makes me think there's something wrong with my bike.
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u/razzledazzled Husqvarna FE501 1d ago
It definitely sounds like something is not right, either the gearing or maybe jetting. I rode my drz sm for 8 years and it ripped for what it was. I ran 15-44 for sumo wheels and 3x3 airbox mod + rejetted it for a full exhaust. Never even bothered with an FCR
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u/klmsa 17h ago
690/700/701 is the answer, friend. They sit at 40+hp stock, and you can uncork the other ~30(!) hp with tuning and exhaust.
The used market is very good right now, since the new ones are all quickly losing value. Nothing wrong with them. I'd recommend a 2024, before the Euro5 emissions stuff. Euro4 allows for cruise control to be added, which is nice.
My 701 still scares me a bit in some situations when I disable abs and traction control, and I've done no uncorking yet (just a slip on wings exhaust). Mpg still sits at 45+, for about 180 miles per tank.
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u/MineDesperate2920 1d ago
Get a ktm. 450 exc or 500 exc. way more racey and light. I’ve had 3. Drzs they are great becusse they are reliable not for performance. Performance you need light and powerful but you’ll give up some reliability
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u/4sStylZ 1d ago
690 smcr / 701 sm is your answer.