DR200 FOR ADVENTURE

[DR-RON]

Hello I,m new Here and I never Rode a bike till yesterday. I bought a dr200se at a suzuki dealer in atlanta yesterday. and I love the bike I got 289 miles on it so far. my question is Im going on a 500 mile trip next week it will be mostly highway and fire roads. so should I get some better tires.

[spirit]

DR-RON,
I am not familiar with the tires that come on a DR200SE. All I can say is if they are true knobbies be very careful cornering and braking on pavement. If they are knobbies and you plan to do a lot of pavement riding you may want to consider changing to a less aggressive pattern.

[Gixxerdale]

Your stock tires are best suited for the fire roads you will be on next weekend. They will be fine on the street as long as you are alert and don't do any agressive street riding. Sounds like a fun weekend ahead, take your time and learn how your bike and you respond before you try and keep pace with other riders. Gotta know your limits, and ride your own ride. The others can wait for you!

I always enjoy waiting for a new or slow rider a whole lot more than waiting for the ambulance!

[Uncle Bob]

Have you had any training ?

Before putting money on tires put it on training and gear.

Actually knobbies work surprisingly well on pavement but can be a little noisy. If you keep it at reasonable speeds the tires won't be a problem.

Uncle Bob!

True dirt knobbies, even DOT certified, can let loose almost without warning in many types of street cornering situations. I've always used trials treaded tires on my d-p bikes for that very reason.

The standard tires on the DR200SE should work fine for your trip, Ron. Take things slow, be safe, drive defensively, and have a great time.

By the way, I assume you are taking this trip with at least one experienced, older rider. If not. Stay home. (Ouch.)

[Uncle Bob]

You are right Steve, I was of course refering to the stock "multipurpose" OEM tires and not dedicated off road knobbies.

[DR-RON]

I went ahead and got the good tires the dunlops 606 dual sport tires. they hold the road a little better the rear tire that came on the bike was to norrow for me. thanks for the input.

[sbdoc99]

You will definately need a better seat. The DRSE series are great bikes. I have a DR650 '05 and have taken several 100+ mile trips and if there is anything negative I can say is that the stock seat SUCKS! The aftermarket gel seat is OK but settles quite a bit after long riding and can get downright COLD in cooler weather. I suggest looking into a Sergeant or Corbin seat or getting a trusted and reputable local upholsterer to soften the ride. Be careful about getting too wide a seat as it may restrict your agility offroad. The Trailwings (Deathwings) your bike came with are great tires for the street and fireroads but are downright dangerous in the mud. The 606's you bought should work nicely for offroad use and should still give you decent highway traction. Also, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers a great offroad riding course that will make you a much better and safer on and offroad rider.

http://www.dirtbikeschool.com/index_1.html