I think it's a testament to the durability (and simplicity) of the DR650. It's a perfect example of why I love it so much. Sure, it's not as small and nimble as our KLXes, but it's TOUGH. But also, I think his soft luggage is part of what saved it. Still, going nose down like that and NOT bending the forks was impressive.

Rob

 

To RobG: When I got my shock back from Moto Pro I had a similar prob with the airbox. I just lightly levered the airbox and shock away from each other. GENTLY PLEASE. I also thought John's shock set up was a little stiff. It hammered a bit. Part of it was me being not up to speed. I hadn't been on it for 3 weeks. The other part was his compression damping settings. I reduced my compression damping and it really improved. Try different damping adjustments but WRITE IT DOWN. It's confusing and easy to get lost. Write all your susp. settings, tire pressures, etc. on a 3x5 card with a date. Ride it that way for at least a week. Write short notes after rides. A clear picture of what you like and don't will appear. Fix a single problem. Repeat.

 

Except for the third gear exploding and taking the engine and transmission with it right?

 

That's bordering on an "Old Wife's Tale." I mean, it does happen, but is so very rare that it's almost inconsequential. The more immediate issue with the DR, similar to the KLR's "Doohickey" is the NSU screw. They are never screwed in tight enough from the factory, so one of the first things any new DR owner should do is pull the side cover off (the clutch side), remove the two philips screws holding the NSU in, and lock-tite them. Then you're done and don't have to worry about it anymore. Otherwise eventually, one (or both) of the screws will back out, drop into the motor, and well, you know the rest.

For the paranoid or those going high HP, ProCycle offers a Billet 3rd Gear ($600). Jeff (the owner) just installed one in his new DR900 Stroker that he built using a custom Callies rod and some other goodies. The thing reportedly is a freakin' monster. I plan to do the 790 big bore next Winter, and I plan to split my cases, replace all the bearings, and may do that billet third gear if I can find the money for it.

But the immediate need is the KLX -- it will hopefully get its 351 kit in late April or early May. The DR doesn't "need" the big bore; it has adequate power already. The KLX, however, NEEDS the big bore.

Rob

 

I keep telling myself its an old wives tale because I want a dr650 one day SOOOOOO BAD! I'd love a big bore ds for adventuring, the little 250 just won't cut the 500+mile trips I'd like to do one day. I can't wait to do the 351 to my baby

 

Yikes...500 plus miles a day is moving too fast to enjoy the backroads of the us of a.

 

Man, that guy on the trail got knocked the puck out.

 

Over in Europe you'd be blazing through whole COUNTRIES not just states/provinces like over here in NA!

 

500 miles? Heck, that might get you halfway across my state at certain places.

 

Redemption ensues!

I just got home from another installment of Dirt Bike Instructor Training on the KLX. So far, knocking on wood, it's behaving very, very well. The new suspension is working great. I still need to tweak the shock a bit, but it's extremely close. I think I need to add one click of Compression (I had backed off two clicks from where John had set it). But it's feeling really good now that it's gotten some use and is breaking in.

I need to put my lower bar riser on (the 3-1/2") to replace the 5" ROX I had just gotten. The instructors don't care for my super tall bars, and I can (to a point) see what they mean. But this isn't a dirt bike; it's a dual sport, so I want the bars higher than you might on a "real" dirt bike.

Today was especially fun. We got to use a giant pile of packed dirt (it was graded at a gentle angle and was mostly flat on top, with some steep sides). It was bout 10' high at its tallest point. We first practiced on the gentle slope how to turn around if you were to stall when climbing a hill. Then we moved to one of the steep sides and did it there. Then we went up it. Man that was terrifying at first.

But after that, we started going back down. And then, it got better. We had to stop on the hill!! This was a steep f'ing hill. Pretty darn cool!

Rob