The DR650 thread

**Denniso** · 29th May 2007, 23:25

Finaly figured out what to do about the stack of tyres off my motard , I bought a new DR650 and spoked on 17 inch rims , what a blast for such a soft bike it is stupid fast on the road ( allready pissed off quite a few road bikes ) but it's a lot better in the shingle than I thought it would be , genraly I find road bikes better in the shingle but this is so much fun I've found myself out riding at 2 in the morning in the shingle . the other suprise is how well that the GPR a10 tyres work in shingle , it handles so well my mate has just gotten some 17s to spoke on to his 650 and has told me to do more racing to generate more tyres for him to use. Only hassles so far are the overly restricted exaust ( fixed , now better power ) and suspension is to soft , needs way more rebound and a little more compresion but thats happening soon , if I get a chance to let it cool down . At least it dosen't have a fairing as the bellypan on my SV is now rooted from shingle .

**NordieBoy** · 30th May 2007, 07:37

Shingle is addictive isn't it

So are motards.

**marks** · 30th May 2007, 13:15

Are you saying that road tyres on a motard are as good on gravel as dual purpose tyres?

I put dual purpose tryes on my xt660x tard primarily for gravel/dirt road use. The mitas E09 I put on the back howls its head off on the tarmac and I have been considering putting the original pirelli scorpions (never tried them on gravel) back on but didn't want to lose the gravel/dirt road capability.

I have proven to myself that regardless of tryes the 660 is simply too heavy for serious off road work and hence the tyres I currently have on it are verging on overkill.

cheers

Mark

**chris** · 30th May 2007, 14:35

Originally Posted by Denniso

but it's a lot better in the shingle than I thought it would be

The DR650 is one of the best, on the right tyres.

Originally Posted by Denniso

genraly I find road bikes better in the shingle

Really?

Originally Posted by Denniso

it handles so well my mate has just gotten some 17s to spoke on to his 650and has told me to do more racing to generate more tyres for him to use

So road tyres are better in the gravel than something like a TKC80? This is what I have on my DR650 and trust me, it's better in the gravel than a road tyre.

**skidMark** · 30th May 2007, 15:46

n00b question

wtf is a shingle

**chris** · 30th May 2007, 16:11

Originally Posted by skidMark

wtf is a shingle

He means gravel. Well, I hope he does or I've replied thinking it's something completely different.

**skidMark** · 30th May 2007, 16:21

Originally Posted by chris

He means gravel. Well, I hope he does or I've replied thinking it's something completely different.

cheers for that, i'm a town boy i dunno these fancy country words, we have that tarminiac stuff. lol

**Motu** · 30th May 2007, 17:44

The compound would have a lot to do with it - once it hits hard pack the grip would be great,but in thick gravel it would be as bad as any road tyre.

**Denniso** · 30th May 2007, 22:21

Yep I prefer a road bike in gravel/shingle , more weight / power but a bit fragile when droped and yes I prefer road tyres , on well swept gravel you get good traction and on freshly graded roads not even a full knobbly will grip so why bother and besides if I'm having fun I don't give a shit what bike/tyres I'm on

**merv** · 30th May 2007, 22:23

That's the point mate, if you enjoy it, then its right for you.

**marks** · 31st May 2007, 07:51

what sort of tyre pressures do you guys run when you are on gravel?

cheers

Mark

**Crisis management** · 31st May 2007, 09:16

Tyre pressures? Next you'll be suggesting I clean the bike.....

I run bridgestone knobblies on mine with 20psi in the front and 25psi in the back (about). This is what I run regardless of whether I am on gravel of seal, mud or sand you may want drop your pressures for.

**marks** · 31st May 2007, 19:13

With those sorts of pressures is there any risk of problems with hard cornering on tarseal? (my 660 still thinks its a motard even with knobs on...). I'm not concerned with shorter tyre life - just keeping the bike attached to the ground.

I like the idea of not having to futz with pressures when I go from on road to off

I have been running 30/30 on road/gravel and 18/18 in mucky stuff.

cheers

Mark

**far queue** · 31st May 2007, 22:40

Originally Posted by marks

With those sorts of pressures is there any risk of problems with hard cornering on tarseal? (my 660 still thinks its a motard even with knobs on...).

I have been running 30/30 on road/gravel and 18/18 in mucky stuff.

What tyres are you running? Road tyres? Knobblies?

I run Knobblies on the DR at 22 front/25 rear on the road and 13/15 off road with heavy duty tubes to stave off punctures and rim locks to keep the tyre in place.