The DR650 thread

[chopperpilot]

True, but I dont have a spare R7k lying around 

Is that your DR in the profile pic?

[Ri]

Your setup with the spare fuel tank looks great though

[Hfx]

True, but I dont have a spare R7k lying around 

Is that your DR in the profile pic?

Yes sir


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[Hfx]

Your setup with the spare fuel tank looks great though

Thanks a Mil. Yeah had to modify the pannier brackets a bit to accommodate one on each side. Cheap and nasty option.

The problem though is when I need both panniers on. Then I need to strap the tank to the back plate and pack all my bags on top which is not ideal


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[chopperpilot]

True, but I dont have a spare R7k lying around 

Is that your DR in the profile pic?

Yes sir


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I did the same on my Husky 610 TE Fi, for which no long range tank is available.

Pioneer Plastics jerry can, with a home made metal sub frame.

Mine swallowed 5.7 liters.

Is that not sufficient for your fuel needs?

[Hfx]

for shorter "between towns" trips it is perfect yes. I do however do longer "no mans land" rides where its around 250 -300km between fuel points and then I need a 3rd jerrycan. Its not ideal as the packing on the DR becomes iffy.

But until I have the funds for a long range tank it will have to do I suppose 

[chopperpilot]

for shorter "between towns" trips it is perfect yes. I do however do longer "no mans land" rides where its around 250 -300km between fuel points and then I need a 3rd jerrycan. Its not ideal as the packing on the DR becomes iffy.

But until I have the funds for a long range tank it will have to do I suppose 

Thank you. Agree.

I had the 18 liter IMS on my DR. Was perfect for my needs.

Had the bigger Acerbis at first, think 25 liters, but is was to big. A friend bought it for his DR.

[Ri]

for shorter "between towns" trips it is perfect yes. I do however do longer "no mans land" rides where its around 250 -300km between fuel points and then I need a 3rd jerrycan. Its not ideal as the packing on the DR becomes iffy.

But until I have the funds for a long range tank it will have to do I suppose 

Thank you. Agree.

I had the 18 liter IMS on my DR. Was perfect for my needs.

Had the bigger Acerbis at first, think 25 liters, but is was to big. A friend bought it for his DR.

I swapped a perfectly good 18l fuel tank for a 31l fuel tank. What was I thinking

18l is just too small for my heavy throttle hand. 21l is perfect. 31l is like having a baby elephant sitting in front of me. For my needs, 21l is best size and IMO the Acerbis looks best on the bike too

[Hfx]

for shorter "between towns" trips it is perfect yes. I do however do longer "no mans land" rides where its around 250 -300km between fuel points and then I need a 3rd jerrycan. Its not ideal as the packing on the DR becomes iffy.

But until I have the funds for a long range tank it will have to do I suppose 

Thank you. Agree.

I had the 18 liter IMS on my DR. Was perfect for my needs.

Had the bigger Acerbis at first, think 25 liters, but is was to big. A friend bought it for his DR.

I swapped a perfectly good 18l fuel tank for a 31l fuel tank. What was I thinking

18l is just too small for my heavy throttle hand. 21l is perfect. 31l is like having a baby elephant sitting in front of me. For my needs, 21l is best size and IMO the Acerbis looks best on the bike too

Geez you can almost go to KZN on 1 elephant lol


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[Bikerboer1973]

An option maybe?

See if you can get hold off a second hand original tank, drill a couple off holes in the sides so it can act as baffles, then get some one to form and weld a new skin on. The size will be dependent on you and depending on how much you pay for a secondhand tank the costs will be a lot less than R7k. a Buddy off mine did it for someone, can't remember for what bike, but the oke was very happy as he got quite a bit off extra fuel and enough to suit his needs.

[Bensien]

I fitted  the big Acerbis and in retrospect it was a mistake. I seldom use my DR for touring. If  the tank is full it becomes a pig when I take it off road, especially in thick sand, so I half-fill it anyway. I should rather have invested in a Rotopax system that I can also use on my other bikes.

[LeonDude]

So my 2 x 2 liter coke bottle system is still good?
 

But seriously, refilling all the time is a pain. An 18L tank would be nice.

[Ri]

I fitted  the big Acerbis and in retrospect it was a mistake. I seldom use my DR for touring. If  the tank is full it becomes a pig when I take it off road, especially in thick sand, so I half-fill it anyway. I should rather have invested in a Rotopax system that I can also use on my other bikes.

This is exactly the problem with the small elephant. Sure you can get to KZN on 1 small elephant, but you won't have any fun doing it as a small elephant is heavy to throw around on gravel. My bike fell and I couldn't lift it by myself - too heavy. The weight added to a few falls maybe cracked the handlebar, which snapped clean off while I was riding in the back of beyond one day.

By that time the 21l tank was back, so I could at least lift the bike.

So my 2 x 2 liter coke bottle system is still good?
 

But seriously, refilling all the time is a pain. An 18L tank would be nice.

Add one more Coke bottle and patch them all together

[Spectaitor]

The time has come 

Quick crash course on what to look out for when buying one?

[LeonDude]

The time has come 

Quick crash course on what to look out for when buying one?

That depends on your technical skills and knowledge of bikes - do you want to learn new stuff, or do you simply want to get on and ride?
If you don't know much about bikes, as I surmise from your signature, I suggest you take a biker with when you go look at a bike.
If you want a bike that you are going to buy everything for, like you would with a new girlfriend, then any bike will do.
Oh, and don't listen to what Ganjora tells you about the third gear.

[Spectaitor]

I've heard of Ganjora's experience, I hear far worse of BMWs so not phased.

I work as a draftsman designing packaging machines so am technically inclined, just not experienced with getting my hands dirty.
I'm a new rider, new to bikes in general but enjoy learning and sort of know what to look for on a bike, been to see a few and managed to spot the niggles that the owners "didn't even notice" so I'd hope my common sense is strong enough.
I plan to do all the work on the bikes myself unless I can't work out how to.

That being said, I don't want to buy a bike and then dump R15k into it because the previous owner was limping along with his problems waiting for someone else to take them on.

[LeonDude]

In that case, I would simply say that you should beware of paying too much for added extras, all those after market things like screens, bar raisers etc, especially if you are a new rider and will probably drop the bike often. (We all do that, some more than others).
Check for cracked rims - those could cost you, but don't worry about things like sprockets and chains, you're going to replace those in any way, same goes for brake pads.
When you do get the bike, service it immediately, no matter what the previous owner said, using good oil. (Ask me, just learned that lesson AGAIN. sigh)

[Ri]

In that case, I would simply say that you should beware of paying too much for added extras, all those after market things like screens, bar raisers etc, especially if you are a new rider and will probably drop the bike often. (We all do that, some more than others).
Check for cracked rims - those could cost you, but don't worry about things like sprockets and chains, you're going to replace those in any way, same goes for brake pads.
When you do get the bike, service it immediately, no matter what the previous owner said, using good oil. (Ask me, just learned that lesson AGAIN. sigh)

Ganjora's is the only bike I've ever heard with that problem, and since he fixed it, the bike has been fine, even took Dwerg around Kaokoland without any hassles at all... except it was a bit low for him

You might not need a screen; riding without one causes much needed cooling airflow in summer. You'll get hit by a few more bug bombs at speed but hey, these keep you awake on long boring roads.

I don't think anyone drops their bike as often as I (still) do. Fold-away mirrors for the win! Engine covers will also be handy to protect against gear / back brake lever scratching. Bigger foot pedals for sure - some KTM pedals fit on the DR (Dux can give you the details). And maybe invest in a good seat, and you're good to go!

For performance, open the airbox a bit (if not done yet), tune the needle, a nice free flow exhaust...

I can also recommend emulator valves - suddenly the front wheel doesn't dive under hard braking, and doesn't deflect off huge rocks in the middle of the road, instead launching you into the air   Huge fun!

Welcome (soon) to the DaRk side

[Spectaitor]

Haha, that's fantastic thank you.

I probably wont do any mods early on, else I'll never be able to tell if they did anything. For now though I'm just waiting to see if I can find something that suits me

You know, I started out wanting a DR 6 months back and now am sitting in the same position, looks like fate.

[Ri]

Everyone will recommend almost any other bike rather than the DR650s, but they are such underrated little gems. With the minimum of care they will just keep going. Long road tours aren't fun but they are doable, but once you hit the gravel, they excel. They can carry quite a load, so you can go on long tours, but they are still light enough for fun. Many people are doing round the world tours on DR650s, because they are so dependable.

And they are so slender and easy to ride. People at traffic lights sometimes ask whether I'm riding a DR250. Weighing in at 147kg dry, you won't get a lighter nimbler dual sport that won't cost you an arm and a leg to "adventurise". Adjust shocks to your needs, put on some 50/50 or full on knobblies, drench the engine in oil and point it anywhere.

I've surprised myself where I managed to go in/down and back out again with a fully loaded bike (got lost, I'm not into GPSs). I can't imagine riding solo for weeks on any other bike, dropping it and picking it up in the middle of nowhere, barely giving it a glance over, mounting and riding off again 

Edit: Friend of mine has had a DR650 from new, I think, and recently it reached the 90,000km mark, no hassles yet.

As you can tell I'm a bit passionate about my DR650s