Re: DRZ400SM as only streetbike? Limitations of an SM? (Cafe_Racer)
I know plenty of guys who've been riding DRZ 400s on the street for years, on the Missouri backroads (which are some of the nation's finest).
With stock (non motard) rims and dual sport tires, they carve corners as well or better than sport bikes, and can go 90 mph all day long. If you ride with guys who like to blast the straights at triple digit speeds, you're going to be disappointed, but if you have 70 mph sweepers or anything tighter, a DRZ with 17 inch rims is going to rule.
I rode a Husky SM610S on the street for a couple years, about the same weight as a DRZ, but with 10 more hp, and 17 inch rims from the factory. It was a phenomenal bike for riding in the twisties, and it flipped the sport bike guys out to have to work so hard to keep a dirtbike in sight.
Extended rides at over 70 mph (freeway) were unpleasant for two reasons: Wind blast from sitting bolt upright with hands wide in front of you, and monkey butt from the narrow seat. If you're any kind of rider, you can tough it out, as long as there's either a twisty road or a cold beer at the end of the ride.
The one thing you must be aware of (although it's less of an issue with the DRZ) is that single cylinder bikes, no matter who makes them, just require more attention than multi cyclinder street bikes. Fasteners must be checked routinely (as things vibrate loose) and rear tires just seem to melt away on a street supermoto. Modern single cylinder bikes are usually in a high state of tune, and can fall out of tune easily.
Fortunately, single cylinder bikes are a breeze to work on. You can learn a hell of a lot about how things work by owning a four stroke single. And if you're not the kind of guy who wants to do his own work, single cylinder bikes require less labor, making maintenance bills lower than for other bikes.
