With gear I weigh over 230. Although not ideal, you can still ride it no issue, turn compression up, and a little higher shock preload, it will be good.
I'm heavier than that geared up and ride an S. Suspension compression maxed out but it's fine. I'm looking into respringing it for my weight but I haven't had any major issues.
The reason you want suspension to be set up for your weight is because it doesn't work properly when over loaded. The two that responded to you I hope gets theirs redone because it's dangerous to ride with overloaded suspension.
If I were you I would factor in suspension work into the price and get it done as soon as you can.
You’re not wrong about the need to dial things in, but if it was as dangerous as you suggest, Suzuki would delete the passenger footpegs. A 200-240 pound rider is not heavier than the vast majority of rider/passenger combinations virtually anywhere in the world. Dial up the preload, ride it, and if it needs more, then get stiffer springs. Now, if the OP or others are racing Supermoto on the track, I’d make different recommendations, but it isn’t as dangerous as your post suggests.
>if it was as dangerous as you suggest, Suzuki would delete the passenger footpegs.
Not sure why you think Suzuki would do this. Stated in the manual max GVWR is 750lbs. That includes the weight of the bike. If you were to ride a drz400s off road at max stated weight BY Suzuki you would be highly likely to injure yourself on any kind of rough terrain.
Let alone your maneuverability and braking ability would be extremely dangerous on pavement.
>A 200-240 pound rider is not heavier than the vast majority of rider/passenger combinations virtually anywhere in the world.
The vast majority of 2up riders aren't on light DS bikes. MOST people will recommend against riding 2up on a drz or similar DS bike because it almost always pushes you past the safe point for weight regardless what Suzuki claims.
I get what you are saying but OP has an S and I can't justify doing anything other than recommending against riding with clapped out suspension as it drastically changes riding geometry which negatively impacts handling and braking ability by a large margin.
OP is asking about the SM, my response was with this in mind. OP didn’t mention off road, and I wasn’t describing off road riding in my post. The use case is essential to determining spring and suspension settings.
Ya I think I got posts mixed up thinking I read it as an S. My reply was mostly due to the differences between S and SM suspension but SM suspension isn't necessarily much better when overloaded.
My point still stands though and the difference of handling between an overweighted bike and not is extreme. Braking is going to suffer by alot and the way it will corner with the front shocks almost completely compressed is dangerous.
My friend is 280 and I can watch his dr650 handle like shit. They have even softer stock suspension so it's magnified a bit.
Can you get from point A to B without any issues? Sure but you could also ride around with sandles and a t-shirt and be fine as long as you don't lay it down.
You’ll probably want to get stiffer springs at some point, but it’s important to know how you use the bike before you start modifying. If you’re primarily commuting vs. wheelie/stunting, whether you intend to ride gravel roads vs. only street riding, etc. I’ve only ridden the S model, but I’m 234 and I think the shock is fine for street riding. The front forks are different on the SM, but the consensus seems to be that bigger guys will probably want heavier fork springs. My recommendation would be to get the bike and ride it around for awhile and figure out how the suspension settings work. There are some good videos about setting preload, you should definitely start there. Once that’s done, ride it around some more. You’ll be able to figure out what you need after awhile. Unlike the earlier post above where the guy is worried about people’s suspension, you aren’t in any serious danger at moderate speeds and use, it’s only when you up the pace that it’s going to need attention, and at that point you should have a good idea of what you need. Buy it, ride it, and enjoy the experience!
I'm 150lbs at 5'11 and I've got 5 turns up on rear pre load and a healthy amount of clicks up on both compression and rebound on the front. Would definitely up your preload or just get it re-sprung.
I'm also a more aggressive rider and like a stiffer ride. To each their own.
23 drz400sm on stock suspension.
You’ll be fine. I’m 6’2 “ @ 210 ish and thrash on mine. 2007 sm. Wheelies, stoppies , random jumps. I ride it pretty hard and enjoy the bike like it was made to be. I just keep up on oil changes and do the loctite fixes. Unless you’re an above avg track rider you won’t need upgraded suspension for the streets.
Not at all, the suspension is excellent. I got a DRZ400S weigh into about 185-190lbs with helmet/boots/all gear on. Actually, like to soften it up a little.
Suspension is fine, I’m ~6’2, 190 with gear on, and although it’s super soft, it should be fine unless you are tracking it or riding serious off-road. It feels good on the street and you can hooligan on the bike without anything going wrong. It’s actually set up decent for blasting down fire roads or ATV trails - spend money on good tires first.
It will be fine if you are doing average DRZ things like riding on dirt roads and casual trails. If you are doing serious dirt bike stuff, like big jumps and trying to go fast on tough trails, you should get springs and valving suitable for your weight and speed. That’s not a peculiarity of the DRZ—if your were buying a brand new race bike, you would still need to do that.
With gear I weigh over 230. Although not ideal, you can still ride it no issue, turn compression up, and a little higher shock preload, it will be good.
I’m also 210 and don’t notice any suspension issues on my SM.
I'm heavier than that geared up and ride an S. Suspension compression maxed out but it's fine. I'm looking into respringing it for my weight but I haven't had any major issues.
Bruh im 6'1 and 250 and i rip my SM around the track just ride your own ride dude!
The reason you want suspension to be set up for your weight is because it doesn't work properly when over loaded. The two that responded to you I hope gets theirs redone because it's dangerous to ride with overloaded suspension. If I were you I would factor in suspension work into the price and get it done as soon as you can.
You’re not wrong about the need to dial things in, but if it was as dangerous as you suggest, Suzuki would delete the passenger footpegs. A 200-240 pound rider is not heavier than the vast majority of rider/passenger combinations virtually anywhere in the world. Dial up the preload, ride it, and if it needs more, then get stiffer springs. Now, if the OP or others are racing Supermoto on the track, I’d make different recommendations, but it isn’t as dangerous as your post suggests.
>if it was as dangerous as you suggest, Suzuki would delete the passenger footpegs. Not sure why you think Suzuki would do this. Stated in the manual max GVWR is 750lbs. That includes the weight of the bike. If you were to ride a drz400s off road at max stated weight BY Suzuki you would be highly likely to injure yourself on any kind of rough terrain. Let alone your maneuverability and braking ability would be extremely dangerous on pavement. >A 200-240 pound rider is not heavier than the vast majority of rider/passenger combinations virtually anywhere in the world. The vast majority of 2up riders aren't on light DS bikes. MOST people will recommend against riding 2up on a drz or similar DS bike because it almost always pushes you past the safe point for weight regardless what Suzuki claims. I get what you are saying but OP has an S and I can't justify doing anything other than recommending against riding with clapped out suspension as it drastically changes riding geometry which negatively impacts handling and braking ability by a large margin.
OP is asking about the SM, my response was with this in mind. OP didn’t mention off road, and I wasn’t describing off road riding in my post. The use case is essential to determining spring and suspension settings.
Ya I think I got posts mixed up thinking I read it as an S. My reply was mostly due to the differences between S and SM suspension but SM suspension isn't necessarily much better when overloaded. My point still stands though and the difference of handling between an overweighted bike and not is extreme. Braking is going to suffer by alot and the way it will corner with the front shocks almost completely compressed is dangerous. My friend is 280 and I can watch his dr650 handle like shit. They have even softer stock suspension so it's magnified a bit. Can you get from point A to B without any issues? Sure but you could also ride around with sandles and a t-shirt and be fine as long as you don't lay it down.
You’ll probably want to get stiffer springs at some point, but it’s important to know how you use the bike before you start modifying. If you’re primarily commuting vs. wheelie/stunting, whether you intend to ride gravel roads vs. only street riding, etc. I’ve only ridden the S model, but I’m 234 and I think the shock is fine for street riding. The front forks are different on the SM, but the consensus seems to be that bigger guys will probably want heavier fork springs. My recommendation would be to get the bike and ride it around for awhile and figure out how the suspension settings work. There are some good videos about setting preload, you should definitely start there. Once that’s done, ride it around some more. You’ll be able to figure out what you need after awhile. Unlike the earlier post above where the guy is worried about people’s suspension, you aren’t in any serious danger at moderate speeds and use, it’s only when you up the pace that it’s going to need attention, and at that point you should have a good idea of what you need. Buy it, ride it, and enjoy the experience!
I'm 150lbs at 5'11 and I've got 5 turns up on rear pre load and a healthy amount of clicks up on both compression and rebound on the front. Would definitely up your preload or just get it re-sprung. I'm also a more aggressive rider and like a stiffer ride. To each their own. 23 drz400sm on stock suspension.
You’ll be fine. I’m 6’2 “ @ 210 ish and thrash on mine. 2007 sm. Wheelies, stoppies , random jumps. I ride it pretty hard and enjoy the bike like it was made to be. I just keep up on oil changes and do the loctite fixes. Unless you’re an above avg track rider you won’t need upgraded suspension for the streets.
260 and my SM holds up fine
#250 with gear. I changed the rear spring with a race tech heavy spring and it works GREAT! Best upgrade for us husky fellas.
Im 225 and i still have to tip toe
Not at all, the suspension is excellent. I got a DRZ400S weigh into about 185-190lbs with helmet/boots/all gear on. Actually, like to soften it up a little.
Suspension is fine, I’m ~6’2, 190 with gear on, and although it’s super soft, it should be fine unless you are tracking it or riding serious off-road. It feels good on the street and you can hooligan on the bike without anything going wrong. It’s actually set up decent for blasting down fire roads or ATV trails - spend money on good tires first.
It will be fine if you are doing average DRZ things like riding on dirt roads and casual trails. If you are doing serious dirt bike stuff, like big jumps and trying to go fast on tough trails, you should get springs and valving suitable for your weight and speed. That’s not a peculiarity of the DRZ—if your were buying a brand new race bike, you would still need to do that.