This was my first dirt ride, before I bought my ATV.

INSANE torque, anything but a slight twist and the front end is in the sky. Ive climbed some insane walls with this thing......just put it in first, lean over the bars and ease it up......its like a 2 wheeled tractor.

 

I remember those...Very cool posting the pics of your bike and the ads from the time..

 

awesome bike dude!!! any idea of the bore/stroke on that thing? knowing suzuki, its probably got a huge stroke and that would be why its so torquey.

 

This is a review I found on the bike when it was new, good reading.




Suzuki DR370 (1978) Tricks in the dirt brought to you by the world's friendliest dirt bike.

►There are thousands of garages across America with just enough space between the lawnmower and the workbench to accommodate your basic dirt bike. And what we have in Suzuki's DR370 is the perfect fit for that empty slot in the garage. The DR370 fits the role of Mark I dirt bike because it is not a motocrosser, not an enduro bike and not even a street/trail bike. Instead it is the sort of motorcycle that can stand neglected in a corner of your garage covered in greasy ooze and mud for months on end and still start on the first kick. Its maintenance requirements are so simple that anyone who knows which end of a screwdriver to pound on is up to the task. But most of all, the DR370, like every real dirt bike, exists only to do tricks in the dirt. It's not for racing. It's just for jumps, wheelies, slides and other feats of daring. You see, your average dirt bike is just for fun, and fun is something the Suzuki's DR knows all about.
In terms of engineering, the DR isn't particularly impressive; it's strictly mainstream from stem to stern. But then again, there's no reason for a dirt bike to be cantankerous, fast or competitive like a motocrosser. So there's nothing remarkable about the DR's frame—it's a duplicate of the DR's street/trail sibling, the SP370, except the steering head is one degree steeper and the front end has slightly less trail. Suspension travel is moderate with 7.5 inches of travel available from the softly sprung and damped front fork and 5.5 inches of travel available from the mild rear suspension.
The engine is utterly conventional as well, right down to its wet crankcase sump. It looks tall and tippy in the frame, but the lack of complication represents a 20-pound weight saving over the engine of Yamaha's four-stroke dirt bike, the TT500. The maintenance requirements of Suzuki's thumper can be performed with the tools in your kitchen drawer. The valves are set to zero clearance when cold. The bronze oil filter can be cleaned and reinstalled indefinitely. For all intents and purposes, once you buy a Suzuki DR370 you can count on being a stranger to your dealer's service and parts departments.
Only the DR's styling fails to fit the uncomplicated dirt bike formula. While styling may boost sales, it resulted in several compromises on the DR. First, the front fender would offer more protection if it weren't bobbed at its trailing edge. And second, the seat widens and then kicks up at the back of the bike. As a result, it's hard to move back on the seat and you run the risk of being butted from behind by that lip whenever the rear end kicks up.
Nevertheless, the result of all this dirt-bike engineering—as distinct from motocross engineering—is a motorcycle that inspires confidence in the dirt-bike guy as soon as he takes a seat. The moderate suspension travel insures that you can place both feet firmly on the ground—no step-ladders required—and the high-rise handlebars feel just right when sitting down or standing up. The only failing is that the footpegs take on a downward droop after hard riding and a few spirited jumps.
God intended four-stroke engines to be fitted to dirt playbikes. When you're cruising along a fireroad or a wide-open trail, there's no need to keep track of DR's powerband. When you want more speed, you just dial on more gas. And when you want to putt, the Suzuki single thumps away happily. The overall gearing is also low enough to ride at a walking pace, so it's hard to get surprised by a hill. Even if you haven't built up a full head of steam, the DR will resolutely creep over the top, making a dirt bike guy wonder why he ever used to be afraid of steep hills.
An additional side effect of the DR's low gearing is the bike's suitability for narrow trails. The DR is pretty light for its size at 261 pounds-10 pounds lighter than a TT500—but responsive steering and good weight distribution make it seem even lighter, allowing you to turn even cobby, boulder-strewn washes into lots of good, clean fun.
The only snag in the DR's performance in rough terrain is made evident whenever the light-flywheeled engine stalls and you're stuck in an uncompromising position on the side of a steep hill: It's hard to start again, just like most four-stroke dirt bikes. For one thing, the view-window in the right-side cam cover is out of sight, forcing riders who depend upon such things to dismount in order to see if' the little silver screw is indicating that the engine is properly ready for sure-fire one-kick starting. And the 370 also lacks a compression release. So when you're perched precariously on the side of a hill—the kind of predicament dirt guys get in all the time—it's sometimes hard to get enough leverage on the kickstarter to rotate the engine into readiness for one-kick starting, much less fire it up. And God help you when the DR fails to start on the first kick in the bottom of a deep valley. This comedy of errors is unlikely to befall any experienced rider of a DR370, but then, experienced riders aren't the sort of people who will buy this motorcycle. Fortunately, playbike riders aren't into riding over tough, immovable obstacles. They prefer the wide-open spaces. And the DR is most at home while cruising at moderate speeds over open terrain. The soft suspension soaks up broken ground without tiring you and always maintains its good manners. This doesn't mean you can keep pace with a Husky 390 OR, however, for the suspension will soon signal its unhappiness with loud clunks from the front fork and with the rear suspension's inability to keep the rear wheel hooked up. But a playrider isn't interested in risking life and limb at top speed. At the speeds he prefers, the DR is stable and comfortable while a Husky 390 would be stiff-legged and cranky. The DR's only failing is the rear wheel's persistent chattering under braking despite the full-floating rear brake.
But best of all, the DR loves to do tricks. The drivetrain has so much lash in it that first-gear wheelies are a snap because you can give the engine a running start before it hooks up to the rear wheel. The bike's balance encourages sliding and the predictable power from the big banger won't threaten to put you on your head. On the whole, you can hurl this motorcycle across and through obstacles that would make other entry-level motorcycles whimper with fear. In fact, it's so predictable that you can throw the DR around and dominate it like a 125 and not be afraid it'll get away from you.
Over the years, playriders have had to put up with a lot of patronizing. It hasn't been considered appropriate to be less than serious about tearing around in the dirt. As a result, people have been trying to stick playriders onto stiff-legged, high-strung motorcycles too demanding for good-time riding. But despite that pressure, playriders kept on buying various street/trail bikes and setting them up for fun. They knew what they wanted.
Now the manufacturers have realized that these people knew what they wanted all along. And what they want are bikes like the Yamaha TT500 and the Suzuki DR370—competent, reliable dirt bikes whose primary task in life is to put a smile on your face.■
SUZUKI DR370
Category
trail
Suggested retail price
$1499
Engine type
four-stroke vertical single, primary kickstart
Valve arrangement
single overhead camshaft
Bore and stroke
85.0mm x 65.2mm
Displacement
369cc
Carburetion
one 32mm Mikuni slide/needle
Gearbox
5-speed
Final drive ratio
15/42: 2.80:1
Front fork/wheel travel
36mm diameter stanchion tubes/7.7 in. (195mm)
Rear shocks/wheel travel
5-way adjustable spring pre-load/5.9 in. (149mm)
Wheelbase
55.4 to 56.8 in. (140.7 to 144.3cm)
Seat height
33.4 in. (848mm)
Weight
261 lbs. (118.4 kg)