CN
III VOICES
W H A T Y O U A R E S A Y I N G
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contain the writer's name, address and daytime phone number… Editor
"In my opinion, the 916-998 series of
bikes are close to the top of the list of the best
motorcycles ever produced!"
Minnesota Mile
Bryan Smith put on a clinic last
night finally using the Kawasaki
in a way that suited its strengths.
In previous encounters Smith
rode the Kawasaki on the
Indian's lines. After fighting the
big V-twins fight unsuccessfully,
he adjusted his lines to use the
nimble nature of his parallel twin
on the low line instead of riding
wide, sweeping turns like the
larger Indians. He held his own
down the straights and kept
Briar Bauman behind him to the
flag for his second podium of
the year.
James Edward Zeiser
BB14 represents my favorite
sport well. The only thing left to
do is go win in Jersey for that
grand slam.
Ricky Main
Barber MotoAmerica
Gerrett Gerloff got the job done,
and Cameron Beaubier gets the
hardware.
If the last half of the season
is any indication, we can guess
with some confidence who will
be standing up there next year.
Brian Hudnell
DR-Z400 vs. 500 EXC
The venerable DR-Z400 will
be 20 years old next year, and
while it is still a decent seller for
Suzuki, a few updates would
have them flying out the door.
Make it a 450, give it a six-
speed tranny, an exhaust that's
not so restrictive and doesn't
double as a boat anchor, and
fuel injection, and watch de-
mand skyrocket and units fly out
the door.
I've owned four of these and
moved on when yearly updates
became BNG (bold new graph-
ics) only. Come on, Suzuki, it's
not hard, and your blueprint is
what Kawi did to the KLR600
when they retooled it after 20
years. Time's up already!
Rob Mundt
The DR-Z with a less than a
grand spent on it and a little
elbow grease gets a lot more
fun than a stocker.
The KTM is nice for what it
costs. It should be.
Steve Jackson
I have owned both. Not really
worth comparing. The KTM will
ride circles around the DR-Z in
any situation.
Jeffrey Wallsmith
I've got a big 1200 Triumph Ti-
ger, and I have actually thought
of going back to a Suzuki.
My old 2011 DR650SE took
everything I threw at it. Tires and
oil change are all she needed.
John Wrench Morrissey
I have a 2000 DR-Z400E
that is street legal and a 2018
Husqvarna FE 350 that has all
the EPA taken off. I still love the
motor on the Suzuki more than
the Husky. Although the Husky
handles way better and is a lot
lighter.
Mike Dorn
I had a Yamaha 250 Enduro, it
was a basic dual sport. It had
bad reviews for suspension,
power and handling. But I had
fun on that bike. It got me to
where I wanted to go. After a
few upgrades it was a blast to
ride, my favorite bike ever.
Wayne Nagata
A properly set-up DR-Z can
definitely hang in there.
Rob Aldakimov
Ducati 916 Anniversary
I still ride my Ducati 996 all the
time. And it still turns heads!
From the style to the iconic
sound they still hold their own!
In my opinion, the 916-998
series of bikes are close to the
top of the list of the best motor-
cycles ever produced!
Thomas Smith
