So with the recent lockdown I've been longing for some freedom, but it will have to wait. In the meantime I've been upgrading the DR650 for the upcoming season. A nice D606 for the rear, a 14 tooth sprocket for the front, a set of springs from Pro Cycle to suit my weight, along with bar risers and lowered foot pegs. I'm sure there will be more to come over the season as I figure out the bike. Until then I guess it's plenty of YouTube motorcycle content and wrenching. What's everyone else up to? I can't be the only one itching to ride.
Check out Cross Training Enduro and Cross Training Adventure on you tube. His videos are great but also he does a handful on the dr650
I found and watched their DR series when I was looking at buying mine. They have some great content, I've also recently found a channel Motorcycle Adventure Dirtbike TV lol a bit of a mouth full. These guys in Australia really do some crazy stuff.
I think the more that other people do workouts to get ready for the season, the less likely I am to get stuck in the swamp, tiring myself out. Thanks all you physical behemoths. CVBruce
@dean.f That D606 looks like a nice upgrade from your current tire, hope it treats you well this spring. My winter (and fall) has been centered around my first Blue plate bike, a well used 1988 Suzuki DR600S. I bought it in late August, and have been in a constant state of teardown, refurbish and reassembly since. Luckily Covid has made parts delivery times EXTRA long, otherwise I might be bored by now. I had stripped the bike down to the frame, sand blasted and painted just about everything I was able to. The frame was 5 differnt colours between OEM blue, rattle can blueish, red and primer, and surface rust...now only rattle can dark blue. The rear swingarm was a lotta fun, and it both looks and functions better now that the needle bearings are free of rust spots and packed with fresh grease. I am still working on the bike, my next tasks are to rebuild the forks, reinstall the wiring harness, spoon on a new set of tires, and re-torque EVERYTHING. My goal is to be ready to roll by Mid-April. That’ll give me plenty of time to get the bike safetied, find an insurance provider who doesn’t want to abuse my M2 license, and kick-start my first adventure!! A couple pictures of my ride. As I bought it and throughout the rebuild.
Well done! It pays to have the necessary time to do a good job. Wheel bearings? If the bike was submerged more than a few times in its life, they may be worth replacing. A bash plate? Grip warmers? Bruce
That's a cool bike! Looks like you have all the parts there too. I figured there must be some guys wrenching this time of year. Last April I had a really hard time getting a safety because the bike shops around me were so busy they didn't even have room to leave it with them. Also, check with TD insurance, they gave my brother a great price as a "new rider" since he didn't have a bike for 5 years. Be sure to post up some pictures when it's back together!
Hey Bruce, I have spun the wheel bearings by hand and they feel pretty smooth, but I’m sure I’ll find out pretty quick if they’re pooched once rubber meets the road. I’ve already checked that they are available online, unlike a few parts I’m looking for. Mainly, a “starting plunger assembly” (new choke knob), and front brake flex lines. I have the OEM bash guard to put on, it seems pretty beefy. Thanks @dean.f , I am still hunting for a gauge cluster, this one is smashed beyond being useable. Ebay wants $200-300, eeek. Tires tubes and a chain round out my parts needs. Thanks for the TD recommendation, I’ll check them out for sure. I completed Georgians safety course in the fall too, hoping that makes a difference.
Instead of a stock guage cluster you may be better off to go with trail tech vapor digital guage. They use a magnet in the front wheel for speedo. simple installation. you can often find a used one at a good orice. Just another option if you can't find a stock one at a good price.
Thanks @taylorericjohn , I have checked out digital dashes and I like the Trail Tech GPS unit, but I think it’ll take away from the ‘80s retro glory. A stock ‘90s DR650S gauge will go in with very little wiring work needed, hoping to find a cheap takeoff. Currently I have a cheap ebay analog speedo and tach (PO had purchased); but my bike has a digital tach signal so that gauge will just be for show. Also gonna have to pace a buddy to see how accurate the speedo is gonna be.
Those TrailTech units are at least as accurate as GPS...seriously. Pump the front tire up to your preferred pressure, gently roll the bike forward and measure to the millimetre, and it's going to be dead on. And as far as the choke...if you can come up with something that works, right off the carb, you're a winner. You don't need the OEM arrangement. Remember, you'll only use the choke once/day. Don't fret too much over it. Bruce
Spring is here, the snow has mostly melted, and my bike is nearly complete. I’m only waiting on fork seals from the UK after two incorrect sets of seals arrived from aftermarket suppliers. I found a set of new in package OEM seals off ebay (they were discontinued years ago) and paid accordingly for their rarity. Since the last update I’ve completed a bunch, though the bike looks pretty much the same still haha. In no particular order, I have; spooned on fresh MT21’s with new tubes and liners, tested/repaired/installed the wiring harness and all the lights & horn, pinned out and installed the ebay gauges, assembled and torqued the rear swingarm and brakes, bolted down the gas tank and rear luggage rack, installed all the hand controls and serviced the front caliper with new pads and boots. To-do remaining: fork rebuild & install, front wheel assembly install, front brake bleed, front fender and fairings. Finally in the home stretch!! C’mon ebay delivery man, hurrryyyy
I love the analog Guages they look cool. I managed to button up my suspension upgrade (huge improvement) as well as install a USB charger and phone mount for GPS. I've already put about 500km on in the past couple weeks and decided I need a knobby on the front so another D606 should arrive Tuesday. The next project will be the left side luggage rack, I had already built the other side last season. Then building an aluminum skid plate. It won't be long until the trails are dried up and ready!
The gauges were bought by the PO, just never wired in. Unfortunately that tach is cable driven, where my bike uses a coil sender wire, so it’ll only ever read 0 RPM. At least it’ll look good standing still haha. I was contemplating adding a USB changer while I had everything apart, but I’ll save that for a Winter ‘21 project should I still have the bike. A seat cover and OEM decal kit are part of that Stage 2 plan as well. @dean.f Did the springs alone make that much difference in your suspension? Or did you make other changes as well too?
I did springs only, for now. I'm pretty heavy (~210 +gear) and I usually carry a bag with essentials and lunch so the stock setup was totally mushy and would almost bottom out the front when braking on the street. I'll likely get into valve cartridges next winter, I couldn't justify the cash without seeing how the springs were. I'm not that picky and don't ride that hard so I might just leave it alone.
That makes good sense, hard to evaluate the difference between Apples and Oranges. What kind of essentials do you all bring? I’m trying to put together a list for myself, but don’t wanna bog myself down with unnecessary tools/parts.
I always carry.... Rope, knife, lighter, duct tape/ zip ties, tire spoons patches and an inflator/ pump. And stock tool kit and CAA membership. The more remote I go, the more survival/ camping type stuff I carry, as well as a fuel bottle with a litre of gas at least. The list could be endless but you can't prepare for everything.
I generally carry enough tools to strip MY bike, 21" tube, a set of spoons, a pump, lighter, electrical tape and duct tape, JB weld, zip ties, a couple of extra nuts and bolts, a couple of fuses, knife, rope/strap and a credit card!
21" tube and spoons for sure. Extra Large zip ties for tying tires to the rim or saddle bags to the frame. Vise Grips. Cash for buying stuff from farmers, cottagers, guy driving by in a pick-up truck...............
