3 or maybe 4 of us really... if I knew more like minded people willing to do silliness who had licences I'd get them to do it too.

Serow considered, although less attainable than the DR-Z 400. Living in London doesn't make finding these bikes easy (locally).

Cheers though!

Hello again Neil,

so I presume you'll all be riding your own machines then.

In that case the Serow or TTR ranges have a lot going for them.

Budget wise you can get new 250 Serow's for around £3,500 OTR. Second had ones are few and far between with good reason! You've got slightly more chance in getting second hand 225's a the budget depends on condition, mileage etc. as the 225's been in production for 20 years then spares are not a problem.

Have a look at XT225 Home 2006 for comments.

Also for a couple of images from the HUBB meeting last weekend, just go to the thread for Ripley 2008.

I just found out from my local Suzuki dealer that the DR-Z 400S has been discontinued... and they as a store do not do the E model because it's off-road. You'd think that someone enquiring about a particular product that a shop specialize in, that they'd be more helpful. Perhaps point at a bigger "similar" bike or want to make an effort and say "We'll locate a used model for you". I received more help and (useful) information whilst at a Honda dealer who had a DR-Z 400S.

I managed to locate a Serow, ...in Maidstone.


Another reason to hate the city.

I assume it's being replaced by the 'SM' (supermotard)?

That's right, SM and the E are the two models that Suzuki will produce hence forth. So what are the significant differences between the E, S and the SM?
..other than tyres. ;) :P Anyone know?

E Model

Lower gearing
Plastic tank
Higher compression
Flat-side carb
Short rear subframe & no rear pegs
35w headlight (might as well wear a head-torch)
Noisy standard exhaust

S Model

Metal tank
CV Carb
Less power
Better light

SM

Road wheels
Don't know about the other differences

The "E" is noticeably quicker than the S. An attempt by Suzuki to produce an enduro bike. The S is more of a dual sport.

Question for anybody. Is the CV card more tolerant of iffy petrol and altitude change than the flat-side ??

Does that mean the E is less fuel efficient than the SM, due to the extra power/speed?

In terms of mods to the bikes the tanks will be upgrading to Aqualine tanks (or whatever else we can find), changing the sprockets/chain, tyres, corbin seat, perhaps fiddling the electrics, to give a little more road presence (power on-board cameras) and a once over to everything else.

So the motor is different and so is the subframe, everything else is secondary. Would anyone who has ridden both say that there is a crucial difference for a long distance tourer? I've not yet ridden an SM to be able to tell.

I must say the feedback I've had back on here has been great. I really appreciate all your feedback. Thanks guys.

CT110 all the way.
 

You simple cant go past the Postie CT110. My girlfriend and I are doing a RTW trip 2-up on one of the beasts. Our first leg was/is Perth (Aus) to Morocco. We are in Indonesia now so we havent gone real far but the bike has held up on all surfaces including large rocks on steep inclines in East Timor. There werent any roads at all for some of our trip through Northwestern Australia. Admittedly its not too fast and the roadtrains in Australia were a little scary.
Its our most prized possession, has saved us lots of money and is the coolest thing on the road in any country. Everyone comments on it but its not such a valued item like a GS1100, so we are comfortable parking it with the locals bikes.
Its small so can be ridden into/on small boats and doorways.

I recommend it to anyone wanting cheap overland transport.
The only mods Ive done is put a large extra tank on. So the total litrage is now 12L which gets us some 380Kms... Average is 1Litre=34km.
Ive built the panniers and support frame and put an extra seat on the back.


Do it.
Nathan and Akiko

Hey there Nathan, sadly here in the UK the CT110 doesn't exist, I'd have to import it to get one. :(

We have the Honda Melody and the C90 but to be honest they have (semi-)automatic transmission and no fun since they're scooters.

Maybe a monkey bike or something.

Safe trip!

WRF450 is a real sports enduro, in essence a MX bike with lights. Same for the CRF450 and Suzuki RMZ.
IF you'd be charmed by their performance on the MX track, I would recommend for non-professional mx riders the 250cc versions, and in particular (for road use) the tuned down WRF250 which is sold in parts of europe as the WR250R.
The WR250R has only been on the market since 2007, but comes with long maintenance intervals (expressed in thousands of km's, not in hours of use).
It's in fact the modernised version of the TTR250 which they don't make any more (i think).
Availability is a real problem: Yamaha clearly planned to sell one bike per dealer, but demand has outstripped supply many times (imho, the yamaha europe sales & marketing teams should be sacked with immediate effect because of plain incompetence)

the ttr225 and 250 had enough support already.

Another bike which would meet your requirements: the Beta Alp 4.0. It's a decent but somewhat heavy (140kg) enduro, but its main asset is the engine: aircooled 350cc suzuki that has powered the suzuki DR350 for decades. Almost undestroyable and ideal for single trail riding.
Available in the UK ? donno

The suzuki DRZ: the E-version is quite maintenance-intensive, like the sporty wrf, crf, rmz. However, it would do the job.
The S-version comes with a stronger sub-frame, is heavier and more maintenance friendly.
The SM-version is like the S, but with smaller wheels and an improved fork. Fit it with bigger wheels, and one would have a better S-version.

the XR400R would also meet your requirements. But hard to find, and I won't sell mine ;-)

another vote for serow
 

it's the 2nd most popular bike in Costa Rica (behind the suzuki gn125) and parts available everywhere in cen and south america
I'm taking a Suzuki GN250 - a little more power and weight handling, but as a street bike I've had to add bash plate, racks, knobbys, fork oil and upgrade fork spring and will have to change out shocks.
Yamaha is best seller in SA and CA followed by Honda then Suzuki- YOU CAN GET PARTS ANYWHERE for these bikes.
it.s just how fast you HAVE to go...:scooter:


Zig

Totally Confused...
 

uganduro, thank you for your feedback, it was very informative, and rationalized. However, I'm totally confused now. I've been lead to believe the E(nduro) version of the DR-Z is the one I should aim for with a big red cross on the SM version for not being appropriate. However, your arguments in favour seem to now make me wonder who to believe.


I've now been a few weeks wondering what to do and now a little confused.

Can the SuperMoto version of the DR-Z be modified to have a larger tank. How much would one be looking at for larger wheels? (would used ones be adequate?) What are the key differences in wheel sizes? Would the tyres for any particular size be difficult/expensive to find overseas?

I was hoping to go and buy one next week, so answers would be fantastic.