Norman Perez wrote:Has the Honda thrown you off so many times that you're back on the DRZ wagon?
Although people have crashed their DR-Z's, I still believe that the DR-Z has very nice street manners and that the geometry of the DR-Z lends itself to general stability and good manners. This is not to say that it is a perfect handling bike, but, it sure works well all things considered. But, I have always liked the slower turning in of Suzuki bikes, although you really have to work if there are quick changes of direction, such as S's. I distrust Kawasaki* front ends as several have washed on on me, and Yamaha's**, although competent, seem to be a bit knife edge for my tastes. I am not surprised that people are so aware of the way a Yamaha turns in and how the tires are working, etc., since this would be a result of the knife edge precision handling that Yamaha favors. Hondas are unknown to me as I have never owned one, perhaps because I was turned off by the old "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" line. I confess to really liking the way that Suzuki's handle although in all the years I owned my 1987 Guzzi, it never once put me on the ground.
* I had a new second year Kawasaki 500 Triple and it washed out the front end multiple times and finally went down on one of the wash outs. I also had a new 675cc Kawasaki twin that looked like a Brit bike and it has a funky feeling front end which washed out on my brother and nearly killed him. I saw Brakelate lose the front end several times on his Kawasaki's but, apparently as a Kawasaki lover, this was not bothersome to him.
** I had a new 1967 Yamaha 350 Twin, as my first bike ever that I owned, and it had very precise handling for the time. It was a solid motorcycle capable of some good performance. Much later I had a new Yamaha 125 Twin reed valve when I was broke and I really needed a motorcycle. It was very feisty in the power department (magazine tests showed it having 13.75 RWHP from its 7.5 cubic inch engine) and it would do very good burnouts on the concrete of a gas station. It actually made quite an induction howl when it was really making power. It also packed me and my ex-spouse to San Francisco and back from Walnut Creek on the freeway at speeds up to 80 MPH, several times. And it handled sharp and crisp and precise, just like a Yamaha. But, the Yamahas, although good motorcycles, were almost too precise for my tastes as things that favor precise input do not reward careless input.
