Suzuki DR 650 Modification

 We like to tinker don’t we?  It seems modifying and “improving” our bike is in the DNA of most bikers.  I really wanted to do something to my Yamaha SR400.  With the single cylinder personality of the SR, I envisioned myself as Geoff Duke on his Norton Manx down shifting into Douglas on a fine June morning.  Maybe I could install a lighter (louder) exhaust pipe, lower shorter handle bars,  power commander, open the air box…

When it got down to doing something, I just couldn’t get myself to make the mods to what really is a wonderful old crock of a bike.  It seemed I was breaking a trust.  It doesn’t need those things, I just wanted to do something.

I decided to lose weight.  Now I have better brakes, it accelerates better, and handles better.  Plus, I get to ride a quiet bike with smooth power delivery AND I get to sit upright for a better view and more comfort.  I still feel a little like Geoff Duke when I ride the SR, but it isn’t the same as modifying and improving, so I had to look for something else.

So what should I do?  The Suzuki DR 650 is a bike that many riders like to modify.  Before trying to make it “better” though we need to know if we can really improve it.  The DR 650 is very very similar to the DR 600 that was introduced in 1985.  In 1990 Suzuki increased bore and stroke to evolve the bike into the DR 650.  Very little other changes took place.  From 1990 on, Suzuki tinkered with improvements as the bike developed a history.  Truth is they did not really need to fix much.  They refined and improved as time went on but the bike is much the same as it was in 1990.  So the bike has seen steady factory improvement and refinement for either 35 or 40 years.  Depending on how you count.  From early on the bike was strong and reliable.  In fact, it raced and completed the grueling Paris to Dakar race multiple times.

Today the bike has been eclipsed in performance by many more cutting edge bikes and it is easy to forget how good it was and is.  Suzuki marketing strategy seemed to be to stay with a tried and true design rather than run to every new technical advancement.

When we bought the Suzuki DR 650, we knew it was pretty tall for us.  I am 5’7”, Kim is 5’5” and the DR has a stock seat height of nearly 35 inches.  We thought we might be able to get used to it.  We couldn’t.  Sliding off the seat to put a foot down at a stop gets old quickly.  Even a small slope to the road, a small dip in a gravel trail, or off camber ground can make getting a foot down and back up a challenge.

OEM seat, luggage rack, hand guards,  and tank

Our first mod to the DR was to lower it.  Suzuki makes this pretty easy.  A little suspension work on the front and back as well as installing a shorter sidestand does the trick. Now the seat is a tad taller than 33 inches.  We also set the suspension sag for our weight and riding style so when we sit on the bike we can better reach the ground.  I can touch both feet to the ground on flat surfaces, but not flat foot.  Kim still cannot comfortably reach the ground though.

The next thing I noticed was when I rode to a forest to ride the fire roads and trails the bike was a little short on fuel capacity.  Probably adequate, but after riding to a forest and getting on a fire trail I would start thinking about where I’d come out of the woods and how far afterward I would need to ride to find a gas station.  I hate sweating fuel…. We added an IMS tank.  That increased the fuel capacity from 3.4 gallons to 4.9 gallons.  Not so much fuel that the bike is top heavy, but enough to let me ride 225 miles before it hits reserve.  The tank is a plastic of some type. It is not as nice looking as the factory tank but the added range is a good trade.  My turn signals nearly touch the tank at full lock.  Tanks larger than this one may require moving the blinkers.

The seat.  Let me tell you about the seat.  Suzuki put a nice narrow seat on the DR.  It is great for standing on the pegs and riding, but less great for a full day in the saddle.  There have been riders that have ridden very long distances on the OEM seat.  I found I could ride about an hour before I had to get off the bike.  After my hour was up I had to get off at increasingly shorter time intervals.  The search for a seat began.  After a good bit of research I settled on a Seat Concepts seat.  The seat fits both the OEM gas tank and the IMS tank with no modifications.  Now the seat is an all day seat for me.  Your mileage may vary…

After market seat

I like to carry things with me. Some times my camera gear, sometimes a rain suit, extra clothes, a lunch, you name it, I seem to want to carry it.  To help with carrying capacity I added a Suzuki luggage rack.  There are other good racks, but the Suzuki rack does the trick and looks pretty good.  Now I can strap on a water proof pack and carry my things.

While we don’t ride hardcore off road I wanted to add a skid plate and hand guards.  Both went on easily.  The hand guards are a permanent swap of the light duty guards that came with the bike.  I remove the skid plate and ride without it most of the time.  Why?  I don’t know. It is just a Steveism.  There are many options for skid plates so you can find one that suits your needs easily.   Mine is a heavy duty plastic unit. I wanted both these mods when I was prepping to ride the Trans America Trail.  For most of the eastern half of the TAT a light duty skid plate is adequate, but I do like the added security of protecting the engine just in case.  The hand guards are probably more needed as they protect your hands from branches and cold and also protect the levers in case you drop your bike.  (Or just tip over because you can’t reach the ground…)

Are there other mods I will make in the future?  I don’t know. Time will tell.  The DR is a very good bike without any changes. Suzuki got it right or it would not have lasted so long or with so few factory upgrades.  It really did not need any of the modifications I made to it, but for me, the bike has become a better fit for what I want to do with it.

You will notice none of the mods made it faster, brake better, or handle better.  I still have weight loss to thank for all those improvements.

My fully modified DR you can tell it has been lowered by noting the silver side stand in place of the standard black stand

Poking Around on the DR 650

We have spent so much of the summer working on a fixer upper house that riding has had to take a back seat to more pressing projects.  The house has been a challenge but my good riding buddy Kim and I are slowly turning the tide on what was a very neglected but potentially beautiful home.  Will have to write about it some time.

I deliver motorcycle training courses for the state of West Virginia’s motorcycle safety program.  Seems most of my recent riding has been on range bikes during training.  Today was a day to get the DR out for a little stretch.  The temperature today eased its’ way up close to 60 and the sky was dry and blue.

The ride started on top of one of the ridges near Charleston.  I coasted down hill and rolled into the town of Marmet.  I turned away from the Kanawha River on the Lens Creek Road.  Lens Creek Road follows Lens Creek slightly uphill into the wooded hills.  Our route turns right on Four Mile Hollow Road.  Four Mile Hollow turns to gravel as it enters the State Forest.  FMH is a narrow one lane that climbs steadily into the forest.  The road sees very little traffic and today the smells and colors were just great, exactly what a mid October day in the Appalachians should be.  

Climbing Lens Creek Hollow

There are many gravel roads through the forest but I transitioned back on to pavement at the Kanawha State Forest Drive.  Another narrow road about one and a half lanes wide.  The Drive eventually widened into two lanes and took me into the camp grounds.  Even though the weather has been warm and sunny, only few sites were being used.  The Kanawha State Forest was a  CCC project and the campgrounds reflect the design layout of the era.  That is the sites are smallish and close to the road.  Nevertheless they are beautiful and spotless.

Campsite and view from the far end of the same site

Leaving the campgrounds, I continued down the ‘ Forest Drive past Dunlop and Polly Hollows and rode alongside Davis Creek for a bit.

I continued down the Drive until I passed the park offices.  This dropped me out in the town (gathering of a few houses?) of Loudendale.

I found myself riding alongside Davis Creek again until I turned right on Connell Road. Connell climbed and wound its way up a steep ridge.  I wandered around a bit looking for a familiar land mark to get my bearings. Eventually I stumbled on to a road I thought I recognized.

From there I felt my way around until I found the road back to my own ridge.

Just a short 45 mile poke and a very needed break from “home” work.  It is amazing how a little time on my bike will always make me feel so refreshed!

Here are a couple more photos of the forest.  Thanks for riding along with me!

Yamaha SR400 Long Term Review

 I just took the SR for a ride to scuff in new tires. Isn’t it amazing how a new pair of tires feel?  I’d been happy with the previously mounted Bridgestone BT45s so planned to put the same back on.  I learned the BT45 had been discontinued and replaced by the BT46.  Same tread same feel…. While riding I got to thinking it might be a good time to write a long term review on the SR400.

A little history on the Yamaha SR400 linage.  This bike first came to the U.S.A. in 1978 as the XT500.  The XT was what we then called an enduro, but now is commonly called a trail bike or dual sport.  By any name it had a strong engine, good frame, and good brakes for a bike of that era.  In fact it was good enough to have won the Paris to Dakar race.  Twice I believe.  You might want to verify my facts on that…

The bike was well liked and Yamaha decided it would be nice to make a street only version.  This bike became known as the SR500.  The SR500 was popular for some time and sold in markets world wide.  The bike did go through a few upgrade phases (drum and disc rear brake, I believe cast wheels as well as the more common spoked, someone out there may be able to correct me on these) but remained essentially unchanged through its time in the states.

As often happened in the 80’s American riders felt they needed bigger, faster, more competent motorcycles.  Eclipsed in performance by many motorcycle manufactures, domestic and foreign, the SR eventually faded from the U.S. market.  It did not go away though.  Production continued and the bike continued to be sold in many world markets.  At some time Yamaha made a decision to reduce displacement to 400 cc’s so it could have a broader market in country’s with tiered licensing.

Possibly a few years ahead of the “right” time Yamaha brought it back to the U.S. as the SR400.  The year was 2015, the bike was still nearly unchanged and simple.  It did get fuel injection, spoke wheels, a drum rear brake, and emission control.

We saw the introduction ads and decided we’d like to have one for ourselves.  We purchased a very early 2015.  In fact we took possession mid year 2014.  I am sure it was one of the first 500 SR400s to make it to our shores.  I’ll look that up some day.

What is the bike like to live with?  It has been in our stable for the past 11 years and we have never given any thought to getting rid of it.  Just the same what is it like?  Compared to any of the new crop of performance 300s the SR fails in almost all categories.  New 300s have far better brakes, handling, and top speed.  The new breed can easily top out above 100 mph.  The SR was never intended to compete with performance bikes, it is designed for a very different purpose.  I am not sure I can adequately describe the purpose of the bike, but if you have ever wanted a British or Italian four stroke single cylinder motorcycle you know the purpose of this machine.  It is a feeling.  With this bike you get most of the feel of an old single cylinder motorcycle, but you also get complete reliability.

My bike starts on the first or second kick nearly every time, maybe one more kick when the temperature drops below 35.  The engine is smoothish.  Then again, I have ridden and owned bikes from “back in the day” that could put your hands to tingling and could vibrate your feet off the pegs.  There is none of that.  Still I say smoothish, because if you compare it to the engine in the Suzuki TU250 it seems a bit vibey.  The TU has one of the smoothest single cylinder engines I have ever ridden.

Performance is certainly adequate, it has enough power to cruise at 70 mph, but it is far happier at lower speeds.  The brakes are more than adequate for the speeds it is capable of achieving.  The handling is also more than adequate.  Comfort?  For me at 5’8” and 165 lbs it is very good.  In fact good enough that I have mapped out a ride from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Key West, Florida.  All back roads.  I call it the blue water to blue water route.  We would like to ride the trip on the SR and the TU.  Both are very comfortable over long stints in the saddle.

The bike weighs in at 384 lbs.  The way I ride, the mileage varies between upper 60s to mid 70s mpg.  If I feel like riding it hard (for the SR) I can get it down to the upper 60s. Though I am no light weight it can get up into the mid 70s.  It uses absolutely no oil between changes.

The workmanship on this bike is very good.  Welds are very good, the frame is beautiful, and the paint is superb.  Compared to our TU250, the bike is built a bit better.  The TU though, is smoother and very good.  I will write a long term review on it someday.  Our TU is a 2009 and we have no plans to ever sell it.

The SR400 is not the only bike in our stable but I would not feel at all bad if it was the only bike I could ride for the rest of my life.  Wow, that is something.  If you know the feeling this bike gives you, you can appreciate that.  If you do not understand the purpose and beauty of the bike, you can never understand how good it really is.

Inserted are a couple photos from todays ride.  Hope you enjoy!