Suzuki DR200

[Ausfahrt]

This '08 DR200 followed me home a few days ago. My wife is out of town so there was no one around to stop me. It was an inexpensive impulse purchase but the bike runs great and has low miles.

After many years of riding liter bikes it does seem gutless but it has a certain charm to it and I like it. It's simple and inexpensive to maintain and a good learning platform for new riders. I buy and sell bikes regularly but this one may stick around a while.

 

[JunkdrawerDog]

I had a Yamaha XT225 for years. Great little bike for zipping around the small town I lived in and bombing the gravel roads.

 

[dnewton3]

Nice find!

I've had several dual sport bikes over the years; KLR, XR and a DR. Of those, the DR-650 was my favorite. Your newest find looks like a great starter ride.

 

[Hirev]

Nice I always like to keep a dual sport motorcycle around in the collection. My current one is a CRF250L.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Nice I always like to keep a dual sport motorcycle around in the collection. My current one is a CRF250L.

That CRF250L is a keeper.

 

[DCDG]

This '08 DR200 followed me home a few days ago. My wife is out of town so there was no one around to stop me. It was an inexpensive impulse purchase but the bike runs great and has low miles.

After many years of riding liter bikes it does seem gutless but it has a certain charm to it and I like it. It's simple and inexpensive to maintain and a good learning platform for new riders. I buy and sell bikes regularly but this one may stick around a while.

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those are the best bikes to have a little bit of street mix in a bit of trail its the way i'd go about it. I still may get a Yamaha TW200 one of these days. I just need to grow a pair to ride 2 wheels in the myrtle beach area.

 

[IndyIan]

These are

This '08 DR200 followed me home a few days ago. My wife is out of town so there was no one around to stop me. It was an inexpensive impulse purchase but the bike runs great and has low miles.

After many years of riding liter bikes it does seem gutless but it has a certain charm to it and I like it. It's simple and inexpensive to maintain and a good learning platform for new riders. I buy and sell bikes regularly but this one may stick around a while.

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View attachment 348459

Nice little bike! Are you going to do some trails with it? We've got a '09 CRF230F and its fun to do some low speed off roading, picking your way through a section, over a log, snake through the trees around a mud hole. kind of like a cross between off roading with a jeep, and trials.
The low seat height makes them easy to save too if one end slides too much. I've ridden a 2019 CRF250L and while its much much better on the road, the extra height and weight made me feel dumping it much more likely.
There have been a couple CRF230L's come up for sale, or a XT225 which have been tempting.

 

[Passport1]

Wish I could still ride.

 

[car54]

I have its older sibling, a 2001 DR200SE. It's covered 50,000 miles on the back of my RV and probably 10k miles on the bike itsself, although the odometer cable broke and has been stuck at 703 miles its entire life.

I now ride a CRF250L Rally most RV trips but the DR200 remains a favorite farm bike and has taught dozens of people to ride, shift, clutch and fall over the last few years. I rode it about 40 miles yesterday in 100F heat doing a bunch of dirt logging roads. Thats about all my butt can handle of the worn out oem seat.

It runs warm at slow speeds. I put some old 10w-60 ELF sport 4 I had on the shelf in it, probably a 20 year old quart of oil. I know the motor oil geek says oil goes bad, but this stuff works fine and I dont see any foaming in the sight glass when I stop and check it.

I inspected it with the thermal camera yesterday after the ride. The sump was 265F and the cylinder head was 330F near the exhaust port. Thats why I keep heavier synthetic in it vs the 10w-40 it called for, which resulted in tons of noise when it was hot.

 

[Ausfahrt]

I had been considering the purchase of a new Honda Trail 125 because the are cool. But this one popped up for cheap and I like the fact that it has a regular 5 speed clutch transmission.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Here's the factory recommendation from back in 2008.

Recommended engine oil, transmission fluids, coolant type, filling capacities and service intervals for SUZUKI DR200SE Trojan 1997-2015.

Aggregate	Recommeded fluid	Capacity (Liters)	Intervals
199cc engine	10W40 API SF or higher; JASO MA	0,95 (dry fill - 1,1)	5000 km or 12 months
Front fork (per leg)	Fork oil #10	0,309
Drive chain	Heavyweight motor oil		1000 km
Brake	DOT4		2 years
Fuel	AKI 87 / RON 91 octane or higher	13,0 (reserve - 2,5)

What oil would you use?

 

[car54]

In Vermont? synthetic 10w-40, any brand will work. Your weather is a lot milder than down south where I spend most of my time riding in 90+ ambient.

I used to run Motul but the prices are insane.Valvoline full synthetic is cheap and good https://a.co/d/088RS4fG

I personally switched everything to Maxima proplus. still affordable and top quality, amazing shifting. https://a.co/d/0fkl7i5c on amazon. Cheaper on chapmoto but no free ship until $49+ so good if you need other stuff (filters, etc) https://www.chapmoto.com/maxima-pro-plus-synthetic-10w40-oil.html