DR350 Thread

[philp38]

Noob DR350 Question.... Are you short shifting your 350 or running up to let's say 6 or 7k then shifting? I seem to like shifting at around 3 or 4k. Having never owned one before and wondering if high RPM is a good thing or not for these bikes? I don't want to blow the damn thing up...I kinda like it..

[MiteyF]

Depending on conditions, I will shift anywhere between 3k and redline. These engines are pretty much bulletproof (why I like 'em) and so long as you do your maintenance, redline won't hurt them.

[markk900]

Originally Posted by walkbar

Took the fuel cap off and it started!......got me wondering how Acerbis tanks vent...it's got a plastic screw on cap with a valve on the end of 2 inches of plastic pipe.

It all seems so f**king obvious now....

We'll see............I must change these drugs...

Two things - my (admitted very old) Acerbis tank doesn't have any valves on the vent - I just run a plastic hose from the cap over the bars and down again.....I realize the valve might keep gas from spilling if you dump but I've fallen a few times (ha!) over the years and never lost enough out the vent that it mattered - I'd get rid of the valve altogether and go without.

Second - obviously the drugs are working well - why change? :)

[walkbar]

Originally Posted by markk900

Two things - my (admitted very old) Acerbis tank doesn't have any valves on the vent - I just run a plastic hose from the cap over the bars and down again.....I realize the valve might keep gas from spilling if you dump but I've fallen a few times (ha!) over the years and never lost enough out the vent that it mattered - I'd get rid of the valve altogether and go without.

Second - obviously the drugs are working well - why change? :)

Haha....who needs shrinks!

Yeah...I've seen a few now with just a long tube....takes an confusion away.....as well as pranksters!

Just have to find the headlight adjuster and she's ready to retest bar a couple of little bits arriving in the post.

[TopDeadCenter]

OK. Finally got some time to work on the bike this morning. It has been very much screwed with by previous oners. Missing engine mount bolts, loose fasteners, and missing crap. Looks as if there was a top end replacement with an earlier dirt model head without the auto decomp. Reason I say this is there is the decomp mechanism on the head and the head has factory black paint on it. Every other 94 se I have seen is all silver.



So my next question is: Do I need to run a decomp lever with this head? Will I mess things up if I test run it without it? I am close to firing it up for the first time and just need to fit the carb fuel/vent lines and the tank.


BTW: I have violated my rule of never buying a non running bike, but I somehow felt I needed to resque this one

TDC

[jmderyke]

Gotta enjoy working on pieced together bikes haha Well i dont see why not having a decompression lever would be bad, if it has tons of compression it might be a pain but the way it was taken care of i wouldnt count on it. Glad thats its in better hands!

[mustangwagz]

Originally Posted by jmderyke

Gotta enjoy working on pieced together bikes haha Well i dont see why not having a decompression lever would be bad, if it has tons of compression it might be a pain but the way it was taken care of i wouldnt count on it. Glad thats its in better hands!

The De-Comp is a big thing. From what i remember (and the guru's will speak what they know) its been said that if you DO NOT USE THE COMP LEVER, you will take the chance of cracking the case near the kickstarter. i may be wrong though, so let the pros tell ya for sure. I'd wait till ya hear otherwise before ya try not using it.

[TopDeadCenter]

Originally Posted by mustangwagz

The De-Comp is a big thing. From what i remember (and the guru's will speak what they know) its been said that if you DO NOT USE THE COMP LEVER, you will take the chance of cracking the case near the kickstarter. i may be wrong though, so let the pros tell ya for sure. I'd wait till ya hear otherwise before ya try not using it.

It doesn't have the kickstart due to it being a 94se (electric only)bottom end with what I think is a dirt head. I guess what I'm asking is without a decomp cable and assembly in place it will crank harder, but will I damage the top end?

TDC

[slartidbartfast]

Starting your bike without using the decompression lever will not damage the top end at all - but it will place a LOTof extra strain on the starter motor, associated gears and their bearing points in the casings. You might get away with it and you might not. Personally, I would rig up a decompressor lever now and be looking for an auto-decomp head to put on the shelf for future use.

[jmderyke]

O didnt know that was a problem with the drs good to know. Well in your case tdc the top end will be fine the starter would be doing all the work so that might go sooner than normal. Maybe you still have the automatic decompression cam with just top manual cam cover swapped cover?

[kwb377]

Originally Posted by jmderyke

Im getting my parts list going to bring my 91 350s back to life and since I havent riden it yet I want to know whats the best gearing for highway and dirt roads mix?

I've only had my '91 for a few weeks, but have experimented abit with gearing...have tried 13/14 front and 43/45 rear, and for dirt/street mix so far I like the 14/45 combo the best. My street use is pretty much limited to riding to the dirt, though...no touring/commuting.

[2bold2getold]

Originally Posted by TopDeadCenter

OK. Finally got some time to work on the bike this morning. It has been very much screwed with by previous oners. Missing engine mount bolts, loose fasteners, and missing crap. Looks as if there was a top end replacement with an earlier dirt model head without the auto decomp. Reason I say this is there is the decomp mechanism on the head and the head has factory black paint on it. Every other 94 se I have seen is all silver.



So my next question is: Do I need to run a decomp lever with this head? Will I mess things up if I test run it without it? I am close to firing it up for the first time and just need to fit the carb fuel/vent lines and the tank.


BTW: I have violated my rule of never buying a non running bike, but I somehow felt I needed to resque this one

TDC

This might help....

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...postcount=9011

[TopDeadCenter]

Thanks 2bold. I will pop one of the valve adj covers an see if I can see in there. That should put my mind at ease. So why would you want both auto and manual decomp? Just curious.

TDC

[2bold2getold]

Originally Posted by TopDeadCenter

Thanks 2bold. I will pop one of the valve adj covers an see if I can see in there. That should put my mind at ease. So why would you want both auto and manual decomp? Just curious.

TDC

I suspect that some years got caught in the manufacturing transition from kick only ( manual decomp ) and the SE ( auto cam decomp ) model.

[TopDeadCenter]

I pooped off the covers but there wasn't enough room to see the auto decomp flywheel. I did see the shaft from the decomp lever where it presses on the exhaust rocker.

TDC