u/Van_Darklholme

After much evaluation of my lifestyle, I decided to buy a DR-Z400SM and an Ibex 450.

I want to learn tarmac skills on the SM and off-road skills on the Ibex. I think I'll eventually want end-game SS and ADV bikes.

I've just been practicing the basics of the basics and only have about 1000 miles on both bikes combined. This includes slow-speed, traffic, counter steering, eye discipline, etc. just to make sure I can actually survive the road for now.

I'm wondering about the other skills to learn once I get really comfortable doing the above. I want to be able to find the limits of the SM on curves, become comfortable riding on loose surfaces, as well as do some funny things like wheelies and tricks.

How do I find the safest and most correct ways to learn these things? I'd assume that it's best to learn by breaking the skills down, such as standing on pegs, pinching the bike, rear brake bias, leaning with the throttle, etc.

Courses are not out of the question but I live in BC Canada. I can go into WA as well. The issue with courses is that they're all so far away, but I like supervised practice for the continuous feedback.

Figured a color-changing wrap would suit the panels.

2024 SM; already worried about new parts becoming hard to find.

Ok, I get it guys, parts support is probably gonna last. Good to know.

Hi Folks,

Just wanted to share my experience and hear what your thoughts are.

I recently just grabbed up one of the last DRZs around me (2024 Model Year). I'm in love with how nimble this thing is. Bought it because my CFMOTO Ibex 450 was 40+ kg heavier than this thing, which made it a bit intimidating to learn more than traffic skills on.

I'm a new rider; I got less than 600km total spent on any motorcycle. I'm wondering what skills I should learn, in what order, to make me a better (more control/safer, but also cooler) rider.

I'm wanting to learn both pavement and loose surface skills, so I can extract all the potential from this bike.

I also got a bunch of mechanical/parts questions:

How do I get wheels for when I want to go offroad? Do I buy some stock wheels and slap some big discs on there, or do I go with something like Warp9?

How about better brakes? The reservoir on this thing looks tough, but braking power is mediocre due to how large I am.

I unfortunately got a warranty until 2030; the dealer registered for it because it's new old stock, but I think I got a pretty good deal at $6,600 USD equivalent as the first owner. This makes me hesitant to mod just in case I blow something up; maybe I just keep all the old parts and reinstall if necessary.

Wanting to eventually boost power by getting a Yoshimura exhaust, the 3x3 intake hole cut (are there any out-of-box parts that I can buy in North America?), and maybe a Lectron carb for the throttle response.

But, I have to break in the bike first and the stock lean fuelling is probably better for that. It's seriously blue-balling me as I can't exceed 1/2 throttle. Then I gotta learn the skills until I can actually take advantage of the extra power.

Are there any good dash solutions that integrate a tachometer? Wanting to get one early so the odometer stays somewhat accurate.

What other non-performance mods should I consider once I get comfortable with the bike? I'm thinking of the following further down the line:

Seat concepts seat; yeah the stock seat is miserable.

Lighting; I love the calm incandescent glow, but safety also matters. Any good-looking LED replacements for all the lights around the bike?

Larger fuel tank; I can barely pinch the bike with my legs.

Bash guard, for when I want to go learn how to wheelie over obstacles.

Bar-end mirrors; any that also work with handguards and are easily stowable/removable? I'm quite wide and the mirrors mostly show my shoulders.

Cargo; is it even worth it?

Suspension upgrades; I'm 100+ kg and might need a bit more spring rate on both ends.

What else should I do or think about? I'm pretty overwhelmed by the vast amount of resources and community that exists around this bike.

I know should probably focus on skills first and maybe take some classes, but I also love upgrading my vehicles.

If you made it down here, thanks for reading; let me know what thoughts you have.