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likes of the Honda XR and XL range so popular
in the 80s and 90s hasn’t changed.
So, just how does a bike launched in 1996 acquit
itself today? Pretty damned well actually. In fact,
we rode one on a mid-winter adventure last year
and had a lot of fun finding the gnarliest places
to ride it.
STONE AXE RELIABILITY
The 644cc, single overhead cam engine is a
simple and reliable unit. There’s no radiator to
hole (just a vertically-mounted oil cooler with a
modest guard around it) and the gear-driven
counter balancer does a good job of keeping
vibration away. Power is modest but cruising at
100km/h is no problem, and any faster would be
tiring due to the lack of wind protection. There’s
no rev-counter but there’s strong low to midrange
performance after which the power tails
off, so it’s easy to feel when you need to change
gear. Revving the engine hard isn’t what this bike
is about anyway, the bike’s torquey nature makes
it easy to pull away and quite stall resistant –
perfect for LAMS riders or those venturing
away from tar seal.
The DR fits nicely into the Learner Approved
Motorcycle Scheme without the need for any
electronic or fuelling restriction. This means an
inexperienced rider gets the bike exactly as it
was intended, so there’s no worrying about
having it derestricted in the future.
With an 885mm seat height the bike isn’t overly
huge but for shorter riders, Suzuki does offer a
lowering kit which reduces the seat height by
40mm, which makes the bike suitable for a
whole lot more riders.
The DR’s chassis, like the engine, is basic but
rugged and dependable. The conventionally
mounted forks are non-adjustable but for the
majority of riding, and for the majority of riders,
they do the job. They’re on the soft side for trail
riding and dive under heavy braking, but
KIWI RIDER 29