The DR650 Highway Touring Thread

[sagedrifter]

This needs a bump...

Get the bike to fit you! I'm tall so that included high bars, risers, lowered pegs, tall seat. I added stiff springs to carry the load, no more front end dive where it feels like you going to fly off. I like soft bags for touring. Keep the weight down!

I really like my wind shield, its left on most of the time now. Heated grips help out a bunch even on rainy summer days in the mountains. I have the Safari fuel tank, I love the range and its so nice when your making time crossing the plains or something else at high speed. Less fuel stops more miles covered, I can do at least 400 miles a tank loaded heavy at sane speeds. Nice comfy grips, I use ProGrips 699's. I like my Alaska butt pad too. Oh... good ear plugs and maybe some tunes... I don't like riding the boring bits without my Ipod...

I took this pic today, I'm running some mild tires for mostly pavement touring... I'll be going back to much more aggressive tires though. The Shinko 705 works well on the rear for ADV touring. I want to put a more aggressive tire on the front soon but my old Anakee won't die.... The mild tires on the front last.. and last... I still have a 705 front to use up... too.. Great on long road trips of mostly pavement and hard pack.

[BgDadddy]

[planemanx15]

Originally Posted by sagedrifter

Nice little setup you got there

What kind of side racks are those?

[Jelly]

Originally Posted by planemanx15

There is a ton of info on this site (and others) about the great Suzuki DR650 and its dual sport abilities. But what about those that do mostly highway touring?

What features and comforts did you guys and gals add to your beast to make it a better highway cruiser?

I really like the DR650 a lot, but would like it to be more tame on-road.

What about you?

I have been patiently waiting for more comments on the DR's highway manners and had to dig this thread out 8 pages back today. I do not expect a single to be as smooth as a multi, but a coworker of mine says a single will rattle the fillings out of my teeth for extended (Legal) highway speeds. Anyone else care to chirp in?

[GISdood]

My wife and I did around 3800km in 10 days last summer (see rr link below) and I had no complaints about vibes. The DR is a pretty damn smooth powerplant for a single.

You want to rattle out some loose fillings? Try doing the same on a KTM single of your choice. No comparison.

[MotoScooter]

I've had no issues with vibration. 25,000 miles on the '06 DR.

Sargent saddle, lowered pegs, ProTaper bars, improved front and rear springs, DirtBagz+DirtBagz Duffle, IMS tank, Wolfman Enduro tankbag, Aerostich heated grip covers and bib for warmth. I like the Shinko 705s for road riding but I am running D606s now. I have 3 windshields: Tombstone, MRA Streetshield, and a Parabellum but I mostly ride naked, I mean on the naked bike. The tombstone is terrible, Steetshield takes the wind off your chest but is noisy. Parabellum is a good road windshield but kinda like a guillatine (sp?) off road. After all that I prefer clean air.

The DR is like a Swiss Army Knife. Does it all. Love it.

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by Jelly

I have been patiently waiting for more comments on the DR's highway manners and had to dig this thread out 8 pages back today. I do not expect a single to be as smooth as a multi, but a coworker of mine says a single will rattle the fillings out of my teeth for extended (Legal) highway speeds. Anyone else care to chirp in?

CHIRP! Your Co-Worker must be a KTM rider? Or hasn't ridden a single since BSA 441 Victor's were popular!

One of my other bikes is a Triumph 1050 Tiger. It's one of the silky smoothest bikes I've ever ridden ... and I've owned maybe 60 bikes since 1962 or so and ridden hundreds of others. Honestly, going from the Tiger to the DR650 is not a chore or a big shock. No, It's not as smooth as my Tiger ... but nothing is. Not even a brand new BMW R1200GS or KTM990.

For a single the DR650 is surprisingly delightful on the highway. I generally cruise between 70 to 80 mph. The DR will do that ALL DAY. Not only is the motor counter balanced but the frame is equipped with rubber isolated handle bars AND rubber isolated foot pegs. I run Pro Taper Aluminum bars which seem to damp vibes out nicely. No bar end plugs needed.

I also have a Corbin Seat. Makes all the difference. If you read over on the big thread right now a seat discussion is in progress. Lots of good seats for the DR650: Corbin, Sargent, Seat Concepts and more! All are a huge improvement over the stock plank. (it really sucks)

Thing about the Corbin is ... it's a heavy bastard. Riders complain about this. But it's weight and density also help to damp out vibes. On a 10 hour day these things make a difference, IMHO.

I've close to 40K miles on this DR650 (my 3rd). Longest ride was an emergency ride from Guerrero Negro, Baja to San Francisco, Ca non-stop. (gas and peeing) 1000 miles, took about 18 hours. I've done several trips where 400 mile days happened for 5 days in a row. No sweat on the DR650.

Is it as nice as my former Vstrom 1000 on a really long ride? Not quite, but not as far off as you'd think. Where the DR works best is on technical back roads, and is fun on any two laner road. The handling is remarkably sporty and is an absolute hoot to ride fast on a technical road.
These sorts of roads wear out a Gold Wing rider and Hammer a sport bike guy ... who may do well for an hour or so, but then is exhausted and done. On the DR650 your smiling the whole time. Very low fatigue. So at lower speeds, its really not a problem, in fact a very fun ride.

On my long rides I can maintain high speeds on highway easily and vibration is really not the problem. On a dual sport you are more "out in the breeze" than a tourer. I run no shield of any kind ... yes, I like a quiet ride and shields make NOISE.

If you plan to only do long highway runs ... then the DR650 is not for you.
It can do them easily but there are better bikes for Interstate drones at 90 mph all day.

But if you do a mix of smaller back roads, mountain roads, dirt roads, then the DR650 is one of the best. Add its serious dirt capability and load capacity and not many other singles come close.

KTM's are faster and very fun to ride (I've owned 3) ... but they BREAK and are a torture rack on a long day. Also, hard to pack up much for a long tour. The DR can be loaded up for months if need be.

The new BMW singles are nice bikes, look cool, pretty reliable and get fantastic fuel economy ... but are pretty expensive ($9000) and weigh about 70 lbs. more than a DR650. So off road: advantage DR650. If you can afford the BMW G650, it's not a bad choice.

But I'll stick with the DR650 for it's quality and reliability, ease of maintenance and Do-It All nature. Air Cooled, Carb'd, No ABS or fancy CANbus system to act up, just a solid, simple and well designed dual sport.

[planemanx15]

Originally Posted by Jelly

I have been patiently waiting for more comments on the DR's highway manners and had to dig this thread out 8 pages back today. I do not expect a single to be as smooth as a multi, but a coworker of mine says a single will rattle the fillings out of my teeth for extended (Legal) highway speeds. Anyone else care to chirp in?

Just as the others said before me, it really isn't that bad of a choice when on the highway. The Vibrations with aluminium bars is very low, and with the rubber damping in the foot-pegs your good to go (hehe, that rhythms).

I've never ridden any other type of bike, other then a dual sport a few dual sports (KLR, XR, and DR's). Th KLR actually felt sluggish, almost like it wasn't at its full potential. The DR feels good, and with a few mods, its pretty well off on the highway.

[planemanx15]

As for windshields, I had a tomb stone, and it sucked. I ended up getting off of eBay a generic Chinese scooter windshield. Its 15" wide and 18" tall, but also comes in 23" tall. You can get it with 2 different types on mounts, one for the handle bars and the other to the mirrors. Not sure if the mirror one will fit, though.

Its set up right below my eye level, about level with my mouth, and can be moved up to about my eyes (I'm 5'8"). It moves clean air and for $50, don't think it can be beat.

Eventually I want to get rid of the bar mounts and use the Turbo-City windshield mount. The bottom set of holes on there mount line up with the bottom holes in the shield, so I would have to just modify the top a half inch.

the shield: (those chrome things on the shield are not really there, thats a generic image)


The eventually mount: (from tciproductsusa.com)

[ADV8]

Originally Posted by Jelly

I have been patiently waiting for more comments on the DR's highway manners and had to dig this thread out 8 pages back today. I do not expect a single to be as smooth as a multi, but a coworker of mine says a single will rattle the fillings out of my teeth for extended (Legal) highway speeds. Anyone else care to chirp in?

The DR is very smooth engine wise.
There is no comparison though between a DR with road tyres and a 17 inch front wheel (SM trim) and stock.
They steer like a truck with the 21 front,still a good long distance bike though.
I am starting to favour the DR even more as a long distance tourer,smooth,comfortable and huge range with the big fuel tank.
The lower HP just means momentum needs to be kept up.

[ShadyRascal]

I've done a little bit of longer distance riding on my DR. Dirt tires. It does of course give you vibration at highway speed; that's a big piston slapping up and down there. On the highway I can pull in the clutch and the vibes disappear to the point that I don't know if smooth tires would even make a difference. In any case, it's not particularly bad.

Out on the long slab at 75 it's very tolerable, for what it is.

On dirt roads and paths, it's very much in it's element.

On a twisty paved mountain road, you feel like nothing can beat you.

[Jelly]

Thanks everyone for your input. I have not ridden one of these, but it sure seems to be a neat little bike! I spend much more time on back roads these days, rather than the super slab. The last few years I have found some really cool places, traveling to the same destinations that I have been going to for many years. I'm amazed how many things I have unknowingly ridden past a bazillion times because I needed to get there “quicker” to save half an hour. Michigan has a ton of “Seasonal Roads” that I would love to spend a Sunday checking out and then blast home at 65 mph for a few hours so my boss can make his Benz payment Monday.

[Midpack]

Getting on my DR reminds me of my 79 Bonneville's riding position, agility, and performance with better suspension and off road ability. With a Sargent seat, JustForBikes screen, and IMS tank a 350 mile day from southern New Mexico to Toas area forest roads is a cinch. 75 mph cruising with stock gearing not a problem. 15 minute change over to 14T counter sprocket if needed for off road climbing. I'm 5'9", 165lbs, 32" inseam/sleeve length, the bike just fits. I use soft luggage with side and tail racks which work well. I'm doing a week or so in Colorado July and will be taking it rather than my street bike, you can't off road a ST2 Ducati. I've lowered the suspension to see if it makes any difference and since I don't do much single track it seems OK. I added a center stand for convenience.

[planemanx15]

Just bought a trail tech vapor for a little bit of added luxury on the dr. Will report back when its all set up and ready to go!

[mike1952]

Originally Posted by Northyork

Safari Tank
Corbin Seat
Heated Grips
Extended Mirrors
Suzuki rear rack
SW-Motech luggage racks
Pelican IM2600 storm cases
USB and Cigarrete lighter outlet ports
RAM mount for GPS
Tool Tube + tools
Spare back and front tubes
Lower foot pegs
Upgrade Suspension (front and back)
16T front sprocket
Windshield
Maier Hand Guards

My wife and I stopped at that same spot on our honeymoom 31 years ago.