The DR650 thread

[GaZBur]

Just did the Otago Motorcycle club economy run today on the DR650. Its one of the Clubmans events so thought I should try get a few points up even though I prefer the speed events.
OK last year I didn't really try and got 68.6mpg = 29.165kpl.
So this year I kept under 100kph and tried to keep the throttle steady and expected to do better. So the result was real poor 51.66mpg = 21.96 kpl. My only explanation is that there was an incredible wind today and that affected economy. Well I got shamed by all the 1000cc sports bikes and even those 2up!! Damn - but there were 2 DR250's there and they got 70mpg and 78mpg so all honour is not lost.
Spent yesterday sorting out the bike for next weeks OMCC track day at Levels. Looking forward to getting back on the tarmac, but sad to hear the breaking news about the tragedy at Pukekhoe today!

[GaZBur]

Did my second track day at Levels yesterday on the DR650. Once again it was a real blast. Everyone had such a great time it is such a fun track. If you are even vaguely considering doing one of these "Have a Go" days you really got to. Walking around the pits you see HUGE grins on everyones faces as we all had a great time.
There is no pressure on you - if you are slow - you just go slow, if you are very new the club officials will guide you around. There was everthing there from buckets, a viragio cruiser, sports and road bikes up to 1300cc and out and out racers like R1 etc. We were broken up into groups. Newbies in 2 groups (Fast bikes and Slower bikes) and shown around. Group 2 - my group which were moderately fast with passing anywhere you could do so in safety, Group 3 for the seriously quick and group 5 for the street stock. Group 4 was meant to be Motards but there weren't enough to warrent the extra session. Actually glad to be in with the sports bikes as I realy enjoyed mixing it up with them. Yes I got toasted by them in the main straight but I could pass them back in the corners and sometimes under brakes. Great practice for passing though as you get to pass the same guys 3 or 4 times in some sessions coz the rip by again on the straight. Had four great 10 min sessions in group 2 and after that a lot of people were knackered and packing up. They said there was time for a final all in session for those still keen so we all headed out. I think that last session was fantastic as everyone was going faster than they had all day and there was no crashing or dangerous passing done. Previously though it appears one rider in group 3 was told to pack up and go because the officials were trying to keep it all safe. While on them the officials ran the thing fantastic and the only other person I saw getting told off was well, yeah it was me! I arrived a smidgen close to the 9.30 briefing and after the deadline of 9.15 sign in. Ooops!
Anyway - I was pleased how fast I was, I took down enough 600's and 1000's to maintain honour to the DR and was in full control for the whole day - almost!
One small incident in the very last lap. I was cranked over as far as she could go (the front tyre has wear fight to the edge) and leaning off a bit too and she slipped down and out about 300mm?? so fast I knew I was going off, well there was a scrape sound and it picked itself back up!!!! OMG how did that come back, it all happened so fast I didn't even get scared but kept hammering only to find the chequred flag out in another quarter lap. The only possible thing that could scrape would be the footpegs but there is no way it will lean over that far with 21in front, hardened up rear suspension and its not lowered. Couldn't really prove it was the peg that scraped as there quite a few scrapes on it already from previous ummm incidents.
Anyway I grinned all the way home as did everyone else that was there no doubt. First time ever I will wear out the sides of a tyre while there is still about half tread in the middle.

[NordieBoy]

I think you're just faking it.
A DR can't do all that.







I hate you.

Again...

[GaZBur]

I think you're just faking it.
A DR can't do all that.







I hate you.

Again...

He he he!!! Not to worry, there will be more track days. I forgot to ask my neice who was there if she got any decent photos, if so I will post them up. Otherwise you will have to take my word that the DR650 is a real superbike eater.

As a matter of interest the 14 tooth sproket only made a marginal difference to top speed although it did feel to me from a seat of the pants viewpoint as if I had more punch out of the corners. Changing into top gear at 140Kph instead of 153Kph as with the 15 tooth.
Only other set up difference is I ran the airfilter dry, not oiled so it would breathe a bit easier.

[marks]

Only other set up difference is I ran the airfilter dry, not oiled so it would breathe a bit easier.

isn't that effectively the same as running no airfilter?

keep the reports coming.

[GaZBur]

isn't that effectively the same as running no airfilter?

Not quite but close. I imagine any fine grit would eventually work through the filter but anything serious floating around wouldn't get into the carbie. Dust was not expected to be an issue on the tarmac but you are right, I will be oiling it again now that its back on road use.
As a matter of interest i filled it up on way to work.
12.82 kilometers per litre which I think is about 36mpg on the track.

[Gizzit]

As a matter of interest i filled it up on way to work.
12.82 kilometers per litre which I think is about 36mpg on the track.

Sounds like you had a real blast on the track! These DR's certainly handle well, don't they !! I was down in Auckland for the day on Saturday, and when coming home riding up the Brynderwyn Mountain (ok .. it's a hill right ! lol), in the tight and twisty bits ... I felt like I was so far over, I had my ear on the ground ... lol and it was still hanging on .... the bike that is !!! lol. I checked the tyres yesterday, and while there are still some little knobly (new tyre) tags on the very outside edges of the front tyre, there isn't anything left on the rear tyre !! I was having a ball in the corners. That 3rd gear is a real hoot !

What I would like to know, is generally ... how many K's are people getting to a litre ... with normal riding (i.e. some hooning some slower cruising or commuting stuff) ?? I got 169K's until I had to switch to reserve from a full tank on Saturday ..... going down to Auckland .... lets say .... "quickly" !!
I'm just not sure what to expect for gas milage on the DR ... I do know that I'm looking forward to the IMS tank arriving !!

[cooneyr]

What I would like to know, is generally ... how many K's are people getting to a litre ... with normal riding (i.e. some hooning some slower cruising or commuting stuff) ?? I got 169K's until I had to switch to reserve from a full tank on Saturday ..... going down to Auckland .... lets say .... "quickly" !!
I'm just not sure what to expect for gas milage on the DR ... I do know that I'm looking forward to the IMS tank arriving !!

Sounds pretty good to me. I was doing pretty close to 170kms to reserve (10l consumption) with the factory tank and our bikes should be set up very similar. This was mostly adventure riding i.e. gravel road or worse for around 50% so probably fairly similar to your "quick" riding. 17km/l is 48mpg (UK or 40 mpg US).

Keeping it steady at 100ish between Christchurch and Springs Junction I once did over 200km and didnt have to use reserve i.e. over 20km/l or 56mpg UK or 47 mpg US. This will be pretty close to best fuel consumption for "normal" riding.

Thanks for the writeups Gazbur. One day I'll get along to a track day. Looks and sounds like heaps of fun.

Cheers R

[Gizzit]

Sounds pretty good to me. I was doing pretty close to 170kms to reserve (10l consumption) with the factory tank and our bikes should be set up very similar.

Oh Ok ... I was working on the belief that the normal tank was 12 litres, plus 1 litre for reserve (13 litre standard tank ?) .... If that was the case, .... thats about 14.16 K's per litre (for 12 litres to 170K's) ? Does that sound about right ? or about 39.98 mpg which isn't overly economic for a 650 I wouldn't have thought.
Or ... are you only able to "access" 10 litres from the normal tank, without doing the big tip over to the left to "get the other gas? ? You know a LOT more about these bikes .... so I bow to your knowledge.

This was mostly adventure riding i.e. gravel road or worse for around 50% so probably fairly similar to your "quick" riding. 17km/l is 48mpg (UK or 40 mpg US).

Keeping it steady at 100ish between Christchurch and Springs Junction I once did over 200km and didnt have to use reserve i.e. over 20km/l or 56mpg UK or 47 mpg US. This will be pretty close to best fuel consumption for "normal" riding.

200K's is good going I would think ! How do you find the IMS tank ? Can you access all the gas in the tank and do you have a reserve ? They advertise that they are 18.5 litres. It's a pitty they arent more like 20 to 21 litres.

Thanks for the writeups Gazbur. One day I'll get along to a track day. Looks and sounds like heaps of fun.

Cheers R

really good write up. Makes me want to have a crack at a track day sometime .....

[cooneyr]

Oh Ok ... I was working on the belief that the normal tank was 12 litres, plus 1 litre for reserve (13 litre standard tank ?)

I'm pretty certain they are 10l to reserve and a 3l reserve. I distinctly remember getting caught out one time with only 1.5 l of spare fuel in a bottle at St Arnaud wanting to get back to NN. I got about 25kms down the track and hit reserve plus put the bottle in. Got to Richmond and managed to put 12.7 l in it which was the most I ever put in This means I did about 75kms on 3l reserve and 1.5 spare which makes sense as a 3l reserve is about 50kms given fuel consumption of 17km/l.

How do you find the IMS tank ? Can you access all the gas in the tank and do you have a reserve ? They advertise that they are 18.5 litres. It's a pitty they arent more like 20 to 21 litres.

I've done 330kms with a trip plus some round town riding (bit hard on the gas around town) and just hit reserve. I've never actually used all of the reserve so I don't actually know how big it is. You can just tip the bike over a bit to get the last out as I understand it but you'd not have much left at that point. The IMS does expand quite a bit so they end up closer to 20l. You can always give then the hot water treatment if you want to make sure they are 20l.

Cheers R

[far queue]

I'm pretty certain they are 10l to reserve and a 3l reserve.

Yep, that's correct ... unless you have the version sold in California, which has a smaller tank. From memory (so I may be slightly out here) the Californian version has a 12L tank - the reason for the slightly smaller tank being that extra space is required for the fitting of the emission control "stuff" which that state insists on.

[Gizzit]

My tank is definitely 13 litres, so as you say ... 10 litres plus 3 reserve. It's no longer a problem as my IMS arrived yesterday, and is going to be fitted next week, so will have no hassles after that! Next Thursday (27th) I'm riding down to Tauranga to get my seat done by Mcdonalds Motor Trimmers. Its booked in to get done Friday, and I'll head back to Whangarei on Saturday. I'm looking forward to the trip down and back .... and hopefully much more comfortable coming home!

[GaZBur]

Sounds like you had a real blast on the track! These DR's certainly handle well, don't they !! ... I checked the tyres yesterday, and while there are still some little knobly (new tyre) tags on the very outside edges of the front tyre, there isn't anything left on the rear tyre !! I was having a ball in the corners. That 3rd gear is a real hoot !...

Yeah I love the handling except with knobs on the road, which un-nerve me a bit. Did your DR come with those Trailwing universal type tyres? If so they get a real bad rap from some forums I have read but I liked them. They held reasonable and when they decided they had done enough they started to slide in a predictable way that lets you know, and you could either ease them back or go with it. I had a guy come over and check out my front tyre coz he had a dirt bike as well and was impressed with the way I went around the outside of his R6. If your riding is mostly on the road then good road tyres are the ticket!!

[Gizzit]

Yeah I love the handling except with knobs on the road, which un-nerve me a bit. Did your DR come with those Trailwing universal type tyres? If so they get a real bad rap from some forums I have read but I liked them. They held reasonable and when they decided they had done enough they started to slide in a predictable way that lets you know, and you could either ease them back or go with it. I had a guy come over and check out my front tyre coz he had a dirt bike as well and was impressed with the way I went around the outside of his R6. If your riding is mostly on the road then good road tyres are the ticket!!

My DR did come with Trailwings ... and they are good on the road for me so far, and I have been pushing them a bit ... in the dry so far, but I'm impressed. Not sure what I'll replace them with when they are run out, but I will still be going with a dual purpose kind of tyre for gravel and seal at least!

[GaZBur]

.... I was doing pretty close to 170kms to reserve (10l consumption) with the factory tank and our bikes should be set up very similar. ...

As a matter of interest my bike died from lack of petrol and instead of turning onto reserve I coasted into a gas station. I filled it almost to the top so that there was just enough room to fit the cap on without spilling. It was exactly 9.9 litres. The last 100ml would have meant it would have overflowed when the cap goes on.

.......Thanks for the writeups Gazbur. One day I'll get along to a track day. Looks and sounds like heaps of fun.
Cheers R

Thanks for the feedback. The next Levels Have a Go day is in early November so I will let you guys know in plenty of time so if even some ChCh riders are interested you should get a look in. They limit it to 100 riders but last time there was plenty of spaces left. After that is of course the Burt Munroe and I won't want to miss that one.