Just before noon on February 22, 2011, the streets of Christchurch, New Zealand, were seriously shaken. Earthquakes are nothing new here: the city is located in a seismically active zone. At that time, 185 people died, and the roads fell into a deplorable state. But life goes on - and a local resident named Chris Penniel, founder of the Seven Motorcycles workshop, thinking about another custom, decided to build a bike that you can ride around the city even after the next disaster strike.
Advantages of the model
- Ability to adapt to any road conditions.
- Advanced cooling system.
- Aluminum cylinder coated with a composite electrochemical material that increases its resistance to wear.
- The carburetor intake system is coated with anti-corrosion paint.
- The engine balancing system minimizes engine vibration.
- The short wheelbase combined with a rigid frame provides good stability and handling on any surface.
- The seat height can be adjusted.
Suzuki DR650
To begin with, Chris sketched out a sketch in a drawing program.
This really helped determine the proportions,” he says. -Then the tail, front license plate, license plate mount, seat base and electrical compartment were laser cut from aluminum. Everything that was possible, every mount and bracket, I also drew and cut with a laser - it turned out quickly, beautifully and accurately.
In many projects, the main time consuming, oddly enough, is wiring. This is what happened with Chris with his Suzuki DR650.
I either shortened, extended, or rerouted almost every wiring. Installing the electrics into the compartment under the seat was like some kind of hellish puzzle with snakes, Chris recalls.
Disadvantages of the model
- The engine produces power that does not correspond to its displacement.
- The revs pick up quickly, but the response to pressing the gas lever is slow.
- Neutral gear is too pronounced. Changing gears requires some effort.
Reviews of the Suzuki Dr 650 confirm the idea that you should not expect anything supernatural. A typical representative of the enduro class, which does not stand out from the crowd of its own kind. The price is pleasantly pleasing. Overall, this is a good option for a breeze through the forest and overcoming several obstacles.
Test drive SuzukiDR 650 SE
The Suzuki DR650 is known much more overseas than here. In addition to serving in the US Army, it is widely used for weekend rides in areas from the steppes of Mexico to the ice of Alaska. But this is rather a consequence. So what is the reason for the popularity of a model that is not the most successful at first glance? It was summer. Getting ready for the test drive, or rather, already slightly late and pulling on my motocross helmet as I went, I looked skeptically at my leather all-season gloves, and then at the thermometer, which gloatingly showed +30 in the shade. After hesitating for a second, I decided to leave them at home - it seemed like I was going to test the enduro, and there was standard hand protection - it would be good to go. As it turned out, I was in no hurry - the owner of the Suzuki DR650 was clearly in no hurry to get to the meeting. To pass the time, I began to remember everything I knew about this model.
Its history is very extensive. The founder of the DR clan was the 400 cc model, which was released 29 years ago. The first “six hundred” was shown at an exhibition in 1984, and by the end of the 80s it was already beloved and revered on the market. But by that time, Honda had launched the NX650 Dominator series, so Suzuki had no choice but to carry out an “upgrade” and release the new DR650 to the public in 1990. This motorcycle came in two forms: the DR650 Djebel (called the DR650 R Dakar in some markets) and the DR650 RS. The latter was 9 kilograms lighter, had a different exhaust system, a semi-fairing and a low wing - it was intended for civilian use, so it did not even have areas for racing numbers.
In 1991 the DR650 RSE appeared. It was heavier than the RS by as much as 15 kilograms, but it had an electric starter, a capacious battery, and a 200-watt generator instead of the previous 180 - this was the second step towards road use. In 1992 and 1995 there was a small facelift of the entire line, but the following year the DR650 SE appeared with a significantly redesigned engine and chassis. He lost 25 kg and was definitely leaning towards off-roading. Actually, this motorcycle has not undergone significant changes since then. From the memorable 1996 to 2004, only the graphics and the shape of some body kit elements changed.
Oh, and here is the owner, with his latest generation DR! According to the plan, we had to go deep into the forest with a visit to the "goven", so it was decided to arrange a preliminary photo session before the motorcycle was covered with a layer of mud two fingers deep. Clicking the camera, I couldn’t help but notice the visual cycling and spartan design of the DR. A simple steel frame holds a 650 cc carburetor air vent with a small oil cooler. Moreover, the lubrication system here is with a “wet” sump! And this is on enduro, which is quite rarely in an exclusively horizontal position! Whatever you say, it’s a strange decision. Pendants – materialized budget. At the front there is a non-adjustable fork with a stay diameter of 43 mm, at the rear there is a monoshock absorber with preload adjustment, working in tandem with a lever system. This kit is not enough to conquer tough off-road conditions, and the dry weight of 147 kg is generally depressing. I remember that on the DRZ 400S the suspension is much more serious, the weight is less, and the power is almost the same.
According to the classification, DR is a typical “soft” without any “hard” or “sport” - there’s not even a kick, just an electric starter, so the motorcycle is traditionally a button. The only serious things here are the Race Tech tuning hand protection (as I knew, you don’t need to take gloves) and full-fledged Pirelli MT21 motocross tires. The instrument panel is made in the spirit of Soviet minimalism, which turned out to be international - speedometer, odometer and several indicator lamps. Enough for driving.
So, what kind of bullshit is this? Steering weights? Enduro?! I won’t lie, the Japanese managed to surprise me. What do typical road attributes do on an off-road bike? Did you run away from your tourer with a wet sump and get lost?
Jumping into the saddle, I felt like I was sitting on a garden bench - the height from the fifth point to the ground is only 845 mm, even without taking into account the fact that the pendants sank significantly under the weight of my 85 kilogram carcass. Such loyalty to short riders makes the process of conquering windbreaks, rockfalls and other “shit” convenient.
The hot engine started up at half speed, filling the silence of the forest with an optimistic bass murmur. Having squeezed out the soft clutch, I put the first one in and go, go!
The visual feeling of “cycling” was justified a hundred times over - thanks to the short wheelbase, the handling is very sharp, almost like on cross-country motorcycles, and the considerable weight (as for an enduro) ceases to be felt as soon as you put your feet on the “toothy” pegs. The seat here is “correct” - that is, it can compete in hardness with a particle board. But it is very convenient for an active riding style, when you have to use the body to change the weight distribution of the motorcycle along the axes.
Moving closer to the tank and smoothly but confidently pressing the front brake with two fingers, you immediately feel that the rear wheel has “taken off.” The rear brake is good in hairpin turns - 180-degree turns. A slight press and the tail predictably moves to the side, directing the motorcycle onto the right trajectory.
In general, the brakes have good performance and informativeness, and thanks to the cross-country tires, they are excellent on any surface (except asphalt). During the next series of bends in the forest road, I tried to accelerate the motorcycle into a turn and noted with regret that at the bottom the engine did not pull at all and did not want to enter a power skid. As it turns out, it doesn’t like high speeds either, noticeably “deflating.” But, after just a few minutes, it was possible to develop a mutual understanding with the engine, which consisted of riding “on the moment” - in this case, both skidding and wheelies are not a problem, and the motorcycle flies out of turns like a cork from a bottle.
Despite this, an unpleasant aftertaste still remained - no joke: it’s almost a seven hundred cc “pot”, but it drives like a “four hundred”. The acceleration is quite fast, but the response to gas is slow due to the use of an outdated carburetor in the power system. However, soft enduro doesn’t need this - it’ll scare the lightning-fast reaction of some phlegmatic summer resident rider carrying his mother-in-law, daughter, skis and a bag of potatoes.
The gearbox, how shall I put it... in general, just works. It just works, that's all. The downsides are frequent mismatches and too pronounced neutrality. To guarantee a switch from the first to the second, the box needs to be given a good kick - what’s most interesting is that it doesn’t mind this at all.
A series of jumps revealed the potential of the pendants. Despite my concerns, there is quite good potential. Thanks to the large travel (260 mm) of the suspensions and their good energy consumption, they did not break on landings, and they behaved quite adequately on the “washboard”, thanks to successful factory settings. But during active maneuvering between ruts stretching along the road, with periodic jumps into them, insufficient chassis rigidity appeared. I can’t call the frame “plasticine”, but it seems that there is still an admixture of this wonderful structural material in it. In addition, the effect was aggravated by a rather weak fork in torsion (hello 43 mm!). Finding itself on a chaotically rutted area, the motorcycle, offended by my skepticism, lay down, and I, by inertia, made a spectacular somersault over my head. I had to quickly get up and press the engine “stop” button so that the engine would not thresh “dry” (and what smart guy came up with the idea of a “wet” sump on enduro?!).
As it turned out, the steering weight protruding beyond the protection played the role of an anchor and bent the mounting bolt, and the (seemingly powerful) Race Tech itself turned out to be screwed through a thin metal plate, which did not fail to bend. Kindergarten, not protection! I’m ready to answer for my words, as I’ve repeatedly tried it on my less off-road KTM990 Adventure with a complete absence of damage.
After a certain number of minutes, the “pilot” on the ATV reported that the road ahead was blocked with logs and branches, so we would break straight through the underbrush. This is where DR won back on points. Thanks to the huge turnout of the steering wheel, the low saddle and the relative ease of control, it was very easy to push through the windfall. I think that with a certain dexterity of the rider, the motorcycle will beat the quad in this discipline, due to its much smaller width. Having made a detour and again getting out onto a flat forest road, I rushed forward, cooling myself and cooling the engine. It is worth noting that heat dissipation on the DR is quite good and it is quite difficult to overheat the engine.
Soon the flagship ATV caught a suspiciously properly sharpened and sanded knot with its wheel. Having sealed the hole, it was decided to return without ever reaching the coveted “shit” - especially since it was already getting dark in the forest. The DR's head light turned out to be expectedly weak, but this is typical for the entire enduro class, with the possible exception of the Honda Baja series with its huge “spotlights”.
In addition, it was decided not to drive on asphalt - there is nothing to “catch” on cross-country tires either in the city or on the highway, and the braking dynamics, so excellent on the ground, almost disappear, turning driving into an unpleasant and unsafe experience.
Well, the time has come to answer the question I asked myself in the introduction. Why is DR so popular there and little known like enduro here?
So what do we have? Simple chassis, simple engine, easy handling and calm character. It is precisely because of the simplicity of the design that this motorcycle is phenomenally repairable in field conditions, and the absence of the complex impulsive character of hard enduro and the forgiving attitude make it understandable to beginners and suitable for utilitarian use (bringing a bale of hay or a bag of potatoes from the dacha is no problem). This is the reason for the popularity of "there". The reason for the cold reception of the model here is its price. For example, for almost the same money you can buy a more high-tech Suzuki DRZ400 (S or E - depending on your goals and temperament). But, DRZ, unlike DR, is less friendly to novice short riders, and it also likes mud and windbreaks not so much.
Despite my slightly unflattering review of the model, I returned from the test drive in a good mood and with memories of something pleasant - apparently, “DR” managed to “hook” me. After all, the owner of a dachshund doesn’t complain that his dog can’t bite through hand-thick sticks!
Text: Sergey Kuznetsov
Photo: provided by the author
