The DR650 Highway Touring Thread

I think mine was right at 2"

Judging from the pictures, if his was right at 2", I'd say mine was a little more. :huh

Didn't measure mine. Laid out some masking tape, drew up a cut line, to make sure it was symmetrical, and hacked away.

You can see from side views that mine doesn't appear to have as much down-turn, so I assume I cut it further back.

Noticed the left RoboBracket was slightly off, casing that side of the shield to cock slightly lower then the right. I adjusted it to match the right, high speed weave disappeared.

Bout to go trim my front fender anyway...

Just Bought a TM-40!!!!!!!! Cant wait to get it on! (and some new cush drives lol)

I don't have a DR650 yet (plan to change that next year), but FWIW have some experience with 14/42 gearing on my Ducati and learned the hard way that it is a bad ratio as it is 1:3 non-hunting and this caused noise, vibration, and rapid wear on my bike, especially with a 102 link chain (also a multiple of 3) I changed it to 15/44/104 and all is well. You can check out alternate gearing setups easily at http://www.gearingcommander.com/ here are the repeat contact numbers for the three combinations I tried on my bike, 15/42/102, 14/42/102, and 15/44/104.....small changes can make a big difference also a photo of the 14t CS sprocket showing uneven wear

I've seen this theory of Odd vs. Even non matching sprocket numbers argued both ways on various forums over the years.

Lots of variables can enter in to mess this up. Many DR650 riders mix and match sprockets at random ... changing especially front sprockets more than rear. Many run a larger (45T) than stock rear sprocket, then change between 14T, 15T and 16T to suit riding conditions.

I run stock gearing on my DR but always carry a 14T on board. (stock gearing on DR650 is 15T/42T)

I haven't heard an overwhelming consensus stating that things wear out more quickly or that extra vibration is evident with "mis-matched" sprocket sizes. Nor have I seem overwhelming evidence showing Odd or un even sprocket wear due to mis matching. I got 12K miles on my 1st OEM Suzuki chain, and 24,000 miles on my 2nd chain. (DID X ring) But I swap in a new front sprocket about every 10K miles.

Many times riders have problems due to OTHER factors:
1. Cheap, ill fitting or worn out sprockets. Many don't know what to look for in a worn sprocket. Best to compare with a new sprocket.
2. Cheap, quick wearing or worn out chains. Cheap chains are no bargain.
3. Out of adjustment chain. Very common, most run too tight.
4. Out of alignment chain.
5. Lack of oil or maintenance of chain/sprockets.

All these elements will affect the feel of the bike and chain/sprocket life.

And remember, the stock DR650 chain is 110 links and can easily use 112 links if desired. I've switched back and forth a few times from the stock 15T front sprocket to a 14T sprocket. No problems or noticeable change in wear ... no change in vibration level ... just slightly lower gearing, useful off road.

The DR650 is pretty sensitive to a worn sprocket or chain. Most riders ... if awake ... can feel this ... but it can come on slowly, so some miss it. Many riders report imagining all sorts of nightmare scenarios that could be "wrong" with their motor/trans or whatever ... when all that is the matter is a worn out sprocket or chain. Very common story over on the BIG DR thread.

In fact, I just ran into this myself in the middle of a little Baja ride. I just rode 4000 miles in just under 3 weeks. In La Paz (2000 miles into trip) I began to notice some "roughness" under acceleration. It felt very much like the famous "Clutch Chudder" from the early Suzuki V-Strom clutch basket. Oiling made it go away so I knew it was NOT a clutch basket issue ... but it returned in a couple hundred miles.

I was approaching 8,000 miles on my new chain and sprocket set. I am confident it's in need of a new front sprocket. Will report back when I get round to doing the work. I only use OEM Suzuki sprockets and DID 525 VM-2 X-ring chain.


Besides the obvious "hooking" of the sprocket on the right ... can you see what else is "wrong" with the sprocket on the right? The one on the left has about 3000 miles on it.
The one on the right, about 10K miles, IIRC.

It's got a lot of side wear?


What do I win?

I think it might be time for new sprockets, but how does one know when the chain is toast?

You're going to get a differing opinion on this matter but if you're going to replace the sprockets....might as well replace the chain as well. Replace everything in sets IMO....

I was going to answer this one but decided I ain't tellin'.

You don't win anything. Why is there a lot of side wear?

I kept a careful watch on my chain and lubed it after every ride (125-175 miles avg). After one ride the chain was looser than usual, by quite a bit, so I adjusted it. After the next 200 mile ride it was looser by quite a bit, again. Time for a new chain, when they go, they go in a hurry. This was at 22,000 easy miles, too much pavement , not enough dirt , no mud and no sand.

You can put some tension on the lower run of the chain then see if it will lift off the rear spocket.
For the stock chain you would want a measurement of under 319.4 mm / 12.6 inches over 21 pins (20 pitches)

Taking for granted it had been looked after and the sprocket / chain wear was fairly even.
One reason using clips makes things easy.

Side wear, yes, but also notice the different wear between teeth and the shape of the curve between teeth. You can't see it, but worn sprockets get really sharp edges on the teeth as well. All signs of wear and all things that tend to wear out a chain early.

So true. When your chain requires adjustments ... beginning of the end for your chain for sure. Good X rings give you a bit more time, standard grade O ring, less time.

Other tip offs on chain wear are:
1. Kinks. When your chain shows kinks that don't go away with a good cleaning or oiling, indicates some wear, but not the end, just a "tell-tale".

2. As ADV-8 says, if you can pull the chain off the rear sprocket at the 3 '0-clock position while chain is held snug ... more than about 1/4 inch, another sign of wear.

3. As mentioned ... if your chain needs multiple adjustments within just a few hundred miles, then it's most likely done ... or very near. Pay attention to this!

I swap out the front sprockets on most of my bikes at around 10K miles. This seems to help extend chain life, or at least on the bikes I've done this on over the last 150,000 miles: '00 VFR800, '02 V-Strom, '05 DR650, '06 V-Strom, '06 DR650, '07 1050 Tiger, plus various dirt bikes.

use this tool too for proper chain alignment to prevent wear from that.
http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/partno/08-0048
on my bike the left and right wheel adjusters are NOT the same when properly aligned. they are 1 off. if i just matched them i would be getting chain wear from a mis-aligned chain to sprocket. i marked each of the proper mounting points on the adjusters w/ a black permamant marker so i can get right back if the rear tire comes off.

And the winner is............... 100% correct.

15% seat concepts black friday sale going on till sat:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=744218

I believe the manual has a measurement spec. Measure a specified number of links and if its over a certain length, they recommend that you replace the chain.

Read the whole thread (18 pages), and now I just have time before dark to mow the lawn. I just wanted to ride the bike, but it won't start. That's another story in the long DR650 pages.

Dave

Can't go wrong for $18.99.....I'll have to pick up one of those.

Is it just me or does the chain alignment in the video at the above link look good even though he says it's not correct?

I paused the video at that point and I can't see any issues.

The trick with the screw driver is a good one

Jon...

Anybody know where to get the spoke type wheel weights? I tried a few places online and cant find much except the sticky kind. I bought 3\4 oz Fishing weights from K-mart, but when I got home, I realized they are not lead (they are some "environmentally safe lead substitute") and If I try to bend them open or shut, they crack. I managed to get them on with some HVAC metal tape, but it looks so dumb, and I need over 6 weights to get the wheel in balance (rim lock installed)

http://stores.ebay.com/THE-REUSABLE-SPOKE-WEIGHT-STORE?_trksid=p4340.l2563