the DR650 thread

im running a 525 did vx2 I think.
Wasn’t the cheapest, or the best, but I’m at about 12000 km now I think.
Replaced front and rear sprockets at the same time and they seem ok still.
They may have been supersprox steel from memory.

I’m doing an experiment on how many km’s I will get with zero maintenance, except to check tension.
It had some big camp loads in that time as well. Probably up to 50kg loads.
Full disclosure it has been cleaned and lubed once after a muddy sand ride early on in its life.
Then I just thought, lets see what happens if I do nothing.
A 150,000 km plus on my harley belt has made me lazy.

Chain seems still ok but my oem one was fine and then died in about 1000km.
Was fine and then it wasn’t. I looked after that one. Cleaned when I had to and lubed when needed.
I expect this one to die a sudden death at some stage as well.

my oem chain lasted around 20,000km from memory.
This time I’m embracing the lazy in me.

Broken Hill.??
that ain’t Qld..

On last nights news they said to rug up as we are going to get a winter cold snap over the weekend..
this shows Saturday’s “cold snap”.. oh yeah, brutal cold..
I grew up in Victoria, Qld’ers have no idea of real cold.

My '98 FE501 has a linkage, the last year they did, and my '07 FE650 is PDS. The 501 is a little more progressive, whatever that means,smoother, plusher, less harsh, by a small amount, and ultimately hooks up a fraction better, although the 650 does put more stress on it under load too. Both have been setup by a suspension guru here at my place, so about as good as can be. The difference is subtle, and in favour of the linkage, and I do have a sensitive bum. I've though about bolting on a linkage rear end to the 650 to try it out and confirm but need a swingarm, shock, link etc and have to do some welding on the CrMo frame, so nowhere top of my todo list ATM.

Bottom line is that there is very little in it.

https://www.dirtbike.com.au/dbr-rear-sprocket-husqvarna

My current one is on its second chain with 25k kms on it so far. First chain, a DID 520 VX2 went 17k kms, so this sprocket will go to <> 34k kms and may yet get a 3rd chain. Good things

Just back from 3 days on the DR exploring my nearby coastal terrain post fires. An excellent few days riding, and very different scenery in many places.

Soooo......... its approved for Brembo remote reservoir master cylinders then ?

Saddle up!

We ride at dawn... Or, at least by 08:30.

" Rug up ! " thats a good one, gotta remember that phrase !

I will trade ya forecasts ! Its 4:50 AM here, just getting light out and allready 59 f outside. Goin up to like 87 f by afternoon. The only Wooly Jumpers in sight will be the women at the beach !

You have never seen so many snowy white or fire red mommy's with screeching sunburnt toddlers smokin cigarettes and drinkin beer in all your life !

I pass 2 beaches on my way to work on Dinky Estate twice a day. The sight is hysterical, but scarey. This holiday is gonna be a riot. Tourists mixed in with locals who are burnin up from the heat and strippin down for the first time this summer, exposing untold parts to sun that shouldnt be !

I tell you what Toivo, dat dere is some crazy shit, eh ! ?

Or in my case " We paint at dawn ". Its so hot to paint house exteriors, I split it in two sessions. 8 AM once the dew burns off till about 11 AM. Then 6 PM till about 8 PM.

Looks like mid day motorbike rides are not worth it for the next 10 days. I HATE JULY !

My decision to go 18 inch was based on two things:

1. To increase the rear ride height the extra half an inch that I needed to add to the height the raising links gave me (about 1 & 1/4 inches), in order to true up the geometry of the bike with the longer (nearly 2 inches) 2006 RMZ250 forks (dropped about 1/4 inch at the triple) - I am talking imperial languge here for your benefit and hence the approximations, as we work in metric mms in Oz. None of this was precisely calculated and more just guess work but I don't have any handling issues whatsoever in any circumstances, so I am happy with how it worked out.

2. I also wanted to try the nuetech tubeliss system on my bike which isn't available in 17 inch.

I will add that in order to keep my gearing close to what it was with the 17 inch rear wheel on 14/41, I stepped up to a 46t (520 pitch) rear sprocket and up to a 15t (525 pitch) front sprocket which then also required 112 links in the chain (also 525 pitch). This had my adjusters on 3 as anticipated and the clearance shown from the swingarm.

The tubeliss system has been great so far with the only issue being certain tyres with particular bead design and thickness (or thinness) have trouble sealing on a wider rim than the system was designed for. My front and rear rims are stock DR650 width (1.85 front and 2.5 rear). No trouble with the Awesome Rear D606 sealing. It maintains the same pressure for weeks on end just sitting. So did the Motoz Tractionator Enduro front that I originally fitted, but the current Motoz mountain hybrid I have on the front now won't, no matter how many times I removed and refitted and tried different things - there is about 1.5mm difference in thickness of the beads between those two tyres. I have now fitted a tube to it, as it was losing 2 psi per hour just sitting ! - shame because it (Mountain hybrid) is so far my favorite front tyre and so I may well just keeps running with tubeliss in the rear only.

It may also be obvious by now why I needed a Sargent low seat to get my feet back close to the ground. The Sargent low seat then had my knees pointing skyward with stock pegs so I fitted JNS lowered and rear set peg brackets.

That is why I ride early while it's cool. It was 67F when I started yesterday and 92F when I finished. I am impressed with my mesh jacket. I wasn't even warm at 92F as long as I was moving.

For some odd reason our humidity has been low every evening. It has been in the low 90's and it's been very comfortable to do some work. Now, between 12 and 4PM it's an oven.

Im told the cooling vests really make a difference in modest or lower humidity's if you are moving. They work best with mesh textile jackets.

Might experiment with them next year if I have more time to ride. But, no time for now. Simply shooting for late August and the fall color season once the out of area people leave. Gotta knock out all the exterior work I can in the next 7 weeks to get ahead of snow season.

Hush! I woke up to 80° this morning. High of 97° expected. Heat index will be well over 100°.

Ride to lunch today. Should he home by 1300 when it's only in the low 90s.

I'd kill for low humidity right now. Dew points are in the mid 70s here. Not likely to change for months either. We swim in our air!

Damn I needed that even it was short but Sweet!


I tried to get to drive one of these yesterday. Owner said I'd likely end up in the pond. He's probably right.

So beautiful there, thanks!

I bet those are tasty, I just enjoyed another bowl of black raspberries freshly picked last night.

Man, those were awesome!

Hey, I’ve been there! I love covered bridges, I used to have some killer bridge loops back in PA.

Steve, lovely pictures! I like seeing places I realistically never will in person. Your area looks a lot like mine over here.

I piled on some road miles yesterday. I was swinging a saw last Sunday clearing a bunch of branches and growth and got the worst case of poison ivy I’ve had in quite some time. I think the combination of extreme itchiness, Benadryl, and the impending loss of a loved one had me in a bad headspace. It was nice to walk through everything that’s been going on in my mind, reevaluate my current situation, and game plan a little for what I’d like the immediate future to bring. I so love riding motorcycles and truly getting a breath of fresh air.

On a different note, if anyone has loved ones with diabetes, hopefully they follow the doctors recommendations. I’ve been watching a very strong hard headed woman literally fall to pieces over the past several years going out her way. She found peace yesterday, but damn what a shitty way to go. Sometimes you just want to shake a person, slap them, and stare them in the eye and say “what the hell is wrong with you”. Because I’ve chosen to live my life not wanting advice I didn’t ask for I don’t try to force my opinions, but that’s hard at times too.

Happy to be living the life I’m so lucky to live.

















Think we’ll watch fireworks tomorrow from here, that’s the Maggie Valley fairgrounds down below where they go off from.

Yes, you can use the tool to determine chain alignment.

But you are still stuck with the notches on the snail adjusters for adjustment. One notch is a fair amount of movement.

On my to do list is to grind off the notches. That way chain sag and sprocket alignment can be set bang on.

Beautiful sunrise or sunset?

Well I didn't make it to my "Is there a road here" way point. Clutch started slipping bad. I didn't think I was going to make it home. It's not the free play this time. I checked that last night. I think I just got it hot going too slow. I didn't take any bad roads today, so I wasn't feathering the clutch any and it wasn't slipping when I started out this morning. Anymore I always give it a high gear test at the beginning of every trip.

I'm going to tear into it when she cools down. IIRC some have just put Barnett springs maybe just 3 in with good results. If anyone has any suggestions please chime in. I will inspect the plates just to be sure.

There was actually a deer standing in this old barn!



I don't think I can make it up this road...









Saw quite a few turkey and deer today.

Not Magura, those use mineral oil.

Thats my chain of choice too. I don't worry about it breaking and wrecking my cases (talk about "false economy"). I like the gold colored ones because they don't rust as bad with 0 maintenance. No pressure washers should be used on a chain under any circumstance except for if you don't want dirty hands cutting it off to dispose of it.

They drain it every year to allow it to fill over the winter so Charleston doesn't become the lake!

They flooded the town of Gad.
For some reason officials decided Gad Dam wouldn't work!

Summers in southern Va are humid as hell. The mesh jacket does it for me as well. Pockets, armor, and I actually ride cooler than if I wore just a t-shirt because the sun is not radiating directly on my skin.