DR350 Thread

[jimmywhale]

Originally Posted by 2bold2getold

I think thoes are 6x1mm bolts. A good auto parts supplier( or Ace Hardware store ) should have a "Helicoil Kit". The kit should have a drill bit, a tap, two insertion tools, and some helicoils. Carefully drill and tap the stripped hole. The next part is a little tricky for the 6mm size helicoil. Put the helicoil on the rod insertion tool and screw the helicoil into the holder. This forces the helicoil to a little smaller diameter so it doesn't screw up the first threads in the newly taped hole. Place the holder up against the hole and turn the insertion rod without pushing on it. It will go right in the hole you just tapped. If you push while you turn it will jump the first thread and cross thread in the first couple of threads. Install the helicoil about one thread past the surface. That will keep the bolt from pulling that first thread loose. Last stick a small screw driver in the helicoil and brake off the little tab( at the notch )( you can sometimes get it out with a small magnet, but not necessary in a blind hole) that you used to screw it in with. It's not as hard as it sounds. I've done lots of them.

This is super detailed and awesome thanks. 2bold.

I will be sure to give it a go tomorrow with these steps and let you know how I get on. Now - to the hardware store !

[Teeeeeemu]

Pumper boys! How are your gas overflow(?) hoses installed on the carb? On mine theres one on each side and smaller one on the bottom. The side hoses go up, then connect with a T into a single hose that ends near the spring so any fuel will just splash on the spring. Isnt that quite stupid? If someone (or many) would explain (words or pics) how theirs are.. Just got some neon yellow fuel so Id like them all go to the bottom and maybe zip tie them together like on most dirtbikes.

Another similar question. The airbox has 3 hoses in it. One comes from the engine so some oil will drain to the airbox. Why is that?
Another one has maybe 20cm hose with some weird tip on it and it ends near the chain/swingarm shaft area. What is it for? To lube the chain? All mine does is a mess near the sprocket... Can I plug it?

The third one on mine is plugged. Is it plugged stock, if not, what is it for?

Originally Posted by TheOtherBart

Not yet, it's on the to-do list after about a dozen other things.

I bought a new chain today, not oem but I trust it... Some help with aligning the gears when changing the chain would be appreciated.

[mustangwagz]

hey guys, when buying OEM parts off of an OEM parts site, sometimes i see "model: O/P/R/S..." etc etc, how do ya tell which "model" ya got? it designated in the VIN?

[2bold2getold]

Originally Posted by jimmywhale

This is super detailed and awesome thanks. 2bold.

I will be sure to give it a go tomorrow with these steps and let you know how I get on. Now - to the hardware store !

Try to keep the drill straight. It won't cut much. It's just a little bigger than the hole. If you haven't used a tap before, just go slow. Tap a little and back out a little with a bit of oil. You'll feel it get tight. Keep the tap straight. Look at it from different angles. Don't break the tap !! It's almost impossible to get the broken piece out. If the helicoil in your kit is not the right length ( they make different lenghts ) you can cut it by filing a notch with a jewelers/needle file and bending it or install two, one on top of the other then remove the installation tabs. It doesn't have to fill the whole depth of the hole. Helicoils are much stronger than the original hole. If everything goes south, all is not lost. A "good" ( there's that word again ) welder can weld up the whole mess and you can drill and tap 6mm. You don't even have to take it apart. Some say you can't weld cases after they have had oil run in them. Not true. I've had it done. They may not want to mess with it, but it can be done without any real difficulty. Installing Helicoils is a handy skill to learn. I did my first ones in '66 on missles in the AF.

[boardforever]

Originally Posted by mustangwagz

hey guys, when buying OEM parts off of an OEM parts site, sometimes i see "model: O/P/R/S..." etc etc, how do ya tell which "model" ya got? it designated in the VIN?

I believe the model designates the year of the bike. for instance my bike is a DR350SEX X=1999. If I understood your question correctly. This page has a break down on years/models.

[mustangwagz]

Originally Posted by boardforever

I believe the model designates the year of the bike. for instance my bike is a DR350SEX X=1999. If I understood your question correctly. This page has a break down on years/models.

hmmm, according to that page, my 93 is a model P, even though its a DR350S?

[Greg Bender]

Originally Posted by mustangwagz

hmmm, according to that page, my 93 is a model P, even though its a DR350S?

The letter designates the model year, not the model.

On page 3 of these spare parts catalogs, I've indicated the letter designation for each year. Hope that helps!

Regards,

Gregory Bender

[kobukan]

Originally Posted by Teeeeeemu

Pumper boys! How are your gas overflow(?) hoses installed on the carb? On mine theres one on each side and smaller one on the bottom. The side hoses go up, then connect with a T into a single hose that ends near the spring so any fuel will just splash on the spring. Isnt that quite stupid? If someone (or many) would explain (words or pics) how theirs are.. Just got some neon yellow fuel so Id like them all go to the bottom and maybe zip tie them together like on most dirtbikes.

On the TM33 pumper carb the two side hoses are vent lines. The bottom hose is a drain line - there is a screw on the bottom of the bowl - unscrew it to drain the carb and the fuel will flow out through the bottom hose - make sure it terminates somewhere where you don't mind fuel dumping.

In regard to venting and the two side hoses, unless you're planning some fairly deep water crossings there is no need for anything other than a line hanging down on each side, preferably routed down behind the motor a little somewhere. The way yours is setup is not ideal because with the hoses running upward fuel can accumulate in the line and prevent proper venting. On rough terrain fuel does slosh around some inside the carb and a little will enter those hoses occasionally - it needs to be able to run out of the hose. Also, if the bike is laid over, fuel will flow out the hose on the down side of the bike and the line needs to be able to drain clear when you upright the bike. Now, if you want to set up for deep water, the ideal way to vent the carb imo is to route each side vent hose down toward the rear, then tee them individually so that there is a section of hose for each one running up under the seat, and another section of hose for each one running downward so fuel can drain, but to prevent water from coming in there needs to be a one-way valve on the end of each of the downward hose sections. If you decide you want them, the valves are available here, but I doubt many people bother to set their venting up that way - I did because I sometimes run into really deep water around here. The other option for deep water is you can just take those two vent hoses that are hanging down and shove the ends up between the seat and tank just for the ride through the water, then drop them back down - if you rarely encounter deep water that's the easiest thing to do, just don't forget when you get to that big old water hole.

Hope that helps.

[boardforever]

Originally Posted by Greg Bender

The letter designates the model year, not the model.

On page 3 of these spare parts catalogs, I've indicated the letter designation for each year. Hope that helps!

Regards,

Gregory Bender

Thanks, you said what I meant.

[mustangwagz]

Originally Posted by Greg Bender

The letter designates the model year, not the model.

On page 3 of these spare parts catalogs, I've indicated the letter designation for each year. Hope that helps!

Regards,

Gregory Bender

Thanks Mr. Bender! Very helpful as usual! i never even noticed those manuals on your site!!

[dtp]

Originally Posted by jimmywhale

This is super detailed and awesome thanks. 2bold.

I will be sure to give it a go tomorrow with these steps and let you know how I get on. Now - to the hardware store !

Doing a Helicoil is really easy. I just had to do one on one of my exhaust header bolts. At first I was really scared to do it, fearing I'd mess it up even worse and almost took it into the shop. I then watched a YouTube video on doing a Helicoil and went "hey that looks easy... I can do that."

Well I did it and was shocked at how easy it was and how well it worked.

One thing about the video I watched (was the first one that came up in a Helicoil search)... they did not use cutting oil when drillling and tapping the hole. You should do that.

I bought my kit at O'Reilly Auto Parts. They had it in stock then I went to the hardware store and bought a tap wrench and the cutting oil. Already had the drill bit.

[_CJ]

Originally Posted by Greg Bender

Nothing special. I'd just lay it over on the left side and pull the cover (wash thoroughly first). Keep careful track of where each cover bolt goes. I would replace all seals in the cover and the cover gasket while I had it apart. Be very careful when tightening the bolts not to strip the threads.

Regards,

Gregory Bender

Originally Posted by shearboy2004

Could you take a pic of the leak and post it Mate ?

Okay guys. Here's a couple of pictures after tearing it down. Seems like the gasket was a little goobered up. There were also washer/gaskets on four of the bolts, which I think were supposed to only be on the two bolts that hold the clutch cable braket....one on each side of the bracket? Is that right? There was a little leakage there, but not much.

I also pulled the clutch apart, which looks exactly like an automatic car transmission clutch pack. Looks fine to me, but I'll post a picture for everyone's review.

Everything look good to you guys? Anything jumping out at you as a problem? As you can see, the whole bike was pretty slimed up, so it's hard to say where it was actually leaking from.

[robertguzzi]

hello,
i just bought a 1990 dr350 about a week ago and am considering a big bore kit. can anyone share their experiences with any of the kits? I've seen torque curves for them but am more interested in real world antecdotal differences in terms of speed and power delivery. a lot of my riding will be on somewhat wide open trails so i think it might be a good upgrade for me.
thanks in advance,
rob

[duncanbojangles]

Thanks for the advice on the snapped exhaust bolts, I'm pulling the head tomorrow and bringing it to a machine shop that a friend works at. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

[cwc]

Originally Posted by 2bold2getold

Try to keep the drill straight. It won't cut much. It's just a little bigger than the hole. If you haven't used a tap before, just go slow. Tap a little and back out a little with a bit of oil. You'll feel it get tight. Keep the tap straight. Look at it from different angles. Don't break the tap !! It's almost impossible to get the broken piece out.

If the helicoil in your kit is not the right length ( they make different lenghts ) you can cut it by filing a notch with a jewelers/needle file and bending it or install two, one on top of the other then remove the installation tabs. It doesn't have to fill the whole depth of the hole. Helicoils are much stronger than the original hole.

Some excellent advice in the posts above on how to do this.

If you haven't done it before try to find a piece of aluminum and install a helicoil in it for practice before starting on the bike.

The hole in the cover MAY be large enough to pass the tap through. If it is that is a good way to keep the tap perpendicular to the hole in the case.

Most helicoil kits will have coils of an appropriate length (unless you are doing the head/cylinder studs on a BMW twin). Anything over 3-5 threads in length is pretty much overkill in most cases.