The 650 Dakar Thread

[tomatoe333]

Originally Posted by TobyG

As for the Chain/sprockets, go for a RK or DID Chain, either O-Ring (good) or X-Ring (better) type and jsut egt normal steel sprockets, they are cheap and last long. I am running JT Sprockets and a DID VX2 X-Ring chain atm.

This. Don't cheap out on the chain. Get the best quality you can afford. I'm running a JT front sprocket and whatever aftermarket sprocket Touratech could overnight to me when my chain/rear spocket gave up the ghost on the way to Florida last May.

[mattomoto]

Originally Posted by LoJack

Damn, not bad!

We didn't get above zero Fahrenheit for a couple days this week here in Wisconsin . I think we're out of the woods for now.

Dam, hope so. I'm up there for a couple days next week. It has been very warm here- 60's. Packing in the moto and bicycle riding while I can

[GrizzLee]

Took the dakar out for a ride in the PacNorthWet yesteday . Sun came out and it was beatutiful. I stopped by a river (Snolqualmie) to see how the fishing was. Went to start the bike and everything lit up and then died. No power whatsoever.. I checked all the fuses and they were good.

I called BMW and they said my battery probably imploded. Short story, bike was dead, and I couldn't get in touch with the misus, my neighbor couldn't help me until he got off work at 7 pm. I ditched the bike at a farm, after pushing it nearly a mile. I then hiked about five miles in the dark to a small town (Carnation) finally got a msg from the misus, she got the ramp the straps all loaded into the truck, closed the garage and then remembered that her keys, purse an cell phone were in there.. She was locked out . She used another neighbors phone to call me. In any event, I called a friend and he offered to come get me ... It was late now. It was foggy and cold, so I hung out in a library. They closed and kicked me out. I hung around outside the library waiting for my buddy to pick me up. The local sheriff drove by a couple of times and then stopped and told me he was going ticket me for loitering. I told him my story, he said I couldnt hang out on the street and he took me to the station. By this time my cell phone was dead. I had to use a station phone to get my buddy directions to the station. In any event got, home, the misus was sitting in her truck freezing and then it began to poor buckets. Just in time..

I got up at 6 am this morning and got the bike. It was still raining. Pain in the ass to load by yourself.

Once at home, I checked f650.com and got an AGM battery, per the majority of the opinion over on the forum, from O'Reillys auto parts. The parts store did a load test and sure enough there is short in the old battery. I installed the new battery, bike fired up and away I went to ride some Forrest service roads up to the snow. No problems.

I have never had a battery implode like this. Is this a common problem? I may have tried to start the bike with the heated grips on high and the Piaa lights were on. Maybe this did it in. If so, I must be more careful next time.

Just curious. I am now a bit nervous about remote trips on the Dakar.

[KG6BWS]

Ok, Im now in need of new turn signals for the bike. Any suggestions on more durable ones than OEM??

Anyone by chance have a tall windshield, preferably an Ermax but tall OEM will work too, that they want to sell?? A sand wash on the right side and this mud slide on the left side has done in my windshield.

[Gravel Seeker]

Originally Posted by mattomoto

That converts to WAY TOO F'ING COLD!!! Ha ha.

Originally Posted by LoJack

Damn, not bad!
We didn't get above zero Fahrenheit for a couple days this week here in Wisconsin . I think we're out of the woods for now.

We're up to -5C today, but we had a couple of weeks with -18 to -23. Long term says February will be cold though. Hope my coolant has held up as the bike is stored just outside my front door... will be a few tense seconds when pressing the go button sometime in march

[Gravel Seeker]

Originally Posted by THX_337

Took the dakar out for a ride in the PacNorthWet yesteday . Sun came out and it was beatutiful. I stopped by a river (Snolqualmie) to see how the fishing was. Went to start the bike and everything lit up and then died. No power whatsoever.. I checked all the fuses and they were good.

I called BMW and they said my battery probably imploded. Short story, bike was dead, and I couldn't get in touch with the misus, my neighbor couldn't help me until he got off work at 7 pm. I ditched the bike at a farm, after pushing it nearly a mile. I then hiked about five miles in the dark to a small town (Carnation) finally got a msg from the misus, she got the ramp the straps all loaded into the truck, closed the garage and then remembered that her keys, purse an cell phone were in there.. She was locked out . She used another neighbors phone to call me. In any event, I called a friend and he offered to come get me ... It was late now. It was foggy and cold, so I hung out in a library. They closed and kicked me out. I hung around outside the library waiting for my buddy to pick me up. The local sheriff drove by a couple of times and then stopped and told me he was going ticket me for loitering. I told him my story, he said I couldnt hang out on the street and he took me to the station. By this time my cell phone was dead. I had to use a station phone to get my buddy directions to the station. In any event got, home, the misus was sitting in her truck freezing and then it began to poor buckets. Just in time..

I got up at 6 am this morning and got the bike. It was still raining. Pain in the ass to load by yourself.

Once at home, I checked f650.com and got an AGM battery, per the majority of the opinion over on the forum, from O'Reillys auto parts. The parts store did a load test and sure enough there is short in the old battery. I installed the new battery, bike fired up and away I went to ride some Forrest service roads up to the snow. No problems.

I have never had a battery implode like this. Is this a common problem? I may have tried to start the bike with the heated grips on high and the Piaa lights were on. Maybe this did it in. If so, I must be more careful next time.

Just curious. I am now a bit nervous about remote trips on the Dakar.

Quite the tale
My OEM battery died after 6 or so years.SLowly but surely went bad. It just wouldn't charge anymore. A new gel battery was the ticket. Whole new world amp wise and I don't have to worry about acid leaks when dropping it. I wouldn't worry about longer trips as long as your battery is still healthy before departure. I've never heard of a battery suddenly going from good to bad, but I suppose there could've been some sort of physical damage due to metal fatigue for example.

[KG6BWS]

Originally Posted by Gravel Seeker

Quite the tale
My OEM battery died after 6 or so years.SLowly but surely went bad. It just wouldn't charge anymore. A new gel battery was the ticket. Whole new world amp wise and I don't have to worry about acid leaks when dropping it. I wouldn't worry about longer trips as long as your battery is still healthy before departure. I've never heard of a battery suddenly going from good to bad, but I suppose there could've been some sort of physical damage due to metal fatigue for example.

They definately can. I had one go bad in my truck one time. Drove around running errands, stopped at my girlfriends house, went to leave and the truck did the same thing his bike did. Everything lit up, it cranked once and went completely dead. Not even the door buzzer would work. Came to find out there was a dead short inside the battery.

[BeachGuy]

Originally Posted by THX_337

I called BMW and they said my battery probably imploded.

Just curious. I am now a bit nervous about remote trips on the Dakar.

Can happen to anyone, anywhere any time. Try it sometime in the outback of Nicaragua, bitched at the bike till I was red in the face. The whole time it was a 5 day old battery, did the same thing yours did.

Ride the damn thing and enjoy.

[GrizzLee]

Originally Posted by BeachGuy

Can happen to anyone, anywhere any time. Try it sometime in the outback of Nicaragua, bitched at the bike till I was red in the face. The whole time it was a 5 day old battery, did the same thing yours did.

Ride the damn thing and enjoy.

Ouch... I had a bad night. Now I feel better.

Thanks.

[GrizzLee]

Originally Posted by THX_337

Took the dakar out for a ride in the PacNorthWet yesteday . Sun came out and it was beatutiful. I stopped by a river (Snolqualmie) to see how the fishing was. Went to start the bike and everything lit up and then died. No power whatsoever.. I checked all the fuses and they were good.

I called BMW and they said my battery probably imploded. Short story, bike was dead....

Some pics of the long walk into a lonely night...







A scene no one likes to see. The long ride home with a dead bike in the back of the truck.

And the recovery ride.... all is well so far...



Snoqualmie Falls


Old mill known the "Packard Saw Mill" in the TV series known as "Twin Peaks".



A forest service road the runs out and into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Shortly before I encountered snow and had to turn around.

We'll see if the battery holds out.

[LoJack]

Originally Posted by mattomoto

Dam, hope so. I'm up there for a couple days next week. It has been very warm here- 60's. Packing in the moto and bicycle riding while I can

Spent the last couple days in Madison and just drove home in a sleet storm. What normally takes three hours took over four and had to stop a few times to clear ice off the headlights and wipers. Good times!

I think you'll have ok weather here this week, though.

I've been dreaming up a fat bike lately.

[Don Coyote]

Originally Posted by LoJack

Spent the last couple days in Madison and just drove home in a sleet storm. What normally takes three hours took over four and had to stop a few times to clear ice off the headlights and wipers. Good times!

I think you'll have ok weather here this week, though.

I've been dreaming up a fat bike lately.

Did you have the Dakar down here with some wierd tank mod? A friend was trying to describe a Dakar he had seen earlier on Saturday that "looked nothing like mine"- sounded like the TT expedition gas tanks or something...

[LoJack]

Originally Posted by Don Coyote

Did you have the Dakar down here with some wierd tank mod? A friend was trying to describe a Dakar he had seen earlier on Saturday that "looked nothing like mine"- sounded like the TT expedition gas tanks or something...

No. I came down for an annual double-half birthday party. And to see my gf's 92yo gram.

That would sound like a TT tank but I don't know of one in town.

[Lone Wolf 48]

Originally Posted by THX_337

Took the dakar out for a ride in the PacNorthWet yesteday . Sun came out and it was beatutiful. I stopped by a river (Snolqualmie) to see how the fishing was. Went to start the bike and everything lit up and then died. No power whatsoever.. I checked all the fuses and they were good.

I called BMW and they said my battery probably imploded. Short story, bike was dead, and I couldn't get in touch with the misus, my neighbor couldn't help me until he got off work at 7 pm. I ditched the bike at a farm, after pushing it nearly a mile. I then hiked about five miles in the dark to a small town (Carnation) finally got a msg from the misus, she got the ramp the straps all loaded into the truck, closed the garage and then remembered that her keys, purse an cell phone were in there.. She was locked out . She used another neighbors phone to call me. In any event, I called a friend and he offered to come get me ... It was late now. It was foggy and cold, so I hung out in a library. They closed and kicked me out. I hung around outside the library waiting for my buddy to pick me up. The local sheriff drove by a couple of times and then stopped and told me he was going ticket me for loitering. I told him my story, he said I couldnt hang out on the street and he took me to the station. By this time my cell phone was dead. I had to use a station phone to get my buddy directions to the station. In any event got, home, the misus was sitting in her truck freezing and then it began to poor buckets. Just in time..

I got up at 6 am this morning and got the bike. It was still raining. Pain in the ass to load by yourself.

Once at home, I checked f650.com and got an AGM battery, per the majority of the opinion over on the forum, from O'Reillys auto parts. The parts store did a load test and sure enough there is short in the old battery. I installed the new battery, bike fired up and away I went to ride some Forrest service roads up to the snow. No problems.

I have never had a battery implode like this. Is this a common problem? I may have tried to start the bike with the heated grips on high and the Piaa lights were on. Maybe this did it in. If so, I must be more careful next time.

Just curious. I am now a bit nervous about remote trips on the Dakar.

I have just been through a similar experience with my G650GS. Riding OK and stopped for petrol then did not restart, had to push home. Gave the battery a trickle charge for a couple of days and reconnected it to the bike, all seemed OK, went for about an hour and stopped and restart the engine various times, then went for petrol and did not start all dead apart from a few whirrs and buzzing noises for a short time. Change the battery now all OK. Charging system giving 14.1 volts so back to riding.

[euromedic]

How old is the bike? How many miles? Could be that the stator went bad. I went through 2 new batteries before realizing that was the culprit of it dying.