the DR200 thread

[Klay]

It's probably okay if your needle and seat are in good condition. What you ought to do is look at the sight glass and see if the oil level has risen from where it was. Then open the oil cap and sniff and see if the oil smells like gasoline. Next, take the seat off and cover to the airbox and see if fuel ran into the airbox. (a little liquid in there may be normal...never come into contact with that stuff...it can cause cancer)

If you don't detect fuel in any of those places, you're okay.

[grinder96]

Originally Posted by kj7687

I tried to search this thread, but couldn't find anything.
I let my friend ride my DR200 Suzuki the other day. I didn't notice that he left the fuel petcock in the "prime" position...I have read that letting the bike sit like this for several hours (it was overnight and most of the next day) can allow fuel to leak into the cylinder and mix with the gasoline...If this has happened, will changing the oil and filter get all of the gas out of the cylinder? Should I change them, run the bike for a few seconds, then change them again? Also, I should change the air filter? I read that this problem can also leak gas into the air filter...Besides what I have mentioned, is there anything else that I should do or be aware of/worry about? Luckily I noticed the petcock and did not start the engine like this! I hope I haven't/won't cause any damage to my bike! Any help will be much appreciated! Thank you very much in advance.

Check as mentioned above, But I would guess you should be ok. This is the only bike I have a concern about this and forget about half the time to turn it off (and on!!). If everything mentioned above is good you are good to go!!

[aplscrambles]

anyone ever installed handguards on the stock bars? holy crap i spent 4 hours installing them on my girlfriends 200 last night, had to grind the weld off the bar end weights, then the inside diameter of these bars is not a standard size either, what gives? these mustve been the absolute cheapest bars suzuki could get their hands on

[RobGoBlue]

Originally Posted by aplandscaping

anyone ever installed handguards on the stock bars? holy crap i spent 4 hours installing them on my girlfriends 200 last night, had to grind the weld off the bar end weights, then the inside diameter of these bars is not a standard size either, what gives? these mustve been the absolute cheapest bars suzuki could get their hands on

I just spent a while trying to get a set of Emgo's to fit.
No dice.
The levers don't clear the inside of the guards, no matter how I arrange them.

[aplscrambles]

i got mine fitted, just a lot more work than it shouldve been, as far as problems with your levers, they'll just have to hang out the bottom of the guards, thats how i have mine on all of my bikes

[RobGoBlue]

Originally Posted by aplandscaping

i got mine fitted, just a lot more work than it shouldve been, as far as problems with your levers, they'll just have to hang out the bottom of the guards, thats how i have mine on all of my bikes

That kind of defeats the purpose of the guards wrapping around to protect the levers from breaking, doesn't it?

[CodyY]

Originally Posted by RobGoBlue

That kind of defeats the purpose of the guards wrapping around to protect the levers from breaking, doesn't it?

Not really. You need to run your levers where they are comfortable for stand up or sit-down riding. Handguards should be ran parallel with the ground. They are for impacts with vertical objects. The levers will be fine when the bike tips over. That's when they break.

I've dropped plenty of bikes and never had a lever break with good handguards.
It's easier to swap bars. the stock bend is really high. CR HI actually sits lower. I'd reccomend a KX hi or Pastrana FMX bend. Unless you're running adapters for a fat bar that will raise them, then a CR HI will be a good bet.

[aplscrambles]

Originally Posted by CodyY

Not really. You need to run your levers where they are comfortable for stand up or sit-down riding. Handguards should be ran parallel with the ground. They are for impacts with vertical objects. The levers will be fine when the bike tips over. That's when they break.
.

+1 they'll still protect your levers

[bross]

Make sure you leave the lever clamp bolts a little loose as well, that allows the lever to twist in a fall instead of breaking. You should be able to twist the lever on the bar without much resistance, just enough to hold it in place.

[CodyY]

Originally Posted by bross

Make sure you leave the lever clamp bolts a little loose as well, that allows the lever to twist in a fall instead of breaking. You should be able to twist the lever on the bar without much resistance, just enough to hold it in place.

nope, that's fooking annoying.

Drill a 3/16 hole in the lever about 1/3 of the way in from the end and chamfer it so there are no barbs and rough edges. If they do take a hit you still have enough lever there to work the brake or clutch.

If you want the "rotation" effect; there are some nice clamps from ASV. I've gotten them as "blemished" from ASV's ebay page. Dig around, it's there.



Pick up a couple of their Y-handles while you're at it. They're really handy.

[HeReTiK]

Originally Posted by kj7687

I tried to search this thread, but couldn't find anything.
I let my friend ride my DR200 Suzuki the other day. I didn't notice that he left the fuel petcock in the "prime" position...I have read that letting the bike sit like this for several hours (it was overnight and most of the next day) can allow fuel to leak into the cylinder and mix with the gasoline...If this has happened, will changing the oil and filter get all of the gas out of the cylinder? Should I change them, run the bike for a few seconds, then change them again? Also, I should change the air filter? I read that this problem can also leak gas into the air filter...Besides what I have mentioned, is there anything else that I should do or be aware of/worry about? Luckily I noticed the petcock and did not start the engine like this! I hope I haven't/won't cause any damage to my bike! Any help will be much appreciated! Thank you very much in advance.

I'm confused about this whole thing with the gas being left on. What is the "prime" position? My petcock just has on/off/reserve. Also, I always leave my petcock on, although the longest I ever go without riding my bike is 24 hours or so. Is this bad for the bike? Should I always turn the fuel valve to the OFF position after riding? If so, should I turn it off and then wait for the gas in the line to finish off?

[Klay]

Originally Posted by HeReTiK

I'm confused about this whole thing with the gas being left on. What is the "prime" position? My petcock just has on/off/reserve. Also, I always leave my petcock on, although the longest I ever go without riding my bike is 24 hours or so. Is this bad for the bike? Should I always turn the fuel valve to the OFF position after riding? If so, should I turn it off and then wait for the gas in the line to finish off?

You don't have the stock vacuum switched petcock, then. On the stock bike, both "on" and "res" are really "off" when the engine is not running. A little vacuum tube running to the manifold enables the petcock when the engine is running...the vacuum switches the petcock on when it is set to either "on" or "res." "pri" stands for prime and it's for when you know the float bowl is empty and you want fuel to run into the float bowl without the engine running.


Yours lets the fuel flow into the carb all the time when it's "on" regardless of whether the engine is running or not. You ought to get into the habit of shutting it off whenever the engine isn't running. Eventually it may cause problems with too much fuel getting into the carb because of a worn needle and seat or something like jiggling the bike constantly when being trailered, for example.

[kj7687]

Originally Posted by grinder96

Check as mentioned above, But I would guess you should be ok. This is the only bike I have a concern about this and forget about half the time to turn it off (and on!!). If everything mentioned above is good you are good to go!!

Alright then, I should get some time to do this tomorrow. I'll post up what happens and if I have any further trouble. Thanks. I'm just glad I have two bikes now. Its crazy how many times I've actually NEEDED another ride. I don't have a car anymore, and I used to only have my TW200. Now if I get a flat tire, dead battery, locking fuel cap that won't open and needs to be drilled out, or gas in the oil (yes all of these things have happened to my bikes lol...), I can just hop on the other bike to get myself to work. Its also nice just to be able to perform maintenance at a more leisurely pace, taking my time and making damn sure to do things right, instead of having to hurry to get it done in time to be somewhere you know. Its a big relief and quite a bit better than having only one bike. Now if I had 10 bikes... :)

[grinder96]

Originally Posted by kj7687

Alright then, I should get some time to do this tomorrow. I'll post up what happens and if I have any further trouble. Thanks. I'm just glad I have two bikes now. Its crazy how many times I've actually NEEDED another ride. I don't have a car anymore, and I used to only have my TW200. Now if I get a flat tire, dead battery, locking fuel cap that won't open and needs to be drilled out, or gas in the oil (yes all of these things have happened to my bikes lol...), I can just hop on the other bike to get myself to work. Its also nice just to be able to perform maintenance at a more leisurely pace, taking my time and making damn sure to do things right, instead of having to hurry to get it done in time to be somewhere you know. Its a big relief and quite a bit better than having only one bike. Now if I had 10 bikes... :)

I have 9 bikes and couldn't agree more!!

I must admit this DR200 was my latest acquisition and it is now my favorite around town bike. Small, agile, makes all the noises with out the tickets! Good fun!

[rocketkidd777]

I just got a new battery ($55). Batteries for that bike last about a year for me. Leaving the light on now and then doesn't help, but that's rare. How long do your batteries last in the dr200, and what maintenance do you do to them, if any? I took my battery out for the winter. No battery tender.


I just got my dr200 back from a great local mechanic. He installed a chain, 2 new sprockets and a new tube and tire totaling $230 including tax, parts, and labor.

My front sprocket is stock, but I took 6 teeth off the rear one, so it has 39. It's quite a drastic change from stock, but I like it as I ride mostly around town and on back roads in the country. Crusing at 55mph has never been so good on the dr200. Definitely need 4th gear more often on hills ;)