the DR650 thread

Nice lookin ride. What are the side racks you have there?

Those are the "standoffs" for the Dirtbagz soft luggage. With the rear bags installed and the tank panniers in place, she looks a bit like a pack mule. Nice thing is it keeps the weight down low.

Thought I'd give you a front view to give an idea of the width of the panniers. Between the two they hold a fair amount of gear, but aren't that "fat".

FatChance, you got it goin' on. I had both the 2004 GS Adventure, with the stock panniers and I've got a 99 DR. They were, as you write, the perfect combo. The GS got prioritized out in favor of kids education , so I made a little money selling it and kept the DR. I really miss the GS on the longer rides, so I'm putting some time and money into outfitting the DR for the long hauls as well as the short with new springs, the Corbin seat, a South American suzuki engine guard and light combo and I'm working on fabricating a pannier rack that'll work with mermite cans, like a previous rider on this thread.

When its done, I'll post the photos.

On my way back from the Green Mt's up in VT, my 07 that I'm only pushing 5k on the odometer was running perfect since the day I picked her up at the dealer. Well I'm cruising along enjoying the ride, the scenery, life, and then KABOOM she backfires and then just starts bucking and popping. I pull in the clutch and she dies. I pulled over, shut the ignition off, turned it back on and she started right up like any other day. No sooner do I get on the road she starts bucking and backfireing like a pissed off bull.

I've since changed the oil and replaced the plugs, she ran better than ever for the first 15 miniutes or so, then wham she started with the popping and bucking. NOW WHAT?

It may sound elementary, but did ya check for a loose side stand switch?

Blocked tank breather?

Hows the knee room when you sit forward with the panniers? I was also looking at the edging on the windshield,does that help out a bit with the windstream?. Thanks

How much difference do you find that little mini fairing makes on the highway... or anywhere actually....

Nick

Greetings,

Reading backwards the post and so far on page 788. Getting a DR hinges on the location I end up living in New York City if there will be space to park it without much hassle.

Great to read all the information so far. Some what overwhelming though. Glad to know there are lots of options and minds to lend a hand.

This will be my third bike, first single, first dual sport, and I am looking forward to it. First bike was a Yamaha SecaII forget the year. Was great to learn on but it was a bit worn and soon was hungry for more oomf. Well I fixed that and bought a 1200GSF new in 1997. Was total overkill for the vast majority of miles and the performance mods I added did not help the situation. Living in the San Francisco Bay area I wore out second gear. Sold it with close to 70K miles on it. But at 450+ pounds, insane speed, I knew I needed a change to keep me alive. I also was miserable with her on some fine dirt roads where I was trying to get to camping sites. So I knew a dual sport was in my future.

I looked at the big KTM adventure but it seem still too heavy and too much bike and the price tag is harsh too. So here I am. Most my riding will be city with escapes from New York City out to the greenery of the NE. I plan on hunting down a good off road riding class before I head out. Probably not get too crazy off road at any rate.

Love all the farkle available and will be playing when the time comes. My guess is I will finish the rest of the 788 pages before I am actually going to buy. While I swore I'd not buy a new bike again the price tag on the DR is not that painful. I am also intrigued by this break in method some people have linked too. I don't have the mechanical knowledge to know if the guy is really making much sense, the few criticisms I have is his "nudge nudge wink wink" attitude about manufactures. If he has a beef with them he needs to grow a pair, make the accusation, then back it up with some facts like identical bikes broken in with the two methods and dynoed after to show some results. A stack of pistons is not proof of anything but shiny pistons. Granted he does not seem to have any other agenda besides getting you to sign up for his newsletter.

Glad to have found you all, hope to join the ranks.

Curtis

No...Its the Wolfman enduro. Fits wallet, cell phone, GPS, binoculars and some other stuff, but as far as having a decent sized map pocket its too small. I have enough other places to store stuff, so for me it works great when going off road, but not for touring. I would like to try the explorer lite just to see the difference, problem finding them on someones shelf is nearly impossible. I had to buy it online and hope for the best.

Actually.....It keeps the wind, rain, and rocks from hitting my torso and my GPS. Definately earns its keep. A little bit of deflection goes a long way.

Your knees do get into them a bit, but being soft, they're pretty compliant. Takes a little bit to get used to, but after a while you won't even know they're there. If I sit back a little I can get my knees partially behind them while on the highway. The edging is Saeng micro swirl edging. I've used it on my road bikes for years. Tends to smooth the air flow a bit which cuts down on buffeting. It also channels rain/hail/sleet to the sides instead of over the top of the windscreen and in your face.

I want to install an Eastern Beaver fuse block. Not much room under the seat to do so. Anyone got ideas?

Why? Because I ruined the nearly new MT-21 putting it on last time. The rubber on these tires is so sticky and they fit the wheel so tight (rear) that you have to really be careful in spooning the last side over the rim. I got over eager and forced the last 4-5 inches, with the result that the bead folded over and after awhile the wire in the bead got exposed and caused the tube to slow leak. Lessons learned:
1)don't waste a $70 tire by going too fast and too hard on the spoons
2)although the MT-21 is very sticky and that is good on the pavement, they probably wear fast ridden aggressively and are more tricky to remount
3)The cheap ($6) spoons I bought today are better than the more expensive ones I have been using because they are smaller, thinner and easier to work around the bead on the last stage
4)The Dunlop 606 appears to better made, sturdier, a tougher tire than the Pirelli MT-21
5) Tire noise from the 606 is actually less than the MT-21

The two tires are about the same price, so will see how the long term test of the 606 goes on my DR650. I still have the new Mt-21 on the front and the extra stickiness seems to be a good thing there. I do seem to notice that the gas mileage is down running these aggressive DS tires in contrast to the Pirelli Scorpions that I have been running for the last 8000 miles.
I am running 20 psi in the front and 24 psi in the rear. Anybody got a reason for running different pressures? With more pressure the wheels are too bouncy on the rocks and with less, I think pinch flats are a problem. I am running a Maxxis extra heavy duty tube in the front and a Fly heavy duty in the rear.
The 606 is a 130/90 and the MT-21 was a 120/90. I think I like the wider tire better and there is no problem with the width.

What's the chance that my bike is running too hot?

I've got a new '06 with 180 miles, and it seems to run really freaking hot, even comparable to my ST1300, which everybody complains about running hot. I just changed the oil and after being stopped for 2 hours, the oil pan is still too hot to touch for more than a split second. The drain plug was painful to hold until I left it out for 30 minutes... tried to put it back in, thought I cross-threaded it after a few turns, backed it out, and again it was nearly painfully hot.

Is this normal for a DR650? I have a DR-Z and it just doesn't seem to run nearly as hot. Or is it just the difference between water-cooled and air-cooled on a 100-degree day in San Antonio?

Is it still running the lean stock jetting?

No - sorry, should've included mod info: DJ jet kit (155), opened airbox top, stock pipe.

That sounds too hot to me. Although it never gets much above 90 here (usually mid-80s now), after about an hour in the shade, I can comfortably change the oil in mine. I got a hand held infrared thermometer to check this sort of thing. You can get one at Sears for about $50.00. As soon as I park my '08 the head temp is about 270-280 which is pretty cool for an air-cooled motor.

Good luck, Andy

Does anyone know what size the spoke nipples are?