I'm the lucky owner of a new (to me) 2006 DR650. The deal was just too good
to pass up. The bike came with 4.9 gal. IMS tank, FMF Q2 pipe, Corbin seat,
stock rack, TT engine case protector plates, Utah skid plate, extra new sprockets, all stock parts (never used), license plate mod done, air screw drilled, added, charger, all this and only 733 miles showing on the clock. Truly showroom condition and of course it was a good bargain.

So now begins the task of fitting some decent mods. I'm starting with jetting
as the bike was a bit lean and popping badly on de-cel. This will be ongoing.

I'm also thinking about luggage. Soft or Hard? I like soft bags for their narrow, small quality, but that hot pipe will have to be dealt with. I'm working on building a stand off. I'm looking at tank panniers as well but worry about adding weight up front when off road in deep sand.

Thoughts on this?

I've seen the Pelikans but they seem quite large, GIVI's too.

Also thinking about putting the bike on a major diet without compromising
comfort, utility or safety.

So far I have removed:
Passenger pegs.
Rear license plate light and assembly
helmet lock (ground clean off frame)

I will going though and replacing some bolts with Aluminium in unstressed
locations. There are several places on the bike with thick steel brackets
and way over sized steel bolts that I intend to remove or study.

I may re-do the entire headlight assembly, losing the speedo, stock light,
front subframe and going with a tri beam Acerbis off road light, Panoram speedo. Thoughts?

I also intend to remove the HUGE turn signals and go with small ones on
flexible rubber stocks.

I need frame guards of some kind. Anyone do this? My boots will quickly make
a mess of the frame rails.

I may replace the tail light with the off road, low profile one. The stock one
is a bit vulnerable but very bright. (bright is good)

Enough for now, pics to follow.

Patrick


The Virgin

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

put small indicators on only if you dont want anyone to see them. their there for a reason, ok they may break in a fall but atleast you wont get knocked off turning .
whats your plans for the bike, mud sand gravel long distance short trails.
these bikes are pretty good stock so you wont have to do much but remember for every tuning engine mod you may sacrifice some reliability.
alloy bolts in steel frame sound like youll be rounding them off constatly. the different metals are likely to sieze more easilly especially if your getting it wet and dirty, which i hope you intend to.

i was always led to believe popping on decel was due to richness not leanness, therefore i would guess your pilot jets too big and your main is too small. does it start really easy from cold with no choke?? a sign that its rich on pilot jet. dont just start changing stuff and drilling out jets till you know what your doing and the effects of the changes you make.
Adjust one part of the carb at a time, eg main jet, then pilot and then needle clip. or before long youll end up with a bike that doesnt run at all.

Thanks for the tips.

Actually, popping on de-cell is definitley the result of a lean condition.

A long time friend owns Factory Pro, they know a bit about tuning and have
help me out on several singles I've owned.... Since my XL600R back in 1987.
Actually, they kind of "invented" jet kits and dyno tuning...or re-invented it?
Check it out.
http://www.factorypro.com/

BTW, swapping out to a larger pilot eliminated the popping of decell completely. Sorted. The bike runs perfect, much better than stock.
I'm hoping the fuel economy will still be over 50 mpg.

You are correct about mixing of disimiliar metals. As a former A&P mechanic
(aircraft) I am well versed in electrolosis and the results of same. A good heads up nonetheless. I think there are a couple nonstressed points on the DR where fasteners are overbuilt. Its these I will focus on.

I'll be riding in mixed conditions but lots of rough pavement, dirt roads, pot
holes and such. No motocrossing or desert racing mind you. I have a race
bike for that.

I'm working on Stand offs to protect soft luggage from the hot pipe.
I have a proto type, will post pics at some point.

Cheers,

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Fuel economy/range is important to me at times, so I left the bike stock. That 4.9 doesn't last long if you're at speed, sucking fuel. Maybe with an 8.9 gal Aqualine....

I wouldn't want to loose the odo. It's very useful when trying to follow maps in furrin countries....no signs, etc.

I like the BBQ rear rack, now renamed 'Diamondback' rack.

The chain rollers should be upgraded, from what I've read. Still need to do mine.

I added an inline fuel filter. They're cheap, available at all major auto pats stores....made for lawn mowers. By using stiffer automotive fuel line, the filter is well supported and doesn't require clamps. The 1/4" line can be pushed over 5/16" inlets/outlets. You know as well as anyone here what can come out of barrel gas. Clean carbs save trips...

My DR isn't a dirt bike, but a light(er) touring bike...that can get me into trouble if I choose that path.

Also, Suzuki offers their extended warranty for up to 4 or 5 years....with no limits on mileage. It's available to the original and 2nd owners, if purchased before the factory warranty expires. I will be a customer of this extended warranty as I plan to exceed 50k miles in the 1st year. Also valuable when selling the bike.

Congrats on the new bike Patrick,

FWIW, my KLR pops out the exhaust on decel here in the mountains of Ecuador, when I am closer to sea level it doesn{t. Naturally it runs stinking rich at high altitude, so don{t assume your bike is lean. Friends of mine that have used jet kits that richen the mixtures have had trouble at altitude.

Peruvian border tomorrow!

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Andy Tiegs
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/ts...lsouth-america

Hi Andy,
Man, you are covering some ground! Be careful out there man! Drink some
Chicha for me (Aymara !), have a Saltena, Ricoto Relleno's and enjoy
the Chefa's in Lima.

I must be mixed up...I could have sworn backfiring was a sign of lean-ness....
what you've said and my testing tday reveals that you are right and I'm wrong!!

My apologies to Smokin Rider. I'll look into this. Thanks for the heads up.
Damn, one thing for sure....don't get old.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Exploring my back yard on the Blue Virgin Today!


Rode my new DR for about 150 miles today.
Wow, this bike is weird. But fun. Even though I had a testbike DR last year for over a month I'd totally forgotten the "nature" of the bike.
But fun and pretty nimble, very easy to ride. I really enjoy slow cruising on it. Still, my Vstrom would murder it everywhere at the limit on all
but the tightest roads or dirt..... and with better comfort to boot. Oh well, I think I'm going through a "Period of Adjustment".

The suspension lacks damping and sophistication. I can fix that.

That Diamond back rack is interesting. You can carry a LOT of stuff on
there. Wonder how the sub frame will handle the weight?

The Corbin passes a LOT of vibes to the riders butt and must weigh 30 lbs. Nice flat platform if not a bit firm....I think the compadres down in Hollister must be using dried Horse Shit to stuff that seat with...and lead.

Any chance the DR mill will smooth out with miles? (mine has about 800 miles on it now) My KTM Duke really smoothed out after about 2000 miles.

I succeeded in eliminating the power surge. The bike runs well but isn't blazingly fast. More jetting changes to follow, but bottom line is that it has to
get at least 45 MPG on the highway at 70mph. I think I can achieve this.

I plan to run some sort of ODO and may just stick with the stock set up
and headlight. You can run all kinds of bicycle odo's that have multiple trip meters. The DR has a crummy odo which goes only to 100 miles, same as my XR250. How can this be? Its mechanical and heavy. A nice digi Panoram might be nice. Then you can lose the cable and a lot of useless crap.

I've heard about the chain rollers. The stockers really are poor quality. I wonder how they let that slip by for so long? On my list.

Fuel filter is a great idea. I'll check out the auto parts store. Also, I think its probably a good idea to pull out that IMS petcock from time to time for a cleaning... what do you think?

Thanks for the heads up on the extended warranty. How much is it? Sounds like a plan. I too intend to do some miles but no where near 50K in a YEAR!!! That's a serious commitment! Go for it. I'll be lucky to make 10K this year.

Patrick


These roads are part of the Sunday morning ride in Marin County
along US Highway One. Perfect venue for the DR! Just don't screw up or
you'll need a parachute!

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

no problem, its just the plug on my dr is black as your hat and it pops like a chinees firework factory on fire. it looks great though when it spits flames out. the poppings due to the unburnt fuel ignighting in the hot exhaust.

you seem to know your stuff so i wont drone on,
do a plug chop and check the plug colour, adjust main jet as required,
set the tickover up then fiddle with the pilot screw( Jesse @ keintech might be able to get you a t screw one of these so you dont have to keep taking the carb off to get to it) to get the highest rpm on tick over then readjust the tickover screw to get that set to the right rpm. ride it and depending on how it feels up or down on the needle to get it smooth.

My odo reads to 999.9 which is plenty for my needs.

The BBQ rack is the only one I've found of substantial size and it handles a large MotoFizz style bag very well.

To achieve your goal of 45mpg you can't run at high speeds. I've gotten as low as the high 20s at 90mph for extended miles, around 50 at 65-70mph and around town riding, low 40s at 75mph or so. Pushing wind sucks the fuel fast.

I'm using a tall Parabellum wind screen which is great for highway travel., but dangerous for dirt work. Using wingnuts and thumb screws, I can remove it within a couple of minutes and store it under a net on the rear. I prefer the nekkid bike and will leave it that way when not traveling high speeds for long miles.

I'll probably only clean the petcock if it becomes blocked. Blowing air thru the fuel hose, back thru the tank, might clear ir...dunno.

What Andy typed about the high altitudes and jetting was good. That's another reason I wanted to retain the stock setup. At 14,000 ft, I'm not sure if I'd have the energy to even change a plug.

The warranty is pretty cheap, imo. Something like $540 for 4 or 5 years extended. Just over $100 per year, you pick the numder of years. It's offered thru the dealers.

Having raced two stroke enduro bikes I know about plug chops.
Yesterday I did exactly as you described above and the idle cleaned
right up beautifully, very smooth.

I still think I may be just a tad rich so I'm going back to the stock pilot (42.5 on US 49 state model) I've got a 45 in there with two shim on the stock needle. It actually runs very well, no jumps in power, smooth linear. But overall power, I think could be better.

It starts from cold with no choke, so maybe its a bit rich?

Cheers!


Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

That's 5 extended on top of the 1 factory?

I like my translucent 4.9 IMS. Fits well and I can see how fast I'm sucking the fuel, do mental calculations if needed, and slow down or keep shoveling the coal to her. Finally, I have a real fuel gauge.

A stock 49 State tank is 3.4 (CA is 3.2). So, a 4 gal would give you an additional 20-30 miles - not that much more.
Hell, if San Fran and El Arco were out, you're gonna be doing some praying between Bay of LA and Vizcaino.

I figure the 4.9 gives me a solid 200+ miles unless I'm romping on it. That Aqualine is dear, but I'd like to have one.

I'd also like to try some larger foot pegs.

I still haven't solved my hand guard problem. I just hate buying stuff until I'm fairly certain that it's the ticket for me.

Am I typing 'I' enough?

I bought the AeroStich wrap-on heated grip thingies. They take a couple of minutes to put on...and really work. No problems losing heat thru bars and grips. But they are another thing to store when not being used....

Lots of guys are going the Spitfire and Nat'l Cycle wind screen route. My Prabellum is huge compared to those - a barn door.

Also wired (w/fuse) a cheap marine 12v outlet to the battery and mounted it under the BBQ. The inexpensive Airman plugs in quick, and I can recharge batts for cams while on the road.

Personally, I think the CO2 route makes no sense for touring as they have to be replenished - 1 time use. Donde es el paintball gun llanta? Did you ever use one and then later realise that you left the valve core out? I must have aired up other guys tires 6 or 7 times when in CC a few weeks ago using the cheap Airman, with a gauge (mine is accurate). A backup bike pump makes survival sense, but that's a lot of work and won't seat a tire bead. Also, the air pumps weigh next to nothing. A better survival pump might be a spare air pump with the guts removed from the housing... There's 12v on any '68 Ford passing by.

I like your search-for-storage, and I need to find my own system. :thumb
Those are gonna be hot tar arns.
Personalizing a new bike isn't always a quicky, but is kinda fun.

Patrick ,
This is an interesting project , I have always thought that the DR was the most promising of the 650 thumpers . [It appeals to my tastes anyway ]

When you are done with the mods and have some serious miles on this bike, a head to head comparison with the V Strom would make great reading .

All the Best
Dodger

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

Really good point. I ran out of gas TWICE on our DR test bike, and
that was in civilization!! No guarantees about fuel availability down south....then you've got things like wrong currency difficulties, stations closed and who knows what.

I think in moderate touring mode you'll go further than 200 miles if your jetting is right. In my testing over the weekend I did 175 mi. till reserve and this includes spilling some gas a few times, hammering it to red line and doing stretches at 100mph indicated (all in the interest of testing of course)

Once on reserve I kept going, climbed Mt.Tam (sea level to 3K ft.) "at speed" mostly full throttle for 30 miles, then back into town where it ran dry at 38 miles. I carried an Acerbis 1 gallon backup "Jug" on the bike, but as it turns out when it died I just wiggled the bike a bit and rode a couple miles to a station. There was still gas in the tank!! (maybe a quart or so? Hard to see) I'm quite sure in more moderate use I could make 50 miles on reserve.

I figure the main tank with moderate to fast riding will go 220 to reserve no
problem, maybe more. Then add an easy 40 to that number for reserve.

BTW....when (or if) your ever run your IMS dry you'll find it actually takes
5.3 gallons of gas!

BTW, I pulled the air box snorkel off for last 100 miles of this test, the other 100 the bike was running richer. Now the bike now runs like a raped ape. Straight up and down wheelies through first and 2nd gear all on the throttle.

So this is what I've got:
Main: 140 (stock, I believe)
Pilot: 45 (stock is 42.5)
Air Screw : about 1.5 turns out
Needle: Stock needle with two shim washers.
Air Box: Snorkel removed, no other mods. Stock air filter.
FMF Q2 pipe.

I can't express strongly enough HOW MUCH MORE FUN THIS BIKE IS TO RIDE
NOW!! Huge improvement to my earlier test rides and driveability is
still perfect everywhere.

I will do another economy test next week. I now officially hate the Tripmeter.
All you have to do is bump it and you've LOST your reading, its not a pop out
type stem as it should be. Crap. This could screw you on a trip in the middle
of no where, no? Go ahead, bump your trip meter! Sigma BC800 on order.
(bicycle computer)

Wide pegs are very nice. Not a total necessity but on long tours I think you'll
like 'em. Of course the prices are highway robbery.

Hand Guards are a personal thing. Go to a dirt bike riding area and see what
guys are using. There are MANY and some won't fit well on the DR. They will
really save your HANDS, levers and brake resevoir in a fall.

I don't like those things. I totally lose feel with the bike. The Symtec ones
are $30 or $35 and will COOK your hands and only draw 30 watts.

I like something small, mimimal coverage.

Good thing to have.

Its hard and the only real way to know for sure is to take it on the road.
Every bike is different. I'm learning the DR too. I've never taken a single
on the road for more than a six weeks. So I'm not sure on some stuff.
The Corbin seat actually works pretty well but it ain't no Vstrom seat.
Still, I can see 300 mile days after some Butt-ditioning. (500 on the Vstrom)

Patrick


Tire Iron stash spot!

__________________
Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I've done a quicky hatchet job on this thread and then stole some stuff from other places and cobbled it all together and present to you the DDPP courtesy of all you good blokes on here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...878#post154155

Its meant to be a draft so you guys to look at and comment... so go ahead.


I'm trying to come up with a more STYLISH solution, since we are not allowed to use HTML on here... and am only limited to 18,000 characters!!!!! So I've had to leave a SHED LOAD of stuff out!!


IN particular - FRANK WARNER's great guide definitely has a place on the DDPP - but no space!

I'm a web/graphic designer, so can create a separate space for it.. but it will kind of defeat the whole purpose.

a) It should remain in the HUBB, cos thats where I'd be looking for info and b) I dont want to have to use several posts to cover it.

Any ideas will be appreciated.

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