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Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

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Photo by Hendi Kaf,
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  #1  
Old 12 Mar 2008
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Beginner looking for advice/tips
Hello everyone. I'm a newbie to both the bike world and to posting. I bought a 94 DR650 fall of 07. It is my first bike...actually I've only taken it on one ride. It just happened to be 3400 miles and the first time I'd ever driven one. I bought it in CA and had to get it back to MN. I am very proud of that fact.

Anyway, I guess I'm just trying to gain as much knowledge as I (maintenance, upgrades, equipment, literature, etc.) I am thinking my second ride is going to be MN to Venezuela. Not sure yet though. I am ambitious, maybe a little naive. I came here to find out.
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  #2  
Old 12 Mar 2008
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Wink Choice of States


Now, all the answers are posted against your same question on the Suzi Tech forum, so over you go to there!!

CA = California (everyone knows that one!)
MN = Minnesota?
MN = Montana?
MN = ??
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  #3  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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Not too ambitious I wouldn't have thought!

You've come to the best place for info. anyway!

Welcome!

Matt
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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!
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  #4  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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Ah, going for that cheap gasoline, are you?? ;-)
Naivety is sometimes a very good thing. Just ignore all the naysayers that try and deter you!
Good Luck!
Lorraine
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  #5  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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[QUOTE=turn2travel;179355 Not sure yet though. I am ambitious, maybe a little naive. I came here to find out.[/QUOTE]

When I was young and foolish and had a new 500cc 1961 Triumph speed twin I would go anywhere with it.. It never occurred to me it might break down or fail in some way, and it didn't.

Now I am less carefree on my bmw, but in truth most fears are imaginings..

If by some chance you do have an unscheduled stop, instead of thinking of it as some kind of setback, use it to make new friends and as a life enhancing experience... something you wont get on a package tour.
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  #6  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oldbmw View Post

If by some chance you do have an unscheduled stop, instead of thinking of it as some kind of setback, use it to make new friends and as a life enhancing experience... something you wont get on a package tour.
Well said, the only experience you get on package tours is the family of screaming kids, lager louts, and when the plane is delayed, some of the most obnoxious people on earth!
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  #7  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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I found that breaking down was often the best bit, esp. with an italian bike. It seems like the entire aduklt male population of any town or village will stop what they are doing, gather round and suck air through their teeth while you rebuild HT leads, flush fuel lines etc. I even had a guy in a suit helping me with an oil change in Baku!
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  #8  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout View Post


Now, all the answers are posted against your same question on the Suzi Tech forum, so over you go to there!!

CA = California (everyone knows that one!)
MN = Minnesota?
MN = Montana?
MN = ??
United States Postal Service - Abbreviations
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  #9  
Old 13 Mar 2008
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You never can tell. On this site I have seen, CA = Canada, CA = Central America,
CA = California.
There may be more ?
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  #10  
Old 14 Mar 2008
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Wink What's in an abbreviation
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Ferris View Post
You never can tell. On this site I have seen, CA = Canada, CA = Central America,
CA = California.
There may be more ?

This is another one of those threads that runs in two places at the same time: anyway, there is at least one more case --

SA = South America for those in the Americas but South Africa for most other posters. However, in Oz it would be South Australia!!

Just as well that we are all in the bar, so it doesn't count for much when you're drunk.
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  #11  
Old 14 Mar 2008
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Thumbs up Welcome Aboard
turn2travel,

Welcome.

From the varied responses to your post you can see that the HU community is a wide and varied one. I have found that as I ask more precise questions on the HUBB particularly about details, so the cream floats to the surface and the coffee tastes best that way. There certainly is a wealth of experience available here.

As the members are from all over the world abbreviations can mean many different things, your correspondents are often using English as their second language.

Hope your travel plans develop well.

Cheers
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  #12  
Old 14 Mar 2008
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The DR650 is a grate bike. Many little problems but most are fixable some that are not are the amount of stuff you can take and its a thumper and not as smoth at highway speeds.
Up grades that many people make are bigger tank, forks, rear shock, bags for the back and top, foot pegs, new rubber, brake lines, heated grips and so on.

Look up DR forums and see what they have to say about the bike. look up some of the online shops for upgrades and see what you like.

to the HUBB
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