DR350 Plastic interchangeable with rm250?

[SmackHQ]

Hello All,

I have a 1996 DR350 and am just tired of the white plastic and purple frame (why Suzuki, why?). It's a great bike for the money but I just can't stand the look of it any longer and would like to update thus the question to this group.

Questions:

1. When browsing sites there is not much out there for the DR but some guys have told me that 96 RM250 plastic fenders work on the DR? Anyone confirm this?

2. Tank. I would like to rid myself of the metal and get a IMS or Clarke. Suggestions? Can I get a yellow one and which model is that? Again, will the RM250 part work?

3. Rear fender. The hard part. I have a plate on my DR and want to keep that but get a new fender and hopefully the UFO taillight setup with signals built in so I don't break anymore off. Anyone attempted this?

I would like to see what you guys have done with your DR350's (only) so please respond and include photos.

Thanks brothers!

Rob

Kent, WA

[lazybones51]

Hi , i was in the same boat as you not long ago but days of searching the internet i found this guy http://www.thetraildoctor.com/ , he is an online shop who only sells parts for the dr350 (all models), he has rear fenders , side panels , headlights and lots of other gear which is helpfull , curently not everyting is listed on there so if you want something else email him and he wil se what he can do k ,

Also i have read about people painting there plastics different colours as finding a dr fender which isnt white or yellow is hard , so plastic paints work a treat,

At the moment i am tarting up my 99 350 with new plastics etc currently it is black but i wil be adding all new white stuff as i think its makes the bike look fresher and newer , i am also interested in a new tank but they are quite expiense and am concerd of how badly graphics dont stick to them due to vapours getting though the plastics so if you do get one be careful of which graffix you get k, ?

And with the rm stuff i dnt personally think it will fit well and may need modifiying to get the bolt holes to line up which would make it a bit weaker,

Would you be able to post a few pics of yer bike so i can see how itss looking gud luck with finding what u need any more questions just leave them in here and i will willing answer them if i can. k

[SmackHQ]

Hey Thanks.

I knew I couldn't be alone on this thought. Sure I would love to buy a new bike like a DRZ or KTM or even a Beta down at the dealer but budget will be the budget.

I will check out the link.

MY frame is purple so I think I will go with either black or yellow fenders and plastic.

I have talked with a guy from this board who sold his DR350 but man it's the best looking one I've seen. He sent me a pic of it, here is link:

http://horstmann.smugmug.com/gallery/1251283 (Kudos Todd!)

I am going to order a plastic tank, mainly for weight and capacity but will also grab the fenders and other plastic as well as some stickers and other crap. I know some of you might say "Waste of time...just ride it" but I personally like my stuff to operate and look good too.

I will post pics when I start working on it.

Thanks.

Rob

[lazybones51]

That is a nice dr , if you do find any where to buy yellow fenders let me know as i currently can only get white , are you going to get your frame powder coated or sparyed i am cosidering it but am not to keen on taking my bike completly apart as i probly wont put it back together correctly lol, plastic tanks are good but stickers/decals dont stick to them very well ? , i will post some pics of my bike on here once i get the remaing parts i need , have you got any engine mods exhaust etc also what exhaust do you think is best currently im using a white brothers but its a bit beaten as i tend to push my luck a bit to much on some of the tighter corners lol ? , If you find any good sites let me know thanks dude.

[SmackHQ]

Hey,

Ya I will post the sites that I find that have the parts that I'm looking for or any other relavent links.

No I'm not going to powder coat the frame, just too much work for what it's worth. That's why I was planning on going with black fenders, white side plastic and maybe new UFO headlight housing but who knows what will happen. I don't want to put too much into it because I will never get it out of it when I sell.

Once the plastic is on I was just going to sticker it up and maybe throw on a new seat cover.

On that picture, that nice looking DR has a plastic Clarke tank and he said that he had no problems with the stickers so I have heard mixed reviews.

I have all the standard mods, intake and exhaust. I used to have a Supertrapp (which is right now listed on Ebay) but that thing is way too loud. I ran into a guy that had the FMF-Q on the road once and the dr sounded great! Good tone!

By the way, if your interested, I'm working on a Magura hydraulic clutch for the DR350 so I will post my results soon.

Later

Rob

[lazybones51]

By the way you dont happen to know where to get carb jets from for a 99 model and what carb setting do u use with the fmf pipe jet size fuel mix screw etc?? ?

[SmackHQ]

Not off hand but you might try Jess at www.kientech.com.

He's a great guy and very knowledgeable on the DR's.

I hate to bug him with questions too much but I have bought quite a few parts from him so I feel ok with it.

He's a good resource so if you need something, purchase it from him. He will walk you through every step.

Just my $.02 on it.

Just guessing but I would think 140 main, open air box and 1-1/8 turns out would be close.

Thanks.

Rob

[creswellelkhunter]

Maier makes a yellow MX style rear fender and you can use a matching RM front. It will bolt right on, either UFO or Acerbis. I used Krylon Fusion for the side panels and then added yellow number plate backgrounds I had found on Ebay. You can see my bike in "My Garage" here on Thumper Talk. I just finished Dual sporting my 98 Dr350 dirt model and I have a Oregon license plate ready to mount on a new led taillight from Peakmoto. Can't wait to try a Dualsport ride here in Oregon.

[BCRider]

creswellelkhunter, your bike looks FANTASTIC ! ! ! Very nice update job.

Quick question about the IMS tank. Does it leave much unusable gas in the bottom area? I'm asking because from what I see the Clarkes have a good two quarts trapped in the lower wings that will never be used. Not only is it a waste but it means that the bike is heavier for no reason by that much.

[lazybones51]

To be honest with you i didnt think of that im not sure sorry i cant help, but yeh that would be some thing worth looking in to as the extra weight would be pointless. ?

[creswellelkhunter]

On my IMS tank I have never ran it down far enough to notice. My riding buddy and I have done 70-100 mile trail rides and I still have plenty of gas. Once the fuel got down to that level I don't think the weight would be that noticeable. The Clarke tank is over 4 gallons compared with 3.5 for the IMS if I'm not mistaken.

[SmackHQ]

Hey,

I've read about all the "sticker woes" on plastic tanks but it also seems that better quality stickers with vent holes in them may work.

What's your opinion on this with your setup?

Not sure if you answered this one yet, how does the Fusion Paint hold up to tree branches, off trail, out of control bushwhacking runs? I know it will scratch but does it come off or go through paint down to white?

Thanks.

Rob

Kent, WA

[BCRider]

Thanks for the tank info creswell. I'm going to look at the IMS tanks. I'm pretty sure from the shapes involved that the extra .5 gal the Clarke may hold is down in those deep low wings where it won't be available to the engine.

[creswellelkhunter]

i LOOKED AT MY TANK A LITTLE CLOSER AND IF THERE IS A COUPLE OF PINTS ON BOTH SIDES THAT WOULD BE ABOUT IT. THE TUNNEL THRU THE TANK ON A DR IS SO DEEP ANYWAY, YOU WILL HAVE TO LAY THE BIKE OVER WHEN YOU GET LOW ON FUEL TO GET SOME FROM THE RIGHT SIDE. THE FUSION PAINT HAS HELD UP VERY WELL. I HAVE NOT HAD TO REPAINT IN OVER TWO YEARS. JUST MAKE SURE YOU LET IT CURE LIKE THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY.

[creswellelkhunter]

I Forgot To Answer Your ? About The Tank Stickers. You Do Want The Ones With Holes In Em. I've Heard Two Ways To Install Them, One Is To Fill The Tank Full Of Gas And Install The Stickers And The Other Way Was To Drain The Tank And Let It Air Out For A Week Before Installing The Graphics. I've Tried The First Way And After A Year The Stickers Are Just Coming Loose On A Couple Of The Edges. I'll Try The Other Way Next Time.

[mikeyp]

so can you use rm250 plastics? I never got that figured out???

[lazybones51]

I thnik you can use the front fender from an older one but thats about it , I have got some new plastics recently made by maier , they are good quality but a pain having to drill the mounting holes, ?

[mikeyp]

what was so difficult about drilling the holes? PLacement of the holes? I give up.

[lazybones51]

trying to get them to line up , and with the rear fender i have installed a new rear light and number plate bracket which was tricky to get the bolts in line ?

[bprstn]

has anyone ever had any lick mounting a rmz rear fender on a dr? even with fem mods to make it fit would be nice... anyone?