Suzuki Dr 800

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GSL Team Big Wheel

Got a line on one of these for $3100. I've got a DR200, DRZ400 and DR650 already in the stable and never had any problems with any of them. This 1992 DR800 has 29,000km on it and looks damn clean. It's already been titled in my local county so the grey market stuff is out of the way. The guy that owns it moved overseas and left the bike at his friend's house. Called him the other day and told him to put it on the market.
Is it worth $3100?

Anyone here owned one and can comment on the good, bad, ugly?

Are parts available?

TIA
I remember reading about them in the Europe bike mags in the early-mid 90's. Seems they said that they vibrate pretty hard..
thx
Jim
Mack Gone, but never forgotten. RIP, Mack...
Hi Mack,
I had a Dr Big 750 when they first came out. I'd say that it is similar to the KLR in terms of type of ride and ability. I seem to remember that it was quite heavy too. Nice bike tho', and styling that was way ahead of it's time, just look at the BMW GS and guess where they got the idea for that beak from!
There y'go, I knew I had a pic somewhere.
I owned a DR 800 for 6 months while I was doing geologic field work in southern Spain. They are quite top heavy and scary on pavement. I remember the first time I leaned it over, it fealt like I was losing the front; I thought "no, that can't be". A few weeks later, I found that in fact the front slips away readily when leaned over on pavement, especially with a full tank of fuel! The guy who helped me pick the bike up of the pavement when I crashed had ridden his cousin's a DR 800 extensively (he was on a Criville replica scooter when he found me) and confirmed my impression that "se va de nada", which losely translated from Spanish means 'the front goes away for no reason' or 'the front goes away for little reason'.
Also, the Dr big consumed lots of oil - keep an eye on the oil level!

Otherwise, the DRbig is a blast. On dirt, DON'T LEAN IT OVER TO TURN! Just keep it upright, and steer with the rear wheel by powersliding. As you might expect it is a torque monster, so stearing with the rear wheel is easy and BIG FUN.

THE DRBIG is a capapble long-distance tourer on pavement - I did several hundred km two up, all over the mountains of s. Spain with my ex, when she came to visit. It was really great bike for long-distance hauling. JUST BE CAREFUL ON THE PAVEMENT IN THE TURNS, THE FRONT IS REALLY EASY TO LOSE!
Below is me with the bike in 1997. I am not sure what model year THE DR is, but it is an 800.

Tony
Attached Files:
I had '88 model DR750. It had 74 000km o´clock when I bought it. I drove about 20 000km without any bigger problems. Then I imported '94 DR800 from Germany and now she has over 50 000km o´clock. Both of those have been very reliable (like any DR´s).
The big DR´s really are big ones. They are smaller, lighter and easyer to handle than Africa Twins or Boxer BMW´s but compared to LC4´s they are monsters. Dryweight is about 200kg.

It´s not perhaps best bike for freeways or soft single tracs but I think that it is quite good compromise. I have been driven with it everywhere between swamp and single tracs to long highway tours with my girlfriend. My friend did world tour with DR800 and here is link for his homepage. There is also lots of information about DR800:

http://www.geocities.com/Baja/3421/
I just saw a guy over on Supermotojunkie.com asking about a bike I didn't know existed. It is the Suzuki DR800. I googled it because he was asking if it was a good platform to tard, it is THE Behemoth single! Ginormous! A 800cc single...WOW. Looks really cool, like a Dakar bike sorta, bitchin. I like it. I read the specs, 410lbs, 50hp looks like it must have about 400lbft of tourqe! What do you guys here know about this appearently European only machine? I guess he's getting it cheap.
There was one in town here for a few years, so they were in canada. She's a big beast.
rjf SBS's #1 fan in January

Try this thread on for size - http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91425
To give you an idea of how big they are,the rider, Gaston Raiher (R.I.P iirc), was 6'2".
View attachment 82603

O.k. he was more like 5'2".
Looks like 4'2" standing next to that beast!
You can buy them in Europe in SM trim. Here is a picture of one I saw in Italy last month.
Oh man I like it! That would be so much fun up Palomar!
This is the bigest and the smoothest single ever made. But it is not the race bike, it is a litle bit zleepe - counterbalancer is doing its job.
A mate of mine in NZ not 80kms away has two of them,had the pleasure of riding them.Not to bad for an old schools bike and if you wish to live in the past go for it if you can find one.He might even part with one at the right price.Both of them are in ex order as he is a fussy bugger and if he could he would prob make love to them
... aka "DR Big" (pronounced "Doctor Big"). Built from 1988 to about 1997. Was meant to be Suzuki's answer to the BMW airhead GS. Great dualsport bike, sweet motor, perfect riding position for tall riders (190 cm ), wonderful handling, but had unfortunately not the success that it merited.
I was hesitant at that time, too, but the Big's open chain drive and the "impossible" tank shape (the early models had a split gas tank where it was impossible to fix a tankbag) were clearly in favour of the GS.

(Edit/add-on: In the first years it was a 750, later an 800 ccm).
I love this bike, I usually go into dirt every weekend,

I've traveled around Europe with it

and I've been in Marroco last easter.

I got an arrow exhaust in it and the power now is around 60 hp, weight and front suspensions are
the worst in this bike.
I'm 6,2 and I feel very comfortable in it
I love the way it looks, like an old Paris Dakar machine

Adios