Suzuki DR 650SE

BATHED IN A SWIRLING SEA OF LIGHT AT Suzuki's annual dealer meeting last fall in Las Vegas, the all-new GSX-R750 repli-racer stole the show, drawing oohs and ahhs from enthusiastic shop owners and media types alike. Response to the electric-start DR650SE dual-purpose bike, likewise redrawn from the axles up, was somewhat less impassioned.

You needn't criticize show attendees. After all, the previous DR650 appeared capable of conquering the Paris-Dakar Rally, what with its powerful single-cylinder engine, capacious fuel tank, Euro-enduro styling and long-travel suspension. In use, though, the bike proved more cushy street machine than rip-roaring trail blazer. Suffice to say, the new model is much, much better. In fact, it's a quantum leap over past large-bore DRs, on and off the pavement.

At the heart of the DR650SE is an engine that's not a complete break from the past. Rather, it's a much improved and refined version of the sohc, air-cooled Single that powered past models. Don't expect many parts to interchange, though; the alterations are substantial, all aimed at boosting performance while trimming size and weight.

Externally, the new package looks more like a wet-sump DR350 motor than the lumpy, mid-Eighties SP600 engine upon which the previous DR650 was based. Crankcase dimensions are thinned, thanks to the use of a single gear-driven counterbalances The cylinder head, with its pent-roof combustion chamber, narrower valve angle, larger intake valves and smaller sparkplugs, is more compact. And the iron cylinder liner is gone, replaced by high-tech nickel-silicone-carbide plating said to reduce friction and wear, and improve heat dissipation.

Cool running is further enhanced by Suzuki Advanced Cooling System (SACS), long a mainstay of the company's top-line sportbikes. In the DR, oil passes first through the filter and cooler before flooding the passageways above the combustion chamber. Then it's channeled through an external line that branches off to the crankshaft and transmission.

In any case, the new engine performs admirably. Horsepower and torque are up and acceleration significantly improved. Compared to our last DR650 testbike, a 1992 model, 0-to-60 mph times dropped half a second to 5.0 seconds. More importantly, top-gear roll-ons plummeted from 5.4 seconds to 3.9 seconds (40-to-60 mph) and 7.0 seconds to 4.5 seconds (60-to-80 mph). That's quicker than Honda's XR650L, Kawasaki's KLX650 and KTM's 620 R/XC. (The more powerful KTM is swifter 0-to-60 and in the quarter-mile, but not by much.) The engine is also exceptionally smooth for a big-displacement four-stroke Single, particularly at highway speeds. Some quaking prevails off idle, but otherwise, it's mostly smooth going right up to maximum rpm. As with the 1994 and '95 models, kickstarting is a thing of the past; an electric starter combined with an internal mechanical-decompression system, CDI ignition and a maintenance-free battery make starting a no-nonsense affair.

Cold starts are a snap: Full choke, no throttle, squeeze the clutch and punch the button. Nothing more is necessary. The engine warms quickly, and carburetion is very good, particularly under full-throttle acceleration. Some surging during steady-state cruising is apparent, though. Clutch action is very smooth and linear, even when subjected to the rigors of dragstrip duty. Transmission ratios are nicely spaced (third

gear is changed, as are the primary and final-drive ratios), and shifting is light, smooth and quiet. It's worth noting, however, that our testbike occasionally popped out of second.

Not content solely with an all-new engine, Suzuki conceived a fresh frame, pairing rectangular and round steel tubing in a package that is not only more compact, but a claimed 13 percent more torsionally rigid. Weight was a factor here, too. The triple clamps, steering stem, rear suspension linkage and engine-mounting components are aluminum, as is the inch shorter box-section swingarm. The latter helped reduce the bike's wheelbase to 58.7 inches. Hollow axles with larger outside diameters and a more compact rear-hub assembly are also used.

Suspending the DR is a Kayaba fork and a single, reservoir-equipped Kayaba shock. The non-adjustable fork is a conventional damper-rod design, but the sliders, which are ^pressed and bonded to cast axle clamps, are extruded from Duralumin (like the RM motocrossers) and anodized for reduced friction and wear. Thinner-wall stanchions measure 43mm in diameter and boast improved rigidity. There's 10.2 inches of travel at either end, and adjustments for spring preload and compression damping out back.

On the road, the firmed-up suspension flat works. Both ends are very compliant and do a good job of keeping the bike planted on the pavement. You'd expect this in flat, smooth corners, but toss in frost heaves and potholes and the balance is still evident. Even two-up, the suspension responds well to high-speed dips that would likely cause the old bike to bottom.

But wait, there's more to the DR than meets the eye. At the expense of suspension travel and ground clearance, seat height can be lowered about 1.5 inches to better suit less experienced and/or shorter riders. Although the two-hour job is relatively simple (you must remove the damper rods in the fork and partially disassemble the shock), Suzuki recommends taking the bike to an authorized dealer-you'll be there anyway to purchase the obligatory shorter sidestand ($43). In lowered form, the DR is an even better streetbike, hugging curves with real tenacity. There's less tendency for the bike to pitch around oh its suspension, too, giving a greater feeling of control.

Like most original-equipment dual-purpose tires, the Bridgestone Trail Wings are a compromise. They offer plenty of stick on the pavement, but venture off road and grip slips considerably. DOT-approved knobbies make a big improvement; with better traction you still feel the bike's mass, though not nearly as much as in previous years. Even so, you won't want to attempt the "A" loop at a national-level enduro; the DR is no KTM, after all.

Based on the bike's reduced weight, Suzuki fitted a smaller, 11.4-inch floating front disc and a more compact twin-piston Nissin caliper. While strong and progressive, the brake faded and was smoking hot (yes, smoking!) after a handful of all-out dragstrip stops. Allowed to cool, the brake worked fine again on the street with no indication of warping. Out back, a solid-mounted rotor and a single-piston caliper offtjr reasonable feel and control.

So, this remodeled DR650SE is a remarkable roadbike and-compared to its predecessor-a pillar of proficiency in the dirt. Will it sell at $5199? Hard to say. For the record, that's an $800 increase over last year, which puts the bike's price on par with that of Honda's XR650L and Kawasaki's KLX650, but many hundreds less than that of an ATK 605 or a KTM 620 R/XC. What we do know is this: The DR650SE now offers a very appealing mix of athleticism and refinement. For many riders, it may well be the ideal dual-purpose street/dirt mix-and the factory lowering kit means that anybody, regardless of inseam, can get in on the go-anywhere, do-anything fun.

Which, come to think of it, is precisely the point of the exercise.