Suzuki dr650s 2017 model versus drz 400 which should you buy? I’m gonna go through some ups and downs. Some sideways and wireless and why nots before. I own 2017 Suzuki dr650s for two years. I got plenty of experience on the highway, off-highway in Santa and mud, snow single track, and double track. What have you on both bikes is somewhat dangerous. We couldn’t get any speed to jump it I was spinning like crazy but not bad.
Back to the topic at hand the dr650 versus the drz 400 which should you buy? Well, I guess my question is what do you plan on doing with it? Are you gonna be riding very long distances on the highway at 80 miles an hour? Are you going to be doing trails like this that are intermediate or maybe even more advanced? These are all relevant questions that you need to ask yourself. The biggest thing though is before we even get into it. I wanted to say you know you can’t really go wrong with either both bikes are very reliable very tough. They have huge aftermarket support for parts they have a huge following. Let’s start off with the basics. Which bike is a better dirt bike? Well, the drz 400 is going to be a dope better dirt bike.
Fortunately, this is why I traded in my dr650 for a drz 400 because I ride a lot more off-road than I do on-road highway. On-road highway touring the dr650 is going to be better. I almost didn’t make it up that hill there both bikes. Actually gonna get about 50 to 60 miles per gallon. On the highway the more you tune the car put bigger in time of course. A mile per gallon goes down the main problem I see with the DRC 400. So far when it comes to the highway is it doesn’t have a sixth gear and it’s geared really freakin low. You’re sitting at high rpms at 70 miles an hour if I had to take a guess you’d probably be looking at about 7,000 rpm. Which don’t get me wrong the bike can handle all day long. It’s just kind of feel like you’re stressing a motor and it kind of feels a little buzzy.
Now let’s go hit up some more country roads on those trails the DRC 400 takes the win. Will take the win all day long the TR 650 is capable of that but not in any kind of speed unless you do heavy modifications to the bike. The thing about these two bikes is once you get them you’ll quickly realize that neither I’m not gonna stay stuck and you can mod them either way. I can mod the drz to be more touring friendly. I can mod the dr650 to be more dirt bike-friendly it’s all about money and time. It’s really what it boils down to one thing I would like to mention about the dr650 the more miles I put on and the seat broke in. It was still as harsh as hell and very uncomfortable.
The DRC 400 does have a skinnier seat and when you first buy it the seats hurts your ass. I believe 700 miles on this DRC now and the seats comfortable. It almost feels like my old gel seat on the dr650 if you can even believe it. I know it’s hard to believe but it truly I’m so freakin lost in the country. If wheelies are important to you by the DRC and 400 in a discussion where were we fuel tank. I don’t know the exact measurements offhand on my mind while I’m recording this video. I’ll definitely put them up on the screen everybody that ends up buying a dr650.
I need to get an IMS or a safari tank compared to the beer z400 this thing’s like it’s got a fuel thimble. I’m telling you it’s terrible what I want to do real quick is give you a quick comparison. As far as power mod I did the dr650 zero to sixty I had the same mods done FMF exhaust header jet airbox. I cut the mod these bikes are the same I’m going to show you side-by-side from old footage. I above the dr650 so we’re gonna go ahead and start this here. I’m going to give you a couple quick examples of that. Indicated 60 let’s see here and indicated 65 listen to the engine get up to 70 right. At 70 here this is where the to start to separate. The dr650 is something along quite nicely the drz 400 is definitely getting stressed. We hear it can take it all day. Now let me show you where they separate completely seventy-five. Listen to that engine that’s as fast as you really want to hold the DRC 400 all day long. It could probably take 80 but the dr650 is plenty happy at 85 all day long not stressed. My best advice for anybody looking at the DRC 400 or dr650 and trying to decide which one to buy is. Figure out what you’re gonna do and go with your gut.
