BergDonk's DR650s and the Odd Tangent

Yo Donk, where did you get that counter shaft sprocket cover? That's a trick little detail. I never really liked the stock one, but still use it because it's serviceable. Thanks bro Dirt

I made it up myself after the VSM replacement broke, fatigue failure on the creases on the mounting tabs, perhaps facilitated by a little chain contact.

I had a piece of 10 mm alumimium plate lying about that forms the basis. I cut the inner circular shape with a hole saw and then trimmed it up with an angle grinder with an aluminum cutting disc. Put some spacers on the main bolts to centre it on the sprocket, and then had a bit of scrap to make the cover. Took a few hours and is nice and strong and hasn't broken yet.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15411000&postcount=117

Steve

You've inspired me, and for once I have all the tools to do something from start to finish. Now I'm gonna keep my peepers on for the right piece of alum stock. Thanks good idea, Dirt

Go for it

Also from memory, the spacer off the case was a bit of sheet that I screwed to the 10 mm plate so its captive.

Having the inside of the hubb Bead blasted should create a bit more interference in the fit

Yep.

Just did the Loctite thing for the time being and will do a few hundred kms tomorrow and see how it goes using the new/old hub.

Steve

The bearing I had found was deeper than yours so I was going to leave the seal and outside spacer stock and then go inwards with the bearing and make a new inner spacer.
But after seeing your mod I'll probably just get the same bearing you got and then do the same as you with the spacer and seal.

Its always nice when someone else try's out a mod first.

cheers

joe

The thing that appeals to me about the bearing going 'out' is that its more in line with the sprocket and reduces the twisting loads applied from chain pull which I think is an issue. And the double row helps to resist the twist too.

My machinist/engineer mate felt that there wasn't really enough meat in the hub to sleeve it properly. I was thinking a steel sleeve about 1 mm thick with a thicker boss on the outside to take the seal. I thought I'd be up for making the sleeve, but my lathe won't take the hub to bore it so I'd have needed his assistance for that. Handy having an expert for a neighbour

I'm hoping its sorted now, got some kms to do soon and am running out of time...

Steve

Hi Steve,

My wife allways looks at me funny if I tell her my bike is ready to go.. shes right a good bike project is never really finished :)

Ive seen bad die casting of bearing housing bores in cr500s cases, clutch side gearbox bearings with play.. nasty!

I like the 641 its good stuff and you can fix the bike on the road with bearings from a shop, if it doesn't work out in the long term though you could probably bore the hub +0.5mm then grind down the OD of the bearing a tad and run a sleeve over it ?

Ahhhh Bushie, she is a wise one, hang on to her. Nothing is ever finished, everything is only ever transitory.......

Steve

She is good indeed bushie. Wonder if my boss would have the same appreciation for this entirely sound philosphical approach....

Got to get out before you head off Steve, maybe a sneaky trip during the week. Have managed to drag Smithi back home for a second dose of Snowy too, so you'll need to put the billy on if we can't make a ride!

I hope Smithi still has a bike with knobs on it ,my sources have it that he has been spending time on the tar

Steve has always got time in retirement land unlike some of us that still need to slave away in Snowy land

cheers
Scott

Your sources are accurate Scott, he's shod only with very smooth rubber. I've already gone to work on him though and he has plans hatching to correct the situation as I type!

good to hear

wouldn,t want the enviroment to miss out on a set of nobbies carving up this great land of ours


cheers
Scott

I got asked about the fuel plumbing. I got a servicable filter from ebay:
http://shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?_nkw=5%2F16+FILTER+harley&_sacat=0&_odkw=5%2F16+FILTER&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

After a couple of goes, its now set it up so the lines either go up to a fuel tap, or the carb, so no air traps and blockages at low fuel levels which happens with the Safari at low levels. All plumbing is 8 mm or 5/16 to reduce head loss and the u turn at the bottom of the filter is a piece of copper tube carefully bent with a spring bender. All other filters removed, ie from inside the fuel taps, and if I still had the BST40, from it too. The FCR has a rotating inlet pipe so all angles are possible. With a horizontal filter it looks tidier, but the filter gets air blockages. If the fuel stops flowing, there is only one filter to check. Works good now.

I will have to try a loop down from my T join and back up to the carb inlet. Mine sucks air and will not go to reserve without getting an airlock. My plumbing is basically horizontal at present. Thanks for posting the "fix"

I love heated grips, and it was one of the first things I did to the DR after I got it. The 2 speed type that wrap around the bar and then you fit normal grips over the top in this case. Unfortunately after playing with the wiring of my lights, GPS, power extras and the forks on and off a few times, the resistor that is switched into the circuit for the low heat setting broke. It's been suggested a more efficient way to wire up the grips would be to have them in series for the low setting rather in parallel with the series resistor. I thought this was a good idea, thanks Ash, and came up with the following circuit which uses a DPDT centre off rather than the stock SPDT centre off.

No heat loss from the restistor, so more watts for something else on low setting, and one less thing to break again.

FWIW



Steve

The main thing is that there are no high spots that do not go directly to the carb or a tap. Air is 'sticky' and if a bubble forms it'll stick to the side of the rubber hose. When the fuel level is low, and in the Safari it gets very low relative to the carb float bowel, there is not enough pressure to break the air bubble stiction, so the idea is to eliminate anywhere a bubble can form, and the low bits under the carb fuel intake pipe will always have fuel in them. Seems to work.

Steve

Not a ride report, but a DR report.

I got to the centre and back unscathed. Missed the Kimberly this time as I had to get back a bit earlier than initially planned for domestic reasons. The KTMs and XR are still out there.

Still managed nearly 7,000 kms though. Bit of a trip log below. Most days were via the more interesting route option, but some parts required bitumen because dayight was getting short. It was interesting to note the traffic density vs road kill density in places, especially NW NSW, scarey...


Centre Trip Log DR650
Day Start trip meter Finish trip meter day dist total dist
02/06/2011 Numeralla 22410 Narranderra 22881 471 471
03/06/2011 Narranderra 22881 Wentworth 23394 513 984 2 broken spokes, flat tyre
04/06/2011 Wentworth 23394 Yunta 23763 369 1353
05/06/2011 Yunta 23763 Blinman 24105 342 1695
06/06/2011 Blinman 24105 William Creek 24544 439 2134
07/06/2011 William Creek 24544 Mt Dare 25010 466 2600 finished 3.5 kms short
08/06/2011 Mt Dare 25010 Kulgera 25010 0 2600 trailer trip
09/06/2011 Kulgera 25010 Alice Springs 25010 0 2600 clutch replacement + 2 oil changes
10/06/2011 Alice Springs 25010 Alice Springs 25010 0 2600
11/06/2011 Alice Springs 25010 Alice Springs 25010 0 2600
12/06/2011 Alice Springs 25010 Alice Springs 25010 0 2600
13/06/2011 Alice Springs 25010 Glen Haven 25238 228 2828
14/06/2011 Glen Haven 25238 Kings Canyon 25468 230 3058
15/06/2011 Kings Canyon 25468 Yulara 25792 324 3382
16/06/2011 Yulara 25792 Yulara 25792 0 3382
17/06/2011 Yulara 25792 Cadney Homestead 26376 584 3966
18/06/2011 Cadney Homestead 26376 Leigh Creek 27033 657 4623
19/06/2011 Leigh Creek 27033 Innamincka 27580 547 5170
20/06/2011 Innamincka 27580 Tibooburra 27951 371 5541
21/06/2011 Tibooburra 27951 Wilcannia 28310 359 5900 oil change
22/06/2011 Wilcannia 28310 Temora 28907 597 6497
23/06/2011 Temora 28907 Numeralla 29247 340 6837 broken speedo cable


The DR ran great the whole trip. There were 3 others along and comparisons, especially fuel consumption, were interesting, and for me provided validation, especially my suspension and ergos.

My flat tyre was interesting. I was 'racing' ahead on the Hay plain late in the afternoon to sort accommodation in Wentworth when that wobbly feeling suggested a stop was required. The tyre was very, very hot, and flat. The patch on the tube that'd been OK prior had partially peeled off, probably causing a slow leak intially. What took me by suprise though were the 2 broken spokes. My theory is that the aluminum rim grew a bit from the heat and the spokes snapped off at the head in the hub where they've been peened over and the likely stress concentration makes that the weakest bit. Maybe I build my wheels a little too tight. I had a few spare spokes, so fixed easily enough and I backed all the other nipples off a 1/8 turn. Dunno, but OK subsequently.

Heading into Mt Dare from Dalhousie Springs I was a bit behind the bike pack. Been rubber necking with the 4wds. But it was raining and I was now over 1/2 and hour behind the other bikes, and that was too much rain because I got stuck in the glutinous mud with the rear end locked solid. What I thought was wheel spin was actually clutch slip. 3.5 kms short of Mt Dare in the dark and rain, and no drive, bugger...

I had among other bits and bobs a clutch kit in the 4wd support, so I wasn't too concerned, but what was an issue was the continuing rain and impending closure of the roads which would mean we'd be there for a while. So I purchased the trailer they lent me to recover the bike, and we headed for Kulgera the next day early, 280 kms to the bitumen via a 250 km bog hole and constant rain. I must admit I wasn't totally unhappy to be in the 4wd. There were a number of crashes, and speed and momentum were necessary. Travelling at 100 kph and sliding from one side of the road to another in a constant state of almost crashing is not only physically challenging, but more so mentally. Kudos to the guys who all rode out.

Apart from the clutch, I also noted that my bash plate had separated from the frame. The stock tabs on the back of the frame had fatigued and fallen off, so it was strapped up whilst on the trailer. Corrugations, case outs? Managed to get it all welded up and strengthened in Alice on the Friday afternoon just before the long weekend, and with a new clutch and a couple of oil changes, good to go again. The Finke Desert Race we were there to check out meant it was very busy in town, and everyone was getting ready to party. If it didn't happen then, it have to wait until Tuesday otherwise.

The only other issue with the bike was a broken speedo cable on the last day.

FWIW the fuel consumption of the DRs was something like:
Ray 20 km/l - Megacycle muffler, stock header, Dynojet kit, cut airbox
Me 19 km/l - Megacycle muffler, FMF header, 39 mm FCR MX, cut airbox
Ash 17.5 km/l - TK pipes muffler, stock header, Dynojet kit, cut airbox
Dave 15 km/l - Full Staintune, stock carb and airbox, with snorkel

I reckon with my extra frontal area with the tank panniers makes up for a bit too. Ash used to get better economy, but then he opened up the airbox some more just before the trip. Too much of a good thing?

Dave was getting about 10 km/l on the first couple of days having paid a mechanic to tune the carb before the trip. We did a couple of morning carb strips on the first 2 days out on Dave's bike to get it as good as it now is. The fuel running out the carb body at the servo in Naranderra the first morning out was a clue.

The only other DR issue was broken tabs on the subframe from the rack on Ash's bike. Fixed with zip ties and hose clamps on the road.

The rear Mitas E07 with 1,500 kms on it when I started off now has about 8,500 kms on it and probably will go another 2,000 kms before I change it. OK everywhere, but not very good in slop, but a fantastic all rounder. The fresh E09 I had on the front is all but worn out, and I won't use them again. OK, but prefer a bit more knob like an MT21. I have an E09 to try on the back next.

As I didn't get as far as I wanted this time, gotta go again sooner. The bike is ready and up for it, and so am I, and I have unfinished business outback.

Steve

Sounds like a Hell of a ride Steve. Congrats on getting back OK!
Mud riding is tough ... would full knobby tires have helped you out any?
Those 50/50 Mitas are good, long lasting tires but not much good in sand or mud, eh?

Surprised you lost your clutch ... but I guess having the rear wheel locked and not knowing it ... not good. :eek1 With a good knobby I find that if I can manage some speed once in a while, I can fling off built up mud. But sometimes the mud is just too sticky.

I remember early in the thread you mentioned:

"I acquired a clutch cover gasket just in case, but the original came off clean so its been recycled. The clutch friction plates looked fine, and measured to spec. The steels were somewhat blue, so been hot in the past. Works OK, so until next time."

Only thing I can think of regards repeated hub bearing failure is alignment issues. Bent axle? Tweaked Swing arm? Messed up Hub? All of the above?

We haven't heard about too many hub bearing failures on the BIG DR thread, mostly from you Aussie guys. But you guys ride hard in harsh conditions. We Americans just ride 50 mph with the Harley guys on straight, smooth roads.

I have two sets of wheels for my mostly stock DR. One set:40,000 miles,
and a set from a '97 with 32,000 miles. All bearings "feel" just fine to me. I keep checking them and expecting them to fail or fall apart.

I've never done many deep water crossings or Ocean/Beach/sea water riding, but plenty of Desert and high mountains. Still ... will definitely be carrying spare wheel bearings along on longer international rides.

Curious where you guys slept. Bush Camping? Did you carry cooking gear? Beer? What was the longest stretch between fuel/water stops? Did you have bail out points to get to a town if you had a problems or an injury? Must be nice to have 4 wheel support. What a luxury!
Did they follow along with you or take different paved routes and meet you?

do you guys take pictures?