on average how many kilometers or miles can you get out of a drz with just regular maintnence like oil changes and air filter changes. no motor work!?!? looking to buy one soon wondering what the average life span of a stock piston and bottom end etc is

There is no way to determine that. Engines like these are somewhat unpredictable...you could get 50+ thousand miles or have some sort of catastrophic engine failure within your first 10 miles.

Maintain the bike like it should be and hope for the best. People on here have over 40k on their stock engines.

im looking at a few with around 10000km and an older one with 2500km but he wants the same price as like an 09 hard to decide both are stock.

lol nice reply dicktree(great movie) serious question though i know nothing is written in stone but i mean with regular maintnence 10k miles? is that easily attanable with a drz

Edited by sproxtonyz250f, 12 June 2012 - 05:05 PM.

sproxtonyz250f, on 12 June 2012 - 04:59 PM, said:

I ride mine daily. Put over 12k on it within a year.

Bought mine with 2k on the clock and in 9 months its at over 9k miles. Stock internals and no signs of letting me down yet. I'll break 10k by the end of the month (*knocks on wood)  

Your best bet is to buy a low milage bike, do routine maintenance and you will not be disappointed.

sproxtonyz250f, on 12 June 2012 - 04:59 PM, said:

Yea I would say 10K miles is nothing really...someone who rides a decent amount could put that on in a year. I would say 50K miles is easily attainable with the proper maintenance and riding habits.

i have put over 20k miles since 2007 on my SM. nothing major. one stator, couple spark plugs, countless oil/filter changes. and the usual upkeep.

bought one tonight 2007 stocker with 9000km wish me luck! and i need to mod this thing asap my 11' kx450f has soooo much more balls when i sumo it than this thing

sproxtonyz250f, on 12 June 2012 - 04:31 PM, said:

Too many variables to give an estimation....
Depends on what type of riding you are doing.ie.racing , off road, on road. and how you are riding it ,climate,,,oil quality,,, frequency of oil changes , valve train inspections and air filter cleans...etc.

sproxtonyz250f, on 12 June 2012 - 09:55 PM, said:

All you need is.........
4 mm stroker crank, 41mm fcrmx carb, rhc cams,1mm over intake valves, and stock size rhc exhaust valves, rhc Heavy Duty springs, "Eddie" Head Work, BB Kit, MRD SS Exhaust.
Short of weight, it will run with your 450 all day long, and you won't need to rebuild it ever few thousand miles. Downside, it will cost you about 3 G's.

first things first im gunnna get a pipe and airbox mod it when i have the time/money mrd ssw? whose all had it? i get unreal deals from the local shop here also gunna see what he can do for me? does even a slip on help? that stock exhaust is WACK! lol

Edited by sproxtonyz250f, 13 June 2012 - 06:25 AM.

Yes MRD SS if you plan on going bigger bore in the future.  You need to rejet the stock carb with exhaust and 3x3 mod.  It will run good with those mods, but your 450 will still spank it!

Edited by yammaxx, 13 June 2012 - 06:31 AM.

Almost 4 years ago, I bought a used 06 SM with 11K and change on it and it has been running strong ever since. I now have over 18K on it with no problems whatsoever. I think it's also worth mentioning that I bought my bike from a dealer, used. At the time I was looking, guys on CL were asking way too much for their bikes. I got a cheaper deal from a local dealership.

And just my $0.02, I would have to disagree that the DRZ motor is unpredictable. It is very predictable because of its reliability. The catastrophic failures are really few and far in between, but seem common because this is a help forum and people usually come here when something breaks.

Edited by Jobistober, 13 June 2012 - 06:34 AM.

Slip on will give you noise, not performance.  Waste of money imo.

My advice now that you have the bike is:  Buy a Clymers, do the thread lock mods, and don't be afraid to work on your bike.  You'll probably get much more use out of it than you initially expected.

Edit:   Oh and read this forum...there is a LOT of good information on here.

Edited by notraps, 13 June 2012 - 07:49 AM.

15k miles on mine, stock internals and going strong!

I bought my '06 almost exactly one year ago.  I found it on Craigslist, it was listed as having 13,500 MILES.  I was a little hesitant about buying a dirtbike with that many miles, but when I got there I disovered it actually had 13,500 KILOMETERS. So that was a nice little surprise (dropping the actual MILAGE by about 5100 MILES).
I've used her as a commuter and for weekend rides, including one San Diego to Las Vegas dual-sport.  The only real issue I've had with her so far has been the countershaft backing out and dumping all the oil out on that dual-sport.  I've now done all the usual fixes to her and she's run like a clock for me.  I now have just over 22,000 km and really don't see anything slowing her down.  My pure desert bike is an '04 Husky TC450.  The drz doesn't put out anywhere near the hp of the Husky or have the handling, but she's street legal, and nothing stops her.  I'm planning some upgrades this year, starting with an MRD and rejet.  I want to see how she feels after those changes before I decide what to do next.  I really think the next step might be a SM kit since I ride so much on the street, but either way, I've been exceptionally happy with the DRZ, you don't buy one expecting to win hare-scrambles with it, you buy one for the plate and dependability.

PS. Thank you Suzuki for building a workhorse like the DRZ and also for keeping it virtually unchanged for such a long time, it has helped the aftermarket and all us owners more than most give it credit for.

It can last forever!
I'm a 56 250 miles on my 07 sm with original motor, original stator too, original battery etc.
Never had to ajust the valves, changed the countershalft seal at about 37 500 miles, that's the only """big""" problem I had since I bought this bike (brand new).

I do a lot of highway, dirt roads, trails, supermoto track, even traveled from Montreal to British Columbia with that bike. It doesn't burn oil unless I beat it.

I think the key is oil changes and the cruising speed on highway.