opinions . . . new guy / '98 DR650 / '98 DR350 ?

[dogon2whls]

hey guys , long time lurker , first time poster . . .

after literally years of searching and saving , i've finally narrowed it down to a couple of bikes that i think will fit the bill , including budget .

i have placed offers on a '98 DR350 and a '98 DR 650 . ( 350 bone stock except for big tank , 31k . 650 bone stock , 23k . about the same price . )

long term goal is to ride the bike from whistler to prudhoe in a few years . in the meantime the bike will be a DD , with rides on the FSR's around here . the usual harrison east / west , hurley chilcotin exploring including mild singletrack . wanna do dualsport events like loose screw , etc .

rider profile is mid fifties guy with lots of biking experience ( all types ) , 5'7" , little road moto experience . consider myself a safety first , conservative rider .

current bike is a TLR200 which gets ridden pretty much like a mountain bike with engine , so i'm not looking to replace that . i wanna do big miles and not necessarily all on slab , but the ability to roll along with traffic is critical .

i've read the " what to watch out for . . . " 98 , '99 DR 650 " . should that scare me away from that bike , or are they easy/cheap enough fixes to make that bike as reliable as i need it ?

would the 350 be too wound out for extended stretches of slab ?

any and all observations , comments , and advice gratefully accepted .

 

[bkoz]

The torque limiter fix on the 98/99 DR's is quite simple.

http://kientech.com/DR650TorqueLimiter.html

Put a little loctite on the neutral light switch screws (NSU) while your in there and the DR is a very reliable bike.

 

[Mad Max]

You say you're keeping your little bike for a woods weapon ...Then for sure go with the 650 as a longer haul bike!

 

[dogon2whls]

deal fell through on the 650 . . . probably wait to see what comes up over the next little while , but ya , i think i will go with the larger displacement .

there are 2 nice last generation dr's in kamloops , but that bike is just too heavy for this guy .

keep an eye out for a +'96 , 650 wouldya ?

 

[dogon2whls]

ok guys , you can stop looking . . .

an '08 650 with 9k on the clock came up over on the sunshine coast last saturday . suffice it to say it was priced well , like 1500 - 2000 less than anything comparable i'd seen either here or anywhere else .

bone stock except for skid plate , barkbusters , K&N air filter , tail section clean up kit and a nice tidy windscreen .

pretty sure the guy was sad to see it go , but he was a stand up guy , holding onto it for me for a day because i couldn't get over there from whistler due to the gran fondo road disruptions .

first thing i want to do is the basic stock suzuki lowering adjustment . . . does it really need to go to a dealer for that ?

 

[DirtClunker]

Nope. Just put it up on a stand, undo the bolt and shove the swing arm up until it aligns with the other bolt hole. Then torque.

Then drop the front forks by loosening the triple clamps. Make sure to torque these bolts to exactly the right spec or it can interfere with shock performance (as if the DR has any suspension performance!)

 

[kenf]

patrolskid, that you? Welcome to DSBC. You'll find these guys a bit more civilized than nsmb

 

[dogon2whls]

yup , i'm here now .

looking forward to being part of the community here , am planning to come out to the fall noob ride .

bike currently has some worn trailwings on . i rode up to the farthest end of the north soo yesterday , at a speed i am comfortable with and i didn't have any problems . of course i don't have anything to compare them to , but will those be ok for the easiest route of the noob ride ?

 

[Farp]

yup , i'm here now .

looking forward to being part of the community here , am planning to come out to the fall noob ride .

bike currently has some worn trailwings on . i rode up to the farthest end of the north soo yesterday , at a speed i am comfortable with and i didn't have any problems . of course i don't have anything to compare them to , but will those be ok for the easiest route of the noob ride ?

HI Dog, welcome to DSBC.

The C route will be a mix of pavement and gravel FSRs, those tire will be fine.

John

 

[tomcycle]

Get rid of the K&N filter, its ok for street use only and will not serve you well in dusty conditions (I speak from experience)

Get a foam filter I am a No-Toil fan, easy clean and kinda green Model 270-02 I believe will fit your bike

 

[dogon2whls]

ok , i'll make the switch as soon as i can .

does DSBC have a shop along the sea to sky that we like to support ?

 

[Farp]

ok , i'll make the switch as soon as i can .

does DSBC have a shop along the sea to sky that we like to support ?

Check out the sponsors page for all the dealers who make financial contributions to DSBC. We support these dealers with our purchases whenever possible. I don't know if there's a sponsor on the S2S but hopefully you'll find one close enough for your shopping.

John

 

[bkoz]

Nope. Just put it up on a stand, undo the bolt and shove the swing arm up until it aligns with the other bolt hole. Then torque.

Then drop the front forks by loosening the triple clamps. Make sure to torque these bolts to exactly the right spec or it can interfere with shock performance (as if the DR has any suspension performance!)

There are also spacers in the forks to reposition to get the full lowered setup. And the kickstand will have to be modified or the short version purchased from Suzuki. The kickstand at the standard ride height is too long as it is.