Good luck with your DR650!
How many miles on that bad boy?
Minnesota Winters are serious and LONG ... hope weather is good enough to still have some Summer left by the time you can get in there and get on the road. HEAD SOUTH! In California, we ride year round.

Let us know if you need set up help. BTW ... first up should be a better seat. I see a Seat Concepts sticker on your bike but looks like stock seat to me? Dunno ... but if it is the stock seat you won't make it past two hours! trust me.

If buying stuff from Pro Cycle in Oregon you could have it shipped to selling dealer so it's there when you come to pick up your bike.
You are very brave to buy the bike without a test ride. I would have withheld money until after a LONG test ride.

I see some possible incompetent round eye meddling on that bike. Twisted fork boots (easy to straighten) but indicates when who ever replaced the springs with Race Tech they screwed up getting boots back on correctly ... so what else did they miss? Race Tech are FAMOUS for OVER springing. If Original owner was a super fatty (quite possible in this country) springs could be too stiff.

If you are over 220 lbs then all OK ... but I would want to know what spring rates you've got front and rear. (forks and shock) Dealers rarely know this stuff unless they took notes from PO.

BTW ... simply replacing springs on the DR650 is NOT a suspension fix. Not even close. The forks are NON cartridge type. Hopefully they not only put in those Race Tech springs but also put in a Race Tech emulator kit ... which is actually pretty good ... if it's been done correctly. You have to drill holes in the damper rod and lots get this all wrong and install emulator valve wrong.

Also looks like both sprockets are dirty, also grease up around front sprocket.
Looks like either someone used gooey chain lube and never cleaned or the bike may have very high miles. ?? Get ready for a serious clean up when you remove the plastic cover over the front sprocket.

High miles not a worry for the engine ... but components DO wear out.

I would closely evaluate chain and sprockets condition before departure.
New DID 525 X ring chain and either OEM sprockets or JT (pro cycle sells them)
or shop around for best price for chain and sprockets. Stock DID O ring chain only good for about 12K miles.

Good luck! Pray for mild Winter!

Thanks for the tips Mollydog!

I know its a bit of a stab in the dark to buy a DR650 when I've never even sat on one, but from reading all the great websites and forums I see there is so much you can do to this bike to make it fit, or fix whatever needs fixing. I'm assuming (perhaps naively...) that the basics on the bike are sound as this is being sold by a reputable dealer who puts all their bikes through a thorough check prior to sale.

The one has 4800 miles on it. It comes with a 1000mile / 1 month warranty which I suppose offers some comfort if it goes wrong.

I asked the dealer to contact the seller with a long list of questions I had, including which option he went with for the RaceTech suspension set up.

The owners incomplete answer was :

The previous owner did the suspension himself. It’s the heaviest spring rate that was available. He also put heavier fluid in the rear shock and forks. So you should be good for having luggage on there because he said it was sprung for 280lbs total.

The chain roller has been removed.

The countershaft seal has been secured.

Pegs are aftermarket – he wasn’t sure the brand, but he got the best reviewed ones on the forums to hold his size.

The pannier rack rack is D&S from Canada.

I asked if I could call the owner to get more background on the bike but he declined to talk with me.

My route through the USA takes me past Race Tech and I will get them to have a look at what has been done, and to change the suspension if necessary to suit me.

This bike is a long term project that will have to carry me for something like 30,000 miles and I like to evaluate, assess and then change to make step by step improvements, but if there is something that is obvious then of course I will change it right away.

The bike is currently still with the dealer in a heated and secured storage along with 300 other bikes that the dealer stores for clients every winter.

I will be collecting it and starting my journey as soon as the snow and ice is gone!

Yes, quite adjustable in many ways For you, doing touring, the SEAT is IMO is pretty important. Stock seat will make for short riding days and mucho discomfort.

You can add risers to raise bars if you like or change bars for different bend to suit. You can buy lowered foot pegs to add to leg room. So ergos can be fiddled nicely to fit ... but for me the standard riding position is not bad at all. I've done several 400 mile days ... back to back to back. My Corbin seat makes a BIG difference. Magic.

Sounds like just broken in, like new.

Unless you're a huge guy around 300 lbs, it may be quite stiff.

And adding in heavier fluid violates most suspension rules (this especially true for the shock ... 5 wt oil only) ... but in certain rare circumstances can be useful to go slightly heavier in forks ... NOT shock.

To get more rebound damping out of your shock you'll need to re valve it. See Cogent Dynamics in N. Carolina USA to have that done. Cogent also sell their famous DDC valves for your forks ... better than the Race Tech emulators I have in my bike. But kinda splitting hairs here ... it's all good it SET UP RIGHT for your weight and load, you'll be fine.

Race Tech have dealers/shops techs nationwide where the tech has taken Race Tech seminars and been certified. Most will be OK, not all. But for sure they could do an eval and make a few simple and cost effective adjustments if needed.

You have to decide. Most major USA cities will have Race Tech service or some sort of suspension service ... it's easily done on the DR650.

This is a standard "must do" mod. FYI, it's the UPPER chain roller that gets removed, the lower one stays in place. As you read you'll learn about WHY that roller is not useful and may damage frame. For me, it's about the clatter it makes contacting the chain.

This seal holder now comes standard on new DR650's. 5 minutes to install. It holds countershaft seal in place ... but for most DR's ... that seal never comes out. I'm at 60K miles ... no problems. But can't hurt, leave it on there.

I wonder if they are the lowered peg kit? This is popular for the long legged. Wider pegs are more comfy for standing off road.

No idea which one that is.

30K no problem for the DR. The stock chain will be worn out somewhere between 12K to 15K miles ... so prepare for that ahead of time.

You can do it yourself if you're handy or a good shop can do new chain and sprockets in about 2 hours labor charge. Be sure to up grade to an X Ring chain. I much prefer it over the standard O ring chain that comes on the DR650. I like OEM rear sprocket and JT sprocket is fine for front sprocket.
Bring a spare, change every 8K miles to extend chain life.

So, if you're at 5K miles now that means try to change chain at around 15K miles or a bit more. The X ring DID chain should go past last 20K miles if you change out front sprocket at 8K mile mark. (very easy job)

In a month or so you'll have learned the bike. Hope it works out. Stay in touch here, let us know how it's going. If you get stuck, LOTS of help on ADV Rider DR thread and on DRriders.com.

Thanks Mollydog, I will keep in touch!

Hi John. Sorry I missed your message. I don’t spend much time on here any more but I left you a long phone message and a long reply to your pm.
UPDATE see you bought one, well done. I haven’t regretted buying mine for a second. I rode loaded up with kit and spares I hadn’t had time to fit like suspension springs front and rear, carb kit, lowered pegs etc. It was all day comfortable, I did the HUMM (badly) and crashed snapping clutch lever, bending gear lever and twisting the forks. I went a fair old whack but the bike started straight away and I bent the levers back and loosened the forks and bounced them straight. No real damage and I was so glad I was on a skinny bike as I fell off in sloooooow motion. It really is the ideal bike. Newer are all much much heavier, they have to be with all the crap they have to install. Likewise the XTZ is pure concrete in comparison ie. no comparison. It’s a peach of a bike and covers distance in comfort loaded up once you’ve done the mods.
I was told (by whom I can’t remember) that the bike would pass the emissions test and it did too on the standard pipe. Then I put a Gixer titanium on and did essential carb mods. It’s having to come back from Spain for its first mot so I’ll update on that soon.
The test centre in Derby where I had to get the bike uk tested was straight forward and the guy was really helpful. Yes a government department helpful! He’s probably been sacked by now for ‘conduct’ but track the place down and phone them up. I got step by step info on what I needed to check.
No idea about euro 3/4 as my bike was imported pre that but I will say it’s proved impossible to transfer it to a spanish number plate as it now lives in my place in Spain because it’s a USA import and therefore no Enumber. Unbelievable that I got it into Europe yet can’t transfer it between member states. It’s a right old Farage!
I’ll be back in a week from now so can drag out my paperwork for you.
Ask away.

__________________
have fun with your helmet!

Hello,
I am quite new in this forum so I apologize if the same topic has already been discussed.
I had a DR650 imported from the USA but had to sell it 7 years ago when I became a father and had no time to ride it.
Now, I decided to prepare for a long trip across Europe and of course my first choice was the DR (brand new or a low mileage one).
However, I am facing some issues in my EU state (Bulgaria).
I can organize the import from Canada/US, but unfortunately I won't be able to register the bike as it does not meet the Euro4 regulations which seem to be applicable in my country (and probably in all EU states).
Reading this thread I understand a few people (Alan Hopkins and Flying Dutchman) have managed to go through the registration process.
Therefore, I am considering the option of Importing the bike into the UK, registering it there and changing the registration plates in my country (should not be a problem I hope).
I first tried with Bridge Moto, but they said they were no longer importing DR650s into the UK.
I also talked to the guys from "Motorcycle Giant", but they seem to import rare bikes only from Japan and unfortunately the DR is not offered on the domestic market.
My two questions to the knowledgeable people in this thread are:
1. Is it is still possible to register a DR in the UK (MSVA, tweak the carb to meet EUR4) ?
2. If 1. still holds true, do you know of any reputable UK bike dealer I can rely on to import a DR into the UK?

Of course, any other options are welcome.
Thanks a lot

Philip