Dr650
 

Hi Guys
Did you weld support on your frame , not planning two up but between luggages ( 50 to 70 pounds) and spare tires and my 200 pound I may stress the frame ...

Hendi,

Nope, I have not welded supports or braced the frame, the paint has cracked off a couple of the welds on the rear frame - probably due to me cartwheeling the DR at 80 mph though, this bent the rear frame out of alignment and to straighten it two guys used a 10 foot steel bar to pull it back within spec - but the welds are fine - the DR is pretty tough :)

Thanks appreciate that , one less thing to do

Dr
 

OK many parts are in the mail but still didn't get a seat yet.in the usa we have too many choices some of the cheaper one are seat concept / procycle /corbin. .. i am looking for some comfort but still need to be good of road and while standing up.
Any opinion.
Thanks
Hendi

I like the Corbin, has a rounded profile towards the front which does not cause a seam to be against the inside of your leg, its fairly heavy but comfortable (especially compared to the stock plank!) and not too wide at the front for standing.

Others to look at are the Sargeant and Renazco - both also good seats.

Dr650
 

Thanks , I had a corbin years ago on KLR and it was good but pretty stiff , the
the Renazco on my KTM was great but didn't get old very well ( it was in suede)
.

Dr 650
 

Hi Grif
Do you know how wide was your dr with luggage, I just ordered the rack but i am debating putting some rotopax and then soft luggage over them.
Thankss
Hendi

Hi Hendi,

I tried to keep the bike as narrow as possible and create less leverage with the weight on the racks, the older style Happy Trail SU racks are just under 18 inches wide to the exterior of each rack, I used as few 'shims' as possible, then with the Teton 9 inch panniers they are just under 36 inches wide - so I could fit the bike through most doorways in hostels and hotels. I know the new style HT SU racks are the same profile on each side, no longer only a wider exhaust side, but this should give enough room to mount a rotopax inside/behind the left hand rack. I would definitely go with soft panniers, the HT Mojave panniers are ok, but almost too small for extended travel, but I like them as they stop me taking too much crap and they were quite cheap at the time!

Photos with HT Teton panniers and then HT Mojave soft panniers


http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...0/IMG_3832.jpg




http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...pscb53ff49.jpg

Dr650
 

Thanks I will use soft pannier for Africa , it make sense to me to save the weight of metal luggage and load more gear in soft luggage . I travelled around India and Asia with Ortlieb saddle bag and a small duffel and I was OK and since this time my wife will have her own bike we can divide the gears on 2 bikes.

You just know that you will end up carrying 'something' for your wife on your bike :) (not just tools and spare parts!)

DR
 

Actually it is pretty close , I told her I will carry everything for the trip she will only carry her stuff and a spare tire .

Dr650
 

Hi Guys
It took a while to get back to work on the bike but I started the mods
So far
Skid plate
K&N air filter
proper jetting (but I will keep the OEM exhaust as I may title the bike in Europe)
New Acerbis tank 5.3Gal
Large foot pegs
New spring in Forks (I will do the shock just before departure)
Luggage rack ( I will use soft luggage, most likely Ortlieb as I use them a lot without any problem ever)
Handguard
New handlebar
( I will use TKC80 Front and shinko back, maybe TKC80 back for rough terrain)
Seat concept low for the wife
seat concept standard for me

DR650 work in progress
 

https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8090/2...b9bcf5ecb9.jpgP1010508 by Hendi & Elisa Kaf, on Flickr


https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8195/2...3ccf1c6a0e.jpg20160810_172344 by Hendi & Elisa Kaf, on Flickr


https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8329/2...849e2a289c.jpg20160810_172352 by Hendi & Elisa Kaf, on Flickr

Bikes are looking good Hendi, with a little weight from the luggage on the back of your wife's DR she will be able to get her feet down a bit more, so her set up looks about right.

A couple of points: maybe consider full length fork leg covers on her bike too, any rock pitting on the exposed fork will damage the fork seals under full compression - I met a couple of Italian guys on Ruta 40 who had the short style fork protectors on and they had pitting on the exposed fork and kept wrecking their fork oil seals - I use full length Seal Savers, still working fine after 5 years.

Just my opinion, but I much prefer Twinair filters with a filter skin over the top on the DR, the K&N type have a tendency to block up quicker and to not be as good as filtering in very dusty conditions - especially if you are riding in Africa.


Well Done though and keep us posted with the build-up (s)

Dr 650
 

Thanks for the tips I will do the change on it before shipping the bike , we are doing some riding trail next month. 600 miles of sand and dirt fully loaded (sand in florida is very thin and tough to ride) should be fun and that will give us a good idea of what we are in need to modify.