Suzuki DR650 Dual Sport
1996 model year, 14,000 miles
I picked this up around early March 2005. This is what it looked like when I brought it home:
It was used as a college commuter, and racked up a lot of street miles. Unfortunately, it was also ridden int he rain and parked outside while at school, so the seat faded, and some parts (mostly in the rear) rusted. I've since ditched the Acerbis rally handguards and supertrapp race pipe. The rear tool bag was rotten as well- the zipper crumbled off. Nasty. Note "custom " rear license plate mount!
When I brought it home, I was going to just ride it as it is, but my nature got the best of me. I couldn't handle the rust on the frame nor the general dirtiness (yeah, I know, I'm going to off road this anyways, but you know me). First step: strip the bike and examine the wiring.
I think the leakage was gunk from the gas tank and petcock- the motor didn't seem to leak anymore after I cleaned it.
Ooh purple... Prince! You sexy mutha f...
Almost done with the teardown!
Now off to the powdercoaters (Olympic Powdercoating in Orange County, CA)
1 Week later...
Here is the frame formerly known as 'Prince'.
I decided to get it done in Charcoal gray with clearcoat. It turned out way better than I expected.
I did a valve adjustment too, and an oil change while I was in there. That engine weighs a ton- 110lbs with oil cooler still attached, to be exact.
I also got some black fork boots. I may change these with neoprene later on.
The reassembly continues. I bought an FMF Q pipe, Dynojet jet kit, K&N air filter and Kientech pre-filter, Koubatech eibach 8.2 spring and adapter, and Racetech/Eibach front springs, and a bunch of stock Suzuki parts to return the bike to nice condition. A lot of the hardware in the back rusted out, and a few bolts seized, and had to be replaced. I also got a set of low profile blinkers, and a 2001 DRZ250 taillight to clean up the look. A Pingle petcock finished off the custom parts.
I put a rag on the back so no one loses a kneecap when walking by.
Not even my 200cc YSR custom bike has this much wiring- it was a mess!
I got an RSW Racing fork brace too. I don't really like how high the center bridge goes- I trimmed a cheap KTM fender I bought for some extra clearance. I'l take it for a hard off-road ride later on to see if this thing will clear the lower triple clamp. Other than that concern, fit and finish is very good. The boots are now a little crammed in there, so I might get some neoprene protectors instead later on.
Almost Done with reassembly!
Finally, on 5/4/05, my parts arrived from bike bandit and mrcycles. Mrcycles.com is cheaper, but takes longer to get the parts here since they are ont he East Coast. Bikebandit usually gets stuff here pretty quickly, but costs a little more, and I pay tax.
It took forever to get some of the parts. I still have a few odds and ends on backorder, but nothing that can't be added later after the bike is already running. I got a DID X-ring chain to replace the stocker too. I have a sprocket specialists aluminum rear sprocket coming in a few weeks to save a half pound or so- I don't ride nearly enough to wear out an aluminum sprocket, much less a steel one.
DONE!
I picked up a 2003+ front fairing pretty cheap- I thought it made the bike look much more aggressive. I got a 2004 seat pretty cheap as well- it replaced the faded one that came on the bike, and makes the bike look like a 2004 model. Too bad I can't clean the yellowing off the tank- maybe I'll replace it with a blue one at a later date.
There are a few minor things I still need to attend to- like the rear license plate mount. I might just fab up something out of sheet metal to hold it under the fender and out of the way, and toss a small light up under there to be legal. Someone sells a pretty nice one on ebay, but I want something even less noticeable. I also bought a brand new rear master cylinder on ebay for $10, but am waiting for it to arrive. The stock one got a bit messed up when I had to remove a seized bolt, though it's working on there temporarily. I'm thinking of adding some smaller folding dual sport mirrors also.
11/15/2005
Since I can never leave anything alone, I found a Buell headlight mod on the Thumpertalk DR forum, and decided to go for it. It's much brighter than stock. I finished the license plate mount a long time ago and added Acerbis folding mirrors too. I have black side panels and a blue tail on order as we speak. I swapped the fuel tank for a blue one as well. I'm in the process of replacing the fork brace with a dual star unit, but I'm waiting on some neoprene fork 'boots' before I dive into that.
12/09/2005
The new fender and side panels are in! I got the Dual Star front brace and neoprene fork protectors on as well.
Full list of mods:
IMS 5 gallon fuel tank (blue new tank- sold the white one)
Renthal aluminum handlebar (came with bike)
2005 Suzuki seat
Pingle On/Off./Res billet petcock
Galfer F/R Stainless brake lines
Racetech/Eibach .46 front springs, 15wt fork oil
Koubatech rear spring adapter/Eibach 8.2 rear spring
K&N Air filter/Kientech pre-filter
Gutted air box
Dynojet stage 2 jet kit/Kientech thumb-adjustable fuel screw
FMF Q pipe
Ball bearing chain rollers
Dennis Kirk low profile smoked turn signals
DRZ250 rear taillight
DID X-ring chain
14T front sprocket
Dual Star fork brace with neoprene fork protectors (I like this more than the RSW I had)
Buell Headlight mod
Buell Part number Details:
M0023.1AJAYT - headlight grill $25
M1600.1ACMW - black windscreen $60
Y0421.1AD - headlight $59
M0645.1ADA - windscreen mount $24
You then fabricate two simple side brackets and a bottom bracket which bolts to the lights. If you elongate the holes, you get some adjustability.
Link to the mod on Thumpertalk
Ordered new aluminum rear sprocket from sprocket specialists (42T), and bought a 52T JT sprocket for cheap to play around with in the dirt.
Removed all unused brackets (besides passenger pegs)
Removed kick stand switch
I'm still running the IRC Trail Winner tires that came with the bike. They look nicer than the stock Trailwings I've seen (in terms of off-road capability). I'll try these and see how they work. I'll get some Pirellis later on, though I'm thinking of having new rims and spokes put on if I change the tires- black rims with twisted spokes.. hmm...
Email me for additional questions: