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Enduro comparison test: Suzuki DR 350 SE, DR 650 SE

Big versus small

Does the small DR 350 SE manage to hang the powerful DR 650 SE off the beaten track?

For those who find a Husqvarna 610 TE too cross, a KTM 620 LC 4 Competition too hard and the gray import of a Honda XR 600 R too windy, the range of off-road enduros is more than modest. In various comparison tests, however, an enduro emerged as a down-to-earth off-road machine: the Suzuki DR 650 SE.
Blessed with long spring travel of 260 millimeters and a slim line, robust and easy to assemble, the large DR weighs in at just 166 kilograms. Its air / oil-cooled engine has a nominal output of 44 hp and impresses with its balanced, good-natured performance characteristics. The price of 9990 marks includes a stainless steel exhaust system and an electric starter. So an attractive offer.
Aside from large displacement, there are definitely other enduros that are suitable for cross-country cycling. Because less displacement does not mean shorter spring travel. You have to accept a loss of performance, but in return the enduro rider carries significantly less weight with him and can expect more handiness from his pedestal. The small alternative is from the same company: The DR 350 SE has more reserves than the 650 with 280/270 millimeters of travel, is even slimmer, weighs 20 kilograms less and also has an electric starter to help you get started. Their weakness: the also air / oil-cooled engine with only 30 HP.
In order to show who does better off-road, the two sisters went on a voyage of discovery in northern Spain. West of Girona, where, in addition to trial world champion Marc Colomer, the entire world elite of motorcycle acrobats will find an extensive practice area. But before the two enduros drift off into the first mud hole, the tires are swapped. Instead of the Bridgestone Trailwing, which is fitted as standard, the test crew opted for the coarse-treaded Pirelli MT 21. On the one hand, they ensure good traction and directional stability on loose or wet surfaces, but on the other hand, they are also roadworthy. Hardly any loss of driving stability, and thanks to good grip, even steep inclines are possible. Only the accuracy, the handiness and the rolling comfort suffer a little, which is easy to get over in view of the advantages in the field.
At first glance, the two DRs are difficult to distinguish from one another if they have the same "war paint". The 350 has to get by with a cheap, black-painted rear silencer, but it has a useful aluminum engine guard. And where the big one only attaches a speedometer to the cockpit, the little one has a tachometer. A central steering / ignition lock, like the one on the 650, would be more practical than the fiddly Neimann lock in the steering head.
At second glance, not only the large, but also the small DR is not for the short. 870 millimeters seat height for the 650, even 900 millimeters for the 350. But first swing one leg over the narrow bench seat, sit up, and the two enduros collapse. Almost half of the suspension travel is converted into negative suspension travel in this way. If there is not enough remaining spring travel, at least the 350 has the option – albeit only with moderate success – of raising the motorcycle by adjusting the spring base on the fork and shock absorber.
Actuate the choke lever on the left handlebar fitting or pull the choke button on the carburetor (DR 350), activate the electric starter – the two four-stroke engines immediately pout gently and quietly, even in sub-zero temperatures. Due to the strict noise limits, there is not much left of the dull thud of the earlier single cylinder. And so nobody notices that the two enduro riders make their way across the fields towards the mountain peaks.
Or rather from the quagmire: The last downpours have turned the ground into a slippery, sometimes tough mush. So get out of the saddles and stand in the sharp-edged, jagged footrests, hold the handlebars relaxed, so that the carts are loosely balanced so that the front wheels do not suddenly drift off in the treacherous ruts and horse and rider go to the ground. Not a good start for the small DR. Because the tough ground takes strength. And she doesn’t have too much of it. So the motto is: keep the engine running at speed and work hard on the six pairs of gears of the easily shiftable gearbox so that the DR 350 does not lose touch with its big sister. With its high-torque engine, it can be seen to pull itself out of the field: open the gas and go.
Then the picture changes. The heavy, wet ground gives way to loose scree, the path becomes steeper and steeper. Serpentines interrupt the fast ride, stone steps and exposed roots make the ascent difficult. The 650 is still ahead. Despite the feeling of the suspension being too soft for such terrain, neither fork nor shock absorber hit. Instead, the DR 650 swings up the path with large amplitudes. But this time, the 350 is right on her heels. She shoots lightly through the serpentines. Sliding forward on the bench, put your foot out and accelerate is one thing. Without wasting time, the 350 hurries at full throttle over the rocky edges on the shortest route to the next serpentine.
With the big one, “just step on the gas” is such a thing. In spite of the soft start of the engine, careful handling of the throttle is required, otherwise the rear wheel will suddenly wedge out and bring the load on a zigzag course.
The path becomes even more demanding, steeper, narrower, turns into a beaten path with fallen trees, boulders lying in the way and bends that are so tight that you sometimes even have to heave the motorbikes around the corner. It is no longer possible to continue driving smoothly. This is called trial hiking. The DR 650 is surprisingly brave. The balanced performance characteristics of her engine, the sensitive clutch and an easily adjustable, powerful brake – all of this helps her to avoid a major failure.
The DR 350 SE, on the other hand, is now fully in its element. In the small corridor she purrs up the path, scurries nimbly around tree stumps, hops up stone steps and bravely clings to loose scree. Here, every kilogram less weight counts twice. It is also astonishing what tremendous stamina the speed-hungry engine shows. If the speed really drops on an almost unclimable incline and if the speed drops to walking pace, no one has to pull the saving clutch. Where the 650er goes out with a beating "Paff", the 350er sticks to life.
While the DR 350 takes the direct route for the last few meters to the summit, the big sister is looking for an easier one. The arduous ascent is rewarded with a seemingly endless view of the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees.
B.When the roadworthiness is checked the next day, it turns out that the little one, how could it be otherwise, is completely inferior in terms of motor skills, but at least comes up with lower fuel consumption on the country road. Once again one has to praise their bicycle-like handiness and wish the devil the doughy, powerless stop in the front wheel. The brake in the 650 shows how it can be done differently. And last but not least, it should be noted that the DR bench seats are nowhere near suitable for touring. It was not without reason that the test crew drove the two Suzuki vehicles to Spain and back again.

My conclusion

The smaller one is ultimately not always the weaker one, as this comparison test clearly shows. It simply depends on the area of ​​application. Those who like to go on a voyage of discovery and want to drive to the very end of the road will find it much easier with the DR 350 SE than with its big sister DR 650 SE. Then less weight counts and, as a result, better handling is far more important than more power and torque can compensate for. On top of that, the elastic 350 engine, as well as the comfortable chassis, forgives a lot of driving errors. Clever for enduro novices and occasional enduro riders.

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