Fun and Games with a DR-Z400

[Helicoptermanr22]

Ok it is tomorrow now and still nothing ! Hurry up

[Thedktor]

Ok it is tomorrow now and still nothing ! Hurry up

So to continue - One morning some way from home, I had stopped for a break only to discover .... a flat battery!

Well that's awkward.

But fortunately I like to stop on a hill when I can for a bit of a view, so only had to roll it along for a bump start - no drama.

I don't have a pic from the day but you can have this from the same spot :

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Once back home a voltmeter showed no output from the generator, a not uncommon issue on a DRZ. But when I take the cover off I discover that the cause is, once again, due to a numpty previous owner!

Someone had already replaced the stator and done a shite job - the cable clamp had come undone, the wires had rubbed through, and were earthing against the flywheel. Doh.

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Not easy to see but there is exposed copper wire there, and the clamp is missing - it should look like this:

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[Thedktor]

The clamp had, not surprisingly, got mangled by the flywheel but the broken bits were found fortunately.

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New and old!

With the stator replaced, lots more rides followed, and a couple of thousand miles without fuss until.... another oil leak! This time at the front sprocket shaft, a known problem on the DRZ. Of course I have to mention that the PO had given me a replacement seal kit which had not been fitted. The bike was still on its original countershaft seal and bush, 14 years old and finally succumbed to corrosion on the bush, which wrecks the seal.

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So, anything more? Well, maybe .....

[Tonibe63]

"Oooh ....... that's what that bit of metal was for"

[Teflon Jnr]

This has had me more entertained in the last few days than game of thrones did well done buddy I hope there wasn't much more but in a way I hope there was lol

[Thedktor]

This has had me more entertained in the last few days than game of thrones did well done buddy I hope there wasn't much more but in a way I hope there was lol

But thanks

At the risk of dragging out this story for too long another incident from early in the ownership, if only for the novelty picture of a bike on the trail with it's wheel out. I blame the PO, but perhaps could have been prevented - a puncture! Well, it turned out actually to be a small split in the tube, a manufacturing fault. The tube in question was a cheap and thin no-name thing that I would not have ridden on if I had known it was in my wheel, but hey.

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Now, here's an exciting thing - in my rucksack is a small pocket knife which has a jig-saw blade on it - very handy for making a stand in this kind of situation

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Thinking I could re-use the tube rather than temporarily fitting the spare front, I did a very careful repair, thoroughly cleaning and roughing it up with a bit of sandpaper, the usual stuff, as I have done 100's of times before.

Cary on with the ride, but an hour later the bleedin back tyre went flat again!! What the actual F-in F !




It was a dry, warm day, so I took a risk with the "other" method of fixing a puncture:

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[Thedktor]

What I found was the patch just hadn't stuck to the thin blue line painted on the tube, despite sanding it. Of course, this was exactly where the split was. A blurry zoom in:

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Luckily I had a big patch in the bag, sanded the area very thoroughly and slapped the big patch over the little patch - got me home no problem, and easier than having to take the wheel out to change the tube.


Next up, some other stuff, that is not problems! And another pic:

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[phil_h]

Love your trail-side wheel spindle holder btw
Also notice your sig doesnt have drz4 in it

[Thedktor]

Love your trail-side wheel spindle holder btw

Ah that is an old trick learned somewhere many, many, years ago!

Also notice your sig doesnt have drz4 in it

Um, yes, keep forgetting to update it!

[Thedktor]

A couple of things of interest worth mentioning with this bike, firstly the handlebar position on DRZ's is way too low and rear-set. I fit these risers which also push the bars forwards which completely transforms the riding position - highly recommended. On the S models it is a bit more complicated to do as you have to reposition the speedometer and ignition switch. A pic from a previous E model, note forks in the wrong position!

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The second thing is the gearing. The DRZ-E comes with 14-47 sprockets which work well off road but feels very busy on road, especially compared to the S model's 15-44 gearing. On previous DRZ-E's a halfway house 15-47 worked fine, and although you could hit 90 it was still busy-feeling on tarmac.

So on this E I decided to try 15-44 gearing, and have not looked back! The taller gearing really highlights the E-model's strong and broad power delivery and it is very entertaining on the road with a top speed not far off 100mph. 4th gear gives an effortless surge from 30 to 80 if needed, with a lovely howl as the revs get high - overtaking slower traffic is not a problem.

Fortunately my off-road riding is generally on more open trails so the taller gearing is not an issue, just an occasional slip of the super-light clutch is all that's needed to compensate.

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Another picture, and, oops, sorry, there is one more part to come.

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