Hey Grif,
Nice write up and summary. We are firm believers of the capabilities of the DR and it is definitely my choice for the next trip. We dropped off our bikes at the air cargo terminal today in BA and pick them up in Jhb. on Mon.
Daryll

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Central America, South America & Africa on DR650's - BLOG

Hi Daryll,

Nice one, Cant wait to read about the next part of your trip.

Ive really enjoyed being on the DR for this trip, every bike is a compromise and the DR is no exception - especially for 2up riding - Solo though, I find it difficult to beat.

They are tough, simple bikes, if I had both accidents that I have had on this trip on more expensive faired, multi cylinder bikes, I would have been looking at some serious $$$$ to get it going again.

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

And about those accidents - you need to have Lisa with you more often as you never crash when she's a pillion.
Daryll

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Central America, South America & Africa on DR650's - BLOG

Hi Daryll,

Tell me about it.......

The last 2 days Ive ridden Solo.

First day of trip in Canada and 'last day' of South America, in Colombia = 2 accidents...

Maybe thats another record ?????

Id better be careful or I will get grounded

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

I did a number of mods on the DR650 for this trip and covered some of them in the earlier post, heres some more info on how others worked.

HT Teton panniers and top box.

worked really good, plenty of space and tough, they were welded up after my 110 kmh crunch and have been straightened with a car jack twice after the other drops and accident. whether its better to have the lock built in is a personal preference.

Vapor speedo, rev counter and temperature guage.

been pretty good overall, crapped out a few times when its been really hot (around 45 C) and the watch battery lasts a couple of months(it runs of bike battery when ignition is on) maybe silver one would be better in heat....nice ot have rev counter and temp guage though.

Scotts reusable stainless steel oil filter.

been really good, easy to wash out with some dish soap and hot water and a toothbrush to remove any metal deposits, then dry it out. you can also see what comes out. still looks brand new. I used a magnetic sump plug too, which picks up any tiny particles which worked great too.

B&B bash plate.

excellent bit of kit, much better protection than the one from moose, but much more expensive too getting it from Australia. took a beating when a pick up truck nearly drove over the bike in Colombia, got a deep scratch on it but didnt bend.

Centech AP1 fuse box (mounted over airbox on home made bracket)

fitted it and forgot it, didnt get in the way, no blown fuses, solidly built, good mounting, great bit of kit. I had the heated grips, Gebrings troller, bmw power outlets x3 and GPS running through this on a ignition switched relay so I didnt flatten the battery.

Twin Air Filter

worked good, theres lots of good filters out there, so its personal preference, Id use it again, easy to clean in soapy water. after lots of cleaning no signs of breaking up or being out of shape.

SW Motech main stand

Its a personal preference if you like them or not, I do. It worked fine, no problems at all,paint finish on it has taken a beating, but thats all.

Procycle case armour and AMP oil filter cover protector.

excellent, left side took a hard hit from gear lever when I had my fast accident and Im sure it saved the case from cracking. havent whacked the other side yet, but Im sure it will do its job.

Aerostitch competition tank panniers.

really good, lots of space for odds and ends, we kept our cooking gear in one and days food in other, quite tough too, bike slid several times on them on asphalt held up ok, even when msr pots got beaten to death inside when same Colombian pick up truck hit the left one, need to have a big tank to hold them out in front of your knees - worked well with the Safari tank.

let me know if you need any more info on anything.

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca