the DR650 thread

[PPCLI-Jim]

The Braided Steel front brake line gets rid of some of the issues because of line expansion.Fluid being non-compressible will cause a old worn line to expand and thus reduce pressure in the brake wheel cylinder. Another issue is if its the rear wheel they may of picked up oils from the oiling of the chain unless its done carefully. I also agree with the fact that they MAY require a bed in time my EBC did the same thing as I got oil on the originals I pulled them out completely cleaned the disc, then put on the new pads. Took a dew days to get bedded but then they are great. Lesson learned about oiling the chain.

[Sic Semper Tyrannis]

Originally Posted by PPCLI-Jim

The Braided Steel front brake line gets rid of some of the issues because of line expansion.Fluid being non-compressible will cause a old worn line to expand and thus reduce pressure in the brake wheel cylinder. Another issue is if its the rear wheel they may of picked up oils from the oiling of the chain unless its done carefully. I also agree with the fact that they MAY require a bed in time my EBC did the same thing as I got oil on the originals I pulled them out completely cleaned the disc, then put on the new pads. Took a dew days to get bedded but then they are great. Lesson learned about oiling the chain.

I oiled down a set of new pads when a fork seal went out. Rinsed them off in brake clean, dropped them in my mill and knocked a few thou off and stuck them back in. Just because you oiled them down doesn't mean they are done.

[Mongle]

I have found that the rotors get a 'glaze' on them after a while. When I install new pads I always scuff up the rotors too. 220 grit usually does the job. I sand accross the path of the pad; NOT with it.

Seems like when I ride in the rain a lot the brakes get shitty. Don't know if it is from the rain or the road grime getting on them. I will take the pads off and scuff them with 100 grit and do the rotors with 220, wash everything in brake cleaner and go through my own bedding procedure. Seems to bring old pads back to life a little.

It is always good to check the calipers now and then. If they are not releasing all the way it will cause the pad to drag which will glaze the pad/rotors. It also creates a lot of undue heat.

[macrae85]

Originally Posted by dogjaw

I love the 705's on a 19"; does great on the road as well as the dirt

What make of disc is that?
19" is that way to go,the happy medium between road and dirt!

[barko1]

Originally Posted by TRAVELGUY

My guess is your pads are contaminated with dirt, grease, oil, soap or something. Had sucky brakes on my current DR and after changing to new pads I am very happy with my brakes. I hear many people talk about braided lines but I see no need for them on my DR with new pads and clean disk,

TravelGuy

I've put brided lines on a couple different bikes and the DR is the one that it seemed to help most. Maybe because the line was probably the original 98. Pleased with the result.

[barko1]

Originally Posted by Albie

Corbin's more comfortable then the stocker, but it sucks when you have to do a lot of standing up.

After this discussion I was out on the DR and took the dirt route home and remembered to pay attention to the Corbin while standing. Maybe I'm bowlegged or others made have fat calves but I could never even notice the seat.

[neo1piv014]

My bike has been feeling rather rough lately. It's hard to peg down, but it just feels like everything is..well, rough. I'm planning on trying to smooth things out over the winter holidays so here's my projected list of upgrades:
- Oil change to a synthetic instead of the dino oil I've got now (rough shifting)
- Wheel bearings (wheels don't want to spin very well and make an odd noise)
- Cush drive rubbers (again, rough shifting and harsh throttle jerk)
- Carb rebuild (a lot of surging, and I know for sure that my pilot needle is a bit bent)

My bike is a 2001, and the carb, bearings, and rubbers all appear to be the original parts. Is there anything else I should be looking for in terms of just tightening up the ship and making it ride a bit smoother? None of it looks terribly difficult, though I haven't ever done wheel bearings before. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for there?

[Rob.G]

Re: brakes.

I've never been terribly impressed with the DR650's brakes. My rear brake is awful. I've rebuilt it, bled it repeatedly, put on a braided line, new pads, etc, and still there's too much pedal travel. I guess I'll rebuild the caliper next, and if that doesn't fix it, replace the master cylinder.

The front brakes are just so-so. My KLX250S's front brake is vastly superior.

Still, when I put new brakes on, I always go out and bed them in properly, bike or car. I read that you want to do 4-6 back to back stops from about 40-50 mph down to 10-20 mph (depending on traffic). Get 'em good and warm. Then drive for 15-20 min without using them (if possible) to let them cool. Then park overnight. After that, you should be good to go.

Rob

[Skidmarkart]

Thanks for all the replies - bike is pretty new (2005 with 1K miles), so I seriously doubt they are work out. Maybe I will give cleaning a try before I buy anything new. I ride to work in pretty much any weather, so they get wet a lot. Perhaps a good cleaning will help before I start buying stuff.

[barko1]

Originally Posted by neo1piv014

My bike has been feeling rather rough lately. It's hard to peg down, but it just feels like everything is..well, rough. I'm planning on trying to smooth things out over the winter holidays so here's my projected list of upgrades:

See the recent thread on brakes as well, might have some sticking causing drag.

[maynard911]

Originally Posted by sagebrushocean

+1 on the braided brake line, at least for the front. I ride my DR almost exclusively on the street, and the braided lines give much better control and braking power. Night and day difference.

Braided lines do not improve braking power. The power is determined by the master/slave ratio. The improvement that we feel when replacing an old rubber line is all controlability, without the the expansion the feel becomes more direct and lever travel is reduced. The difference is not that big if we are talking about a near new stock line that has not softened as they do with age.

Originally Posted by eakins

braided brake lines help a bit but ultimately the front brake master cyl is an undersized bore (ie smaller) compared to other bikes and thus the breaking is not as good.

You are thinking backwards, a smaller master will give more power, at the expense of more lever travel. Kind of like a smaller primary sprocket gives more power at the expense of more revs. There was a great write up about how it all works in Motorcycle Consumer News a few months back. The real subject of the artical was about radial master cylinders and how they can improve braking, and the test mule was a DR 650.

[MikeyP]

Originally Posted by maynard911

There was a great write up about how it all works in Motorcycle Consumer News a few months back. The real subject of the artical was about radial master cylinders and how they can improve braking, and the test mule was a DR 650.

Interesting read. Thanks for pointing it out. Here's a link:

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/technical/Nov2012Tech.pdf

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by neo1piv014

My bike has been feeling rather rough lately. It's hard to peg down, but it just feels like everything is..well, rough. I'm planning on trying to smooth things out over the winter holidays so here's my projected list of upgrades:
- Oil change to a synthetic instead of the dino oil I've got now (rough shifting)
- Wheel bearings (wheels don't want to spin very well and make an odd noise)
- Cush drive rubbers (again, rough shifting and harsh throttle jerk)
- Carb rebuild (a lot of surging, and I know for sure that my pilot needle is a bit bent)

My bike is a 2001, and the carb, bearings, and rubbers all appear to be the original parts. Is there anything else I should be looking for in terms of just tightening up the ship and making it ride a bit smoother? None of it looks terribly difficult, though I haven't ever done wheel bearings before. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for there?

First thing that comes to mind when you mention "roughness" is chain and sprockets. Syn oil may not improve shifting. I'd guess your shift lever is loose and floppy. Tighten it up, make sure your clutch is adjusted correctly and improve your shifting technique. Also, make sure your lever is not contacting the case when you try to shift. Very common.

Cush drive rubbers do wear out ... but usually last to at least 15,000 miles. I'm on my 3rd set at near 50K miles.
But I do notice roughness when either sprocket begins to wear out. The front wears first. Also, once your chain is worn out roughness will enter into drive line feel. Chain wear on a quality chain is subtle. Cheap chains more obvious.
Before changing wheel bearings or Hubb bearing ... check them carefully ... or have an expert do it for you to be sure of their condition. Use quality bearings or OEM.

I'd be very suspicious of a an '01 claiming just 1000 miles. A 5th grader can disconnect the speedo cable ... so don't rely on that as gospel. Many other better ways to determine usage.

Good hunting

[NordieBoy]

Originally Posted by TRAVELGUY

I hear many people talk about braided lines but I see no need for them on my DR with new pads and clean disk

New pads and clean disk are nice but braided lines, especially on the front, give a far better feel at the lever.

Grab your rubber brake line in your left hand and give an emergency stop type pull on the brake lever. You'll feel the brake line expand in your hand.

[neo1piv014]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

First thing that comes to mind when you mention "roughness" is chain and sprockets. Syn oil may not improve shifting. I'd guess your shift lever is loose and floppy. Tighten it up, make sure your clutch is adjusted correctly and improve your shifting technique. Also, make sure your lever is not contacting the case when you try to shift. Very common.

Cush drive rubbers do wear out ... but usually last to at least 15,000 miles. I'm on my 3rd set at near 50K miles.
But I do notice roughness when either sprocket begins to wear out. The front wears first. Also, once your chain is worn out roughness will enter into drive line feel. Chain wear on a quality chain is subtle. Cheap chains more obvious.
Before changing wheel bearings or Hubb bearing ... check them carefully ... or have an expert do it for you to be sure of their condition. Use quality bearings or OEM.

I'd be very suspicious of a an '01 claiming just 1000 miles. A 5th grader can disconnect the speedo cable ... so don't rely on that as gospel. Many other better ways to determine usage.

Good hunting

- I'll check out the chain and sprockets. It's still on the factory chain and sprockets since it's only got 12k on it. I give them a quick look whenever I oil the chain, but a more thorough inspection could be in order.
- Are you defining "floppy" as side to side play or up and down play? I never noticed the lever feeling loose at all, but I also wasn't looking for it, so I may have missed something. If it is, how would I go about tightening it up?
- I'll check the clutch this evening. As for my shifting technique, I don't think I've been doing anything different, and it has gotten noticeably harder to shift since I got the bike 6,000 miles ago.

When I say that it's getting rough to shift, I mean that it feels like there's a lot of resistance to me shifting and a bit of a "clunk" as it finally goes it. It isn't missing shifts, finding false neutrals, or falling out of gear. It just feels difficult. Who knows, maybe it's just the weather turning cold or something stupid that I have no control over.
I'll give all those bits a looking over soon though. Thanks for the suggestions.