Went down on my DRZ today. Not a biggie. hit a cow-pattie midcorner on a backroad and lost the front end. Am still trying to get a better feel for the riding style on these things, it definitely doesn't need the hang off that the 919 does to get around corners. Glad I went down on this rather than the hornet. I just dusted the DRz off, straightened the handguard and went on my way. Would've been a more expensive whoopsie on the 919 for sure.
Puzzled by the wear pattern on the tires though. on the hornet i'm all the way to the edge on the rear tire with anout 1/4 inch chicken strip on the front. On the motard, i'm all the way to the edge of the tire infront but still have 1/2 an inch of chicken strip in the back. Odd.
The front of the motard sometimes feels like it wants to tuck under the bike in sharp corners. Shakes my confidence when that happens. Maybe I just need more practice...but of course I'm blaming the bike rather than my skills. I'm running Pirelli Diablo's front 120/60 rear 160/60. Bad size combo for the DRZ, you think? Any SM guys around for some pointers?
Im just getting into it so Im no help except to say DAMN! a cow pattie took ya out?
Im assuming your OK as I am picking myself up of the floor laughing!
Like I said Im just getting into these things but Ive noticed alot of guys run 140's out back. Which if that were what your bike calls for would explain the reverse chicken trip senario and the front wanting to tuck, but I havent even riddin mine yet and this is just an observation from snoopin around online so take it for what it is, useless jargon.
But you did eat shit over a lump of cow shit..... Wow, thats good shit, I mean stuff.
(did you say "oh shit!" right before you biffed?)
You can rag on me too, a patch of sand about 7 inches in diameter took me out on a ninja one time midcorner, it dont take much. Scuffed me and the bike up decent, but I like your story better. I might have shit myself if I was there. (one last poo pun)
Haha, shit happens for sure. Fresh cow-dung is slippery sheeet!
Yup a 140 is the stock size on the DRZ-SM factory motard. Got this converted enduro with a brand new 160 on the rear, so I've kept it. Im wondering if a 120/70 in front will make much of a difference... The front wheel looks tiny compared to the rear. A bigger disc up front would be nice too. Brakes are a bit underpowered in street/motard trim. I'll have a fiddle with the suspension and see if I can make it worse...I mean better.
What size rims are you running? im assuming you bought the bike used so anything could be on there. Im trying to figure out an economical way to fit some 17 inch rims and use my 18's for dirt.
i have seen motards want to tuck simply due to the fact they have long suspension which flexes more than something in full street trim... but really you shouldnt have those issues, seen guys rock it hard on stock drz's without problem. just gotta play with suspension settings.
I know on my 919 from when i got it to know, with the adjustments i have done (10w oil, higher oil level, backed off the rebound and preload) the front feels MUCH more planted.
Just play with one thing at a time
and aint that the beauty of the drz... awe shit i lowsided.... pick up, bang bang on the bars n front tire to straighten everything out... walla good as new.
DAMN! Glad you're okay, man! Hat to see ANY rider go down! Hell, I'd cry if I seen even a Harley rider lose it! LOL!
Talking about the feel of the 919, mine always seems to fee like the back tire is low! I check it all the time and it's right up there. But sure get a weird sway back there that I didn't get from my 2007.
Again, my helmet goes off to anyone who can just wipe off some dust and be back on the road. Glad you're fine.
If the front feels like it wants to tuck....then there's took much weight bias on the front. My guess is maybe it still has soft dirt suspension? In which case, your bike is going through some crazy geometry changes every corner entry.
1. New springs in the front or more rebound & compression.
2. The other thing to do is lower the rear or use less spring preload.
...... I'd go down to the 150 rear..... You'll never use the entire 160 contact patch, it's heavier, harder to mount, usually has chain slap problems, and I believe it may even have a slight higher ride profile causing even more issues with your front end. I had the 160 rear on my KTM, but that was also with a normal 120/70 front and also had a wider swingarm for the extra size......
What size rims are you running? im assuming you bought the bike used so anything could be on there. Im trying to figure out an economical way to fit some 17 inch rims and use my 18's for dirt.
I think this bike has got TGO 17 x 4.25 rims on talon hubs. From what I've read, cast wheels from an old RGV or smaller capacity 90's sportbikes are a cheap way to do it for you guys. "throw-away" stuff like that seems pretty cheap and available for you boys in the US. There's no such thing as insurance write-offs and breaker/wreckers over here so enduro to motard conversions usually get wire spoked wheels. Takasago rims laced up to the stock hubs.
i have seen motards want to tuck simply due to the fact they have long suspension which flexes more than something in full street trim... but really you shouldnt have those issues, seen guys rock it hard on stock drz's without problem. just gotta play with suspension settings.
I know on my 919 from when i got it to know, with the adjustments i have done (10w oil, higher oil level, backed off the rebound and preload) the front feels MUCH more planted.
Just play with one thing at a time
and aint that the beauty of the drz... awe shit i lowsided.... pick up, bang bang on the bars n front tire to straighten everything out... walla good as new.
Yup! One of the main reasons I got the DRZ was to use on track and not worry about big repair bills if I ever go down.
If the front feels like it wants to tuck....then there's took much weight bias on the front. My guess is maybe it still has soft dirt suspension? In which case, your bike is going through some crazy geometry changes every corner entry.
1. New springs in the front or more rebound & compression.
2. The other thing to do is lower the rear or use less spring preload.
...... I'd go down to the 150 rear..... You'll never use the entire 160 contact patch, it's heavier, harder to mount, usually has chain slap problems, and I believe it may even have a slight higher ride profile causing even more issues with your front end. I had the 160 rear on my KTM, but that was also with a normal 120/70 front and also had a wider swingarm for the extra size......
Yup, suspension is pretty uhm, plush. Will see what I can do as far as experimenting with adjustments. A tire swap might help indeed.
Glad you were able to dust yourself off and get back on. Hope you work things out with the bike. I'm guessing these guys will steer you straight. Good luck
__________________
No plan survives first contact...but there's always a plan.
Went down on my DRZ today. Not a biggie. hit a cow-pattie midcorner on a backroad and lost the front end. Am still trying to get a better feel for the riding style on these things, it definitely doesn't need the hang off that the 919 does to get around corners. Glad I went down on this rather than the hornet. I just dusted the DRz off, straightened the handguard and went on my way. Would've been a more expensive whoopsie on the 919 for sure.
Puzzled by the wear pattern on the tires though. on the hornet i'm all the way to the edge on the rear tire with anout 1/4 inch chicken strip on the front. On the motard, i'm all the way to the edge of the tire infront but still have 1/2 an inch of chicken strip in the back. Odd.
The front of the motard sometimes feels like it wants to tuck under the bike in sharp corners. Shakes my confidence when that happens. Maybe I just need more practice...but of course I'm blaming the bike rather than my skills. I'm running Pirelli Diablo's front 120/60 rear 160/60. Bad size combo for the DRZ, you think? Any SM guys around for some pointers?
Hmmmmm, I'm wondering if you have a front to rear chassis ride height differential from "standard" that is at least partially at play. Have you looked at tire heights plus the way you have the front and rear suspension set up to see if you are too far away from where you need to be to maintain acceptable front end geometry and fore and aft weight distribution?
Are your tires truly properly matched in terms of their respective rim widths ?
Too narrow (or wide) a rim for a given tire can really screw things up.
Are the springs too soft for pavement levels of grip and brake force ?
Hmmmmm, I'm wondering if you have a front to rear chassis ride height differential from "standard" that is at least partially at play. Have you looked at tire heights plus the way you have the front and rear suspension set up to see if you are too far away from where you need to be to maintain acceptable front end geometry and fore and aft weight distribution?
Are your tires truly properly matched in terms of their respective rim widths ?
Too narrow (or wide) a rim for a given tire can really screw things up.
Are the springs too soft for pavement levels of grip and brake force ?
Trying to absorb as much info as I can on thumpertalk and ADVrider. Will let you know what I find to solve the issues.
By 17's I meant......supermoto w/ 17 front/rear verses dirtbike with 21 front/18-19 rear.
If you're looking for info on how to set up your DRZ for the trails......Thumpertalk is the place to go
If you're looking for info on how to set up your DRZ for supermoto.....Supermoto Junkie is the place to go.
Brian --- if you're looking to do a little Supermoto with your KTM.....don't buy 17's. Get some sticky tires for your stock rims and just go for it. I could easily go as fast on my XR650R as any supermoto w/ 17's........the added benefit is that the stock dirtbike rims are lighter and let you wheelie easier. You do however have to drop the front forks and crank up the rear spring on the bike to get it to turn better.
Went down on my DRZ today. Not a biggie. hit a cow-pattie midcorner on a backroad and lost the front end. Am still trying to get a better feel for the riding style on these things, it definitely doesn't need the hang off that the 919 does to get around corners. Glad I went down on this rather than the hornet. I just dusted the DRz off, straightened the handguard and went on my way. Would've been a more expensive whoopsie on the 919 for sure.
I'm running Pirelli Diablo's front 120/60 rear 160/60. Bad size combo for the DRZ, you think? Any SM guys around for some pointers?
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