Cheap or Expensive? Intermittent Failure Repair / DR650 Maintenance

My DR650 ignition was intermittently failing and the engine would die or not start. I traced it to the terminals at the CDI. Here I show the reason and the parts and procedure to repair. This DR has been a reliable trouble free dual sport carrying me 26,000 miles of trail and road. Over time heavy loads compressed the seat pan which touched the CDI terminals and caused metal fatigue.
See @jrdepew "Gremlin Attack", ORBDR EP3 (KZbin) where trouble hits. Many more DR650 adventures on my channel.
Electrical parts: www.Cycleterminals.com

[@JagLite]

Excellent video! Finding an intermittent electrical problem is usually a long and frustrating search. Thanks for showing us where you found it and how you fixed it.

[@jrdepew]

Thanks. Stuff like this from others has helped me often. Might be the ticket for somebody.

[@johnstahl5699]

Thanks JR, excellent video and source information.

[@jrdepew]

Welcome

[@deberryfh]

Totally interesting. Keep that puppy running.

[@jrdepew]

That's the plan!

[@DinosTinkerShed]

Good morning JR, as I am working through my ignition episode for my channel, I thought how good it would be to link to this video as an example of how to repair the connections on the DR. Would you be ok with a link and shout out to your channel? Thanks Dino

[@jrdepew]

Absolutely! Thanks for reaching out.

[@jasonloke2219]

*Thanks!* 🙏 a lot. I may have the same problems on my DR650. thanks!

[@jrdepew]

Intermittent electrical is tough to trace. The key in my case was wiggling the connections at the CDI would fix it temporarily.

[@glennfryer1539]

I had a DR650 out in Sierra Leone just after the Civil War, it was a brilliant bike, reliable and very torquey, never had any issues with it, always started, a good set of tyres and you can go anywhere on it...they are great bikes...

[@jrdepew]

Agree 100%. This pin fatigue resulted from luggage compressing the seat pan till it touched the terminals. Vibrations did I the rest. Can be prevented.

[@mikes4352]

Im glad to see you located the problem and that it was a fairly easy repair. Thanks for sharing

[@jrdepew]

For sure. I was thinking CDI replacement or stator pickup ($$, time).

[@tobyhottle9540]

I have the Honda xr650l had the same problem. Bad cdi box. Great video!!

[@jrdepew]

Thanks 👍

[@craigcook1571]

How much does your bike weigh wet with no luggage😊

[@jrdepew]

Roughly 380 lbs with 5 gal gas.

[@craigcook1571]

@@jrdepew👍🏻 have you ever considered getting one of those motorcycle lifts that break down for stowage. That’s what I use to lift my KLR650

[@jrdepew]

I have. So far, I can lift this DR and plan to ride a lighter bike this season in any knarly stuff. They are fairly heavy themselves but may become an item for me.

[@ETA555]

What year is your bike?

[@jrdepew]

2014

[@ETA555]

@@jrdepew Only 10 years old. Pretty new. What bike did you own before that?

[@jrdepew]

Bought in 2018. Did the TAT, and many, many trail miles. Mostly rough riding. First bike since a Yamaha 250 in my 20’s.

[@PSBEadventures]

Great video JR! Nice to know you can source the connector ends!! Thanks for sharing man!!

[@jrdepew]

Small vendor but has the stuff. Thanks for watching.

[@TheInterstellarHobo]

Nice find on the problem and sourcing parts. The crimpers are called metri-pak/delphi type and are available on amazon or other places at various pricing. I love my DR as well.

[@jrdepew]

Thanks for the info!

[@ozzielinkin]

Thx for posting, I m just starting my search for my problem thsts causing my bike to stall randomly . At first I thought it was a carburetor issue . But teardown of carb showed no problems . So checking the electrical system is next .

[@jrdepew]

Intermittent issues are hardest to track down.

[@elgringoec]

Good on you for repairing it. I'll say I've never seen connector pins fail due to fatigue from vibrating. I've seen them broken by people who use the wires to pull the connectors apart instead of the connector bodies. The xr650 has had a known CDI failure mode where internally some solder connections on the PCB get cracked. I cut mine apart, removed the potting compound, resoldered the joints, and buttoned it up with silicone sealant. That was a few years ago and it's been fine ever since. I was going to get a spare but never have.

[@jrdepew]

That's a creative fix on your part. It appears my plugs were in contact with the seat pan which over time had dished some due to luggage weight and off road riding.

[@danielcarroll5667]

Great job diagnosing and repairing , I used to work on boats for a living , intermittent electrical problems were my worst nightmare , thanks for the link too , I'm guessing you're back on the East Coast now enjoying the phenomenally beautiful Fall we're having...

[@jrdepew]

Yep, and planning next year’s adventures!

[@RGB872]

Excellent info. I’ve had a loose connection in my kill switch that eventually had me replacing the whole switch. Bike has not hesitated since. Thanks for the vid.

[@jrdepew]

That is another potential spot. I try not to use the kill switch as much as posable.

[@seisamigos397]

Nice fix JR! Thanks for sharing!!

[@jrdepew]

Thanks, appreciate you commenting!

[@mt1885]

Hi JR can you list the tool you use for pushing the pins out and other tools you used?

[@jrdepew]

The small flat screw driver in the video or similar sized device as shown will release the terminal. The crimping tool is available on cycleterminal.com . It makes a proper crimp.

[@frostbitevinnie]

Fer sweet yo!

[@jrdepew]

hah!

[@jamsessionrecordshop8343]

Great info JR!

[@jrdepew]

Thanks. Appreciate you!