I’ve decided to add this page under the Projects page because my DRZ is always a work-in-progress. Though I have ridden dirt bikes for nearly 60 years, I didn’t start really riding dual-sport until around 2009. I began with a 2008 KLR and while it was a good bike, it was too heavy and lacking in suspension. In 2012, I sold the KLR and bought a 2012 DRZ 400-S with a 1,000 miles on it. I’ve really enjoyed the bike and have put nominally 30,000 miles on it, almost all off road. The DRZ weighs in at about 330 lbs. and has nominally 11″ of suspension travel front and rear. Over the years I’ve made many modifications to the bike and the purpose of this page is to document most of those mods. Some of the mods are already included in some of my Ride Reports but will be repeated here.
No, this is not a Suzuki. Goodby Kawasaki 650 KLR
Hello 2012 DRZ 400-S
Aftermarket 3.9 gallon tank
Rock guard
Case guards, both sides
Radiator guards
Happy Trails panniers and Tidy-lite kit
Brush guards
Tail rack
Windshield, tank bag, and dry-bags, ready to roll
On the east half of the TAT. If you look closely at the exhaust header, you’ll notice the kick-starter. They are not stock on the 400-S but I installed the kit since i’d be traveling solo and didn’t want to chance being stranded with a dead battery.
Beginning the west half of the TAT. I sold the metal panniers and bought some Wolfman soft bags. Decided the metal panniers were dangerous if I fell.
Added quick-release kit for Wolfman bags so I could remove them at night
Great idea but sand would get between the aluminum plates and made them difficult to remove.
The Cee Bailey windshield was made to fit on the headlight fairing but laid back too much. I fabricated some aluminum brackets…much better.
The metal racks for my Wolfman bags eventually broke my aluminum sub-frame so I sold them and down-sized. Bought a Wolfman harness and two larger Rollie bags which require no frame. Modified my rack and got rid of my large plywood bag platform.
Much cleaner looking and lighter.
Stock plastic rear master-cylinder distorted from heat and lost all fluid on a trip. Replaced with aftermarket aluminum unit.
Replaced stock headlight with LED unit and Installed fender stiffener and tube fender bag. Also, notice the steering stabilizer beneath the headlight.
Anyone familiar with the DRZ 400-S has heard of the 3 x 3 mod and the JD Jet Kit mod. This first mod involves cutting a 3″ x 3″ hole in the top of the airbox to allow the motor to breathe better and the second requires removing the carburetor and rejetting and adjusting it. I wasn’t sure it was worth the trouble so I never bothered to make these mods until a few months ago. Definitely a slight boost in horsepower as well as better gas mileage.
