In praise of the Suzuki DrZ400
 

Be it an Ibex/cf450, Him411/450 or random other Chinese/ Indian garbage (4 letter word swapped out :thumbup1:), I'll stick with my 20 year old Made in Japan Suzuki DRZ400s with 50k miles on the unopened motor, that cost me £900, 10k miles ago. Better suspension, much lighter, more reliable and likely only marginally more thirsty on a carburettor (23 to 25 km a litre)

It'll still be running when the CF and the Him are in the landfill.

Pic during Covid in eastern Turkey

Comparing 20 year old apple with fresh orange. :D
You can buy new DRZ400S in US for about 7200 USD, plus dealer costs and taxes. A year warranty. Five gears. The new DRZ4 is available for just a little more.
I think you are underestimating CF Moto. While Suzuki is one of my favourite brands I'd take the new 450 from CF Moto with five year warranty over a "new" DRZ400S.

Based on experience of owning and abusing (over multiple 10k miles) 3 different DRZ400 bikes, 2 Ss and an E, I'll stick with my current old apple, rather than the new Pferdeäpfel ("horse apples" in German = what comes out of a horse's derrière) from China and India :mchappy:

I test rode a close to 200kg Him450 in India a year ago. In addition to the utter ugliness of the creature, the rest of the bike didn't inspire. I'd ride it if it were a rental in India if I didn't have a choice (I'd prefer a Hero Honda xpulse), but won't ever buy one.

A buddy in Portugal has a CF. I had to roll it around his garage in order to make space for my bike to park too and it just had an excessively "plastic" look and feel, as well as weighing a ton.

Please buy a CF and let me know if it ever reaches 5 years old, let alone 50k miles without engine work.

With the tariffs proposed by the new US administration, any cost savings on Chinese hardware are sure to be eaten up.

PS. A 2025 DR4Z has a RRP of 9000 USD plus 600 other costs, so a great deal more than a 2024 7200 USD drz400s. Not in the market for one as I already have what I want/ need, as pictured above.

Chris, you are certainly welcome to your opinion, and you could make similar comments comparing the love of your life to any new bike mentioned on here. The DR-Z400 can be bought in the UK and prices start from £2,990 for a 22-year old Cat C.

But I doubt if people who are thinking about buying a CF450 are interested in the comparison. And your cracks about China/India and horses don't do much to further your argument. :innocent:

Indeed we all have opinions. I suggest yours is as valuable as any other random individual, including me. The reason the drz400s (and others like the Honda xr650l or Kawasaki klr650) were until recently (2024) or are still available and very popular in the USA (a rather huge bike buying market) today new is because the random Chinese/Indian upstarts still have a long way to go to convince people who know stuff.

That some UK eBay person is is on a fishing trip demanding huge money for a written off DRZ dog maybe shows how unconvinced the discerning/ possibly desperate UK rider might be to avoid purchasing a Chinese/Indian plastic fantastic, weighing as much as a sea anchor for a battleship. Before starting on necessary suspension upgrades...

Please tell me how the CF/ Him are in a different market niche to the DRZ/DR/KLR/XRL (all available NEW until 2024 or today) in terms of customer budget, carrying capacity, riding style/ destination, especially if you're fortunate not to be forced to buy bikes in Europe in general and the UK in particular?. This isn't a UK-centric forum, judging by the number of HU meets in the USA compared to the UK. Please correct me?!

Apologies for the horse derrière comment, should offense be caused. I was replying to a gentleman who was responding to my opinion, who thought it humourous to compare apples to oranges. I thought an apple to apple comparison, demonstrating linguistic aptitude might be witty too. Obviously not, in some eyes. Sorry :rofl

Ps. Definitely not fussed if my opinion is devalued by my gross cheval tastelessness :innocent:

PPS. The love of my life most definitely isn't my scratched up DRZ. It's a functional tool that's better and more reliable than anything coming out of India, or China, in my opinion, that's based on more miles, knowledge and insight than most people's. If you are interested in my bike life loves, they're my 2 early/mid 90s Af Twins.

Images below:

The blue/white one in front of Buzludzha in Bulgaria. The red/ white with a bit of blue one at M'hamid in Morocco last month and outside my hotel in Sardinia tonight. (These aren't in the CF/Him/DRZ market niche, so irrelevant, but you referenced loves of my life, I can shoe horn them in, n'est pas :D )

As you know, the 7200 USD is also plus other costs. For the exact difference between "just a little more" and "a great deal more". 9000 is 1800 more than 7200, or 1/4. Taxes and dealer fees are added to that. For you that might be a great deal more, but when factoring in the improvements on the new model I consider it just a little more. Those who can afford 7200 for a new toy can also afford 9000.
You might find the mainland Asia bikes ugly. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I find them no worse than most other modern bikes. The convenience of a new bike like the CF, with modern electronics, ABS, TC, SatNav in the dash, windscreen, cleaner exhaust, etc. make it a no-brainer to me. The biggest thing missing is electronic cruise control. Not that I'd use it much, but for highways it makes riding more relaxed.
I have more faith in the CF engine reaching 100K without engine work than your DSR reaching 50K more than it has without engine work. But I hope your DSR gives you years more of trouble free service.

Wondering what your "faith" that an untested made in China engine will run faultlessly for 100k miles is based on? Do you have any real life experience in the field?

I wish you luck with your desire for lots of (untested!) electronics that aren't really needed and can't be fixed outside your cosy mainline dealer, if you're lucky to find a competent technician, in the USA/ western Europe.

What about riding somewhere genuinely interesting (some call it "adventure riding" :) ) like south of the Rio Grande or Africa or Middle East or Central/ South/ SE Asia, where fuel might not be the cleanest, and even if there is a dealer within a thousand miles, won't have parts/ diagnostic equipment/ skills anyway?

Sensors/ electronic engine management systems really don't like bad fuel, as a friend currently with a blown engine on a 2023 Made in Thailand Honda crf300l with only 16k miles on the odo, in West Africa can vouch for. She tells me she's been informed it's a known problem, but Honda are yet to admit it.