the DR650 thread

[trailrider383]

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

.70 front?

That would be a stiff ride...

Racetech changed their spring calculator a while back and it shows a lot stiffer fork springs than it used to. I just tried it a minute ago and it recommends .72 for the front and 7.9 for the rear for my 195 pounds. I have had .50 in the front and 8.1 on the back for a few years now.

[NordieBoy]

Originally Posted by trailrider383

Racetech changed their spring calculator a while back and it shows a lot stiffer fork springs than it used to. I just tried it a minute ago and it recommends .72 for the front and 7.9 for the rear for my 195 pounds. I have had .50 in the front and 8.1 on the back for a few years now.

Weird.
0.47 front and 7.6 rear gives me (85kg) the correct static and race sag settings going by Ned and James's book.

[TrophyHunter]

SkunkWizard - I like the low front fender and if I had a road going only or mild dirt road DR, I'd go with it. I've seen your metalwork firsthand - there's some in my garage - and it's first rate.

Good to see you around here still.

[SkunkWizard]

Originally Posted by TrophyHunter

SkunkWizard - I like the low front fender and if I had a road going only or mild dirt road DR, I'd go with it. I've seen your metalwork firsthand - there's some in my garage - and it's first rate.

Good to see you around here still.

I've always been lurking, I try to keep my post count low and my ride count high.
Metalwork is my weakpoint, I do it for a change of pace & relaxation.
Composites are my deal and it keeps me stupid busy during racing season.

I have a new project for the DR in the works, I can't wait for some free time. It involves Stainless Steel and carbon fiber.

[ER70S-2]

[acesandeights]

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

Weird.
0.47 front and 7.6 rear gives me (85kg) the correct static and race sag settings going by Ned and James's book.

Well, I do know that you and I don't weigh the same. If you weighed only slightly more, or had your bike loaded you'd probably be using the same rear spring as me. I always thought both the front and rear of my stock bike was way under sprung and now it seems more balanced. I did go up a lot on the front if you think about it in terms of percentage (.40 stock springs to .70 aftermarket); although I have to wonder if the progressive front springs would be similar to a heavier spring as they cycle through the range (I don't know). So, maybe because I now have straight rate springs I go with a higher rate; whereas the stock spring feels like a higher spring rate as it cycles? I was going to measure my sag, but I froze my ass off putting on some new Barkbusters, so I'm taking a bourbon (Bulleit) break.

You went up about 15% front and rear, and I went up much more in the front. I'm wondering if the progressive to straight rate means anything in the reasoning.

[Rob.G]

I got my forks apart today with only a medium of mess. ;)

I noticed, comparing to the photo spread on the ProCycle site that Jeff pointed me to, that my damper rods don't have the nylon cup on either side. I've verified it's not stuck in the fork tube. Is this going to be a problem?

I also noticed there are no rebound holes in the rod, unless you count the single, super tiny (not even 1mm) hole up near the top.

AND, whoever did the original "lowering" on this bike put the spacer and the top-out spring in the wrong way according to both the ProCycle picture spread and the paper instructions from RaceTech. I doubt it made any difference, but it was worth noting.

Now to go start drilling.

Rob

[mrprez]

Originally Posted by acesandeights

FYI, suspension, gearing impressions.

Got my bike back this afternoon from a local suspension guru and nothing is spewing fork/shock oil! But, even better than that is the way the bike feels. It sure doesn't ride like a DR650 anymore, at least nothing like a stock one. I am shocked (notice the pun!) at the difference the emulators and shock shaft assembly have made. Granted, I've only put about 40 miles on it since I picked it up, but having the adjustable rebound is incredible. The bike is planted.

I may have gone a bit too stiff with the springs (.70 front and 8.1 rear), I'm still figuring it out. It's a relatively stiff ride, but the fact that it doesn't bounce around on wash board is phenom. I need to find a place that's significantly more rutted or wash boarded out because most of the stuff around here has a nice layer of new gravel over a frozen layer of dirt, but the dirt roads nearest my house are completely different to ride with the new suspension.

I just wanted to post this for those on the fence about upgrading the suspension. It probably doesn't matter what you do as an upgrade, it's probably all for the better, but if you go all out and get new springs and emulators and a rear shock with adjustability, I think you'll be surprised at how different your bike will feel and perform.

BTW, I also changed the front and rear sprockets (one down in the front, one up in the back). I guess it's got to be about an 8 or 9% change and it has made a pretty good difference, and definitely not too low for around town, commuting and gravel roads. I lost a little top-end, but I didn't use it anyway (over 5k miles and it's never been on an interstate).

I finished mine a few months ago but I'm still not happy with the rear shock. The slow speed damping doesn't feel like it has changed at all. I still get that pogo stick feeling when riding on surface streets. I haven't been able to take it out on any dirt stuff as yet. Did yours tighten up enough where you don't feel like it is riding on just the spring?

[Rob.G]

New question... how do you guys go about deburring these holes? I got 'em all drilled, but now they have sharp edges, which the instructions say are a no-no.

I have a Dremel... suppose I could use that.

Rob

[acesandeights]

I didn't drill mine (someone else did), but typically I just run the drill in and out a few times and it cleans up the edges.

[acesandeights]

Originally Posted by mrprez

I finished mine a few months ago but I'm still not happy with the rear shock. The slow speed damping doesn't feel like it has changed at all. I still get that pogo stick feeling when riding on surface streets. I haven't been able to take it out on any dirt stuff as yet. Did yours tighten up enough where you don't feel like it is riding on just the spring?

Yes, it's stiff in fact, but doesn't feel like it's riding on the spring. That's how it felt in stock form like it was riding solely on the spring.

I rode again today and went over a little dirt jump the kids around the neighborhood use on their bicycles. I didn't jump it due to all the mud, just up and over a few times as if it were "whoops". My bike follows the terrain really well. Both tires stay planted to the ground. I know what you mean by the pogo because that's what my stock suspension felt like, but a really soft pogo stick. Now it's a stiffly, firmly planted, completely connected to the ground feeling. I'm still not sure whether it's a little too stiff, but I'm almost thinking riding for the last 18+ months with the stock suspension has made me forget what a good set up should feel like. Mine feels like the compression is stiff and the rebound just sticks the bike to the ground...no pogo. Hope that helps. BTW, when are the tires coming again!?

[neo1piv014]

Just some more carb tuning questions for the board here. This one is fairly straight forward:
is the white spacer supposed to sit right up against the bottom of the needle clip? When I took the spacer off my old needle and put it on this one, it goes almost all the way up to where the clip is, but then gets wedged into place very solidly. I wound up having to use a decent amount of force to get the damn thing off again. I also noticed that I have a very small washer that sits right below my white spacer. Is this factory, or was someone trying to tune the carb before, and I should take it off now that I have the adjustable needle?

Switching from my old, bent needle to the non-USA OEM needle did get rid of some of the surging I had been experiencing, but I think I'm running way too rich. My fuel economy is now down to the 35-36 range, and that's cruising 65-75 on the highway with some small around town trips. I've noticed that I've lost a smidgen of power, and there is some surging at low RPMs around maybe 1/3 or 1/4 throttle that doesn't feel quite right. Looking at Derek's chart for it, that falls within the realm of clip position, and I'm thinking that if that spacer isn't where it's supposed to be, I'm running insanely too rich. My fuel economy has been a problem since I first got this bike, so if it really was this simple the whole time, I'm going to feel like a dolt.

[canoli]

Originally Posted by Mambo Dave

With about 7500 miles on the beast today I changed out the rear and front brake fluid.

Here is about the first inch-worth's of fluid coming out of the front...
Hope I put newer fluid in it in time to prevent the front from seizing up too soon.

What are you using to flush/bleed the system and how long did it take? Local dealer wants $99 p/hr for service and I'm not about to get ripped off so I was going to try and do this myself.


Thanks,
Canoli

[motolab]

Originally Posted by neo1piv014

is the white spacer supposed to sit right up against the bottom of the needle clip?

Yes.

When I took the spacer off my old needle and put it on this one, it goes almost all the way up to where the clip is, but then gets wedged into place very solidly.

It's good that some force is required to get the spacer all the way against the clip. This will help prevent the needle from spinning during operation, which otherwise causes needle wear (see the needle on the left here: www.moto-lab.com/gallery/view?itemid=306).

I also noticed that I have a very small washer that sits right below my white spacer. Is this factory, or was someone trying to tune the carb before, and I should take it off now that I have the adjustable needle?

Leave it out.

Switching from my old, bent needle to the non-USA OEM needle did get rid of some of the surging I had been experiencing, but I think I'm running way too rich. My fuel economy is now down to the 35-36 range, and that's cruising 65-75 on the highway with some small around town trips. I've noticed that I've lost a smidgen of power, and there is some surging at low RPMs around maybe 1/3 or 1/4 throttle that doesn't feel quite right. Looking at Derek's chart for it, that falls within the realm of clip position, and I'm thinking that if that spacer isn't where it's supposed to be, I'm running insanely too rich.

Indeed.

Remind me though, how many miles are there on the carb, and have you already inspected the slide guide, emulsion tube, slide and float needle for wear/damage?

Regards,

Derek

[JagLite]

Originally Posted by canoli

What are you using to flush/bleed the system and how long did it take? Local dealer wants $99 p/hr for service and I'm not about to get ripped off so I was going to try and do this myself.


Thanks,
Canoli

That is probably their one hour minimum charge?

It took me maybe 5 minutes to do the rear and a couple minutes longer on the front.

I bought a speed bleeder at NAPA (auto parts store) for around $5 or so.
Just a simple check valve with a piece of tubing on each end.
Loosen the bleed bolt, stick the tube on it with the other end in a drain cup and start pumping.
Add more fluid as the reservoir allows until only clean and clear fluid is coming out.
Tighten the bleed screw and check the feel.
Hard as rock for me with ss lines.

I probably took me longer to type this than it took to do one wheel, but I type slowly...