the DR650 thread

[eakins]

Originally Posted by felixblack1

I think for most EFI would defeat the purpose of why most bought the simple DR.

i'm not sure about that. seems people start with a base-stock bike like the DR as it's stock form is older tech but very solid and reliable. then plenty add pumper carbs (... & $1000s of other mods) to further increase fueling on the DR. haven't seen people afraid to spend a good bit of $ on DR mods. i'm sure Jeff @ PC will attest to this spending. heavily moded bikes become less than simple.

modern FI components can work dead reliably and be found on "simple" bikes like the XT250 and the TU250. a properly tuned FI on a bike can be a mostly set it and forget thing and provide proper fueling at every elevation. except for the occasional FI body sync (you'd do this with carbs too) 650 Vstroms run day in day out on FI. we've all been driving FI cars forever and not worrying about if the FI will crap out.

that being said I think there are plenty to would love to have all the FI advantages and still have that same reliable base-stock DR bike under them.
MXRob has proven FI can work extremely well on a DR. If there was a 5 to 6 bill true PnP bolt on kit people would buy it.

read the reports. everyone with a TR650 or a WR250R or a CRF250L or a 500EXC is never looking to go backwards to a carb...nor are the MX guys racing on the track. They've fully embraced it because yes it works.

If Suzuki re-released the DR with FI (like Yamaha did with XT250) i'd upgrade.

[eakins]

Originally Posted by planemanx15

I don't know about where you are, but in New York State, I need the high beam to pass the yearly safety inspection. You could just replace the bulb for that day, but why have to do more work than you need.

i live (my address is atleast where i get my mail @ my PO box) in the land of the ultimate bike freedom...western slope colorado.

where we can tag any motorcycle and have no bike inspections what so ever.

[eakins]

Originally Posted by Rusty Rocket

Pretty much my sentiment.

I have a friend with 3 Huskys. TE610 carb'd, a TE310 FI and a 630SM FI. He had to buy expensive software to make the FI's run right. The carb'd bike, he just rides it. I purposely stayed away from FI. Don't understand it and I'm too old to learn.

yes those older Husky's have had issues. newer FI examples are done right.
there are plenty of carb bikes not running right from the factory too.

[eakins]

if he can tag a dirt bike, the new FI Yamaha WR450F is one hell of an off-road machine if he wants to stay in the Japan INC. fold.
this tank will be in the US soon plus there are smaller options.
http://justgastanks.com/product_info...oducts_id=3554

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

If you're riding with the KTM guys ... then I must say ... you should be on a KTM too. KTM four strokes of the last four or five years are a WHOLE generation ahead of the DRZ when it comes to competence off road. The Suzuki wins in the maintenance and reliability dept. but if you want to explore off road ... the KTM is far ahead.

If you have the budget ... find a nice used KTM 250 or 450 EXC. Also look around for a nice Husaberg and Husqvarna. Fantastic bikes off road and used prices are quite good. I recently rode a friends Husqvarna TE450 ... cool bike. FAST! And FUN!

I rode my '01 DRZ400E all over the Mojave dessert and Baja. It was good ... but the KTM's and Huskies are JUST BETTER. The Suzuki wins on highway but off road ? No contest.

[Rusty Rocket]

Originally Posted by eakins

yes those older Husky's have had issues. newer FI examples are done right.
there are plenty of carb bikes not running right from the factory too.

But with a carb, I but a couple $4 jets, not $300 software pkg.

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by eakins

thanks for the feedback. sounds like you love the hi/lo kit vrs the lo only kit.

so the hi/lo kit is wired back to the battery too in addition to tapping into the stock bulb plug.
while the lo kit just has 2 wires only tapping into the bulb plug. do I have that right?
or do both styles have power back to the battery for the ballast units?

if i add this, should i keep my relay and utilize it or eliminate it out of the electrical loop as it's not need and just extra parts?

With the single bulb kit no other power is required, all is provided through headlight plug. (only two of the three plugs used)

The Ballast and Ignitor plug together, both derive power from the headlight plug. ... that's it, No relay required.

But if you have one already wired in ... leave it. But to me, just one more thing to worry about and have to check to see if a solder joint cracked or plug broke.

I'm no fan of wires running all over my bike. Been there, done that with a former BMW R100RS I owned that had every accessory known to man on it. ... and guess who had to trouble shoot it many times at night crossing from New York to California? I made it work but with some difficulty. Wires were run from tail light to headlight, fuse blocks, Relays ... they all had issues after 75,000 hard miles. Luckily, for the most part the elec work was done by Pros so color coding and method were correct and not impossible to diagnose.

[eakins]

Originally Posted by Rusty Rocket

But with a carb, I but a couple $4 jets, not $300 software pkg.

yes I agree that sucks from a cost perspective. most work right out of the box.
the Ecotrons ECU, i believe, has the ability to connect to a computer and adjust the fuel metering like other bikes. a pnp DR kit would of course have all the fueling fined tuned and perfected before it goes out the door. those that have tuned fueling with a computer via simply plugging in a usb (and changing up to new maps or fine-tuning existing ones) say it's a huge revelation compared pulling carbs and trying different jet combos and working on getting it right.

i'm sure people lamented points going away but no one would say nowadays they'd love toss their electronics to go back to points. i'd say FI is the future, but it's not really new by any stretch, and is here to stay.

[eakins]

I agree with added electrical parts to bikes. the more you add, the more things can get wonky over time. it's been on my bike for years with no issues and does help providing stronger juice for my regular H4 bulb.
i always knew if i lost lights (both hi & low) i could always plug straight back into the stock harness and get power back that way in a flash after 1st checking the relay fuse to confirm it's not that.

of course with a dual filament H4 bulb it's easy to tell if you have a bulb/filament issue, the other filament still burns so it's just a bulb replacement. what about HID lo only kit light failures?

I think the bulbs are more robust (the DR is a vibey thumper after all), but do you start with bulb replacement and see what happens? does the ballast/ignitor have any lights on it that says it's still ok? at this price point I know were talking about Chinese components so that's why i'm asking.

any know about HID hi/lo bulbs? are they total fail system or can 1 side, hi or lo still work?

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

With the single bulb kit no other power is required, all is provided through headlight plug. (only two of the three plugs used)

The Ballast and Ignitor plug together, both derive power from the headlight plug. ... that's it, No relay required.

But if you have one already wired in ... leave it. But to me, just one more thing to worry about and have to check to see if a solder joint cracked or plug broke.

I'm no fan of wires running all over my bike. Been there, done that with a former BMW R100RS I owned that had every accessory known to man on it. ... and guess who had to trouble shoot it many times at night crossing from New York to California? I made it work but with some difficulty. Wires were run from tail light to headlight, fuse blocks, Relays ... they all had issues after 75,000 hard miles. Luckily, for the most part the elec work was done by Pros so color coding and method were correct and not impossible to diagnose.

[ER70S-2]

Originally Posted by eakins

Anyone know about HID hi/lo bulbs? are they total fail system or can 1 side, hi or lo still work?

Eakins, this might answer your question:

Originally Posted by BergDonk

They're not a dual filament bulb like we are used to. They are not a filament bulb at all in fact, but a bulb of gas that gets excited and glows brightly when it does. They dip by having a solenoid move the bulb along a rail so the focal point moves inside the lense of the light. If you look at an H4 bulb closely you'll see the 2 filaments in different places, so the dipping H4 HID attempts to mimick that.

Works fine and there isn't much extra wiring, and what there is is all at the headlight. It plugs into the standard H4 socket instead of the original bulb, and has a feed from the battery.

I got a car setup that is pretty much the same price as single bike ones and got some as yet unsued spares.

I just found this site that may assist:
http://www.yourcustomcar.com/hid-lights.html

[eakins]

Just wondering, has any done a HIR bulb (w/ the notch mod to fit H4) and used it an the DR housing? or something like this http://www.lightbulbs4cars.com/product/HIRH4 with an H4 base but with low only? you of course are the 40w the opposite direction of the 35w HID kit.

[eakins]

Originally Posted by ER70S-2

Eakins, this might answer your question:

thanks.
i did read that and should have taken that as him saying it's a single bulb housing so when it fails it the whole thing fails.

it's easy enough to bring or find an H4 bulb when on the road, so if something fails with HID, you can always pop back in a H4 and plug back in the wiring harness plug and you're back to stock.

[BergDonk]

Originally Posted by eakins

thanks.
i did read that and should have taken that as him saying it's a single bulb housing so when it fails it the whole thing fails.

it's easy enough to bring or find an H4 bulb when on the road, so if something fails with HID, you can always pop back in a H4 and plug back in the wiring harness plug and you're back to stock.

That's the bottom line. How you wire it up is your choice. I still ahve the extra relays in mine from the stock bulb and no longer needed, but if I revert, its just a bulb swap.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...&postcount=379

[shu]

I frequently ride in cold temps (as long as the roads are dry). Recently I set a new record for myself.

When it's in the 30's and 40's *F, I find it takes the DR (w/ stock BST carb) about 3-4 minutes warming up in the driveway and another 6-8 minutes of easy running on the road to fully warm up and run smoothly.

In the 20's it takes a bit longer and really runs pretty rough at lower rpms for 10-15 minutes. In the low 20's I usually velcro a piece of cardboard in front of the oil cooler screen guard to block some of the direct air flow.

A few days ago, I rode out at midday when the temps were in the 30's and stayed out longer than I expected. When I started home from Denver in the dark it was about 20* and by the time I got to my house in the mountains it was just 3*. Brrrrrrrrr.

I found the DR with the cardboard wind blocker in place would run ok at mid rpms but it never really warmed up at all and when I pulled away from stop signs, etc. I really had to give it a lot of gas and slip the clutch to keep it running.

Questions:

1.How bad was that ride for my motor? (Synthetic 10 W 40)

2. Is this cold running problem typical for a carbureted motor?

3. Should I velcro the cardboard directly touching the oil radiator itself instead of leaving the air space between the guard and the radiator open?

4. As the day warms up, at what temp do you think I should be wary of using anything to block the cooler?

5. How would I know if the bike was overheating due to blocking off the cooler?

All opinions welcome.

Thanks......................shu

[VooDooDaddy]

Originally Posted by GSF1200S

"...if I were going to South America, Id buy new and get the 5 year unlimited mileage warranty..." "Say something freak happens (is 3rd gear really a freak?)- that could be the difference between the end of your trip or simply a (possibly long) delay..."

..."I sometimes wish I had bought new just for that warranty- thats a big slice of piece of mind..."

..."you could even get a spare motor from a wrecked DR and keep it on the side. Thats piece of mind and costs about the same as a warranty.

Not to burst your pretend bubble, but just exactly how/where would a person find "warranty" service in the Bolivian Altoplano? Or just about anywhere in Central America or South America.

Not to mention the thousands of dollars saved in not buying new will fund months of actual riding for me in South America. To each his own, and I realize not everyone has mechanical abilities, experience, tools, or a place to work on their bikes, but I would never buy a new Japanese bike simply for a warranty.

[acesandeights]

I bought new, but it wasn't for the warranty. It was because they are scarce (reasonably priced) around here. Typically they have farkles I don't want, so I'd be spending farkle money anyway. Also, mileage is time owned, for me. The mileage on most used bikes is a couple or more years of ownership, sometimes it's more than several years of ownership.