Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126601
Strong motor (above) and weak forks (below). (Abovel Playing is fun. (Below) Headlight extends fun time. The left side reveals the quiet 'pipe (above). The shocks (below) were mediocre. In the back. the problem isn't quite as simple, The shocks are delivered in the middle of five preload settings, However. they felt a bit too soft. and changing the preload wasn 't a viable alternative since the compression damping is too stiff and the rebound damping too light. There is nothing you can do to change that. The only fix is an expensive one - replacing the stockers with a pair of good aftermarket items. If you don 't mind a little bouncing at slow speeds, and you don't go fast enough to bottom them hard. though. the stock shocks are adequate. Brakes could also be described as adequate. The front does an OK job of slowing down the claimed 282 dry pounds. It's not particularly strong. but it is predictable. The rear brake was a lso p redictable - it wou ld always lock up. especially o n killer down hills. Backing off the adjuster helped a little bit. as did the passage of time. but it seemed that the only thing the brake p eda l _ was good for was stopping the w heel instantly to send it skidding. The hot ticket on downhills was to jam it into first gear and use the front brake. Surprisingly. th e overall h an dl in g of the DR was good. indicating correct basic frame geometry. It seemed to want to do the right things most of th e time. On ly the suspension let us down. The weight and heft of the bike kept cropping up. T here is a chromep lated gra b h an d le o n the ri gh t rear of the DR for horsin g it around. bu t no one short of Lou Ferrigno will ac tua lly pick up the rear with it. Dragging the back around is possible. When pushing the bi ke hard. you' ll never forget that you're riding a p hysica lly hefty motorcycle either. That and th e mediocre suspension will temper one's desire to go ultra fast over rough terrain Little things Asa whole. the DR is well finished. and all the bits and pieces seem to be of good quality. The levers are doglegged and easy to use. Even wet boots will have a hard time slipping off the sawtooth pegs. The black bars have a decent bend. though personal preference might dictate a change. The peg/bar/seat relationship fit a variety of riders. The exhaust system tucks nicely away on the left side of the engine and is quiet. though the throaty note issued titillated our res ident thumper freak. The foam air filter sits under the seat in a tight cavity. O n th e other hand. the oil filter is easily accessi ble on the right forward side of the engine. A small window on the ride side case lets you check the oil level at a glance. Do n't count on the headlight to lig ht the way in a Baja race; it's only there for convenience. Overall. we came away impressed wi th the DR's engi ne more th an a nything else. It wasn' t too bad fo r just casua l ridin g . but when pushed. things weren't so p leasa nt. Some ex tra dolla rs spent o n suspension wo u ld go a long way toward ma ki ng it a better a ll around playbike. • 5 pecifications Engine Type Four-stroke. air-cooled, SOHC single cylinder. Bore x stroke 88 x 82mm. Displacement 498cc. Compression ratio _ 8 .9 :1 . Carburetor Single Mikuni VM35SS. Polyurethane foam element. A ir f ilter Starting system Primary kick. Lubrication system Wet sump. Transmission Five-speed constant mesh. Wet multi-plate. Clutch Ignition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Suzuki PEl Headlight 6V 15/15W. 6V 5W. Tail light Chassis Front suspension /travel Rear suspension /travel Telescopic. oi l dampened /9.1 in. Swingarm. gas/oil dampened. five-way adjustable spring/8.S in. 30°. 128mm (5.04 in. ). Bridgestone 3 .00x21 -4PR M23. Bridgestone 5.1 Ox21 ·4PR M22. Rake Trail Front tire Rear tire Dimensions Wheelbase Ground clearance Dry we ight Fuel tank capacity {t ot al) Reserve fuel capacIty Engine oil capacity Fork oil capacity Suggested list price ' ; 1465mm (57.7 in.). 270mm (10.6 in.). 128kg (282 Ibs.). 9 .0 liters (9.5 U.S . qt. ) . 1.6 lit ers (1 .7 U.S . qt.). 1 .6 lit ers (1 .7 U.S. qt.). 287ml (9.70 U.S. ez.) . $2.099. 17