Too much information...

[Kommando]

If not already done, I'd also look into BRC and dirtrider courses. It can really help with the learning curve and safety.

[Fire Escape]

Originally Posted by Shesaid

No. She is NOT comfortable on her DR!

I would very much like it 1 to 2 inches lower still. I actually don't think the gel seat is quite as comfy as the stock seat was, but the lower height wins out. I still can't get my feet flat on the ground when the bike (and I) are on level ground, and that's something I really want to be able to do.

Hi everybody! I am Matt's (aka Hesaid's) other half, and the rider of the second (lower) DR in the household.

Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts to start out and stay safe, sane, mature and responsible while cutting our teeth and getting the hang of riding-- the almost very first thing I did was "shatter" (Dr.'s words) my left wrist in a sloppy dismount after losing balance and realizing the bike was going over whether I stayed on it or not.

And so all those people who were utterly disgusted at us for getting motorcycles for various reasons have had a chance to "tsk tsk" at us and point at my fancy new scar from the ORIF surgery as if that proves them right. And I have the unfortunate luck to contribute to motorcycle statistics. Which is just pathetic because the bike was stalled at a dead stop when I did it. Shouldn't even have mentioned the bike... it was the tripping and falling down that did all the damage.

He promises not to go riding without me, so according to the orthopedist, we hope to be back on 2 wheels early in 2013. Which is good, because I'm looking forward to some back country roads to enjoy the fruit orchards in full bloom come mid-February.

Alrighty-- that is my introductory post, tieing me in with Hesaid so hopefully y'all will associate us with with eachother now.

BTW: Thank you, Sarah, for both the thought and the link!

I was having a grand time-- and not feeling too intimidated at all-- puttering around the parking lot in 1st gear before I hit that curb and broke my wrist. Really looking forward to getting just a little bit lower... and back on the bike.

Your mention of "stalled at a dead stop" caught my attention. Was the engine actually stalled? It is pretty easy to fall over if the engine stalls when trying to get underway (or stopping if the clutch timing is off a little), the motion you were expecting and that your body was already adjusting to ... doesn't happen and it is hard to 'readjust' to the new direction of travel (that being down) quickly enough.
For all it's attributes, the DR isn't a really forgiving engine at low rpms, it likes to rev to run smoothly. The bike is also not geared particularly low. I did not notice this very much until I had the DR and a Triumph Scrambler that I pretty much rode on alternate days. I often enjoy just puttering along really slowly on a back road with NO traffic, I mean slow as in single digit speeds. My DR, despite being a "thumper" would not actually allow me to go as slow as the Scrambler. I changed my countershaft sprocket down one tooth to a 14 and it helped a lot in that regard. I then did a bit more by replacing the rear sprocket with a 43T (up one). I can't say that it 'transformed' the bike but it sure made the low speed 'puttering along' much more enjoyable and the bike is noticeably easier to get in motion from a stop.
Perhaps my DR will no longer cruise the highway at 85 or 90 mph, so be it, that isn't what I bought it for. I can still travel on the interstate if really necessary but would use another bike by choice. Some will say that I fixed a non-existent problem, that it isn't a hard bike to ride stock, they are correct, I just made it more suitable to MY desires.
It might make your riding more enjoyable and reduce one of the challenges of getting used to riding. There isn't a lot of cost involved and it is all reversible if you don't like it. Might be worth some consideration.
Of course if you didn't actually mean that the engine had stalled, perhaps none of this is appropriate or needed. Good luck and have fun!

Bruce

[Fire Escape]

Originally Posted by Shesaid

No. She is NOT comfortable on her DR!

I would very much like it 1 to 2 inches lower still. I actually don't think the gel seat is quite as comfy as the stock seat was, but the lower height wins out. I still can't get my feet flat on the ground when the bike (and I) are on level ground, and that's something I really want to be able to do.

Hi everybody! I am Matt's (aka Hesaid's) other half, and the rider of the second (lower) DR in the household.

Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts to start out and stay safe, sane, mature and responsible while cutting our teeth and getting the hang of riding-- the almost very first thing I did was "shatter" (Dr.'s words) my left wrist in a sloppy dismount after losing balance and realizing the bike was going over whether I stayed on it or not.

And so all those people who were utterly disgusted at us for getting motorcycles for various reasons have had a chance to "tsk tsk" at us and point at my fancy new scar from the ORIF surgery as if that proves them right. And I have the unfortunate luck to contribute to motorcycle statistics. Which is just pathetic because the bike was stalled at a dead stop when I did it. Shouldn't even have mentioned the bike... it was the tripping and falling down that did all the damage.

He promises not to go riding without me, so according to the orthopedist, we hope to be back on 2 wheels early in 2013. Which is good, because I'm looking forward to some back country roads to enjoy the fruit orchards in full bloom come mid-February.

Alrighty-- that is my introductory post, tieing me in with Hesaid so hopefully y'all will associate us with with eachother now.

BTW: Thank you, Sarah, for both the thought and the link!

I was having a grand time-- and not feeling too intimidated at all-- puttering around the parking lot in 1st gear before I hit that curb and broke my wrist. Really looking forward to getting just a little bit lower... and back on the bike.

That may not actually be the "best" arrangement. It is unlikely that you will both learn at the same rate. Sometimes a little 'alone time' with the bike can be a smart choice - for each of you.
I currently have 9 bikes (no, they don't all run) and have ridden since 1969. My wife actually learned to ride (on my first bike) back in the 70's and then didn't ride for 30 years, she has her XT 225 and recently passed 2,000 miles (in 6 years). Some of my absolute best rides have been when we rode together, also some of the most frustrating rides have been when we rode together, sometimes on the same ride! YMMV.


Bruce

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by ER70S-2

It's easy, just start reading the DR thread with today's posts, then just keep up daily. The bike is only 87-1/2" long, we cover the same questions and answers over and over and over and............etc. But we love the bike and are glad to help.

It's true! Don't be intimidated by the BIG DR650 thread. It's like a giant tape loop ... everything comes around ... over and over. It's still good reading though but since ADV Rider search function is NON functional ... you just have to crawl through it.

In the meantime just follow day to day. Ask questions when you have them. Good group of guys and a regular group of DR riders there who are helpful.

Several other big DR650 threads too ... and of course if ADV Rider is too overwhelming ... try this forum:
http://drriders.com/

A DR650 only forum. Great group of riders.

[Hesaid]

Originally Posted by Kommando

If not already done, I'd also look into BRC and dirtrider courses. It can really help with the learning curve and safety.

The safety course if definitely in our plans. We'll just have to wait a bit for it now. We thought we had a pretty good plan set out, but you know what they say about the best made plans...

We purchased the bikes from our local dealer, which is right nextdoor to my place of work. Literally. We share a fence. I took the bikes to work, planning to leave them there until the weekend. On Saturday we went to the shop to play with the bikes. We got to know all the controls, got to feel how everything worked, looked everything over. Then we putted around the shop, which, while not terribly large, gave us some room to ride at slow speeds, in I guess what you'd call a large U-shaped oval. You can get to second gear if you try, but it's mostly first gear speeds. We each did this several times, I think she put about 2 miles on her bike doing this.

Then, as per the plan, if everything was going well enough, we were to go just around the corner to a little side/industrial street with no weekend traffic and pratice there. If things were not going well, we'd continue the parking lot work until they were. Things seemed to be going fine, so we left the parking lot of my work, walking the bikes to the nearby sidestreet. That's where things went wrong. She tells her story here:

http://afishwithabicycle.blogspot.com/

Not surprisingly, that wasn't part of the plan. The plan would have had us practicing a little on the sidestreet, and then depending on progress, either doing this all over again or proceeding to go to my parents house (likely on the following day, early Sun morning, when traffic is virtually nil) . Now, my parents house was going to be a bit of a... Well, I don't know just what, but since my mother had no knowledge of any plans to buy motorcycles, let alone having actually bought them, and of course being a mother... It was going to be interesting. But once we worked through that, we were going to practice further, as my parents live on a half mile paved private road, with connections to dirt roads as well. So we planned on setting up some cones, and working through all the exercises in the safety handbook.

And then, on to the safety class.

We felt that one of the great parts about the plan, was that at any point, if we didn't think things were going well, we could stop. Leave the bikes where they were (thanks to understanding boss and parents), and rethink things. We didn't have to ride anywhere.

So much for the plan.

MV

[greer]

Ordered that link yet? You realize it's under $30, right? Too cheap and easy not to try.

Also, did the dealer lower the front by swapping around the fork internals (proper factory method) or just slip the tubes up in the clamps? You need the bike lowered by the book, THEN you slip the fork tubes up and add the link. It's all in the factory service manual but you may have to point that out to the guys in the shop. If you paid to have the bike lowered they need to do it right. Seems like lots of shops go at it the lazy way, so be sure and check.

You two had a fine plan, sometimes S### just happens.

Sarah

[ER70S-2]

Originally Posted by greer

Ordered those links yet? You realize it's under $30, right? Too cheap and easy not to try.

Also, did the dealer lower the front by swapping around the fork internals (proper factory method) or just slip the tubes up in the clamps? You need the bike lowered by the book, THEN you slip the fork tubes up and add the link. It's all in the factory service manual but you may have to point that out to the guys in the shop. If you paid to have the bike lowered they need to do it right. Seems like lots of shops go at it the lazy way, so be sure and check.

You two had a fine plan, sometimes S### just happens.

Sarah

I'm surprised how many times I've heard that the shops just slip the forks up in the triple clamps. There isn't that much room over the front tire at full compression for the tire to clear the fender. Suzuki says we have 10.2" of suspension travel, front and rear. I just measured from my front tire to the fender--10.5" That only leaves a theoretical .3" clearance at full compression. A properly set up suspension will bottom on occassion. There are several riders who have slipped their forks up in the triples and they aren't having any clearance problems. I've ridden mine for thousands of miles with the forks up 1/2" with no interference between the tire and fender (10.0").

How do you tell if your forks have been shortened by the factory method? My stock forks (full extension) are 35 1/4" from the fork cap to the axle centerline. Factory lowered should be 33 3/4".

[RyanR]

A couple things:

A motorcycle safety course is a great idea. It may seem a little slow paced but they really do drill the basics into your head with heavy focus on slow speed maneuvering. Being able to navigate your bike at 2MPH through a parking lot comfortably is just as important as being able to rail through the canyons or blast down the dirt roads. As you're both all too aware you can just as easily injure yourself in a parking lot as you can out exploring the wilds.

Too heavy, too tall and in denial. You said you laughed at the suggestion she try a lighter bike like a Ninja 250. While the Ninja is technically similar in weight it is also a much lower bike that carries it's weight down low. The DR is a tall bike that carries much of it's weight up high. If you sit on both and try walking them around a parking lot and putting a foot down at a light you will realize that even though it's curb weight is similar the little Ninja will feel like riding a mountain bike in comparison to the DR.

I mean no offense with my comments. I made the same mistakes, my first bike was an 08 KLR650. I am 6'1" and 200lbs. If I could go back in time I would punch myself in the face and buy a little 250 dual sport instead. Can your girl squat 350lbs comfortably several times a day when she's already worn out from riding and probably a bit banged up from dropping her bike? I know it took about 2-3 times picking up my KLR before I was hating the day and wishing I was doing just about anything else but riding...

Park the DR, get her a little 250 to learn on and hop back on the DR once she's comfortable. You will both be MUCH happier in the long run.

[ER70S-2]

[Hesaid]

Originally Posted by greer

Ordered that link yet? You realize it's under $30, right? Too cheap and easy not to try.

Also, did the dealer lower the front by swapping around the fork internals (proper factory method) or just slip the tubes up in the clamps? You need the bike lowered by the book, THEN you slip the fork tubes up and add the link. It's all in the factory service manual but you may have to point that out to the guys in the shop. If you paid to have the bike lowered they need to do it right. Seems like lots of shops go at it the lazy way, so be sure and check.

You two had a fine plan, sometimes S### just happens.

Sarah

No, no link ordered yet. Mainly, we've still got time before she'll be back on the bike, so no real hurry. Been busy with the holidays. And we also figured she should at least try sitting on it with the new seat once before we take the next step. Orthopedist says she can start bearing weight on it now, so I figure this weekend we'll have it out of the garage (have to move them anyway to get to Christmas), and she can try sitting on it.

Yes, bike was lowered by the book. It was a challenge, as the dealer had no idea it was possible, but we finally made it happen. Complete with new sidestand and warning sticker, and notation in the manual about different amount of fork oil. Plus, with two bikes it's easy to compare. I had to go through the service manual and have them print it out. Once they figured it all out, they were happy to learn that this was possible, apparently they never read the book...

MV

[greer]

I don't mean to preach and nag, but here's the website with the links:

http://burkhartcycle.com/store/index...roducts_id=162


Install the links, slide the forks, THEN have her sit on the bike in the garage to get the feel of things while her wrist continues to heal. Listen to me.

Sarah

Originally Posted by Shesaid

No. She is NOT comfortable on her DR!

I would very much like it 1 to 2 inches lower still. I actually don't think the gel seat is quite as comfy as the stock seat was, but the lower height wins out. I still can't get my feet flat on the ground when the bike (and I) are on level ground, and that's something I really want to be able to do.

Hi everybody! I am Matt's (aka Hesaid's) other half, and the rider of the second (lower) DR in the household.

Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts to start out and stay safe, sane, mature and responsible while cutting our teeth and getting the hang of riding-- the almost very first thing I did was "shatter" (Dr.'s words) my left wrist in a sloppy dismount after losing balance and realizing the bike was going over whether I stayed on it or not.

And so all those people who were utterly disgusted at us for getting motorcycles for various reasons have had a chance to "tsk tsk" at us and point at my fancy new scar from the ORIF surgery as if that proves them right. And I have the unfortunate luck to contribute to motorcycle statistics. Which is just pathetic because the bike was stalled at a dead stop when I did it. Shouldn't even have mentioned the bike... it was the tripping and falling down that did all the damage.

He promises not to go riding without me, so according to the orthopedist, we hope to be back on 2 wheels early in 2013. Which is good, because I'm looking forward to some back country roads to enjoy the fruit orchards in full bloom come mid-February.

Alrighty-- that is my introductory post, tieing me in with Hesaid so hopefully y'all will associate us with with eachother now.

BTW: Thank you, Sarah, for both the thought and the link!

I was having a grand time-- and not feeling too intimidated at all-- puttering around the parking lot in 1st gear before I hit that curb and broke my wrist. Really looking forward to getting just a little bit lower... and back on the bike.

[Kommando]

Sometimes the best thing you can do when fighting the DR from going over is to just get away from it. I've pitched it one way and rolled the other. I've pushed the handlebars under me as the front end plowed sideways in the mud and I hit the ground running. There are many times you REALLY don't want to try any harder to save it from going down. You could hurt yourself...hernia, hyper-extension, strained muscles, getting catapulted by 367lb of momentum tossing itself to the ground, etc. Just let it go. Hit the killswitch once it drops. It's pretty easy to pick up once you step off of it and plant your butt against the seat to lift it with your legs....especially if somebody else is helping.

Make sure to armor it up...skid, sidecase covers, and real handguards. Drill your levers, leave their clamps loose enough that the levers rotate if slammed, and zip-tie spares to your frame (under the side plastics). You may also want to swap your rear signals for offroading, to signals that don't protrude, or to signals that are super flexy. Make sure to UNPLUG them, instead of cutting. Cyclegear sells wiring adapters to make most signals fit the DR harness.

[Hesaid]

Originally Posted by greer

I don't mean to preach and nag, but here's the website with the links:

http://burkhartcycle.com/store/index...roducts_id=162


Install the links, slide the forks, THEN have her sit on the bike in the garage to get the feel of things while her wrist continues to heal. Listen to me.

Sarah

Don't suppose you have a link to somewhere that has the links in stock?

Over this last weekend we got the bikes out of the garage (as well as boxes of Christmas stuff...) and she got a chance to sit on her bike and see how the new seat felt, both as a seat, and as far as a different height. The seat was a step in the right direction, but I'm not quite sure it offers an extra inch lower as Suzuki claims. No matter, we spent some time with a tape measure and some weight, bouncing and moving and measuring, and were able to get an idea of which links to order. It does look like we'll only be going an inch. Could possibly do an inch and a half if those were the only links we could find, but if we've got a choice, we'll go for an inch.

Which takes us back to the beginning of this post...

Know a good place to buy links?

I'll be doing some looking on my own, but if someone has a good place to recommend, I'm listening.

MV

[greer]

Give him a call, he made up a set for my husband's KLR in a day.

Sarah

[greer]

I like cheap, so I'd call Burkhart first, but just in case:

http://www.procycle.us/bikepages/dr650.html

http://www.procycle.us/bikepages/dr650.html

http://www.procycle.us/bikepages/dr650.html

http://www.soupysperformance.com/cat...00/7531010.htm

I believe there are several on ebay, too.

Good luck!


Sarah