DR350 Thread

[Laura0107]

Originally Posted by Spad

Sorry to jump the clutch bandwagon, but I finally got into the clutch on my 99 SE to see why it wasn't working right and want to glean as much wisdom as I can while it's going around. I really want to do this myself rather than sheepishly trucking it to the dealer - more so that I know than to save cash.

Problems included hard shifting and the clutch not fully releasing, even with lever all the way to the bars. Neutral was next to impossible to find, unless engine was off and even then difficult. First thing I checked was cable adjustment which was within spec.

- I drained the oil (which looked brand new, literally - I think there was less than 100 miles on it) and opened the cover to find everything looking new. Most parts ARE new, having been replaced by the PO but this bike hasn't been abused.
- I checked the disks; they were flat when checked against a tablesaw table.
- The basket rotates side to side easily, but with no play on its shaft - does that mean that it doesn't need clearancing on the back?
- The shift drum bolt seems tight when I put a wrench on it, but the head is 1-2mm above the cam gear assy, or whatever it is that the bolt is holding down.

I haven't removed the basket yet - I'm not sure what would be different behind it. The thrust washers are new, so can't be worn yet and I'm loathe to work the lock washer too many times. This would be its second bend.

? Do I need to pull the basket to check on the drum bolt?
? If I have to pull it, what's the best technique to undo and redo the lock washer without gouging the clutch hub? I plan to follow the advice on Maximumsuzuki about pop riveting some old disks together and using a penny to jam the gears if I have to pull it.
? Drum bolt. When I put the wrench on it, it wasn't loose and moving the wrench just moved the cam gear, which is pretty much what's supposed to happen - correct? Again, no slop in it just the slight space under the head.
? Is there a break-in period for new disks such that they grab for a while until they bed in?

Anyway, any help appreciated as always. It was fun getting in there yesterday and today looks like another chance to hang out in the shop working on the bike so a good day.

- Spad

Nothing worked for my "finding neutral when running but at a stop" problem until I scored some NOS OEM steel & fiber plates off eBay. The plates that were in there looked nearly new, though I didn't measure, and appeared to be a Barnett kit judging by the look of the fiber ones. The OEM part number for one of the two (can't remember whether it was the steel or fiber), had been superseded over the years and I bought the old part number, with no problems. Shifts like buttah now and no problems finding neutral. I've got the part numbers of what I bought written in my maintenance records; if anyone is interested let me know and I'll look it up.

[kobukan]

Originally Posted by gman94

As for the kick stand safety that was one of my first things to remove when I first got the bike.

And yes after a short ride through a string of woops, the second I would give just a little throttle she would bog out so I limped it back to camp and started to remove the carb, as soon as I loosened the clamp for the air box side boot it drained out a good stream of gas.

I suspect the T-Vent Mod will solve your problems. On rough terrain, woops, or a tip-over, poor venting causes fuel to build up in the vent line and not drain properly, which causes the bogging or difficult restarting. This is a well-known issue with these bikes, typically solved with the T-Vent Mod. Fuel is always sloshing around in the carb and some will enter the vent and needs to be able to drain out. When you removed the boot the fuel that came out may have been excess fuel that was in the vent line trying to get out - it just ran back into the carb.

T-Vent Mod is cheap and easy - suggest you do that and go for another ride. Let us know how you make out.

[kobukan]

Just a little note regarding all the clutch / finding neutral issues.

On my '99 DR350 clutch cable adjustment is critical. And, it has to be adjusted when the bike is warm/hot. If my cable gets a little loose I start getting a little clutch drag, and any little drag makes finding neutral difficult, if not impossible. I keep the cable adjusted so that it seems pretty tight when cold and have no problems at all finding neutral or shifting thru the gears - like buttah as previous poster said.

[hajime]

Originally Posted by MrPulldown

"T" vent the carb, it is quick and easy, before you dig any deeper. The "T" vent is suppose to cure two things, bogging in the woops and starting issues after laying the bike down.

Yep. the "T" vent should solve your starting issues.

[hajime]

Just installed an acerbis tank and it looks pretty plain compared to the stock tank. Anyone know where to get decals?

[RuggedExposure]

I figure I would give you guys first dibs on this if anyone wants it, if not its going into the for sale section or ebay.

$30 + shipping takes it.

Light works, fairing is in great shape, decal still looks new, rubber straps are still stretchy

[2bold2getold]

I see that Kientech sells a longer clutch arm to make the pull easier. Except mine is really easy to pull and I'm not exactly a strong guy, so I don't know why you'd need it easier at the expense of loosing stroke length. Looks like that would make the problem worse. I thought about cutting the arm shorter, but you shouldn't have to do that. From what I've read, people who replace the clutch discs with new ones (maybe oem ??) report no more problems. If Suzuki got the expansion and friction properties wrong, then the question remains, why Suzuki didn't get it right on this one. Don't guess we can answer to that one. It's not like Motorcycle manufactures have any respect for intellectual property. If they do one thing well, it's copy stuff and smooth clutches and shifting has been available to copy for a long time. But then they can't seem to get gearing on a lot of models right either. Really all we need is a Trials bike low gear and a Road Racer top gear and just space out the rest of em. Well, maybe it's not that easy, but just sayin, by now you'd think they'd be better at it. Maybe it's an international thing. Maybe if they gear one for Japan and Europe, it's not right for US. But then how do you explain the DR650 ...too big for Japan? Still, it could have had a sixth gear. I think they use to make 50cc 12speed race bikes in Europe(maybe still do), so a six speed (KLR/DRZ/DR650/etc) shouldn't be a stretch. I know our DRs (and there clutches) are old and an extra gear on those other bikes would cost more $$$, but who here wouldn't be willing to pay a "little" more.

And no, I don't really want a KTM.....Yet.

[kobukan]

Based on the popularity and reliability of the DR350 & DR650 I'd say Suzuki got it right. You can't please everyone, but they've sure made a lot of people happy for a long time.

[FlyingWman]

Originally Posted by kobukan

You can't please everyone, but they've sure made a lot of people happy for a long time.

x2

[Spad]

The disks in my clutch, along with the pressure plate, spacer and thrust washers are new - put in maybe 100 miles ago by the PO. I don't know whose disks they are, so maybe they aren't OEM. After snapping off the shift drum bolt, the bike suffered a small setback in its riding season so I know I don't need to rush this. I armed myself with some left-turning bits, EZ outs, rags and magnets to catch chips in preparation for surgery and contacted Jesse at Kientech, looking into the larger diameter shift drum bolt in expectation that I could use it if I bunged up the threads in the drum in the course of repair.

Turns out, the rumors are true. He's as helpful as people say, and his estimate for the work on the drum (new 8mm hardened bolt and re-bore on the "gearshaft cam stopper plate") and on the crank (to fix the possibility of counterbalancer/crankshaft violent interaction) was less than I'd spend on parts to do it myself (maybe not if I include what I buy to reassemble the engine, but I file those under tuition costs). I'll be pulling the drum and crank and shipping them off, cleaning up everything in the clutch I can and taking the time to go through the bike head to toe.

I need to go back through the thread to see if there's a write-up of breaking down the engine to get those parts and reassembling it. I'll be taking pictures anyway, so there may be one soon in any case. That's mostly for myself to keep things straight, as I'm not a writer, but I'm pretty sure I'd be posting anyway with more questions as the surgery gets underway as this is new to me. Here's hoping I've already seen the only broken bolt of this whole adventure.

- Spad

[2bold2getold]

Originally Posted by Spad

I need to go back through the thread to see if there's a write-up of breaking down the engine to get those parts and reassembling it.

- Spad

There's some good info here http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528784

Thanks DisTech.

If it was mine, I'd be trying to drill and tap that hole, or get some help if you need to.

[2bold2getold]

Originally Posted by kobukan

Based on the popularity and reliability of the DR350 & DR650 I'd say Suzuki got it right. You can't please everyone, but they've sure made a lot of people happy for a long time.

Oooh, I agree. Love the DR350, but they did quit making it ???? and the DRZ needs another gear (which is probably why most of us got the DR350)....the Dr650 is probably the best of the bunch if you don't get one of the older ones ('06 & older I think) with the exploding third gear. Sorry, I'm just old and cranky and lament the demise of the old, simple, XRs & XRL 250s and 400s and the like. Can't seem to warm up to the Versys, Vstrom types, etc.

[GlennR]

I have a buddy who wants to start riding and is on a very tight budget. He's a total beginner, so I'm going to get him started on a little CFR150F beater. Then I have an XT225, which has to be the easiest to ride dual sport made, so it'll be perfect for him to get street legal and build up a bit of experience on. After that, he'll be ready to shop for his own dual sport and I'm trying to think of what bikes to steer him towards. He's about 6' 1" or 2" and about 175-180 lbs. I know the XT225 can carry his weight fine, but I'm thinking he might fit better on a DR350.

I'm curious about the fuel milage of a DR350. What's a "real average" that most folks get?

[devo2002]

I'm 200lbs and average 60mpg on the street with stock carb setup. I'm light on the throttle. It dips to 50mpg when doing trail riding. I'm 6'0" and started on an XT last year. I loved it but was a tad too short for me. The extra 50lbs is noticeable however.

[GlennR]

50 lbs?

I thought that the XT225 is 267lbs and the DR350 287 lbs, if that's right it just 20 lbs.

If the DR350 is top heavy, like the DRZ400S, it probably feels like 50 lbs on the trails.

60 mpg sounds pretty good.