Exploring the verdant green forests of my childhood by dirt bike captivated me as a kid. After sticking with me for two decades, that dream is now becoming a reality!
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After taking the Motorcycle Safety Course with my friends and earning my M1 motorcycle license I started to look for bikes. I knew I liked dirt bikes but I also wanted to use my new motorcycle to commute occasionally. So after several weeks of research I decided on a 2001 Suzuki DRZ-400E, a bike that promised to be:
- manageable for a beginner
- inexpensive
- suitable for on-road and off-road driving
- low maintenance
- easy to service and repair
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One of the friends I took the Motorcycle Safety Course also decided to get a DRZ, albeit a newer DRZ-400SM – a factory supermoto. Taking the two DRZs around South Bay riding landmarks like Mt. Hamilton (pictured above) was totally exhilarating!
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In addition to the joy of riding, expressing your personality and aesthetics through a customized vehicle (two-wheeled or not) always intrigued me. Re-finishing the plastic fairings and fuel tank that cover the bike seemed like a thoughtful first modification of the bike: safe, inexpensive, and reversible.
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I painted the plastic fairings in many coats (2x primer, 2x pearl/metallic flake, 3x translucent green) in a homemade spray booth and clear-coated them with satin polyurethane.
Unfortunately the fuel tank’s plastic is permeable to gasoline vapor and sweats it out. Therefore, the paint on the fuel tank began to bubble within a few days so I’ll be modifying the bike again soon. Stay tuned!