BMW F 650 GS And Suzuki DR Z400 S - Sliding Scale
Dirty Streetbike Or Streety Dirt Bike? Either Way, BMW's F650GS And Suzuki's DR-Z400S Cover Lots Of Ground In The Dual-Purpose Spectrum
By Greg Mcquide, Photography by Kevin Wing
| PERFORMANCE |
| Corrected 1/4-mile* | 13.76 sec. @ 91.60 mph |
| 0-60 mph | 5.41 sec. |
| Top-gear roll-on, |
| 60-80 mph | 6.03 sec. |
| Fuel mileage |
| (low/high/average) | 33/56/45 |
| Cruising range |
| (exc. reserve) | 153 miles |
| *Performance with test-session weather conditions corrected to sea-level standard conditions (59 degrees F, 29.92 in. of mercury) |
Suzuki DR-Z400S
| PRICE |
| MSRP | $5349 |
| ENGINE |
| Type | liquid-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke |
| Valve arrangement | dohc, 4v |
| Bore x stroke | 90.0 x 62.6mm |
| Displacement | 398cc |
| Compression ratio | 11.3:1 |
| Transmission | 5-speed |
| Final drive | chain |
| CHASSIS |
| Weight | 318 lb. (wet) |
| | 307 lb. (tank empty) |
| Fuel capacity | 2.6 gal. |
| | (including reserve) |
| Rake/trail | 27.1 deg./4.21 in. (107mm) |
| Wheelbase | 58.5 in. (1485mm) |
| Seat height | 36.8 in. (935mm) |
| SUSPENSION |
| Front | 49mm telescopic fork, |
| | adjustable for spring preload and compres- sion damping |
| Rear | single shock, adjustable for spring preload and compression damping |
| Tire, front | 80/100 x 21 |
| | Bridgestone Trail Wing |
| Tire, rear | 120/90 x 18 |
| | Bridgestone Trail Wing |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Corrected 1/4-mile* | 14.47 sec. @ 85.95 mph |
| 0-60 mph | 6.31 sec. |
| Top-gear roll-on, |
| 60-80 mph | 6.53 sec. |
| Fuel mileage | |
| (low/high/average) | 33/51/43 |
| Cruising range | |
| (exc. reserve) | 100 miles |
| *Performance with test-session weather conditions corrected to sea-level standard conditions (59 degrees F, 29.92 in. of mercury) |
| Cheers & Jeers |
| | BMW | Suzuki | Verdict |
| Engine | 7 | 5 | Urbanite GS has highway legs, too-but needs a sixth gear |
| Drivetrain | 6 | 8 | Slick Suzook shifter; GS more clunky |
| Ride | 8 | 10 | Pothole? What pothole? GS a tad firm |
| Handling | 8 | 7 | Quick turn DR is less stable at speed; GS is planted |
| Ergonomics | 8 | 4 | GS slots you in nicely; DR is...a dirt bike |
| Value | 6 | 9 | DR offers mucho dirt/urban function for less than $5500 |
| Fun factor | 7 | 8 | DR's a hoot...'til you hit the highway |
| Overall* | 9 | 7 | For the real (paved) world, the GS does it right |
Overall rating is independent and not derived from category scores.
By Greg Mcquide
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