the DR650 thread

[greer]

Shipping may cost a war pension, but Amazon and Phat Performance show them in stock.

Sarah

[Mambo Dave]

Re: grips...

I may have to replace mine eventually when I change bars, but I'm certainly not going for foam grips (that nobody has) when this 'solution' has worked for me on two bikes and many miles so far:





Tightly wound in a spiral, these cushion and leave no noticeable pressure points that had my hands tingling after many miles with traditional grips.

And, they're wider than most grips - I don't even have big hands, but I find this far more comfortable.

Yeah, yeah, I wish I had some other color rope to change it... sorta... but it's what I had on hand from the limited choices Home Depot had that day. (Of course within days they had most colors available again.)

If even only as a stop-gap until you can find foam grips, I think if its comfort you're looking for, you might try this out.

[jessepitt]

Originally Posted by ER70S-2

There was a question about removing the idle fuel screw plug over on DRRIDERS.com. I posted a link to Jessepitt's photo essay on the procedure: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...5&postcount=71

I got this response, thanks Jesse.

Jessepitt should do a manual for us rookies. These photos are fantastic!!!!
This is the definitive answer to "THE CAP OVER THE STOCK NEEDLE ADJUSTMENT SCREW."
Even I can do this now!!!
If you don't understand this. You might seriously consider taking the bike to a shop or have someone show you.

[DockingPilot]

Fellas,
Can the carb inlet tube on the stock BST be rotated ?

[neo1piv014]

Originally Posted by procycle

Take a look here
--> http://www.procycle.us/info/articles...k-upgrade.html

I've probably read your suspension rebuild articles a hundred times each, since those are the upgrades I'm likely to do in the near future. Very, very well written.

[jessepitt]

Originally Posted by motolab

A couple of points to mention:

1) It is likely that the drill will pull itself into the fuel screw when it breaks through the far side of the plug. The result can be just a little nick, mostly ruining the head, or somewhere inbetween. The way to avoid this is to use a drill stop, which, when properly set, will prevent the drill from going any further when it breaks through.

2) I've seen quite a few cracked/broken fuel screw wells. These are the result of the plug cocking as it is being pulled out. The way to avoid this is to tap the hole (I use a M4X.7 tap, which takes a 3.3mm or #30 drill). Grind the point off of the tap (if it has one) for clearance with the head of the fuel screw. Tap only deep enough to get through the plug. Then use a metal tube with squared ends and an ID just larger than the OD of the plug in conjunction with a screw and a washer with the same or larger OD than the tube as a puller to extract the plug. This way it is guaranteed to come out squarely.

3) Shimming the needle clip richens the mixture by lowering the slide rather than by raising the needle (except when the slide is against either stop), as the shim increases the preload on the slide spring.

Regards,

Derek

If you look at the write up you will see that I use a drill bit with an old, dull counter-sink collar on it for grip and drill it by hand. There is really no way to loose control and damage the screw. I dont even drill all the way through the plug. The plug has a tiny hole already drilled in it which acts as a pilot for the drill bit but also allows a small fine thread screw to be turned a couple threads in if you leave a little bit of the cap when you drill.

Prehaps I should remove a small amount of the spring in order to counter the increased preload?

[Lil' Steve]

Originally Posted by DockingPilot

Fellas,
Can the carb inlet tube on the stock BST be rotated ?

Carefully, yes. You want to be sure and have a good bite on the tube or it can bend. When I had a stock carb I believe I used a large adjustable wrench on the tube and once it "cracked", I was able to rotate it without harm.

[Porky]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

Re: grips...

I may have to replace mine eventually when I change bars, but I'm certainly not going for foam grips (that nobody has) when this 'solution' has worked for me on two bikes and many miles so far:





Tightly wound in a spiral, these cushion and leave no noticeable pressure points that had my hands tingling after many miles with traditional grips.

And, they're wider than most grips - I don't even have big hands, but I find this far more comfortable.

Yeah, yeah, I wish I had some other color rope to change it... sorta... but it's what I had on hand from the limited choices Home Depot had that day. (Of course within days they had most colors available again.)

If even only as a stop-gap until you can find foam grips, I think if its comfort you're looking for, you might try this out.

GREAT IDEA

Have been thinking about thicker grips but want to retain my Cramp Buster. Your idea will enable me to keep my Buster.

[Rusty Rocket]

Originally Posted by LucasLeader

My bike does the same thing. Doesn't burn up a noticeable amount of oil and stops smoking after a minute. It's been doing it a lot less lately too. I think the only problem I have with it is being a little embarrassed when I'm warming up my bike and spitting smoke at people walking by me.

Same here. My '96 has 20K miles on it. Only after a long period of not starting.

[Rusty Rocket]

Wow! Just the right colors. U should be selling that rope and idea on the KLR forum, you'll be able to retire in no time

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

Re: grips...

I may have to replace mine eventually when I change bars, but I'm certainly not going for foam grips (that nobody has) when this 'solution' has worked for me on two bikes and many miles so far:





Tightly wound in a spiral, these cushion and leave no noticeable pressure points that had my hands tingling after many miles with traditional grips.

And, they're wider than most grips - I don't even have big hands, but I find this far more comfortable.

Yeah, yeah, I wish I had some other color rope to change it... sorta... but it's what I had on hand from the limited choices Home Depot had that day. (Of course within days they had most colors available again.)

If even only as a stop-gap until you can find foam grips, I think if its comfort you're looking for, you might try this out.

[acap650]

Originally Posted by procycle

There are 2 reasons why you don't see grips on the DR page. First, I like to keep the number of 'general' items that folks can usually get at any shop to a minimum - especially on the pages that are so filled out like the DR page. Second, for most folks replacing grips on the DR for the first time can become a nightmare of a job.

Some day we'll have some separate pages for our favorite general items.

After reading about the throttle grip being bonded to the tube it just made sense to order a new tube with the grips-my time is worth more than the few dollars a new tube costs, and the next grip change will be easy.

[Kommando]

Originally Posted by DockingPilot

Fellas,
Can the carb inlet tube on the stock BST be rotated ?

Yup. I padded the tube with a shop rag, then applied gently-increasing torque with a wrench until it moved.

[DockingPilot]

Thanks fellas

[victor441]

Gran Turismo grips are a good option, have been around at least 40 years...they are tapered and soft in the middle, very comfortable for long rides and not too slippery...vintage British bike parts suppliers often carry them

[Mambo Dave]

Originally Posted by Porky

GREAT IDEA

Have been thinking about thicker grips but want to retain my Cramp Buster. Your idea will enable me to keep my Buster.

Inerestingly enough, because I lay down a grip's-length of rope across the grip before wreapping it, with the right placing the throttle's "bulge" from that underlying end of rope it acts as sort of a cramp-buster. That, or for both hands at least an ergonomically better bulge up into the palm than a standard purely-round grip.

The neat thing, of course, is experimenting and catering the rope to your needs.

I don't ever want to go back to tiny Japanese grips again.