Suzuki DR200: my first motorcycle

[Oni]

You might look into the MT-21 too. I am running one on the front of my bike (G650X) and like it. I have a new 606 for the back waiting to go on. I have a Pirelli Scorpion something or other on the rear now...it worked OK but wore out really quick...but my MT-21 still looks fresh. Once they are scrubbed in they have a surprising amount of traction on the street.

We have rain grooves here in So Cal too...and I don't have any wandering problems.

 

[Melliet]

Pick up my first bike today

Hi all,
Not sure if this thread is really active anymore, but just in case you guys remember what it was like when you first got your bike, thought I'd share this. I went out for a test run last week and am picking up my bike later today.

As a newbie that went through a training course, I am very excited. I disregard some the opinions politely given to me that the bike will be "too small" and not have enough power- these are coming from guys who ride sport bikes no less...

I'll be zipping around the city but can't wait to go on logging roads after setting up camp. Have been reading forums, comparing bags (really leaning toward the Giant Loop series- while "expensive" (same price more or less of rack + bags) and really trying to practice my bike riding awareness while driving my car - which by the way, now feels like a giant tank.

May today be the start of a lifelong adventure ...

 

[hawaiibret]

Sweet ride! Enjoy.

 

[goodtimes]

As a newbie that went through a training course, I am very excited. I disregard some the opinions politely given to me that the bike will be "too small" and not have enough power- these are coming from guys who ride sport bikes no less...

The bike being too small for you or not is a very personal thing. My first bike was a 650cc (53hp), and it was fine for learning on - but I found that it lacked power for some of the riding that I do. It's all a matter of matching the bike to your riding style, ability, and the terrain you like. If the DR works for you - go with it!

May today be the start of a lifelong adventure ...

Indeed! :beer:

 

[sandalscout]

The bike being too small for you or not is a very personal thing. It's all a matter of matching the bike to your riding style, ability, and the terrain you like. If the DR works for you - go with it!

Absolutely true. I REALLY like my 250, for a number of different reasons, the biggest one being that it's the right amount of bike for me at the stage I'm at. I don't ride the interestate, so I don't need more than 55mph. I don't have a ton of dirt experience, so when I drop it, I can pick it up by myself even when it's loaded, and it sips gas. I know plenty of guys that honestly need/can use more than a 250, but I'm not one of those guys yet... and I may never be. Honestly, the only time that I ever think I need/want a bigger bike is when I'm not on the thing, especially if I'm talking to other people. I'm slower than my friends on DRzs, but when we swap bikes, I get only marginally faster and still am barely keeping up with them. It's obviously me, not the bike, that is holding me back.

That said, I expect I'll be getting a DL650 in the next year or so, but the 250 will still be my bike of choice for anything more than FS roads. I just think that the DL would make a great tourer when riding with my more street oriented buddies.

To many great adventures! :sombrero:

 

[goodtimes]

I don't ride the interestate, so I don't need more than 55mph.

That right there is the reason I sold my 650 and bought an 800. The freeway performance. I often ride hundreds of miles of freeway before hitting the dirt - or I ride a hundred miles of dirt, then put a hundred or two on the freeway to get home. That is where the big bikes shine. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't own a big bike.
:bike_rider:

 

[sandalscout]

I hear you completely. I just don't trust the idiots around here on the interstates. I honestly think that if I even had a bike that was interstate capable, I'd still not use the interstate. That was part of my agreement with my wife when I got into bikes, and I've stuck with it except a 3 mile stretch one time.... was not fun. Granted, it was uphill, in a big city, during rush hour, but still. I'd rather take the extra hour or two and avoid the interstate entirely.

 

[goodtimes]

Personally, I think the interstate (freeway) is safer than surface streets, and even many state highways. On the freeways, everyone is moving the same direction, with no cross traffic. Sure, the speeds are higher, and the concentration of semi traffic is much greater - but there aren't any blind cell phone users making left hand turns in front of you . . .

Of course, the freeways are boooring.

 

[LandRoverHyter]

Any updates? I'm a new rider looking for my first bike and have been really considering a dr200

 

[goodtimes]

Any updates? I'm a new rider looking for my first bike and have been really considering a dr200

Jeremy (OP) hasn't been around in a long time (years). The last I heard, he was living the good life down in Mexico.

The DR200 is a decent bike - but small. It won't carry a huge load, it won't go very fast, & the suspension is not great - but it's a very manageable bike. Easy to ride, easy to pick up, reliable, relatively efficient, inexpensive . . . it's got a lot going for it. Freeway speeds and big payloads just aren't it. If you don't need those two things, the little DR is a good bike.

 

[Scott Brady]

Yes, Jeremy is well and living in Mexico. Lots of fun memories with that little DR200. I remember watching Jeremy tank slap the thing about six times through a big gravel sweeper and never go down- it was a miracle.

 

[patski]

DR200 is a real nice small bike, my wife and I each had one.

After being out of bikes for a few years we just bought an XT225, seems to be superior in all aspects.

just my $0.02

Any updates? I'm a new rider looking for my first bike and have been really considering a dr200