That's reassuring. I have a 2013 model, bought new for this trip. Would you agree that I shouldn't need to worry about the NSU bolt? I'm quite conservative and cautious on the road, but I feel I'm carrying a bit too much luggage. It is a sloppy gear shift accident at 80kph from 4th to 5th with a pillion and full luggage going up a steep hill with headwind which is my biggest worry.

While on the topic, would you go for a windshield for a RTW trip? Or is it just a noisy pain in the a**? The wind resistance against my body at over 90kph is the only aspect which is leading me to weigh this one up.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

If you're concerned about loose NSU bolts, then I'd check. It's unlikely they are loose ... but it's just NOT a big deal to pull off the right side clutch cover and check. If not tight ... then remove bolts, add Loc tite ... and replace ... tightly but not over tight!

The DR has plenty of power and isn't too concerned about what gear you're in. Just so you know ... you can actually wind it up to 85 mph in 4th gear with stock gearing! Yes ... I've done it. Top speed is only 105 mph on a good day.

Overloading is a constant challenge for travelers. Re-think every thing you carry. Will you camp? SO MANY travelers carry a TON of camping gear ...
and then never use it. Certain areas camping is just not practical or even safe.

Wind:
The DR is remarkably stable in most wind. I did have trouble in Baja when Desert winds kicked up to over 60 knots, strongest wind I ever rode in. ... it came in strong gusts so would catch you out.

In a typical head wind, down shift to 4th and don't be afraid to rev it and run hard into wind. Fuel economy will plunge but the DR motor won't mind one bit. It's just so tough. It does like good oil.


High winds in Baja blew rock of this fresh road cut onto road. Blocked road to cars. You can't tell from pic ... but wind was a steady 40 knots with 60 knot gusts that blew me and the DR across the road. I just went slow.
No problemo.

Windshield:
Lots of DR riders run a shield. Several good ones for sale in Aus.

I am not fond of a shield for two reasons:
1. Wind noise. Very hard to set for quiet air. No shield means fairly quiet, steady air flow. But I have a strong neck and can cruise at 80 mph for 10 hours a day. Others tune the shield and get it spot on for a quiet ride.

2. I hate looking through a shield riding off road. Sure, I could adapt ... but prefer not having it there.

This is ALL preference. If riding it very cold weather, a shield makes a lot more sense. I ride California and Mexico ... rarely cold.

More later ...

If you are really concerned about the potential 3rd gear problem, Procycle in the US is now selling a replacement 3rd Gear kit for about $600US:
Suzuki DR650 Parts, Accessories, & Performance - ProCycle
I'm not sure how involved it would be changing the gears, but if my old BMW G/S is anything to go on:confused1:, you might want to have a shop do that for you. At a minimum you would want a shop manual on hand.

As to doing the NSU switch, I'd go ahead and take care of that if I were you. Despite that fact that there is a reported change in the newer bikes, I have not seen any confirmation that the screws are sufficiently secured on newer DR's. It is an easy preventative fix. A couple of notes:
1) It can be done without removing the clutch, but you might have to bend or fabricate some tools to remove/ install the screws (I welded a small bit onto an old flat head screw driver, at the right angle to get at the screws which are under the lip of the clutch basket).

2) I preemptively ordered the gasket for the clutch side, but found that my existing gasket was fine for re-use. If you have access to a local shop and the time to wait if you have to order, you might find it comes off without tearing.
3) if you can't work the screws out without removing the clutch, then maybe they are in there tight enough anyway.

I cannot explain the unusual amount of failure attributed to southern Hemisphere DR's. I find it hard to believe that it is caused by any specifically localized hard use, but I can't refute that either. There are lots of DR's in North America that are 'ridden hard and put away wet' as well. Racing? well, you got me there - I don't know of anyone racing a DR in my neck of the woods, but I'm sure it's been done.

On the DR forums I frequent it seems to be accepted as one of the engine's few, but very rare failure areas. That being said, I'd be surprised if there is a bike out there without a few issues that could end a trip. From what I know, DR's rarely fail other then from old age or poor maintenance.

Windshield - Very personal decision. I took a small universal on my first long trip, and ended up strapping it on the back for most of the days. As Mollydog said, it just made the noise/ wind blast worse, and I didn't really notice any reduced fatigue. However, for my next trip I ordered a shorter fiberglass 'dual sport fairing' that replaces the front number plate style headlight on the DR. It is sold by ADV Monster, and is designed to completely replace the DR's front headlight with two LED lights of your choice. In my case, it has provided 3 benefits:
1) a bit more wind protection, without buffeting or a shield I can't see over easily off-road. Nice and quiet, takes the wind off my chest, helmet is in 'clean' air.
2) The stock light on the DR is, well, not that great (truthfully, most bikes have lousy lights, because one 55 watt bulb isn't enough - cars get two, so we should get 110 watts right?!).
3) but, you can't just add more lights because 225 Watts is all you have (and you do want heated grips and/ or the possibility of a heated vest right?).

So by adding 2 35 watt LED lamps with an adjuster on the low beam to dial it down for safe hwy use, I save a significant 35 watts of power, and get much better lighting (or have all 60 watts on and get 'daytime' type lighting).

advmonster

I'd recommend this, but there are other screens that can work well too, so I am told. Good luck!

Hi Folks,

I've been lurking on this thread for a while now. Gipper and I are both friends and ride DR's here in Alberta.
Last year I rode my 2004 DR650 around the world with about 90lbs of luggage, a whining third gear and an XT600 for a companion. Our combined blog can be read at Round the World 2013 on motorbikes and you can see more information about the modifications i did to My Dr (Twiggy) at MotoExped - Home if you want.
To me, the most important thing was to get the suspension right. I ran a Safari tank on mine and needed to deal with all that weight over the front forks when the tank was full.
Keep it simple though.
..........and best wishes on ALL your travels! get out there and have fun!

Nevil

My 3rd gear whines as well! (has done since about 20K miles, now over 55K miles)

90 lbs. of luggage! Wow! Did you do a lot of camping? Cooking your own food?
I totally understand your support of good suspension when carrying such a load!
Night and day with a heavily loaded bike!

I've whittled my load down to about 50 lbs. of junk ... but no camping gear. Lots of times I carry a rear tire.

And don't forget to add shop labor time to that figure. Then consider that NO ONE I know of has done this mod ... and there is Zero evidence that the new gears are even a "solution" at all. Even the Pro Cycle guy admits this. Shop labor would be at least 10 hours.

Excellent notes on doing the NSU fix!

If you follow the Aussie guys you can see they tend to use their DR's as race bikes more than North America, where most are used as commuters and weekend explorers. Lots of videos, posts and pics showing evidence of this. The Aussies also do a lot of Cross Country Out Back Adventure rides. That is some pretty tough riding ... based on some of the pics and videos I've seen. Extreme use, IMO.

Agreed, stock light is pathetic on a really dark road. I thought the DR output was around 200 Watts, not 225 watts? In any case .. it ain't much. My solution was an HID kit from DDM Tuning. It's a single bulb, 35 watt unit. So I pick up an extra 15 watts right away. It does help when running my Gerbing (77 Watts) and heated grips (about 30 watts on Hi)
The HID is at least 3 times brighter than stock light. Going on 4 years, no problems. Spare HID bulb just $12. Whole kit just $30!!


Stock 55 Watt, H-4 light

DDM Tuning 35 Watt, single bulb HID ... B R I G H T !!!

Jaykay,

Any updates on your trip and how the DR650 is performing?

__________________
Cheers
Grif

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