Part I - Lights

I haven't even done this mod on my DR yet ... but since I discovered just how well it has worked on my Triumph 1050 Tiger, I now plan to do the same on the DR's headlight. On a dark road the DR650 stock light sucks pretty bad. In town, on lighted freeway or highway, not so bad. But a dark road its totally inadequate. Rather than going with expensive and high current riding lights, I've found a much cheaper and BETTER solution, a real Win Win.

The answer? An HID kit! I bought the DDM Tuning HID kit (Tiger kit $22, DR Lo-HI kit $37). This version only draws 35 watts. And that is one major reason why it makes so much sense for the DR650 .... or any dual sport with low alternator output. The DR650 puts out just 200 watts total. Add a Gerbing or heated grips and you're out of juice and running your battery dead. Add more, like GPS, chargers or other stuff and now you're in trouble. So right off the top the DDM HID gives you back 20 watts free. I normally use an On/Off headlight switch in daylight when I'm running accessories, this saves the small DR battery.

But the other thing it does is provide astounding lighting. The stock H4/55watt bulb puts out about 1200 lumen. The 35 watt HID puts out about 5000 lumens. Properly aimed these lights light up the night. Yet on my Tiger, not one car has flashed me. What I also notice is this set up runs quite cool. Never gets hot
like some "high performance" Halogen bulbs. Simple to install.

Part 2

I've followed various travelers' Ride Reports who are doing long rides on DR650's over the last few years. I see a pattern of things that seem to act up on the DR650 ... but in most cases it's ignorance and/or neglect by the rider (myself included!) that slows folks down. Luckily, overall the DR650 has proved to be a rugged and mostly bullet proof mount for long range travel.

Moto Adventure Gal (see her ride report on ADV rider)despite tons and help, sponsorship and expert advice, screwed up a lot of things on her DR, ignored sincere advice and had many costly delays as a result. Hard to remember all the issues now (many) ... and I'm not re-reading that thread again :snore:

First off she started off with a worn chain & sprockets ... so by Mexico she was screwed with a totally shot chain and no way to get a decent quality replacement. Classic amateur mistake. Used a cheap chain/sprockets ... and then just ignored maintenance, never noticed chain was getting out of adjustment and sprockets were badly worn and clearly HOOKED.
By the time this was noticed : Trouble. But lets not pick on her, she had lots of other problems. :rant: Mostly not DR650 related.


New Sprockets anyone?
Chains
There is only one really good chain for my money. I've put over 200,000 miles on DID VM-2 X ring chains, used on several bikes, including the DR650.
Some LD riders go with a 520 conversion. This is fine, allows more gearing choices. But the 520 will not go as far as the 525. My current one is approaching 25K hard miles. (I changed sprockets at 15K miles)
Some say 520 chain/sprockets are more available in the 3rd world, but 25K out of a chain gives you plenty of time to plan ahead for service. I carry a couple countershaft sprockets with me and change them every 10K miles. This also allows modest gearing changes. Traveling I'm not tackling super technical off road, so most times stock gearing or slightly lower gearing is fine. Changing CS sprockets seems to help extend chain life.

If you do go with a 520, use the DID VM. (VM-2 not made in 520 size) I like OEM sprockets best but JT aren't bad. I avoid the super hardened "miracle" sprockets ... they eat chain. AFAM and Renthal also good. Steel, never Aluminum.

The other common DR650 show stopper seems to be the various mysterious lock out safety switches the DR is blessed with. Best to know and understand how these work and disable them. Do a clean job of it because 20,000 miles down the road you will probably forget what you did and how you did it. :smirk:
The Kill Switch can also cause problems. Spray it and the starter button with WD40 on a regular basis to keep moisture at bay.
Go through your electrical plugs and connectors, pull them apart and lightly coat with Dielectric grease, reseal. This will slow electrolysis and reduce corrosion. Clean any corrosion at this time.

Look after connectors and plugs

Always start a long trip with a NEW battery. Change it in a year whether you think you need it or not. Use High quality sealed, MF Yuasa or other sealed MF OEM batteries.
Several travelers have had starting problems for various reasons ... so what happens is they crank and crank and crank ... next thing you know that "like new" battery is now weak and compromised, it may charge back up, but most likely will drop down quickly when cranked too much.

Fuel Filters, Fuel hose routing for the IMS tank
With an IMS tank or Safari, hose routing and placement of inline filters is important. I went through this myself. The DR needs to have the fuel inlet tube rotated around to the 9' Oclock position. I no longer use an inline filter, as this caused me problems in being able to use ALL of my fuel in the tank.
Range is now a full 230 miles until nearly dry. Before bike would stop running at about 180, with plenty of gas still in tank.

Fuel line routing. Why no filter? There are two in the tank (petcocks) and another little "Gotcha" one in the inlet fuel tube.

The "Gotcha" fuel filter (most riders don't even know it's there) It's tiny so can get full of crap quickly if you're using Barrel gas in Baja or elsewhere. I now carry two spares. But it can be (carefully) removed and cleaned about every month or so ... when on the road. Also, the IMS petcock filter also get coated with grunge. Pull the petcock once in a while and carefully clean these two filters. Flush tank with Diesel.

Basta!

Coming: Comfort, luggage, Tires, Service.

Part 3

Comfort
Comfort is a bit subjective but most agree the DR650 seat is inadequate. Those on a budget might go with a Wal-Mart Gel Pad or a Sheep Skin cover or some other "solutions". But nothing can match a good, wide seat under you, one that is firm enough to get you through ten hour days and still work OK when standing riding off road. I use a Corbin. It came with my bike. I'm not really a Corbin fan (I've tried several and owned one on another bike). But I must say I've been amazed how well the Corbin works on the DR650. I am not alone in this. But now we've got lots of options for seats. Sargent, Rennazco and a couple others. IMHO, getting a good seat on your DR is a must if planning big miles.

I've managed 33K on my DR and have done several 400 mile days, back to back without much issue. My Vstrom DL1000 was more comfortable but the DR650 is not that far off once you adapt to it. Really a pleasant surprise. Having owned a KLR, XR-L, XL and a few KTM's, none were touring capable save the KLR (it needed a seat). But the DR is smoother and less vibey at 75 mph than the KLR.


Wide Corbin seat ... Plush!


Shields
A lot of riders like to run a shield. In cold weather and on long days a good shield can reduce fatigue and keep you a bit warmer. But be careful not to get one that adds noise or buffeting. Noise is exhausting.

I mostly run without a shield as I've mostly toured in hot weather regions like Mexico and the Southwest. Also, I don't do well off road trying to look through a shield ... or crashing through one! :p This is something each rider must decide on. If you like your shield, keep it on. If it becomes too hot and blocks cooling air later on down the road, then I'd just ditch it or pack it into your luggage.

Pegs
Some very tall riders have lowered the foot pegs on the DR to allow more leg room. I've always felt the DR has plenty of leg room ... but I am short and came off sport bikes, so to me, DR leg room is massive! You can lower the pegs, Search the big ADV Thumpers DR650 thread for ideas on this. I would say a good word for something like IMS wide pegs on the DR. Always a better for standing.

Some sacrifice the rubber mounted stock pegs in doing the peg lowering. Mistake IMHO. The DR is also the only dual sport bike I know of that not only has rubber isolated pegs but also has rubber isolated handlebars. On long days little things like this really add up. Less vibes means less fatigue.

Lots of folks (mostly BMW riders) say you can't LD tour on a single. I would disagree. The DR does the deal surprisingly well. My DR can comfortably cruise at 70 mph all day. Pretty smooth overall.

Bars
The stock bars are not bad but I've been happy with my Pro Taper CR high bend bars, with risers. Stronger too, hard to bend in a crash. Once again, this is a personal preference thing. But I do see some guys with their levers angled too high. Like with dirt bikes, you want your levers low, especially for standing. This will avoid Carpal Tunnel and numbness on long rides.


Pro Taper Bars w/risers

liking it so far!!

Loading up the DR for Long Haul travel
Lots of ways to go here and none are strictly right or wrong. Hard bags, soft bags, Dirt Bagz style, Giant Loop, Ortlieb Dry bag duffles, Wolfman, Happy Trails, Pelican cases and many more. They can all work on the DR.

Which ones you choose will depend on the type of ride you're planning. The really good news here is that the DR650 is one of the best 650cc dual sport platforms for carrying a load. Better than a XR-L, better than a KLR, Husky, KTM, BMW or whatever. If the Yamaha XT660 or new Tenere' was imported to the USA then the DR650 might have competition in this regard.


Tourmaster soft bags and duffle. Simple, cheap, functional.

The DR650 has a strong rear sub frame and main frame. I don't think I've ever heard of one cracking or breaking. (other than from crash damage)
The DR may be heavier than some of the competition but I've found in an off road travel bike that strength is a good trade off for weight, if not too extreme.

What I learned from traveling with various luggage configurations on the DR is that "Light Is Right". Repeat this mantra as you prep for your trip. It's all well and good to bring the kitchen sink so you can prepare five course meals every night ... and we all rationalize this a thousand ways, but the fact is, too much is too much. Going on the road you have to think different. You can't have it all and still have a capable and versatile bike.

I did an extended Baja/Mexico ride with Givi E41 hard bags in 2007.


These worked well and even crashed pretty well, not cracking or busting into pieces. But the added weight and ability to carry TOO MUCH stuff overwhelmed the DR off road. In rocky slow going or higher speed loose stuff, the over loaded DR was all over the place. My bike has heavier springs front and rear, but it needed more to do well off road with 110 lbs. of gear on board. (includes weight of hard bags themselves, racks & hardware, spare tire, tools, tubes, parts, food, clothes, duffle bag and misc. stuff)


60 lbs. in this mode. Camping gear in duffle on top. (bags: $60, Duffle: $30)

With the hard bags and duffle I had plenty of room for all this and could have taken even more. Bad idea if you plan to spend time off road in anyplace more technical than a fire road.

In my opinion the DR can benefit from a fork brace and better suspension, maybe a steering damper. But really the solution is less weight in luggage. When I got home Mexico I acquired an Ohlins shock and fine tuned the front forks. I also reverted back to soft bags and brought my full load weight (with camping gear) down to just 65 lbs. from previous 110 lbs. The DR650 was transformed, much more capable off road and handles better on road as well.

Large soft bags ... maybe too large? They weigh nothing and Happy Trail rack is also very light but keeps bag off pipe.

Wolfman 3 bag set up in back ground ... with 8 gallon Safari tank. Fits the DR very well.

Many DR owners are sending in their stock KYB shock to Cogent Dynamics for a re-work. This is probably one of the most economical approaches. The front really benefits from heavier springs (for most riders ... but not all) and Race Tech emulators or Intiminator valves which add plushness and adjustability.

Many RTW travelers do not want to spend a lot of money prepping a bike and are willing to deal with shortcomings on the road. This is fine too as the DR is not bad in pure stock form. Simply making FREE adjustments to stock suspension can be enough for some. The stock rear spring preload can be cranked up enough to handle a 180 lb. rider and about 70 lbs. of gear and do fairly well in moderate conditions off road. Same with the front. Adding preload and going to 15 wt. fork oil is a cheap way to gain improvement. But these are both half measures and won't optimize the DR's capabilities.

More later ...



If you go with hard bags try to mount them far forward and low, as shown the pic above. Really helps keeping mass centralized, which helps handling.

A lot of travelers get dual sports but many are not really motorcyclists and not mechanically inclined. Some end up taking off with the barely adequate stock tool kit. Not a great idea for anyone on any bike, especially if headed out of the country.

I've always built tool kits for a specific bike and for the specific trip. In this section I will include tire repair, as this seems to be the boon of motorcyclists existence! :crazy:
Here are a few pics of basic tool kits and supplies for travel. Try to think in systems: Mechanical, Electrical, Tires/Tubes.




I carry 3 tire Irons, only one shown here. I bring two part JB Weld (not shown). These kits constantly evolve as I learn new things on the road.

Note tire irons stored between frame and skidplate. Also note a good item to use to raise wheel off the ground for pulling wheel off.

Don't forget a hand pump. i like the small electrical ones too ... but have broken a couple.

Another place to stash a pump. NOTE: I no longer use my Tool Tube as shown earlier. I use the stock tube shown here. Instead of the heavier Happy Trails left side rack, I simply use
elec. conduit ... here you see the pump taped to it. Keeps soft bags off wheel and stable. Less than a $1 and 15 minutes of work. 20,000 miles, still holding up.

Great write up and will be interested to here what you have to say about proper tire slection. Where did you buy your HID head light from as that is something I am interested in for sure (Tiger kit $22, DR Lo-HI kit $37)?

code4 said:

Endless debates on tires. Once again, depends what sort of riding you've got planned. If you're doing serious off road then hard to beat either Michelin T-63's or TKC80's. Dunlop D606 and MT21 are good too. I've used them all and they are all pretty good, although I'm not much of a fan of the MT21's.

The TKC are most expensive but also last longest. On the road, out of the USA you pretty much settle for whatever tires you can get. Mostly not a lot of options available locally.

If riding mostly On Road, look at Avon Distanzia's. Or go with 50/50 tires like the Shinko, IRC, Kenda, or Mefo. All pretty good. Mefo last longest but expensive. Shinko make the 705, which is more like the Distanzia, but also make a true 50/50.

I bought my HID kit from:
http://www.ddmtuning...egory.php?CA=61

54321,
Thanks for taking the time to share with us. Fantastically helpful info.. I have a few questions: What is the platform you used on the luggage rack on back, and what tubes are you running (Heavy Duty BS, or Moose?)
Also, I had a DR650 (2007) and sold it as I wasn't riding it enough- worst mistake I have made!
I am now looking at buying another one or a KLR. The KLR is another great bike but still not sure with all the oil consumption issues that engine has. Do you find the DR as overall comfortable and as good on the long trips as the KLR?

velvetsteele41 said:

Thanks! Glad you found it useful.

1. I'm running the stock Suzuki rear rack. On top I bolted a piece of Plywood.
At first it was just to test what width would work best for putting a big duffle on there. But the Plywood worked fine so I never bothered to change it.


Here is an early verison using just zip ties. The Plywood is now slightly wider and bolted on. I also use the Plywood to attach a plastic rack to carry the top box ... which I hardly use now. Always evolving ... also changing.

2. I don't run super HD tubes, normally Bridgestone, IRC or Kenda HD, not Super HD tubes. But I'm not too picky. Tubes are expendable. They come and go. On the road I carry normal weight tubes ... they pack smaller and are easier to install on side of road. Usually two or three spares plus patch kit. I never patch a tube on the side of the road (Unless I have to), rather I just swap in a new tube and ride on. Fix the tube later, over a beer, down the road.

I run SLIME in the front and sometimes in the rear. SLIME can stop flats (put in ahead of time) or it can slow down a leak. But mostly, for me, they prevent INSTANT air loss which is not good, especially on the front tire at high speed on highway.

A well set up KLR can be a very good bike. I've owned two, but prefer the DR. I'm only 5'6" and the DR is easier than a KLR for a shorter rider. The DR can be as comfortable or more so on highway if set up with a good seat and shield. The DR feels lighter, is lower, yet is better off road than the KLR. It is also smoother at 75 MPH.

But the KLR can do it, no question. It's slightly more complicated and does not CRASH as well as a DR does, but still a good bike. This is an endless debate. Ride both and make up your mind. Both are awesome and very inexpensive travel bikes ... but BOTH need setting up and some TLC to be at their best.

Good luck!

Great write up! I've been kicking around the idea of getting a long-range dualsport bike and this thread answered some of my questions. Thanks! :thumbsup:

guycomer said:

Your welcome! Glad to provide some tips.
Most of the Thumper Talk crowd don't travel on bikes, mostly a dirt bike rider based forum. But there are a few of us travelers out there, and more getting on board all the time.

Lots of guys here are into the expensive Euro bikes (KTM, Husqvarna, Husaberg, BMW) as they mostly all make street legal Enduro versions. All better bikes than the DR650 off road ... faster too. But none even come close on a trip longer than a week in duration.

Having ridden and tested all these bikes (save the BMW) I can tell you a KTM 690 or a 630 Husky will not be as nice on the long road, fully loaded, as the DR650 is.

From vibration to cracked sub frames to overheating to bum water pumps, electrical issues and generally wearing out ... the Euro bikes are just not set up for weeks or months of long range travel ... and its very hard to make them work well no matter what you do.

The DR650 is ready made for travel. Reliable Japanese electrics, Air/Oil cooled and proven reliable motor, nearly crash proof, Hella' strong rear sub frame that can handle an over load on 1000 miles of wash board at 65 mph.

For real dirt riding I have a WR250F. But when riding (not trailering) to Baja or Central America, the DR is my 1st choice.

Check the current Ride Reports on ADV Rider to see several guys out there now on DR650's. Some KLR's and DRZ400's as well. All good travel bikes. :thumbsup:

I'm getting the same concensus with some friends that I ride with (who are expert off-road/mx racers).. they like to dual sport and like the long-range and comfort of the DR over the KLR. Bikes that have more off-road worthiness (a plated 450x, for example) wouldn't be the first choice for a really long ride with any length of asphalt, plus, you wouldn't be able to attach saddlebags and carry all of the stuff you would need for a true expedition.

Although I like the idea of a plated 450x I don't think it would really do what I intend to do.. and although a DR650 may not be as good in the dirt, I think it would get me by and ultimately would be more comfortable for my needs. I can keep the X set up for pure off-road and have a DR that will be better for the dualsport rides. Thanks again, 54321!

Great write-up! I'm saving this one for when I get my toolkit and stuff ready for the DR I picked up yesterday. It already has a lot done to it (the whole reason I picked this one), but I need to do a lot more. A friend and I are planning a mostly off-road trip from Reno to Moab and back for next year. He has a KLR, so it'll be a cool "comparison" trip too.

That will be a great trip Rob.
If you can find the way ... did you know you can ride on dirt roads all the way from Minden / Gardenerville area all the way to Utah on dirt? My buddy, now passed away, lived out Johnson lane (northeast of town) and used to lead us on amazing rides out there. We never rode to Utah, just 100 mile loops. But he always mentioned it. He rode all the way to Utah on his KLR ... he was in his 70's ... X flat track racer.

I was too Chicken to do this Solo, but I did do quite a bit of dirt through Nevada and even more in Utah. From there I rode out to a Rally in Silverton, CO. Great trip on the DR650. Solo all the way there and back.


Burr Trail, Utah


Moab, Chicken Corners area

Yeah that's what got us talking about the trip... Chuck heard that and decided he had to do it. So he spent a bunch of time researching dual sports, and picked a new KLR. Then I did my research (the KLR is much too big for me), picked a DR-Z400, but later switched to the DR650. Now I've got mine, he has his, and we're getting things setup.

I have tons of topo maps for Nevada and Reno. If there's a way, I'll find it. So this will be a trip with real tires, not 50/50's. Probably IRC GP1 up front and a D606 in back is what I'm thinking. Mine came with Shinkos of some sort, they look 50/50-ish. They'll do for now while I learn the bike.

Rob

NIce.
And I really like the CAMO.

Rob_G said:

Hi Rob,
sounds like a great plan! :banana:
Actually, the IRC GP-1 is a 50/50 tire. Good tire but not good off road other than packed fire road. I've run a couple, good on road and in wet.

I'd put a TKC80 or T-63 Michelin up front, D606 is fine out back, but so is the TKC (expensive) or T-63 (a bargain). I'd advise getting the T-63 as I'm sure the prices will be going up soon.

Have fun, safe going.

Just wanted to bump this up ... check in to see if anyone is prepping their DR650 for a long ride or RTW type ride. On this forum I don't see many doing any long rides ... I guess on TT, "Adventure" means a weekend ride to the local motocross park. :lol:

So come on guys ... who has the balls to really get out there?

A few pics of the DR "out there" "in it"! :thumbsup:


Dances With KTM's! :smirk: Ray's Spa Enduro ride in NorCal. 3 days of dual sport bliss.


Death Valley ... again!



DR650 at speed on Highway 25, South of Hollister, CA on the way to DV.

Northern Baja ... the DR can do sand! :thumbsup: