Hi guys, dispite the fact i,ve not ridden one yet, I,m looking at getting a 400 to replace my old pegaso. Listening to your reviews it sounds like the bike I want.....BUT, Whats it like 2 up anyone known. I,m not talking off road or anything, but maybe a gentle road tour. Would the bike handle it and would we still be talking to each other after 100 miles? Obviously I will make mods but can the engine etc take the strain???

The problem would be comfort, unless you changed the seat. I personally would not go 2 up for any distance on a DRZ. Riding one by myself was uncomfortable enough, I suggest you take a long test ride before buying.

Steve

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My photos: www.possu.smugmug.com

I have a DRZ. I have taken my girlfriend for short rides without problems. Plenty of power etc. My weight is 235 lbs, hers is 105lbs. The comfort of long rides two up may be a bit less than I want, but about 12 years ago I ran into a couple that had come all the way from argentina two up on a 250cc honda. You can do it, but I would consider something like the v-strom instead. The v-strom is about the same price, but more comfortable. BTW I love my DRZ, just not sure how comfortable it would be with 2 people. If you do get a DRZ, I recommend getting a manual cam chain tentioner for it. They had some failures in the auto one with the early bikes, but are supposed to have fixed it. I wouldn't want to find out in the middle of no where that my cct problem wasnt fixed.

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John

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John

Another cheap fix on a DRZ is to replace the mild steel bush behind the front sprocket with an aftermarket stainless version. The standard part rusts & chews up the countershaft oil seal, causing an oil leak.

Read about this in TBM magazine

Steve

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My photos: www.possu.smugmug.com

I enjoy riding my DRZ on and off road tremendously. Having a passenger is less fun, I must admit as the already tall bike gets quite top heavy and unless your girlfriend stands aroung 5'10" (165 cm) she may not be able to reach the ground. Depends on weight as well.

I would have to agree with Ekaphoto that V-Strom would make more sense. That is unless you want to do trail riding, besides the occasional two-up road trip.

Correction:

5'10" translates to about 155 cm or so, sorry about the typo.

Actually 5'10" is 178cm... ;-)

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- Heikki & R1200GSA + V50 Monza -

Guys,
Im planning an option to ride southern US to Panamá, probably 2up.
Me and my wife plus luggage may probably add 370 lb to the bike.
Another option maybe can be that she joins me in seldom points.
Has anyone travelled such a long distance? I will appreciate your comments.
Retarda,

As others have mentioned, the DRZ seat is not a comfort item. Pillion comfort can vary greatly, I'd suggest taking your other half on any test rides if you expect her to be with you for any long period - ask her to bear in mind vibration through the footpegs, because that's been the downfall of a couple of bikes I've carted my partner about on.

So far for me the larger more tourer-y bikes have done best, but my old CBF250 was a surprising win too

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FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

Right!
We rode on a super confortable MGuzzi V85TT at the beggining of the year, both happy 2up, from Ecuador to Argentina, and back. She will complain with the lowgrade rather than upgrade, but it will only be for some weeks, maybe she joins me in places where she has family.
The reason, is I'd like to bring that bike to my country, it is no longer avaliable, and maybe she'd like to try and later think about travelling in 2 bikes
Thanks!

FWIW - I have a DRZ400, and an R1200GSA - and wouldn't bother asking Susan if she'd be happy to do 100km on the DRZ. Waste of breath.
Corollary to that, two of our California Meeting organizers HAVE done some reasonable mileage on a DRZ. He rode from California to Panama, and she flew in and they rode around Panama together. They did okay with it, but rode short distances, and he put a lot of effort into a comfortable seat for her, overlapping onto the rear rack. Sheepskin, mucho padding etc. He's tall, she's not.
So it CAN be done.
Can the engine take the strain - no shortage of power, the DRZ has plenty - but it's top cruising speed at the very best is around 100kph. Yes it will go faster, but neither of you will be happy for long, event at 100. 85-90 is nice.
Yes you can gear it up, but a lot of people have fiddled with gearing, as have I, and that's my conclusion. Stock DRZ400S gearing is best all round.
The engine is also VERY robust - you'll have to work or do something stupid like run out of oil to break it.
Would I RECOMMEND is as a two up touring bike? NO!
To stay in the rough category, a DR650 would be a FAR better choice. Still good off-road, and sweet on the highway - at around 100-110kph with stock gearing, and relatively comfortable for two with an after market seat.
From there, there's loads of good two-up bikes. So your decision comes down to

1. How big are you two? Smaller is good for a DRZ!
2. How much two-up vs solo?
3. How far do you want to go two up?
4. Budget?
5. How much road versus off-road proper dirt track / single track?
6. How long do you want to keep it? For a year, anything is good to get your feet wet and help decide what you REALLY want.

Hope that helps!

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Stick with the Guzzi if you possibly can! You know it, it works, she's happy on it - and trust me, that last is ALL that matters!
If you're thinking of importing a bike to Ecuador, do your research at home super carefully - taxes and import duties etc may make it too expensive.
Southern US to Panama is easy enough, just lots of borders to deal with, and they're much - much - more annoying than South American borders.

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Two-up on a DRZ. INSANITY.

It's not even comfortable One-up

Total waste of time. And I LOVE DRZ's. (I own two)

You could obviously potter around two-up. But for anything else I think you'll both be in serious and unneccessary discomfort.

There are SOOOO many better bikes for what you want.

If you want to travel offroad and want a simple reliable bike with decent power then the DRZ400 is a fantastic bike. Hard to beat even today. But it's not good for much else.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

On DRZ? That's insane. If Suzuki Vstrom would be the proper choice and you would need a stiffer rear spring. You could scale it down to F/G650GS or perhaps DR650 with custom seat, if you hate your wife that much. 1200GS would be good without any mods.

Texas is flat and big and you are looking at 85mph speed limits on freeway 75mph on secondary roads. And there are distances to cover in nothern Mexico too.

Remember by far most of the TIME on the bike on this trip will be south of mid-Mexico. Once past mid-Mexico, a 650-ish bike would be a great choice for two-up. A V-strom 650 would be a GREAT choice, and inexpensive as well as super reliable.

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------
Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com