I plan on running Magruder Corridor in Idaho next summer and I need some suggestions on how to set up my bike. The trail has a stretch of about 120 miles of gravel/dirt with NO services at all (gas etc). It also reaches an altitude of almost 9000 feet. I plan on camping at least one night, maybe two.
I have an 09 sm with the 3x3, dj stage 2, Yosh RS2 pipe. I know that I am gonna need to ditch the stock tires, get a larger tank, and get some saddlebags and racks. I'm in the process of addressing all of locktite fixes ,MCCT and springs to match my weight (210lbs). Can any of you good fellows help me with suggestions. Anything else I might need?

Here's a quick copy/paste of what I've been considering for my 2008 which should make it to Rio this Winter:

DRZ 400SM --> Adventure Conversion

SEAT-
-Renazco Racing - $300 - $400
-Rick Mayer Cycles - $ 250 - $400
-Corbin - $400
-Ron Ayers - $154
-SDG (pitposse.com) - $85
-sargent cycle
-Alaskan leather (sheepskin)
-Great Day to Ride.com (Spencers motorcycle seat mods) - $50
-Guts Racing - $50 - $65
-Bill Mayer Saddles (Ojai) - $400 - $600


TIRES- F/R
-Continental Conti Escape Dual Sport $135/145
-Michelin Anakees
-Avon Distanzia $116/$160 150/60/17 rear
-Continental TKC 80's $118/$160
-Pirelli MT 90 a/t $135/$168
-Metzeler Enduro 3 Sahara $115
-Dunlop D607 $125

GAS TANK-
-Clark 3.9 gal - $210
-Acerbis 4.25 gal -
-Safari Aqualine 4.7 gal $290 - $420
*in-line fuel filter
**Tusk Aluminum gas cap

BIKE ARMOR-
-Thumper Talk Skid plate - $80
-Unabiker Radiator Guards - $95 - $110
-Cycra Probends Hand Guards (trip clamp mount) - $72 ($33 mount)
-Thumper Talk case savers - $40

ELECTRICAL-
-Custom Jumper cables "advrider 'a few electrical mods'"
-Thumper Talk "alberta DRZ400
-Lynx Fairing www.britanniacomposites.com - $400
-Battery -eddie on TT.com, sinseros super start kit
-turntechbattery.com
-TT.com 'free power' or something about saving power from existing electrical system

POWER UPGRADES-
-FCR 39 - $560
-Pipe - MRD

PANNIERS/LUGGAGE-
-GiantLoopMoto.com

OTHER

-countershaft sprocket loctite fix

Nice list^^^^
Just curious...why that trail?
I googled it and it sounds great.Being in the Boise area iv'e never been on that trail.

Here's my main suggestion.. I use the KISS method for gear.

Keep It Simple, Stupid. :)

Sounds like both the early poster have a good read on what the bike needs. seat, tank, tires, guards, mods..

Shorter rides with just a night or 2 camping need very little gear, food & water. Wear your clothes, eat & drink when you buy gas. use a small tarp instead of a tent, a small sleeping bag. Pack light & small. It makes the ride much more fun without an extra 100# strapped to the bike.

Regarding the 2nd list:
If you've got more money than time, buy a ready made seat. If you've got time but not much money, you can mod your seat & have it very comfortable for under $50.
Tires.. i'd have a teraflex at the top of my list.. but mine's not a sm..
bike armor.. get it all. it will get dropped in the rocks.
elect.. i made a set of cables.. carried them with me for a couple of years. Never used them. I don't carry them, now, because it goes against my philosophy of only carrying what i use (first aid kit is the exception). I've never had a battery failure in my drz, but if i was going on a long ride, i might replace it for cheap insurance. But in a pinch, you can bump start the drz, so a kick start or cables aren't really necessary.
Definitely do the cs & mcct.

Good luck with the rides!
scotty:cool:

KISS is the key, enjoying yourself begins with simple comfort. Slap your stock pipe back on for starters!!! Thinning out your jetting can add range too. Power is nice, a headache is a headache. Trust me, quiet is nice 6-7 hours into the day.

Renazco makes awesome seats, I'm into them for about 6 now, maybe 7, OK, probably 8!!! You don't have the time to wait so a tall Guts soft foam if they make one(?) & maybe a sheepskin.See a local upholster & you'll likely spend under $75 to get a layer of padding added, lose any dip in the seat if you can deal with the height, more room to change positions without sloping tou in one spot.

Avon Distenzas are excellent 17" tires, another thought is a pair of cheapo 17 rear knobbies on both ends, think Yamaha BW200, all terrain survival bike.

A gas can strapped to a rack is far cheaper than a new tank, unless you were going to upgrade anyway.

Gearing??? Figure your top speed needs & gear appropriatly for your lowest speeds, a new X ring & steel sprockets couldn't hurt too.

Keep your packing basic & as sparse as you can, plan each day to buy what disposable/consumables you'll need, a few MREs, waterproof matches, water purifier tabs & a space blanket pack small & can be a God send. 1st aid kit too...

A1 on the first aid kit.Very inportant put a small mirror\compact with q-tips in side.I had to use mine yesterday on the trail when something flying around inside the goggles ended up in my eye. I don't know what it was,but it felt like a rock!

tiernanturner said:

Seats are a personal thing. I have a Corbin on my DR650 but I know Renazco have a great reputation for dirt bike seats. A good seat will be very important for such a long ride.

tiernanturner said:

On that little, light weight bike, nearly any tire will be fine. All should last for a lot of miles, especially the fronts, which will easily go over 10,000 miles. I have done nearly 9,000 miles on a Distanzia Rear tire on my DR650.
This riding at high speed highway, dirt and Baja. The Shinko 705 is only $60
and looks A LOT like the Anakee and Trail Wing.

You can get tires (if needed) in Guatemala City)

tiernanturner said:

In terms of quality, I like the Acerbis. I have an Acerbis on my WR250F
and an IMS on my DR650. Think about running tank panniers and figure out which tank will work best with panniers. DO NOT overload the rear sub frame. Spread the weight out a bit. :ride:

tiernanturner said:

The skid plate and case savers are a great idea. I would start with a brand new OEM battery ... no matter what. Make sure it's fully and correctly charged! If you need more charging from your system ... simply install a
headlight switch. This will give you about 50 watts extra for heated grips or
Gerbing jacket. In the high Andes, it gets very cold. Obviously this is only good for DAY TIME running!

Have you ridden in Latin America before? ?Falla Espanol? I would stay with the stock Carb and stock Pipe. You're not racing on this ride. The important thing is ultimate reliability and being quiet and stealthy is a very good idea.

Suerte!

WOW. lots of good info. I'm obviously new to this type of riding. All of the suggestions will help THANX!

scalejockey said:

I have a good friend that lives in Nampa and another that lives in Graingeville. Gonna put the bike in my little toyota and drive up. I'm trying to make an adventure of it. There isn't anything like it anywhere in South Louisiana.

I just got back from riding the TAT in CO and part of UT with my DRZ (see garage for pics/info) and I found my setup to be quite nice for what I was doing. The DRZ made for a nice ride everywhere except the long slab sections and I think thats mostly because my XCMH tires are too aggressive for 55+mph for very long. Other than that I was very pleased with how I set up my DRZ :ride: We rode from under 1000' up to 13,000' and my jetting was just fine - no stumbles or hesitations, I am sure I was making less power but the bike was always there when I needed it. I am running a 160mj/48pj and have the AP set to 1.5 secs.

I just returned from doing "the loop" (Magruder and Lolo Motorway) on my 02 XR650L. I recommend that you plan for large rocks as well. We had a chase truck with supplies, gear, parts, ect.. so, we were able to ride light.

As far as tires.... that will depend on the type of rider that you are. The soil on the road can go from a very compact granite based dirt, to a very loomy mica based sand. My friend is very conservative and ran a set of Pirelli MT60's on his BMW GS1100 and did pretty well until it rained and snowed. I, on the other hand, am a more aggressive rider and went with a DOT Knobbie and would recommend either the Dunlop D606's or the Kenda K760 Trackmaster 2.

All of us, except the BMW, ran 14/48 gearing and agreed that it was a good ratio for this type of ride and it really helped in the rocks. We all, again except for the BMW, ran 4+ gallon tanks, since fuel was a concern, and we did have to use some of the extra fuel we packed. I believe that if we had slowed the pace down, we would have actually been fine in that department.

Anyhow, feel free to pick my brain and most of all.....have fun!

you could call up happy-trail.com and ask about the set-up tim runs. He has a drz set up for adv riding. there is a guy in his area that rebuilds the seat, if I remeber right it was under 200 and looked good. Tim said it worked great for him as it did for the other guy. I met them at the Big Dog event.

Just an idea

hey i have a 2007 dr-z 400 s. if you havent already got your bike adventure ready i have mine pretty well set up. here's the link to my bike http://www.thumperta...hicle&vid=21599
i would love to get that lynx fairing that every one has been talking about too.