Decided to jump on the band wagon and do a South America tour next winter. After extensive research (just to reinforce what I already knew) the no brain decision was loud and clear...DR650 stupid!! So here we go. How's this for a start? Hope I can get the rest of it by the dead line Ok, OK, the rest of it is still at the dealer waiting to be picked up in 3-4 weeks when I finish work. I could have any colour as long as it was this one. Last week I picked up the Forks and wheel package just because it was a good deal (thanks Mark). Forks have the race tech kit in them. Figure I'll have those packaged and ready to be shipped as back up just in case along with few other things. This will be long slow trip with no time dead lines. Assured I will become best buddies with ProCycle, Warp9 and Cogent in next few weeks I got pretty much all the goodies figured out accept wheel set up and luggage. Trying to decide if I should be going 19" front and wider 17" rear and swap tires as I need for the situation, OR run stock wheels on these adventure trips and have a set of 17" SM wheels for daily urban use. As far as luggage goes I'd like to go hard boxes for security but soft luggage might be lighter and safer in case of a crash. Any input/advice from the all wise and experienced on this mighty board will be much appreciated.
I don't know how much of an advantage a 17" or 19" front wheel would be. The stock 21" accepts a lot of inexpensive tires that work fine for pavement or dirt. 'No need to spend money that you don't have to. A spare front wheel might be nice, to mount 1 pavement tire and 1 dirt tire, although the IRC TR8 front knob does pretty decent on both dirt and pavement for around $52US. It's also reversible, to even out the wear a bit, and lasts quite a while. I also wouldn't bother with a wider rear 17". Most common 17" rear DS/dirt tires (120-140mm width) are going to fit the stock 17" rim just fine. If I were going to change the rear rim without going SM, I'd just switch to a rear 18" rim for a wider selection of rear knobbies. The 17" selection isn't too bad anymore though, with a versatile and inexpensive 5.10-width Kenda K270 able to go 5K-10K+ miles on the back of a DR650. You can also now get superlong-wearing tires for a bit more, like the 140-17 Heidenau K60. For luggage security, you can still avoid the risk of leg injury with hard panniers by using PacSafe stainless mesh over soft luggage.
Thanks Kommando for the great info. First I heard of PacSafe. Sounds interesting and will look into it.
I'd combine the mesh with a bike cover and possibly an alarm too. You can also look into Adventure-Spec Magadan soft panniers. They're made of cut-resistant Kevlar/Twaron, and can also lock with a PacSafe cable.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14469062&postcount=32 http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=918497 http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=646076 http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=712386 Plenty of ideas and reading. Congrats and have fun with the build. Subscribed in case I can actually answer a question.
Thanks man, some great links. I have been going through this forum extensively in last few months and have quite the list. I've decided to run stock wheels for the trip but will set up a set of 17's for running around town, odd track day and/or twisty technical paved roads, and even the bling factor . She's gona be duel duty for sure, full on adventure to full on SM as life requires. The 790 kit and 17's will have to wait till next year when I get back from the trip if I have any money left, or work available as far as that goes :eek1 All in all I had to say fuck it, unless I force the issue time will never be right. I've been saying "next year" for 15 years now since I first thought of the SA trip. Looking back, I could have easily done it few times back in early & mid 2000's, and would have been a lot easier in each and every way. Now at 54 had to put my foot down and yell "Adventure Time" .
Yup....just turned 53 and time gets away from ya fast. I need to get my list out and start crossing some things off.
What tire sizes are most readily available in S. America? I'd go with those. Lockable luggage unless you want to take it to the restroom with you every time. Only needs to be stolen once to ruin a trip. Save some of that money for a bandit!
"Fuck It" Is about right,if not now,when? Im 56,still ride singletrack every chance I get,ride bicycles a good amount,but the sooner the better for a trip like this. I bought a set of wheels off an inmate,the fat 19"/17" and have ended up using them quite a bit,seems like a good size for the DR. Tire sizes are the same as Stroms,GS's and other ADV bikes use. But wheel size is not a big deal for a big road trip. Having a fresh DR is a great way to go,Ive never quite had the urge for a big 2 or 3 cylinder bike for trips with some dirt and small roads involved,too much weight,too many parts,un-necessary. Big tank,good seat,basics and all will be good.
Yea I'm with ya on that....I need to save a little chunk for a dirt riding course before I go. man I'm as green as they come in that department. Just missed a mint 2000 b12 with 12,600 miles on the clock with a Corbin and a full ex system at a dealer in Tucson AZ by 2 days. Asking price was $2900. Man I'm bummed. It was a perfect fly and ride scenario. Uh well there will be more..
I was going to get the new 2014 Vstrom 1000 before the SA light bulb came on. I did ponder in taking it but came to my senses pretty quick and switched the order to a left over 2013 DR. Got a decent deal at $5800 OTD. Besides now I can have two nicely set up bikes for the price of the Vstrom. Who's got a nice 1st generation B12 they want to part with?
Wondering if any one here might have one of those Lynx fairings on their DR and what you think of it in terms of actual wind protection and otherwise. I'm also curious what it looks like with an Acerbis tank. Could not find anything with that combo. I like the looks of this fairing but it looks a bit too vertical and I'm afraid it may cause major buffeting.
Any one have these on their bike? They are made by Dirtbaggs and are $680 Canadian with mounting brackets/hardware. Price seems pretty good but wondering about quality and durability?
A bit of an update. Had a bit of luck come my way just before I put a fairly hefty order with procycle and just before picking up/paying for the new bike. This came up for sale locally pretty much all done for me and sitting in my garage now. Still need to add and/or change few minor things but other wise perfect. Here's couple of pics and the actual add listing. Based on the fact that my bill at Procycle was going to be $4200 with exchange this was no brainer for $4500. Usually I'm taking a beating on the mods but For the first time I was on the other side of the coin. Thanks to the great local seller. 4.9 IMS Gas Tank (115518) $244.99 Seat kit-Gripper/Carbon (SC DR650 Std) $169.99 Trail Tech Vapor Spedommeter $142.95 FMF Q4 Slip-On Muffler - DR650 $329.98 TwinAir Air Filter - DR650 $30.95 ProCycle Jet Kit - DR650SE $74.95 14T 525 SPROCKET DR650 $15.00 1 INCH BILLET HANDLEBAR RISERS $34.95 Intiminator fork Inertia Valve DR650 $209.95 Hand guard - Small Blue Deflectors $19.95 Vent Cap - Black $11.95 Magnetic Drain Plug DR650 $11.95 Eibach .47 Fork Springs $99.95 Ricor Shock up to 175-220 lb $599.95 Handguard kit 1-1/8 black $89.95 Tapered Handlebar kit $99.95 Dualsport Windscreen $78.95 Magneto cover gasket $17.95 Locking Gas Cap $32.95 High Output Stator $219.95 Solstice 10w LED Elliptical Beam lights $119.95 FMF Quiet insert $37.95 FMF PowerBomb Headpipe - DR650 $179.98 Locknut Axle Nut $14.95 Shorai Battery Lithium Ion $179.95 HID light kit H4 high/low $79.95 Clean-up Backside Kit $89.95 Digital Voltmeter Kit $49.95 16T 525 SPROCKET DR650 $19.00 14T 525 SPROCKET DR650 $15.00 RETAINER DR650 3-hole SPROCKET $12.95 Vapor Dash with Indicators $49.95 Speedometer Drive Eliminator $39.95 Continental TKC 80 Rear DualSport Tire (130/80 17) " $124.79 Skid Plate $99.95 TM40 Mikuni Pumper Carburetor Kit - DR650 $449.95 Warp9 Brake and Clutch Lever Set DR650 $124.95 Continental Twinduro TKC80-Dual Sport Front Tire - 90/90-21 $107.75 SW-MOTECH Quick-Lock Sidecarrier $229.99 SW-MOTECH Handlebar 12-volt Cigarette-style socket $22.50 Pelican Case Motorcycle Luggage System $399.99 Total $4,986.51 So glad that I didn't have to put up with that boring gray.