Everyone goes straight to the apocalypse when these scenarios are contemplated. I think the DR650 is probably the best "get out of Pensacola when a cat 5 hurricane is approaching and everyone is going insane, lines are miles long for gas, and all the roads and freeways are packed with cars." You could ride off the side of the freeway in the grass, follow some railroad tracks, or take dirt roads, fields, etc to get out of Dodge. I bought the DR for completely different reasons, but unbeknownst to me I actually bought a pretty decent shtf vehicle. Of course, useless if your not single, if you have big pets, etc. But for a single dude looking to grab some clothes, a laptop, and some small valuables and get out of trouble, its perfect. Strap a few gas cans to the bike (with an IMS/Acerbis/Safari already on it), and you can get 3-500 miles away from trouble before you even need gas. Its simple, nothing to break or overheat, etc. As far as total Apocalypse, I would take a bicycle over anything. A horse can be shot by someone, it needs food and water (like you do), it cannot be thrown over a fence, and it can be spooked. A bicycle is literally almost bulletproof. Anyways..
Yeah, definitely need to worry about protecting all the wiring. I have seen mention of the buell headlight mod, but im not sure exactly how much weight it saves- you have any clue? If it saves alot compared to stock, Id do it. If it only saves a little I might as well stay stock and buy an HID kit. This is why I was looking at KTM headlights and aftermarket ones- weight. Of course, as an adv bike the light needs to actually work. Never considered anything in the forks. I need to get it all apart and take a look, but I also need to get it back on the road! Im a huge believer in doing smart things to reduce weight. When the price gets ridiculous then I stop. I did the same with my 1200 bandit and it made a huge difference in tight twisties throwing it from side to side.
All in good time. I envision it would cost a fair few thousand dollars plus shipping for the single cylinder diesel engine I would like to use for the project, plus a wrecked DR650 to use as a donor bike.
I was wondering if a newer version of the Vapor came with two probes; one for the spark plug and one for the oil cooler. You answered my question. Since you only see 180º F oil temps during the Summer, try to block off the cooler to get temps closer to 180º. It may not be easy since daily ambient temps tend to be widely variable at this time of year. I'm kind of chasing a similar issue with my VTR250; the engine is so small and radiator rather efficient so that I see very low water temps in the Spring and Fall. I'm trying to come up with some sort of sliding shield so I can block off varying sections of the rad to maintain better temps. It's stamped steel is it not? Are those support pieces that heavy? I'm going to guess that any other metal may not handle the vibrations as well (stress fracture). I suppose you could weld a section of .75" square tube to the head bearing tube so you could bolt a structure to that. Then, you could remove all of the stuff that's attached to the forks/triples.
My DR's starter has developed a little bit of a squeal during start. It only seems to happen after the bike has been sitting outside in the parking garage all day (cool temps). The weather has started to change here (Chicago) so that day time highs are in the 50s/60s. In the morning when the DR has been sitting in the (warm) garage overnight, it doesn't make a sound. I looked at the shop manual and it seems that some lubrication is required. But, I didn't want to take a lot of things apart in case this sound might indicate bigger issues. I plan to address it over the winter but thought I would ask the collective now. Has anyone else experienced this? TIA, Dave.
More like a pig that's being violated............ I don't recall that removing the oil line is part of the procedure but you do have to remove the cam chain tensioner, the pipe and the clutch cable/arm (IIRC). So, disassembling the starter on the bike, eh? Sounds plausible. What did you use as a lubricating agent?
Insert banjo music here.................... I removed the oil line and CCT, but not the pipe. The clutch cable bracket is secured by the two starter thru bolts, so it comes off. Doing it on the bike is possible, but very tight, and for whatever reason, that's the way I did it. I used marine grease. At the time I was unaware of the CCT complications if done wrong, I got lucky. :huh
Correct, stamped, thin steel supports. Not heavy (but it all adds up) The turn signal brackets are steel too. You definitely could fabricate a lighter, alternative mounting system to simply the whole arrangement. Hope you can come up with something elegant and functional!
I've not weighed the Buell headlight. One was for sale a while back ... cheap. I didn't buy it. The Buell headlight and shroud is probably light, weight comes with how its mounted and what materials used. There are several alternative headlight fairings on the BIG DR thread, if you can find them! I mis-spoke, upper triple is Alu, but has steel brackets and steel turn signal mounts. Upper triple HUNKY, as it houses ignition, rubber bar mount system and incorporates idiot light module. An aftermarket upper triple might be stronger, lighter, stiffer? I totally agree regards Price vs. weight savings: It only makes sense to do relatively cheap and easy weight saving methods. Plus One on the Bandit. A good riding buddy has one ... tricked out an lightened. More like a GSXR than a Bandit now. What a great bike.
Pretty much. I'd prefer to keep things as simple as possible. So, I think I'll leave the CCT alone. Perhaps I can remove the starter far enough, with other things in-place, so that I can lube that bushing and then re-install it. I just had the head bearings replaced, frame powder coated and got the DR completely re-assembled. I'll not be welding anything to the head tube any time soon. But, if/when the opportunity presents itself, I may look into it. In retrospect, wouldn't the lock 'rack' interfere with something welded longitudinally to the head tube? I'm thinking it would (not that that's a shop stopper but it would be a consideration).
Simple is why I did mine on the bike. Post back, inquiring minds will want to know if it can be done with the CCT left in place (a very important point for the less mechanically inclined and future information). edit: this is incorrect, there's a bearing on the left end of the armature. OBTW: There are two bushings, one on each end of the armature.
I won't be getting to this until deep in the winter "off-season" (probably January) but I'll be happy to let everyone know if it's possible and how to do it.
Timely. I just fixed mine as starter had completely seized and did a little write up http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=832297 I'm not a mechanic and was shitting myself at the idea of removing the CCT but it turned out to be fairly painless. The hardest part was finding the correct TDC for the first time. That and unbolting everything else which was just a pain. I can't see how to get the starter out without removing it unless you're skilled with chopsticks. If you do remove the CCT, buy a new gasket $4.00 before hand. The first time took me an hour checking and rechecking but I ended up having to do it twice and the second time took 15 mins max PM me if there's anything else you need P.S. looking back i'm pissed I didn't have a crack at it when my CCT gasket started leaking a couple of years back. The mechanic I used took me for a ride and didn't even get a new gasket. Just lathered silicone on the old torn one. If I was as broke then as I am now I might have learned something :)