Suzuki DR 650 ride: What it does best to worst.

[@SA_bluemonday]

Thanks for the video, I watch every DR video there is!

[@thatalaskaguy]

That’s great to hear! During the summer months I’m always wondering what kind of videos to make?

[@trevorjameson3213]

@@thatalaskaguy All you have to do is ride your DR650 around in that incredible scenery and that is a great video!

[@thatalaskaguy]

@@trevorjameson3213 that I can do! 😀

[@trevorjameson3213]

Great ride, the scenery is incredible! I have a DR650 as well, and yeah it's great on the street, on gravel roads, and jeep trails in the mountains. But for trails like that tight one through the woods in your video, I also have a DRZ125L. It's first gear is literally a crawler gear, and it's only 190lbs so it's super easy to ride tight single track. The only drawback is that I have to haul it to the trails if I want to ride it instead of the DR650. But when I know about some great, technical single track, I will haul the 125 for the ride. But as far as the DR650, it's been my favorite overall bike for twenty years, I absolutely love it as a big dual sport. And yes, the carb mods do help somewhat. The simplest mod is to just drill out the brass plug covering the air/fuel screw, and adjust that screw out 2.5 turns (or wherever it runs best). Then add a very thin washer to the needle, to raise it up a bit. Those mods alone help, especially adjusting the air/fuel screw, that's the biggest problem that should be addressed.

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks for the tips! I want to work on the carb as the low speed running in 1st leaves much to be desired. That’s my biggest complaint with the bike, otherwise I really like it. My wife has a DR 200 and it’s way easier to ride on tighter trails than the 650 but it isn’t great on the highway. Too bad they don’t still offer the air cooled DR 350, seems like the best of both worlds. I never cease to be enamored with dual sport bikes and the ease to just hop on and go for a ride wherever your mood takes you. Great for going out for a cruise and checking things out. I’ve got some new video footage I’m going to be editing soon. I think you’ll enjoy the scenery. The 650 has really good power for hill climbing at higher speeds. I haven’t ridden my 650 much for the past few years, it’s been fun to take it out again.

[@bennyblanko3]

@@thatalaskaguy I have a KLR650, convert street legal dirt DR350 and wife's TW200 and plated TTR125 (goes like 40 max). The TTR is the best for really tight single track, can almost walk up stuff dragging the bike. But, all around I think the DR350 is the most fun to ride. It is geared up a little too high at the moment (goes over 80 on the road with Dunlop 606's) and is great for day rides. But, the KLR wins if I'm going out for a few days or week, packed with camping gear. Nice country up there!

[@thatalaskaguy]

I think a 350cc bike just like your DR would be perfect for what I like to do. It’d have enough speed for the highway but still be light and nimble enough to be fun to ride in tight, technical areas. My wife has a DR 200 I rode a number of times this summer and it’s way better for tight trails than my 650 but really struggles on the highway. It’s quite revved out to go 55-60 mph and would be wide open to maintain that speed up a hill. It’s fine for around town and 45 mph limit roads.

[@bennyblanko3]

@@thatalaskaguy Right on! My wife's TW200 is a little slow on the highway too, especially up hills. But, the DR350- mine is a dirt version, I think 1990, but plated for street, and is geared up. Not sure top speed, but faster than I want to go on the highway - I'd guess about 80/85 but no spedo (cars do about 70 on highway here, and kill a lot off deer ...). It is super light, compared to the modern similar bikes, and suspension is better, and carb is excellent on the dirt versions). I'll bet you would think it a lot more fun than the 650 for most dirt exploring. But, if you are packing for camping trip, or doing much highway, the 650 rules!

[@thatalaskaguy]

@@bennyblanko3 I remember wanting to buy a DR350 back in the 90’s but never did. Now no one offers a perfect bike like that and the ones I’ve seen for sale up here are totally roached. For the type of dual sport riding I like to do, that 350 would likely work perfect!

[@justinfranks2103]

I suggest you gear it down that will help a lot with creeping through the woods. I’ve had a few dual sports of various makes and sizes and personally I like the 250’s if doing mostly woods riding. Great video keep it up!

[@thatalaskaguy]

That’s a good idea and thanks for the kind words. My wife’s DR200 is definitely easier and more enjoyable to ride on trails and in tight terrain. The downside is that it has to work pretty hard to maintain 55-60mph on the highway. It’s revs are way up there at those speeds. I’ll start researching what gearing options guys are doing with their 650’s. The stalling tendency at low speeds is my biggest complaint about the 650.

[@tvh300]

Dropping from a 15 to a 14 tooth sprocket in the front makes all the difference. I even prefer my DR650 on the street with the lower gearing. I found it always seemed to be between gears at normal driving speeds, with the 14th it just feels right. That being said it could still use an even lower gear for really technical off-road riding, but a 14-42 is a pretty decent compromise, IMO.

[@robertparker8863]

Nice vid! The carb kit from Procycle, and suggested airbox mods, worked great for my DR650.

[@doc650adventures]

Yup! Makes a huge difference!

[@doc650adventures]

Congrats on owning one of the best bikes ever made! Really enjoyed this video and what amazing areas to ride in! As far as carby mods, I did the ProCycle Jet kit and modified my airbox. Unless it is really cold outside, I never use the choke. It takes a little time to fine tune it but once it is done it completely transforms the Mighty DR650! Also, as others have said, a smaller front sprocket make a huge difference during slow speeds. I have the stock 15 tooth, a 14 and a 13 which makes a huge difference off road. I have other mods to include suspension and exhaust mods I have done on my channel. Check them out when you get a chance. Still jealous of your areas to ride in! Thanks for a great video! Cheers!

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks for the tips! I’m planning to gear down for next summer. For the carb I want to first try the mods that were shown on the Cross Training Enduro channel. Thanks for commenting on my video, I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos.👍

[@doc650adventures]

@@thatalaskaguy Thanks and Cheers! Brother!

[@dirtysquatch7036]

The mikuni TM40 pumper carb kit from procycle is the best mod for low end performance I've done. Definitely worth the $$ !!..Along with 2 teeth up on the rear sprocket and 1 down in the front... Bike is a low speed tractor now! 😄

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks for the info. 👍 We are now into our third week of near constant rain so I’ve not been riding my DR. I’m glad to hear there is a fix for the bike if stock carb mods and gearing are not able to greatly improve low speed performance. It’d be a next summer mod as I usually put the bike away in October as the weather gets cold and it rains a lot.

[@dirtysquatch7036]

@@thatalaskaguy yea you will always have a hesitation with the cv carb just their nature. Yea I bet you don't have a very long riding season up there.

[@MinnesotaNice763]

Great vid. I enjoyed the additional info.

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks! 👍😄

[@MidCoastAdventures]

Gotta love the DR650. Greetings from Australia 😎👍

[@thatalaskaguy]

Hello from Alaska 👋. I love my DR! I had a KLR650 before the DR and only kept that bike for maybe 3-4 years and sold it. The DR is much better for what I like to do.

[@bigjj974]

Change the front sprocket to let it chug slower in first gear.

[@doc650adventures]

Yup!

[@hazcat640]

Maybe a larger pilot jet or maybe the idle is too low. Just ideas.

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks for the tips, I want to do some carb work on the bike. Just need to get some house projects done first.

[@jsf8145]

You ever have any close calls running up on bears out there? If so, do u carry bear spray or a gun?

[@thatalaskaguy]

Yes, unfortunately I’ve run into many bears over all the years I’ve lived here. I carry bear spray with my from spring through fall when I’m out walking my dog, riding my bicycle or hiking around. On motorcycles or four wheelers I usually don’t carry anything since the bears can hear the machine coming but I’ve seen lots of bears over the years while out riding. Fortunately they’ve all either run off or ignored me and kept going into the woods. I keep thinking my odds of having a bad encounter keep going up with each passing year. When I’m hiking in remote areas I carry both bear spray and a gun.

[@ilyaivanov2283]

Какие же обалденные виды на Аляске 🤟

[@thatalaskaguy]

Спасибо! Не устаю любоваться красивыми видами

[@armadilllo]

turn up your idle a bit

[@thatalaskaguy]

I can try that out next summer but it’s a fine balance to me. I don’t like my machines to idle too high either.

[@armadilllo]

@@thatalaskaguy yeah, just so it doesn't stall. Looks like an awesome place to ride, I have to ride about 70 miles to get to mountains and dirt roads the half the time the roads are closed to vehicles, hate California. Love my DR

[@thatalaskaguy]

@@armadilllo the video likely makes things look a bit deceiving as my riding area isn’t very big and we don’t have a ton of trails or roads to ride. The scenery is beautiful for sure but with all the rocks and brush it isn’t very motorcycle friendly. I love riding here and love riding motorcycles but I often watch videos of other areas and see how amazing they’d be to ride at. The area outside of Anchorage, our biggest city is actually way better for off-road motorcycle riding than where I live just because there are less rocks and way, way more places to ride. It’s quite scenic around there too. In college I rode my dirt bike in different areas up there and really liked it.

[@armadilllo]

@@thatalaskaguy yeah, I guess you tricked me🤣

[@thatalaskaguy]

@@armadilllo Ha! It definitely wasn’t intentional, I was just putting around and thought I’d film with the GoPro to see if it looked okay. That ride comprised a gravel road up a dead end canyon and some local 4-wheeler trails and small section of river bed. We have tons of rivers and streams that cut off access in many areas in the summer. During the winter everything opens up because things are frozen and covered in snow and then it is amazing! You can ride so many more places and areas, it’s truly epic and world class. Not even exaggerating, Valdez is incredible from February through April in a normal winter. Motorcycles are fun too but more for just the enjoyment of riding a motorcycle than the actual terrain.

[@deejay4837]

A little more time on the subtitles or don't have them fade in and out. From our point of view it's too quick as we don't know what's being written. Other than that decent vid.

[@thatalaskaguy]

Yeah…. It took me a bit to learn how to edit in iMovie. I’ve since discovered why the subtitles fade out faster in certain shots than others and what can be done to counteract it.

[@motokev2727]

Need to gear that bike down, maybe 1 tooth smaller on the front.

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks for the tip! I definitely want to make some mods so the bike is easier to ride in tight terrain off-road.

[@keithquinn5624]

Do the jet kit, airbox mod and slip on exhaust. It’s beyond night and day difference in everything. Greetings from bc

[@thatalaskaguy]

Thanks! I’ll look into that over the winter 👍