The 'No Pissin and Moanin' DR650 Thread

Ah! New rubber is SO nice! ...just sayin'....

LA B2V - tough day. I spoke to my riding buddy Strega after seeing him stop for a DS group right before Baker. Funny timing as the wife and I passed him on our way to Zion when he stopped his truck to help some riders on 15. They got on fine and we saw some in Baker gassing up and getting re-energized. Strega said some riders limped in around 4 AM with no headlight, chase team bringing gas to those who needed it, etc.

Glad you made it back to civilization. Still on my list of rides to do. I think the dinner is in Vegas tonight.

I just run my pressure high and have only had one flat on the trail in about 4000 off road miles. I've considered the rim lock since I'd like to try lower pressure when out in the deep sand.

That license plate bracket is just what I have been looking for. Where did you purchase it?

Thanks, Brad

Lower right here: (warning: DR pron)

http://www.procycle.us/bikepages/dr650.html#electrical

Well, now that its quickly approaching winter, I finally get the DR on the road Did the nsu fix, 250w stator, 14/43 gearing, rack, skidplate, barkbusters, case covers, weight reduction, airbox mod/twinair, vapor tach/speedo/hdb top clamp, 1 1/8" handlebars, DR250 taillight, rear fender eliminator/license plate light, buell directional signals front/rear, wide footbegs, 1" bar risers, and a new set of D606's. Gonna be getting a TM40 pumper next week, and try to source a gsxr exhaust can and midpipe. Heres a few pics:

I have a spare set of fork springs that came with my DR. I know that one of the previous owners did some work to the forks but exactly what, I do not know.

Is there any way to determine the rate of the fork springs that are in my spares pile? They do not have any markings on them and they are progressive (not the same distance between coils from top to bottom).

Any thoughts/ideas are appreciated. TIA, Dave.

Most likely those are your stock KYB springs that come with the DR650. Yes, they are progressive ... but tend to be too soft for riders over 150 lbs.

I have a set somewhere around here if anyone wants them ... FREE!
They are rusty from sitting outside, but otherwise fine. I now am up to 5 sets of stock springs from various bikes! It's all "Yard Art" now!

The JE labeled stuff is still high quality materials with close tolerances. Last I knew they were still making the JE line in the USA. Them and Carillo are together now.

Their SRP line is a little lower quality- but still not bad.

So, does that mean that aftermarket springs will have some type of identification on them?

I do plan to take my forks apart, over the Winter, to "factory lower them" by moving the location of the spacer. I forgot to mention that there is a metal spacer with each spring. I have to guess that's the o.e. spacer. But, the forks' length (measured from cap to axle 'eye') indicates they are not lowered. The p.o. dropped them .75" in the triples and went with the lower shock bolt in the 'high' position, to lower the DR's ride height.

What's the best sub-$1k suspension upgrades to the DR650? I have a Baja trip planned and it looks like I can get Racetech emulators, springs, seals, oil, etc for the front and a shock shaft assembly and spring for the rear for ~$850 ? I thought about a front fork swap, but I'd still have to have it sprung for my weight.

If those spacers are about 3 1/4" long, thick and feel like they weigh about a pound each.... they are the oem spacers. I did not go out in the cold to measure mine, dimensions are from memory and (as my old machinist friend used to say about 'less than precise measurements'), "give or take a brick". I have to say that the oem spacers are among the most 'robust' parts I have found on my DR, they feel as though they were leftover parts from some other project, perhaps a bulldozer!


Bruce

The stock metal spacer is quite heavy.
Seems to me it is about 1.75" long but it has been months since I played with mine.
Aftermarket springs are often shorter so a longer spacer is usually used.
Spacers can be metal or plastic.
The PO could use the stock spacer with stiffer springs to lower it a bit by allowing more sag.

First step is to measure the static sag, the difference between the length of the forks with the wheel off the ground, and with the bike weight (no rider). Then measure the "race" sag with you sitting on it. That will give you an indication of the spring rate. By giving us the free sag, race sag, and your weight. We can guestimate the spring rate for you by what we have. Make sense?

Some springs have markings on them and some don't.
You can also measure the diameter of the spring wire and count the number of coils per inch and the length.
Someone here might have the same dimensions.

The "sag" measurements will tell you if the spring is right for your weight or not.
I measure fork sag by the length from axle to cap.

What is your weight? If around 150 lbs. I believe you can stay with stock springs ... but the Emulators, IMO, are a huge improvement, worth the investment. Combined with proper pre-load (get rid of steel Boat Anchor stock spacers ... use clear PVC).

Also ... you can mess with oil weight (between 10 and 15W) and oil height (don't add too much, but more than stock can help) Trial and Error.

You may get there with that. Get it installed ... then ride the worst wash board and rocks you can find on a loaded bike. This will sort of emulate Baja riding. Make adjustments as needed.

For a shock ... I would be checking Classifieds here and elsewhere for a Cogent shock or aftermarket shock for the DR. They do come up once in a while.

But to really save money ... rebuild the shock yourself. There are a couple good tutorials on doing this. You may have to buy a heavier shock spring but the shock internals, oil and Nitrogen can all be done in house ... FOR FREE! (well, you may have to buy some washers and O rings for the shock, not sure on that)

I think you can do better than $850. If you need fork springs, try to find some straight rate Eibach's suited for your weight in classifieds. New, they are now up to about $110, used? Maybe $60?

Yo Grifter, good to see you on here still...I've not vsitied this thread until today. Question for you...has anyone made a composite engine gaurd (like KTM, Acerbis, Hyde, etc) for the DR650 yet??

Do you mean a bash/skid plate guard or case guards? I'm assuming case guards?

I have not heard of any mass produced CF guards for the DR650 ... but seems to me somewhere on the BIG DR thread an inmate who was a CF specialist made some for his own bike. My memory is dim on this ... so I'll rely on others to verify or deny.

For popular dirt bikes I've seen CF bash plates, pipe guards. The DR gets very little attention in this area. But now ... with SO MANY DR's on the road I'm thinking someone could make a bit of cash doing CF guards.

For now I'm happy with my AMP case guards and Alu bash guard. The bash plate is a bit heavy ... but strong and has enough wrap around to more or less protect side cases and oil filter in a fall. I've fallen about 15 times on my DR ... so far ... so good!

How did you get all the metal parts black??

I measured the spacers last night; 40 mm (1.57") long, 37.45 mm (1.47") diameter. They are quite heavy and have ~6 mm wall thickness.

Yes, this makes sense, thanks. The DR is sitting at the front of the garage (away for the winter) so I can get measurements over the weekend.

I measured the wire diameter at 5 mm but with the progressive winding, the number of coils per inch, isn't consistent. So, how do you determine the rate of a progressively wound spring? EDIT: Spring length = 22 3/8".

I think I weigh between 170-175 lbs. I was just weighed, at the doctor's office, fully clothed @ 179 lbs. Perhaps that's the weight to go with since I won't be riding nude any time soon..........

I'm confused.

About these things >> http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200398752189?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Some say they fit and work fine >> http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20024798&postcount=16

Whilst others say the they wont fit >> http://drriders.com/post69152.html#p69152

What say ye?

Hi ungeheuer, those on ebay are exactly what I use - 30 mm plus for the rear, improves handling a lot in my view. Whatever other people say, they definitely work.