quick advice needed pls re viewing Cheap DR350 !

[willywombat64]

Can't really judge the bike you're looking at, as would need to see it (and it's owner) in the flesh first

But had a 98' kick start only DR 350 from new, and it started 2 kick every time from cold and only took about 5 when it had been upside down!
But still consider it the best all round and most well rounded trail bike I've ever owned - and have had a lot of different stuff now
But then turned it into a difficult to start and unreliabe piece of crap by getting it bored out to a 385

Interesting how a small increase in capacity buggered the bike up.Wonder why that would be? You must have been well gutted after all that effort.

[ggp59]

Don't really know, but most of the the engine oil escaped from between the cases one very muddy day, and didn't notice until too late seizing the thing up
And blame the difficult starting on Suzuki working out very precisely how long to make a kick start lever and how many teeth on the internal gears to shift 350cc's at a speed to start it, then I came along and buggered up their maths

I squirted WD40 down the plug hole, got it going and traded it in for the latest new out model. A super light, all singing dancing and mega fast DRZ 400

Oh well, you live and learn

[boboneleg]

Put it down to experience Bill, I'm sure most of us have had similar experiences

[The Sarge]

Bill, you shouldn't be put off by the utter bollocks people say about the kickstart model being shite, if the valve clearances have been properly set they start easily, 2 dry kicks on the deco lever and then one full kick. They dont't have key ingition and no battery to worry about, so can be left for months without worry. If you want a hassle free bike they are brilliant and very cheap to run, I picked one up cheap 3 years back and after the intitial rennovation have spent nothing on it since. Keep looking it will be worth it


Sarge

[garyboy]

I like the idea of `no battery`, but these bikes are usually old, and require a lot of maintenance, mostly from abuse by a previous owner.
Once you have spent ages (and a small fortune) getting it running right and learning the optimum kick technique, they are great, yes, but an older bike has old technology, gummed up carbs, rotted rubber, knackered suspension, etc etc etc. and is still temperamental. .. stalling, stopping, cutting out, over-heating etc. But yes, great when it is all sorted.


the bored out one .. difficult starting may be due to the increase in intake volume? altering the preset mixture balance? (weaker?).. perhaps a bigger pilot jet? (I assume it has a bigger head?)
there is also the increase in compression ratio?

[daveuprite]

Bill, you shouldn't be put off by the utter bollocks people say about the kickstart model being shite,
Sarge

I'm very happy to admit that I can talk a good bollock, but all I know is what a pain in the arse my old DR350 was to kick. OK, perhaps if I had spent hours setting it up just right it may have been better, and I'm sure you're right that the DR kicked properly from new, but like many people who spend a grand on a cheap dirt bike I just wanted to get out and play. When stone cold it took about 40 kicks to get going, and then once warm it would generally re-start OK with one or two kicks - but not always. It was also primitive, suspension-wise. However I learned a lot about crashing in the mud on that bike and it got me interested in greenlaning. The DRZ400E I bought afterwards was infinitely better in every way and its leccy button was so reliable that I never once felt the lack of a kickstarter on that bike.

Mind you, my Beta is clearly in need of a new battery and didn't have enough beans to start on the button three or four times yesterday. One kick each time and she roared into life. So... just as I wouldn't want a kick-start-only enduro bike, I also wouldn't really want one that didn't have a back-up kicker.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Well, as a former owner, I can confirm that the kick-start DR350S was rubbish.

But I'm a kind-heated guy, so if you've got one in good condition you want rid of, there's £100 waiting for you here if you'd like to deliver it. Honestly, they aren't worth any more than that

Re the big-bore kit....they shouldn't need rejetting as the fuel/air ratio will remain the same. But I recall an article in Dirt Bike saying that 'every time we ride a hopped up DR it blows up five minutes later.'

A number of reasons for this, I suspect: insufficient crankcase volume to cope with the increased pumping from a bigger piston being one, but most critical of all being that the Suzukis of the time (including the DR) were air/oil cooled. There was a jet pumping oil directly onto the underside of the piston crown, not to lubricate it, but to cool it.

Add a bigger piston, and the peak heat of the piston crown will increase, the volume of the piston crown will increase but the volume of oil reaching it will be the same. So the piston overheats. Bear in mind that people were increasing the capacity to as much as 441 cc in the USA.

[bowber]

The one I had for years was a 93 kick only model, SP?, I bored it out to 424 and messed with the jetting and it was reasonable to start, unless I fell over, and very reliable mechanically.
When I did it up a few years ago I got a new barrel, set it all back to standard and the starting was very good, first or second kick every time hot or cold, but it's still a pain in the arse compared to electric start.

Steve

[Mikekitts81]

i wouldnt say there is anything out of the ordinary with the m.o.t certificate as one of my bike is a 660cc and its surprising when people dont ask they just assume its a 400cc so could just be a common mistake at the m.o.t centre as for working lights the lights may not be road standard with the e markings meaning it cant pass a full m.o.t hence day time m.o.t ... and as for 13 previous owners that isnt aslways a bad thing if its quite low miles it could be that the bike as spent most of its life in a garage as each owner just bought it to go green laning but never really got round to it so had maybe a handfull of goes and decide to sell as it was just sitting in the garage .

[willywombat64]

The DRZ400E I bought afterwards was infinitely better in every way and its leccy button was so reliable that I never once felt the lack of a kickstarter on that bike.

Better seat and gearbox ?