The DR650 Highway Touring Thread

[eakins]

R1100RT had plastic tanks way back when.

DOT requirement does not say metal tank, only it does not permeate gas vapors through the plastic. RT tank has an extra to seal layer to make it like a metal tank.

Originally Posted by shu

Okay, my turn now.



Hope this helps..................shu

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by c2c4c

Aleeoop70 i'm impressed.

Wow.

Me, too.

[Aleeoop70]

Hey Gnarly,
Yes, the tail/stop lights on the Pelican cases do work and they are BRIGHT. I found them at "etrailer.com" for around $30. The wires have simple trailer plug connectors for quick disconnects for case removal. The instrument cluster is made from a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum plate, cut to the desired shape and drilled for the desired switches and mounts. I used a RAM articulated arm and attached their handlebar clamp on the bottom end and mounted it to the middle of the handlebar between the bar clamps. I used another RAM mount for attaching the instrument cluster plate which consists of a 2.5" round disk with a 1/2" ball molded to it for attaching to the articulating arm. The disk sticks to the underside of the instrument cluster plate with double side sticky antenna mount material (usually used for mounting antennas to glass on cop cars). With the articulating arm, you can move it and tilt it as needed for sun glare, placement etc. another one could be built but it would need to be drilled for switches and whatever else would be mounted to it and a drill press should be used for clean accurate holes.

[GypsyWriter]

Aleeoop, I'm seriously impressed with your setup. It's a fantastic looking (and probably running!) bike for all terrains and topos, that must have taken you a while to get just right!

I may need to copy you if/when I get my own DR650. Never really thought much of Pelicans but I'm rethinking that, seeing them on this bike.

[EvanADV]

Originally Posted by Aleeoop70

Hey Gnarly,
Yes, the tail/stop lights on the Pelican cases do work and they are BRIGHT. I found them at "etrailer.com" for around $30. The wires have simple trailer plug connectors for quick disconnects for case removal. The instrument cluster is made from a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum plate, cut to the desired shape and drilled for the desired switches and mounts. I used a RAM articulated arm and attached their handlebar clamp on the bottom end and mounted it to the middle of the handlebar between the bar clamps. I used another RAM mount for attaching the instrument cluster plate which consists of a 2.5" round disk with a 1/2" ball molded to it for attaching to the articulating arm. The disk sticks to the underside of the instrument cluster plate with double side sticky antenna mount material (usually used for mounting antennas to glass on cop cars). With the articulating arm, you can move it and tilt it as needed for sun glare, placement etc. another one could be built but it would need to be drilled for switches and whatever else would be mounted to it and a drill press should be used for clean accurate holes.

I love the stop light idea on the pelicans. Bright is good. I got nailed in the back waiting to pull in my driveway and ever since i've been looking for things that could get someone's attention as they approach me from behind! (I also never put the bike in neutral and check my mirrors often when I stop)

RAM mount is a good idea for the instrument cluster. I have that same thing for my RAM Medium-Wide Aqua box here (holds my Droid X and headphone amp):


I'm intimidating by the wiring, but eventually i'm going to do away with my keyed ignition system, add a vapor speedo/tach unit, and build a dash with switches for everything I want to control. The ability to run lower wattage lights during the day as running lights is smart - more juice to run heated gear.

[Aleeoop70]

Gnarly,
I have what appears to be the same Ram arm and handlebar clamp you used for your GPS mount for mounting my dash panel. The only difference is that for mounting the dash plate, I used one of the RAM 2.5" disks with a molded in 1/2" ball mount. The flat surface of the disk is stuck to the dash plate with double side sticky antenna mount material (similar to servo tape/two sided foam tape). I also used a separate Ram arm to mount my GPS. You can see the Garmin mount on the left side of the controls (without the GPS in it). Didn't want to smash it up in the event of a "digger". Fell once in deep sand but the GPS mount wasn't touched.

[eakins]

do those tank bags get in the way of your knees?
that's right where i squeeze my tank w/ my legs at times for control.

Originally Posted by c2c4c

I love the stop light idea on the pelicans. Bright is good. I got nailed in the back waiting to pull in my driveway and ever since i've been looking for things that could get someone's attention as they approach me from behind! (I also never put the bike in neutral and check my mirrors often when I stop)

RAM mount is a good idea for the instrument cluster. I have that same thing for my RAM Medium-Wide Aqua box here (holds my Droid X and headphone amp):


I'm intimidating by the wiring, but eventually i'm going to do away with my keyed ignition system, add a vapor speedo/tach unit, and build a dash with switches for everything I want to control. The ability to run lower wattage lights during the day as running lights is smart - more juice to run heated gear.

[vintagespeed]

Originally Posted by Aleeoop70

Kolpin mount, semi permanent because I don't need extra fuel all the time. A Safari tank would give you about as much as a 4.9 gal IMS tank and a 1.5 gal Kolpin fuel cell though.

too much leverage on that bracket and those zip ties. i would expect that to snap off at some point, needs a more rigid mounting location.

leverage is king.

[Aleeoop70]

The tank saddle bags are from Cycle Pro and work great. They were taped to hold them forward, away from my knees because the glue that sticks the velcro panels for the bags to the side of the tank failed after 100 miles of rain. The bags do need to be held forward. I'm going to make some web straps to fix that and then they will stay out of the way of my knees. The duct tape did work in a pinch though.
The big zip ties used to hold the fuel cell mount in place are handcuffs and never budged during 2,000 plus miles on the road and a couple hundred miles off road on the White Rim Trail in Moab which was an excellent test. A more permanent mounting system could be made but the handcuffs work great and are easily removed with side cutters. You just need a new set of cuffs for the next trip.

[Aleeoop70]

The handcuffs.

[Aleeoop70]

I got rear ended by a little old lady while sitting at a stop sign which resulted in a broken arm. Since then, I have installed flashing stop lights and stop/tail lights on my Pelican cases. I also wear a neon yellow jacket on the street.

[EvanADV]

Originally Posted by eakins

do those tank bags get in the way of your knees?
that's right where i squeeze my tank w/ my legs at times for control.

Yeah, my knees do come up about halfway into the bags. Didn't think about it when I attached the velcro. Haven't loaded them up with anything more than my wallet and cell phone prior to now, so I can still squeeze with my knees if needed. If I wanted to really load them up for a trip i'd need to move them forward. Too bad they look good as they are....

[RogueHound]

Originally Posted by Aleeoop70

I got rear ended by a little old lady while sitting at a stop sign which resulted in a broken arm. Since then, I have installed flashing stop lights and stop/tail lights on my Pelican cases. I also wear a neon yellow jacket on the street.

Smart move. Definition of insanity/lack of intelligence? Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result.

[Klay]

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

Can't blame you for ridding yourself of the wee. Did so myself, too heavy for my old ass. 16 tooth countersprocket works very well for me, don't see why somebody says it would suck. Maybe they haven't tried it. I am not hillclimbing much although I take it in the dirt quite often. Highway riding with the 16 tooth is smooth and RPMs low.

Matter of opinion, they are cheap enough you can try both and see which appeals to you.

I just sold my V-strom, too. I was using the DR650 most of the time instead, so, great a bike as it was, the V-Strom wasn't getting used.

I had a 14-tooth on the DR, but I swapped it out for a 16-tooth. I think I'm going to like it.

[planemanx15]

Originally Posted by planemanx15

I haven't looked up any tires of this size yet, but can you run a 110/90 up front? Will it fit?

bump??