DR350 Thread

[pnw]

Originally Posted by duncanbojangles

Yup, I wired a pair of grip warmers (purchased from Cycle Gear for $20) to the brown/black pair of wires about a week ago with no ill effects so far. I thought about adding a relay, but installing the grip warmers was already almost too much work for me, so I just went for it with the skinny wires. It's run for a good long while on both high and low settings and still works.

Easy is good. I will give that a try because I haven't decided if I want the 12v outlet socket to be dependent on the key being switched on. Hand warmers for sure I want to be off when key switch is off. I might run a fused line directly from the battery for the 12v outlet.

<3amp draw from the grip warmers seems too low to cause problems but if anyone had bad results using the brown and black wires (for any application) please post up or post for what you used them for if you had no problems.

Thanks

[Ghostyman]

Originally Posted by pnw

Easy is good. I will give that a try because I haven't decided if I want the 12v outlet socket to be dependent on the key being switched on.

I have my 12V outlet constant on so I can use it to charge devices while I'm parked or sleeping. I've got a '90 with a kicker so I don't have to worry about running the battery down.

[MadChap]

Originally Posted by pnw

Easy is good. I will give that a try because I haven't decided if I want the 12v outlet socket to be dependent on the key being switched on. Hand warmers for sure I want to be off when key switch is off. I might run a fused line directly from the battery for the 12v outlet.

<3amp draw from the grip warmers seems too low to cause problems but if anyone had bad results using the brown and black wires (for any application) please post up or post for what you used them for if you had no problems.

Thanks

After leaving my hot grips on twice and draining the battery on a non-kicker plus smelling hot wiring when running grips on high, I finally ran a new 14g wire direct to the battery for all accessories on the "dash" and through a relay. No worries now! The new wire powers hot grips, 12V outlet and a 12V SAE plug which runs into my taken bag to charge my phone.

Since I was into the wiring, I also ran a switch for the headlight so I can turn it off when first starting on a cold day get the grips warm without draining the battery as the engine idles. To keep from riding and forgetting the headlight being off, I wired a DPDT switch and an LED warning light. If the red light is on, my headlight is off. I love this mod!!!

[pnw]

Originally Posted by MadChap

After leaving my hot grips on twice and draining the battery on a non-kicker plus smelling hot wiring when running grips on high, I finally ran a new 14g wire direct to the battery for all accessories on the "dash" and through a relay. No worries now! The new wire powers hot grips, 12V outlet and a 12V SAE plug which runs into my taken bag to charge my phone.

Since I was into the wiring, I also ran a switch for the headlight so I can turn it off when first starting on a cold day get the grips warm without draining the battery as the engine idles. To keep from riding and forgetting the headlight being off, I wired a DPDT switch and an LED warning light. If the red light is on, my headlight is off. I love this mod!!!

"smelling hot wiring" - that is something I wanted to avoid. I'll check local store to see if they have a relay that would work, if not I see they sell five relays plus harnesses for $11 including shipping from an Amazon seller, I might do the same for another bike. I want to do the headlight switch like you describe. Obviously I have little to no electrical knowlege - do you have pictures that you could post of this, or a description that even an idiot could understand? I don't know what a DPDT switch is but I will look it up.

[Rocket Scientist]

Just got back in the saddle...again. Picked up a 1990 DR 350 in awesome running & cosmetic shape. New street & like new dirt tires. Really looking forward to getting out there & ripping it up again. Im on the lookout for an extra pr of stock rims for the dirt tires & a full set of gear. Im 6' 1" & run a 36-38 waist. Any gear info is appreciated.

[DualDog]

I have a couple brand new Bridgestone Trailwing TW302 rear tires for sale. Size is 4.10-18. These fit the rear of the DR350. I posted these over in the flea market parts sections for $67.50 or $75 shipped to your door. If anybody would be interested, let me know.

[pnw]

I hope I don't burn my bike to the ground but I think I have it figured out. I ordered an on/on DPDT toggle switch and a LED light for the headlight cutoff. Fused line and relay for the heated grips and 12v outlet. Thanks for the helpful ideas.

[Stretch67]

Keep your fire department bored this weekend.

[cdf]

My DR 350 (’96 SE) gets used at best once every two weeks and more often once a month. It sits covered outside and is nowhere near an electrical outlet for a trickle charger like the rest of my fleet. When I went to start it a couple weeks ago the battery was very weak and barely cranked the motor, so I decided to give a Shorai a try. The battery is about the same size as what was in the bike and has 3X the CCA, lighter too… The battery comes with high density adhesive foam bits to fit the battery box perfect. A few minutes of cutting and fitting and the battery is in a good position in the battery box. According to the instructions the battery comes with a 90% charge and when I went to start the bike, the starter spun stronger than any other time since I have owned it. First impression is very good and the bike will probably sit for a few months until early spring. Hopefully it will live up to the expectation of minimal discharge and will start the bike without a jump in March/April.

[shearboy2004]

If your bike is going to sit for that long I would disconnect the battery and take it indoors , I run the same battery and while great if you use the bike often I have found if it sits for long time it will go deader than hell .

I believe the company recommends storing them in the fridge ?

[earling]

I am trying to figure out once and for all what a 1993 DR250SE (electric start) weighs. I had a 1999 DR350SE for a few years and loved a lot of things about it (suspension, ergonomics, handling) but the CV carb was a performance killer off-road, and the weight was obscene, probably aroung 320 all gassed up with my Clark tank. ( I couldn't see plopping down $420 for a pumper carb just to get the throttle response back to approx. where it should have been in the first place, when I'd still have the weight to deal with )

So... my mailman got a DR250, and I thought, "jeez, that thing must be a dog," until I looked at the specs a little. It's apparently 26 lbs lighter than the 350 and the later models (90 and up, I think) apparently put out 29hp, which is 1hp shy of what the 350 produces. So it's looking like, on paper, the 250 is actually a more capable trail bike, possibly even a little quicker.

Does anybody know, first hand, the weight diff. between the 350SE and the 250SE? There's a 250 for sale near here and I'm damn tempted, but not if it's anywhere near as heavy as my old 350. The specs on the internet are few and far between, but generally they say 260 curb weight for the 250, 286 for the 350. But that doesn't indicate whether it's an S, or an SE, or the offroad dr250. ... etc etc.

thanks if anybody knows anything .. . .

[Unsung]

I was curious, how well does a bone stock '99 DR350SE do on the highway at 65mph? I'm 170lbs. And what mods will make it handle highway speeds much easier?

[MadChap]

Originally Posted by cdf

My DR 350 (’96 SE) gets used at best once every two weeks and more often once a month. It sits covered outside and is nowhere near an electrical outlet for a trickle charger like the rest of my fleet. When I went to start it a couple weeks ago the battery was very weak and barely cranked the motor, so I decided to give a Shorai a try.

Take a lesson from me. If it is flat, DO NOT use a regular charger to charge it up. I ruined a 4 week old Shorai by doing this. Very expensive lesson.

[MadChap]

Originally Posted by earling

I am trying to figure out once and for all what a 1993 DR250SE (electric start) weighs..

From what I've read on here. The only difference between the bikes is the in the motor. Smaller piston, jug and maybe crank. So there's no way that the weight difference is that much, maybe a few pounds. I think the difference in HP must be more than 1hp. Most weight differences is between electric start and kick start bikes and dirt compared to street.. Maybe a few pounds for the California models as they have a small canister and some extra vapor tubing.

Electric start didn't begin until 1995 on the DR350 so I'd be surprised if a 1993 250 has it???

[Stretch67]

I believe the first electric start 250 was '94.