The $600 Adventure Bike

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[A]lmost any adventure requires a lot of gear, and that gear costs a lot of money. My personal method for getting into a new hobby is to buy the cheapest possible gear that enables me to do the activity without much compromise. For example: I own a $500 1972 Hobie Cat sailboat, a $500 kite-board setup, and today’s subject: a $600 adventure bike.

I get asked a lot about what the best/cheapest dual-sport bike out there is….but unfortunately “best” and “cheap” live in tension with one another. But there are two legendary bikes that fit into this category. Today I want to talk about the Suzuki DR350.

Suzuki released the DR350 in 1990 and it rapidly became a strong contender in the growing “adventure bike” world in which there weren’t many choices at the time. The DR350 has always been available in an off-road and street-legal version. This is huge plus as the vast majority of adventure style riding in North America will take you on Forest Service roads which require that your motorcycle is registered and street legal.

Even though no one may have been on that road in 10 years, it’s still technically a road.

[I] personally bought my 1995 DR350SE for $600 on Craigslist and have put thousands of miles on it with little maintenance. The real test of this bike was an 1100 mile Baja adventure which pushed it to its limits. Yes, it was burning a quart of oil a day, getting about 1/2 the MPG it should have been. Yes, I could pull the chain off by hand at the end of the trip BUT the real miracle is that I was able to ride a bike that costs less than two months of eating out through very demanding terrain.

I recently rebuilt the top end of the bike and have upgraded some of the accessories. Two years and thousands of miles later, I’m maybe $1500 into this bike and it’s more than paid for itself in fun.

I’ll break down the pros, cons and suggested modifications with cost vs. performance. Keep in mind this is to help you see if this might be the right bike for you. Next week we will have a post on the 600cc Adventure Bike.

Pros:

Weight: 268lbs – 286lbs depending on the year and model. This gives the bike a great power to weight ratio. Though 350cc isn’t the biggest motor out there, the light weight can make this bike more powerful and responsive than say a 500cc bike

Engine size: 350cc is a great size for a beginner as well as an experienced rider who likes a more “motocross” style feel of a smaller lighter chassis

Production History: The fact that this bike has been in production since 1990 means that you can find the right one to fit your budget simply by getting an older or newer model. You can find an early 90′s DR350 for $750 – $1500 on Craigslist easily.

Street Legal: As mentioned above, this is a HUGE plus if you really want to do some long range trips where you’ll need to ride on Forest Service roads.

Electric Start: Do not underestimate the convenience of an electric start bike. The starter is relatively light on the DR350 and you’ll be grateful for it when your bike stalls at an intersection in Mexico with an 18-wheeler bearing down behind you.

Reliability: Since this bike has been in production for 23 years (it was replaced with the DRZ400 in 2002), Suzuki has had plenty of time to refine the bike and make it very reliable. Also, there are LOTS of used parts out there on eBay and Craigslist which makes re-builds and maintenance much more affordable.

Air Cooled: Older bikes such as the DR350 are all air cooled instead of liquid cooled with a radiator. Though liquid cooling allows the manufacturers to push more cc’s out of the engine, it decreases its reliability. For example, if you are riding 250 miles away from anything in the desert and you crash a liquid cooled bike, you run the risk of puncturing the radiator or a cooling line. You will not be able to ride out of there without seizing the engine. Whereas an air-cooled bike can get pretty mangled and still manage to ride out.

Luggage: There are plenty of great panniers, bags, and racks available for the DR350. Or if you’re like me and are dirt cheap, you can get away with strapping a small load to the fender because the tail-light is in just the right spot to keep things secure…mostly

Cons:

Long Range Comfort: If you plan to do a lot of road riding, you might find the narrower motocross style seat to be uncomfortable. You may want to gear the bike for primarily highway use or off-road as the 350cc engine doesn’t give as much range as a larger engine would

Electrical Components: I don’t think I’ve ever seen an old DR350 with all the signal lights still intact. The rubber strain relief will dry out in the sun. So then next time you swing your leg over the bike, you’ll probably knock off a turn signal.

CV Carburetor: The street-legal DR350 comes with a stock CV (Constant Velocity) style carb. This carb is a bit slow and non-responsive. You’ll want to replace it with the dirt version pumper carb.

Modifications: 

Carburetor: Swap the stock carb with the dirt version “pumper carb”. You can find these on eBay or Craigslist if you’re lucky

Airbox: There’s a simple airbox mod you can do that makes a BIG difference. Click here for instructions.

Luggage Rack: This simple rack from TCI will make your life MUCH easier if you’re camping off the bike. Click here to see it.

Turn Signals: As mentioned above, the stock ones constantly break off. Buy these from Baja Designs instead.