the DR650 thread

you need these any way,
http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-38-and-12-drive-metric-hex-bit-socket-set-67880-html.html


if you have a compressor:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-pneumatic-impact-wrench-95310.html



if not:

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-electric-impact-wrench-68099.html

Then the thing will fly apart and you can use the tool for other jobs. And all for probably the same money as the Suz special tool.

Thanks fellas. Thanks much. I get it now--backing off the preload exposes the hardware I need to loosen to remove the clevis. "Clevis"...that's fun to say.

SST from MC superstore should be here today. I can't wait to move ahead.

3 circuit solution, powerlets, all here...it's all still in pieces, but it's ready to go back together as soon as the suspension is done.

Funny on the harbor freight stuff--I need to buy the impact--I'm set on hexes, but not to 30mm

Duckslider, I am running the 270's front and rear-put on at the same time. Right now I think I am at 3500 miles,but I will have to check tonight. The rear has some tread left but traction on the dirt is suffering badly. The front is starting to cup. They were pretty good new-no complaints. Just wnated to try something new.
Has anyone tried the Bridgestone Trailwing 302's? How about the TKC 80's?

Thanks Grifter..thats the kind of info I am wanting. Someone who has tried it and what they have found. And yes my budget is on the tight side right now.

When I disassembled my KLR250 forks I used a Craftsman spark plug socket that has an external hex. I put it on upside down on a couple of long extensions.

The air tool I borrowed from autozone (for a car repair) didn't work out due to my wussy 5 gallon air compressor.

On the 250 there was a torque spec for tightening the rod. If there's a Suzuki spec, can this be accomplished with an air tool?

why do you want to remove the "clevis" ? It does not need to come off the shaft to change the spring. after yo loosten the preload collars and slide the spring to the top of the shock you will see the bumper can slide up also and then the two bottom spring keepers can rotate and slide off the shaft to the side.

sorry...I meant the hardware,.not really moving the clevis. I just like saying clevis. :boobs

I've got the D700's on my DR650 and had the 244s' on my WR250R. I figured i'd be doing more street duty on the DR650 and thought the 700's would give me better life and better street performance with maybe a bit less dirt.

IMOP, the 700's & 244's are not even close. You would think they would be looking at them and that's what I thought, but I was totally wrong. The 700's suck off road compared to the 244's. In gravel they are not nearly as confidence inspiring and they are down right scary in the mud. They also let go with little to no warning. The 700's have a very 'soft' sidewall tire and therefore airing down makes the street ride horrible and really doesn't gain you much on the dirt so you end up leaving them aired up all the time. The 244's are a nice compromise between full on knobby's and still having decent street performance. You can run them at various pressures and they still handle very well.

I've also found the 700's are wearing very quickly on the road and probably not lasting near as long as the 244's even though I've played off road a lot more on the 244's. The 700's actually feel really good on the road, but that's about the only positive I can give them. Between the horrible off road performance and probably under 2500 miles on the rear, I'd either run the 244's if I wanted a 50/50 tire or the 705 if I wanted something a bit more street oriented.

I can't wait to get these crappy 700's off my DR650.

So some pages back I posed a question about luggage options for the DR. This was my problem.



So after buying the Promoto Billet saddle bag guards to go with my rack and trying many different bag placements I set off on a 600 mile ride. Got home with a melted right side cover and burnt bag. (I didn't set off with the bags looking like this by the way..) At least the bags were free to me! So for a solution I went this route.



Dirtracks.com racks and Nelson-Rigg adventure dry bags. I really wanted the Wolfman setup. I just couldn't get over the price. So for less then $200 bucks all in this is what I got. First impressions of the Racks is that they are pretty sturdy. The Nelson Riggs lack some of the features of the Wolfmans..ie quick removal from the racks etc. They do have a lifetime warranty though. They're spacious and seem tough. We will see after the next adventure.

I don't think the torque spec, for the Allen bolt on the bottom of the DR fork, is that tight (that you would need an impact gun or an air wrench). IIRC, it's like 19 lbs/ft. When I did my forks, I used a 1" piece of square steel tubing held in a vice. The fork was just slightly less than horizontal to keep any old fork oil in the fork. I was able to hold the fork up, keep some pressure so that the 1" tube was not displaced and torque the Allen bolt. I was pretty surprised at how easy it was to dis-assemble and re-assemble both.

I saw your post and was afraid that's what was going to happen. My DR came with a set of side racks that I cannot identify (and a brand new set of the N-R bags that you have). I've decided to go with the Bike Nashbar brand of bicycle pannier bags on my "no name" side racks. Seems to work OK but I've never really done any extended trips with that set-up. It's a shame that the Pro Moto Billet side racks didn't do much to keep the bags off of the muffler or keep your side panel from getting melted. They sure are nice looking. Ah well, live and learn.

BlueLghtning: Thanks for the detailed feedback. I know someone running them right now on a DR, I'll send him your information.

That would be me. Thanks for the heads up ER70S-2
I just replaced them after about 4000 miles. I did not find them terrible on the street but not much better than the Bridgestones that came with the bike. In the dirt they seemed a bit better than the Trailwings but nothing to get excited about.

I figured that was just the trade off with any 50/50. For some reason I was feeling flush and spent a bit more for the replacments. I went with a TKC for the front - seems to have good rep for very good dirt manners and acceptable road ability - downside being relatively short life. We will see.

To be a little more economical I put a Michelin T63 on the rear - it is round and black, even if a bit more $$$ than the 244... alright 2X :huh.

Well, can't say I didn't WARN YOU!

No real surprise you had problems. Your bags are hanging on their all cockamamie ... best to have them straight and in alignment ... and at the correct height and proper front to back placement. As you load your right side bag ... it will press in hard on your HOT pipe and will crush your plastic (and expensive) side panel onto the hot pipe. The bag too will melt, as you found out. Give your bags some clearance and get them to hand straight.
Looks neater, works better. No fires. (I've had my share)

I don't like the look of those bags ... and their still not hung properly.
Once loaded heavy they may create problems on rough roads.
Good luck!

Yeah, I can't complain about the D700's on the street as they actually handle fairly well there as long as you have decent air pressure in them. I just think they wear pretty quickly compared to many other street tires yet don't really do that much better off road compared to basic street tires. I was just expecting better off road performance and it wasn't there. Not even in the 50/50 range. Probably more in the 70/30 to 80/20 range to on/off road as long as its dry.

The TKC as a front tire is actually not bad on the street and wears longer than you would expect. It's definitely a decent dirt tire too. Right now on my Vstrom 650, I'm running a TKC front with the Heidenau K60 rear. Its an awesome setup that works both great on & off road. I just go back from 800 miles playing around the E. TN & W. NC riding the BRP, the Dragon, Skyway, and many other roads and I'm very impressed with this setup. The T63 is another fast wearing knobby on bigger bikes, but still a decent tire both on/off road. I'm curious to hear how it does for you on the back of the DR650.

Thanks for the comprehensive review of the Shinko 700's vs. the Shinko 244. I'd read a few very good reviews here in the past on the 700 ... and was thinking they were pretty good tires. But I've never used them ... and now I'm glad I went with the 244's.

Anyone have anything GOOD to say to counter this review of the 700?

The 244's get good reviews on many forums, not just DR650 riders. For more paved road use I like the 705's, Anakee or Distanzia. For pure dirt I like a real knobby front and rear. But for most Dual Sport I'm thinking a 244 rear tire will do the job paired with a good knobby front tire. (TKC, T63, IRC, or D606)

The 244's look to be the perfect travel tire for me. Inexpensive and last pretty well. So far I've done almost ALL on road on my 244. Will report on mileage in future!
Thanks again!

I've got the DirtRacks soft bag luggage racks and rear rack and very happy with the quality. Ordered the Wolfman Expedition bags today and will use the "other rack" mounts. Should mount up nice and level. I'll post picks when it's all good to go.

Going back and forth on a BMW 650 GS and the DR 650.

BMW looks like a cool ride more money then the DR.
DR cheaper been out there forever lots of aftermarket stuff for it.

BMW must have a no dicker sticker at least the dealer in KY.
I found a 2012 DR for $5599 0 miles and I think I can talk them down a little more.

I am kinda leaning towards the DR you probably can tell what do you think?

Price about right or what would be a good price for 2012?


Thank you for your thoughts.

Fred

I can save you the trouble.

We put about 100,000 kms on a 2002 F650GS and it never let us down, but it was heavy, slow, low, and expensive to maintain.

Then I had an R1150GS for 104,000 kms, a F800GS for 80,000 kms, and now I've got the DR650, and as happy with it as I was with any of the others. Except it cost me far less, is more fun to ride, and is much cheaper to buy parts for. And, I can do my own maintenance without requiring shims for the valves, and a computer to tell me what's wrong with it.

Looks sweet! I also have the Wolfman enduro tank bag and large expedition duffle coming too. I'm planning on putting some serious miles on this bike every summer so these farkles will really be nice to have.