Building a DR650 Adventure...

[Ron Seida]

Hi Rick . i guess you saw this photo
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...just joking! The shock finally cleared customs and will be delivered on Monday or Tuesday, not your fault. I'm really looking forward to bolting it on and trying it out! i love shiny new suspension parts!

[NC Rick]

I hate that it took so long, we paid extra for "Express Mail" and sent it out Dec. 12. Normally we get excellent results from the US postal service when shipping up Canada way. This time, not so much...

[Bucho]

Wow, nice job.
I think you could have a nice side job making/selling custom rally fairings for DR650s.

[Ron Seida]

Originally Posted by Bucho

Wow, nice job.
I think you could have a nice side job making/selling custom rally fairings for DR650s.

Thanx Bucho. I have considered opening a shop sometime in the future, but for now i think i prefer to ride

[Ron Seida]

Okay, i've been a busy guy! I've been working every day for 12 hours trying to get this beast on the road, as i'm just itching for another road trip
After reading a few threads on the Stator re-wire, it seemed pretty easy, so off to find the materials. The wire was easily found at an electronics supply store, and i tracked down the fibre glass sheathing from an electric motor re-builder. He gave me the 18" for free, as he felt that he throws more away during a project than what he gave me. Kudos for Armature Electric on 4th. .
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Okay, hope it works. i buttoned her up , added a new SS oil filter and some fresh oil and glued on the new case savers from AMP.
For a change of pace, i decided to start on the racks. Now, i could have bought some, but for some reason i just need to build every thing! I'm kinda stubborn that way, really. So, i bent up some hoops, 12"x16".
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And continued to build the risers
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Ending with something like this:
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So i took a lunch break and checked my mail at the post office. Looky here!!!
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Nice! I bolted her up and called it a night.

Today i concentrated on my new dash. Yup, i hated the old checker plate dash and threw it into the bin. The new one is much thinner, lighter and easy to work with. Painter it black and installed all my dash stuff: heat troller control, switch for the heated grips and the stock turn signal indicator.
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this job is really slow and maticulous!
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I had to make a bracket for the IMO speed sensor, so i used a piece of aluminum angel and spun up some spacers on the lathe.
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Okay, thats all for now. Until next time

[monkeyfez]

[vander]

Originally Posted by monkeyfez

+1

[Bucho]

Originally Posted by Ron Seida

Thanx Bucho. I have considered opening a shop sometime in the future, but for now i think i prefer to ride

Let you know when you are opening your shop. I'll send you my DR for the winter...

[LukasM]

Damn Ron.... Can I send you mine next?

By the way, if you double click the address under your photobucket pics that has the [img] tags around it, it will get copied automatically and you can just paste it directly in the Advrider new post window.

[Ron Seida]

Originally Posted by LukasM

Damn Ron.... Can I send you mine next?

By the way, if you double click the address under your photobucket pics that has the [img] tags around it, it will get copied automatically and you can just paste it directly in the Advrider new post window.

Hey Lucas . I'm taking a day off today, but the bike is almost done. Just gotta work out some details with the racks, like a quick release system for my Pelican top box, tool kit, fuel bottle (for my camp stove) placement and Steble horn placement. Double click, eh? Maybe thats what i've been doing wrong . I'll give you guy's the final up-date early next week.

[SpencerCompton]

[Ron Seida]

...okay, where was i?? The last few day's have been a blurr. Oh yeh, i posted a question about wiring into the coil for the tachometer. On the DR650, you want this one:

Or the one in the plug beside it, i don't think it matters. It turns out that i had to calibrate the IMO with a potentiometer built into the unit. Sorry, no photo, but you guy's all use that "Other Brand" thats made in China anyways .
I completed the racks, they turned out something like this:




I had planned on building some sort of clever mounting system for my Pelican case top box, but wasn't sure what. Then, i remembered from previous boxes that i had built how much i liked the stainless steel quick hinges i had always used on the lids. Strong, removeable, simple and at $20 a pair, relatively cheap .

While fabricating the mounting plate for the box, i painted the racks with some really hard appliance epoxy with the hope that it won't wear away onto my bags. I also had to find a home for my new horn, it's as big as it is loud!


Unfortunately, this was the exact spot where one of my bag straps goes! Damn! For now i'll try to hang the rear strap over the top of the rack and see how it works. Any thoughts on this?
After the paint dried, i riveted everything together with stainless steel rivets and checked the fit.





...not bad, huh?
So, it turns out that the bike is quite a bit taller now, with the new stiffer shock and taller forks, along with the wider seat, i can barely tip-toe! Also, the centre stand is about 1/2" short, so i spun up a couple of stand-offs on the lathe.



There, thats better. No point in having a centre stand it you can't spin the wheels when it's deployed, right?
And there you have it! My 2006 Suzuki Kdr650




And just a little reminder of what she used to look like:

[LukasM]

I would bow down now but this will have to do:


I can't believe how good of a match the KTM fairing is for the Safari tank!!!! I had two of those lying in my garage in Austria and sold them before trying them out when my DR was with me in Spain....


DR650 Adventure alright!

[monkeyfez]

That is a work of art. I want one.

[TheFrenchCanadian]

Way to go! Some great ideas there and real creativity.

Thanks for sharing that with us!

TFC