DRZ400S Revival. Can I get an AMEN!?

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When I got my last stimulus check, I figured it was going to cost me big in the end with the inflation it would bring, so I decided to use it for something that would serve me for years.

I bought a Lectron carb conversion kit for my DRZ400S. Pre-tuned for my bike's specs

It's been a love/ hate relationship with this DRZ because the stock 36mm Mikuni is jetted rich, and half the time the pilot jet is clogged.
I couldn't let this bike sit for more than a couple weeks without having to pull the carb and clean it. I finally got sick of that and left it parked.

The seat faded and got mildew stained.
The Acerbis plastics got chalky in places from sunlight.
It was just neglected looking.

Back when I ordered the carb, I also ordered a custom set of vinyl graphics.

With spring around the corner and had prices on the rise, I decided it was time for the makeover.


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The carb kit came with a new cable, throttle assembly, aluminum tube with a special Lectron cable cam, new grips and stickers.

It took a little while to swap all of that out, but going by Jake the Garden Snake's video, there were no surprises.

I was going to put fresh gas in the tank to start it, but the petcock was toast. It was clogged with gray clay-like goo. The tank screens disintegrated like ash when I touched them.

I ordered a new petcock and proceeded to Plan B. I funneled enough gas into the hose to fill the bowl.
I pulled the choke and cranked it a bit. Closed the choke, cranked some more and it came to life. I think it ran two or three minutes on that bowl full.



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I sewed up a new seat cover from marine vinyl. It's hard to work with, but very durable.
I went with two colors and a little pizazz.

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Still waiting on the new petcock, but I had new graphics that i could apply and new front turn signals to rig up.

It's mostly back together, but I ran out of daylight while working on the new lights.



New heat shielding on the exhaust side.


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I managed to finish the front markers/signals.

However, progress was held up once again. I found that I need a new Clarke Racing petcock gasket kit to successfully install the new petcock. The old gasket is compressed, and I didn't even try to reuse it.
Since I also need the cup-shaped gasket for the gas cap, I went ahead and ordered both directly from Clarke.

When I started this rebirth project, the lithium battery seemed fine, but as I worked on it, and with leaving the key on once, the battery is as dead as a door nail and will not do any better than 5.8 volts.
So, I have a new Yuasa conventional battery on the way. I have learned through experience not to go with cheap batteries in this bike. You only get a couple of chances to start with a twenty dollar eBay special.

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The new Yuasa battery arrived and I installed it. That went smoothly.
I still can't help but wonder if I have a laptop charger or something that will revive the lithium battery.

The Clarke Racing petcock gaskets and cap gasket showed up. Glad I waited because the unbranded petcock's gasket had already swolen from the gas getting on it. THAT'S not right! Should be Buna N rubber. I guess you get what you pay for.




So I took that off and installed the K&S petcock with its own gasket plus the thick Clarke gasket.



The old, cracked cap gasket finally got replaced.



I then added some gas, a little choke and it fired up!
A test around the driveway made me realize that the rear brakes were not working.
A shot of Dot and a bleed put a stop to that problem.

All that is left to do is replace a faulty front brake switch and ... go ride.

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The starter is still sticking and clicking far too often for me to trust it, so I have not started back to riding it. I have a brush kit on order. I will replace those in the starter motor, and that should solve that problem.

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I pulled the starter and the brushes were fine.
I cleaned out the dust, lubed the bushings and installed the fresh brushes for good measure.

Then I located and checked the starter relay. In hindsight, I should've done that first.
I ordered a new one, replaced it, and it's all fixed now.

That's it tucked into the frame with the two rubber boots and the white connector.


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Got out for a ride with my oldest son on Saturday.
Had some trouble with the choke being hard to move, but I've read that's normal at first. They need to break in.
I had to tap the carb to free up the float needle. I thought that was strange, but with the see- through fuel bowl, it was easy to tell what was going on.
Weather was great, and with a quick idle adjustment, all went well after we got going.


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