the DR650 thread

[Rex Nemo]

Originally Posted by Feelers

Is that the Coyote bag or the Great Basin?

Great Basin. I also have a Coyote for shorter trips.
Another note--it's possible to pack a bit lighter on trips with a group, as you can share tent, stove, and such. Solo, your load is necessarily heavier.

[P-P]

I agree wholeheartedly Travelguy! Not that I can do half of what that man could do, I give him (and all the other brave souls here)credit for DOING IT! Lifes an adventure and we need to ride OUR adventure... yours may be 4wd with a bike in the back... his was a bike with a 4wd and a bunch more in back!! Keep on truckin!

Originally Posted by TRAVELGUY

What a limited "point of view" you have of life.

TraveGuy

[JagLite]

I put the bearing in the oven and the stem in the freezer.
The bearing slid right on the stem, no force needed.

I put the bearing cup in the freezer and was able to press it (them) into the steering head by using a 12" long piece of 5/8" all-thread with a stack of increasing size washers and a nut on each end. The largest washer must be big enough to cover the stem tube so that when you tighten the nuts one end can't move and the other end pulls the bearing cup down into the stem.

You do need to make sure the cup stays straight and pulls in evenly.
I use a hammer to tap the large washer lightly if the cup starts crooked.
Don't force it, let the bolt suck it in.

Do one at a time.

I have a couple pieces of all-thread of different sizes and a bunch of heavy washers of various sizes up to 4" square bolt plates.
The all-thread works good for low pressure pressing and is very handy to have.

Oh, DON'T GREASE THE BEARINGS BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN THE OVEN!
I also put the bearing cups in a baggy in the freezer to keep moisture off.
I put a little grease on the cups before pressing them in.

[Chill]

I really don't want to start another huge "what oil" debate but I have read oil posts in this thread until I have nearly gone blind and have gone round and round in circles. I have a couple of questions still...
There are three different Castrol varieties here.
Activ 4T (mineral) 15/50
Power 1 GPS (semi synthetic) 10/40
Power 1 Racing (fully Synthetic) 5/40
The price difference is negligible. It's coming up to summer here with night temps about 20c (70f) and days 25-35c (75-95f)
Is there any benefit to me going fully synthetic or do I stick with the mineral, currently I'm using Motul. I'm leaning towards trying the semi-synthetic because it is spot on the recommended 10/40 and seeing if there's any marked improvement in shifting. Or should I go for the mineral because of its higher temp protection?

[Feelers]

Originally Posted by Chill

I really don't want to start another huge "what oil" debate but I have read oil posts in this thread until I have nearly gone blind and have gone round and round in circles. I have a couple of questions still...
There are three different Castrol varieties here.
Activ 4T (mineral) 15/50
Power 1 GPS (semi synthetic) 10/40
Power 1 Racing (fully Synthetic) 5/40
The price difference is negligible. It's coming up to summer here with night temps about 20c (70f) and days 25-35c (75-95f)
Is there any benefit to me going fully synthetic or do I stick with the mineral, currently I'm using Motul. I'm leaning towards trying the semi-synthetic because it is spot on the recommended 10/40 and seeing if there's any marked improvement in shifting. Or should I go for the mineral because of its higher temp protection?

Oh god. Oil. Again.
I always go full synthetic because it offers longer lasting property retention. It really doesn't matter what you use as long as it is not energy conserving and you change it appropriately. You are over-thinking it. Whatever brand of 10W-40 will do.

[BergDonk]

Originally Posted by Chill

I really don't want to start another huge "what oil" debate but I have read oil posts in this thread until I have nearly gone blind and have gone round and round in circles. I have a couple of questions still...
There are three different Castrol varieties here.
Activ 4T (mineral) 15/50
Power 1 GPS (semi synthetic) 10/40
Power 1 Racing (fully Synthetic) 5/40
The price difference is negligible. It's coming up to summer here with night temps about 20c (70f) and days 25-35c (75-95f)
Is there any benefit to me going fully synthetic or do I stick with the mineral, currently I'm using Motul. I'm leaning towards trying the semi-synthetic because it is spot on the recommended 10/40 and seeing if there's any marked improvement in shifting. Or should I go for the mineral because of its higher temp protection?

You're in Oz. Use Caltex Delo 400. I now have 44,000 kms on my DR using it, changed every 3-4,000 kms. I got it 2nd hand with 11,000 kms. Can't tell the difference in shifting when fresh oil goes in, so it may well go quite a bit further. I've been using it for years in my Bergs and in my old 501 it tripled the service life of the cam roller follower bearings and still going compared to Mobil 1R4T used exclusively previously. The last 20 l drum I got from the depot was $86. and its available at any Caltex servo in Oz so makes for easy changes when travelling. Others I've convinced to use it in their DRs report improved shifting and longetivity too. You had to ask

[canoli]

Just fitted a Safari 30 liter tank and started having some problems. Specifically 2-3 min after I start-up the bike sputters and dies. If I let it warm up things are OK but if I push it and just start it and go, it dies at the side of the road until more gas gets flowing. I am using a Safari tank with dual petcocks and the standard carb (no mods). I've put in a bottle of STP carb cleaner though it but that did nothing except cost me $5. Do I need to disassemble the carb to clean it? Do I make the fuel hose smaller (get rid of that 1/2 loop?) Do I need to crank the carb elbow over 90 degrees? Bike has roughly 14,000 HARD miles on it and the air/oil filters are clean and new.

Thanks,
Canoli

[TRAVELGUY]

I have a Safari on my DR and have no problems but did you rinse the tank out with gas before installing? After a few weeks of using the tank I did rotate the fuel connection on the carb to 3 o'clock just to clean up line routing. My DR does like 20 or so seconds of choke after startup, stock carb adn jetting. I'm totally happy with my Safari tank. I like being able to ride 400+ miles without filling up and the Safari carries the fuel load low so the extra weight is not noticed.

TravelGuy

Originally Posted by canoli

Just fitted a Safari 30 liter tank and started having some problems. Specifically 2-3 min after I start-up the bike sputters and dies. If I let it warm up things are OK but if I push it and just start it and go, it dies at the side of the road until more gas gets flowing. I am using a Safari tank with dual petcocks and the standard carb (no mods). I've put in a bottle of STP carb cleaner though it but that did nothing except cost me $5. Do I need to disassemble the carb to clean it? Do I make the fuel hose smaller (get rid of that 1/2 loop?) Do I need to crank the carb elbow over 90 degrees? Bike has roughly 14,000 HARD miles on it and the air/oil filters are clean and new.

Thanks,
Canoli

[neo1piv014]

Originally Posted by Emmbeedee

Often you feel it as you come to a stop. The bike weaves around really badly then.

Hmm...that sounds very familiar indeed. I guess I'll have to look into doing my steering bearings as well.

[Rob.G]

Originally Posted by neo1piv014

Hmm...that sounds very familiar indeed. I guess I'll have to look into doing my steering bearings as well.

Yep! That sounds just like it. And it's not so much that it weaves, it's that because it's stuck in the detent, you end up exaggerating your corrections for going straight that it weaves. Been driving me up a wall for over a year.

I hope this is a job I can do myself with limited tools; I'm pretty broke right now (paycheck due later next week), but would love to get it done this weekend. I wonder what a dealer would charge, even though it really isn't an option right now. Guessing an hour ($60-70 here in Oregon) if I brought them the stem and parts.

Rob

[TDY]

Originally Posted by Rob.G

... The detent, or "notch," is undetectable with the front wheel off the ground...
Rob

The mass of the wheel and forks can mask the effect. If you want to check for dead bearings before you buy replacements you can often feel the problem by removing the front wheel and forks and then turn the handle-bars very slowly.

[Mongle]

Originally Posted by Chill

I really don't want to start another huge "what oil" debate but I have read oil posts in this thread until I have nearly gone blind and have gone round and round in circles. I have a couple of questions still...
There are three different Castrol varieties here.
Activ 4T (mineral) 15/50
Power 1 GPS (semi synthetic) 10/40
Power 1 Racing (fully Synthetic) 5/40
The price difference is negligible. It's coming up to summer here with night temps about 20c (70f) and days 25-35c (75-95f)
Is there any benefit to me going fully synthetic or do I stick with the mineral, currently I'm using Motul. I'm leaning towards trying the semi-synthetic because it is spot on the recommended 10/40 and seeing if there's any marked improvement in shifting. Or should I go for the mineral because of its higher temp protection?

Honestly I didn't even know Motul made a mineral motorcycle oil. I use the Motul Synthetic E- Tech 100 10/40 in my sport bikes year around and in the DR in the summer. Why not just stick with Motul? They make about 3 diffrent synthetics just in 10/40...and countless others.

The only reason I run synthetic in the DR is for the higher break down point.

[Rumlover]

Originally Posted by Mongle

The only reason I run synthetic in the DR is for the higher break down point.

+1
Once oil is overheated it is done -- period. Bad things can happen to the engine from that point on.
Synthetic gives me a little more peace of mind in that regard in an air/oil cooled engine.

Edit: I see the original poster (Chill) indicated a non synthetic (mineral oil) had better temp protection then a full synthetic. I am not familiar with the oil he referenced, but I have never seen a conventional oil out perform a synthetic in that regard. I guess it's possible -- just not something I have ever encountered.

[doug s.]

Originally Posted by Rumlover

+1
Edit: I see the original poster indicated a non synthetic (mineral oil) had better temp protection then a full synthetic. I am not familiar with the oil he referenced, but I have never seen a conventional oil out perform a synthetic in that regard. I guess it's possible -- just not something I have ever encountered.

you never will see or encounter a conventional motor oil outperform a synthetic. if the o.p. indicated a non-synth oil had better temp protection than a full synthetic, he is mistaken.

doug s.

[Feelers]

Originally Posted by Rumlover

+1
Once oil is overheated it is done -- period. Bad things can happen to the engine from that point on.
Synthetic gives me a little more peace of mind in that regard in an air/oil cooled engine.

Edit: I see the original poster (Chill) indicated a non synthetic (mineral oil) had better temp protection then a full synthetic. I am not familiar with the oil he referenced, but I have never seen a conventional oil out perform a synthetic in that regard. I guess it's possible -- just not something I have ever encountered.

He wasn't claiming better performance. I'm pretty sure he was supposing that 15w-50 would be better at higher temperature extremes than 10w-40..... Like, 40 is recommended below 105degF and 50 is recommended below 120degF....
He won't be anywhere near the lower recommended extremes, so those are irrelevant.