OK, so I allowed the movers to move my bikes. Mistake number 1. I asked if they needed to be drained, and they said no, because I would be there on the other end to receive them. Long story short I was not able to make it on time across the country, so they got put into temporary storage. Upon inspection of my bikes, I found that they had pulled the fuel lines to drain the tanks. OK, no biggie. I go to change my oil last night to get ready to ride into work this morning on my DR and I smell fuel in the oil. I have never had this issue, and had changed the oil a few months ago and put very few miles on it since then. Am I looking at a huge issue here? I put in new oil. Is it safe to ride around a little bit, then drain it again and see if it still smells of fuel, or do I need to be sending it in to have the top end looked at? Thanks in advance for any input.
i would flush it out with fresh oil, maybe twice, then carry on as usual. the top end should be fine.
Thanks for the confirmation of fuel valve bolt spacing. Makes life much easier. Them wee side valve engines will NOT tolerate a leaky petcock. Drains right outta the carb into the LH main bearing.. NE
hi gang i posted the other day that i just picked up a 93 dr350s that sat for a few years, pulled the carb ( what a messss) cleaned it changed the oil fresh gas a little carb cleaner in the tank. took a bit but fired up ran ok tookit for a couple test rides did ok but pops out of 3rd gear some times ??? what is up with that ? still have to do the valves thanks
Might want to check the shift drum bolt... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20094092&postcount=13643
Thanks for the response. No leaks and yes checking when hot. Ill just keep watching it already set up a small oil bottle for the bike.
Mine was using oil similarly to yours when I first got it- off the dipstick after 100-200 miles, even less if there was high speed pavement riding involved. It eventually drove me insane and I pulled the top end and found a very stuck oil control ring. I ended up with a procycle 385cc kit, but I'm sure I could've gotten away with just a new set of rings or even simply cleaning up the old ones along with the piston. Now I rarely add oil between changes and no longer have an msr bottle full of oil living in the bags permanently. As it is, just make sure to keep a close eye on it- seems like these things really don't like running low.
oil check if cold requires 3 minute warm-up then wait 1 minute then check. If hot just wait 1 minute after shutdown.
My DR has ~9000 miles on it and last riding season the clutch started to slip sometimes when I put it into 3rd gear and hit the throttle hard. I've just got the bike on the road and its still doing it although now its doing it sometimes in 4th gear as well (happens off and on). I have adjusted my clutch lever so there is no play in it, basically I just have to pull the lever in and I change gears. I tried lubing my cable but it has a plastic sheath over the wire the slides inside the cable housing so I can't get a cable lube needle inside the housing as there is not enough room. Is there any adjustment I can do at either end of the cable that will help to sort this out? If not, how long can I ride the bike like this before something could go wrong? I wonder if its because I jdid the air box mod and just last week installed a pumper carb from Jesse....? Thanks for helping this newb out!
You want play in it, that means the clutch is completely engaged. I set mine up where the lever flops around free and you have to pull it in an 1/8" before it actually grabs the end of the cable. Do you have a manual?
You're welcome and good luck. A lot of times it is the cable, they can stretch and also if they're sticky (not lubed) it can make it difficult to get the adjustment right. I hope that's what it is. All the bikes I've had, i've worn out clutch cables but never a clutch. But you can never tell what a PO may have done and I imagine a clutch could wear just from driving around with the cable incorrectly adjusted.
Burning oil on startup is usually valve seal related as oil seeps through the seals when sitting. If you start your bike up and it smokes when your ride or rev it up it's usually the rings. I ride my DR to work and check the oil once a week. After I get home I let the bike sit for about two minutes, pull bike upright, remove dipstick, wipe and place back in hole without screwing back in. Pull out and check. Letting the bike sit for a couple minutes is important. SP
I've owned 6 or 7 DR350s, both the offroad and S models. All were bought used. Some were only parts donors but three of those were tagged and used as true dual sports with greater than 50% non-paved use. All-in-all around 40K miles total on those three, all w/o a passenger but with my 220 lbs on board. To the point, those bikes saw some hard use but never abuse (from me) and the OE clutch began slipping at some point on all three of those. On two of them, the two I rebuilt with Wiseco hi-compresson pistons, all that was required was stronger (actually shimmed OE) clutch springs. The one I have now (a '96 frame with a stock '93, low hours, off-road engine) recently got new plates and springs after a carburetor refresh that increased power output slightly and resulted in clutch slipping. All the bikes have been run on Rotella 15W40. I agree that cable adjustment is important on these bikes and that one needs to be sure there is some cable slack but I also believe the clutch is one of the early failure points in the 350 design. Search this and other DR350 forums and you find it's a frequent topic. In contrast my DR650 has 40K miles with no clutch problems whatsoever AND a lighter clutch pull. It simply has a bigger and better clutch design I think.
been playing this game for over 40 years & never used a NEEDLE to lube my cables started out creating a funnel from duct tape & dribbling lube down the disconnected cable, 'til it emerged from the other/bottom end then came the CABLE LUBER TOOL: http://www.aerostich.com/cable-luber.html this tool is a small, very efficient link between your favorite aerosol lube can & either end of your cable you have already identified the plastic sleeve & therefore the need for a plastic friendly lubricant proper use of this tool assures COMPLETE application of lube as mentioned above, a bit of FREE PLAY in the lever assures there is no exterior force on the clutch system, which is necessary for proper engagement just an OLD man's 2¢ worth sw
Yes, a great tool, everyone should have in their toolbox - but TWENTY FREAKIN' DOLLARS!!! Aerostitch does it again! I bought a handful of them a couple of years ago in the dollar store and they are all over eBay/Amazon/Your favorite bicycle shop for $5 or $6
