2010 owned it since new.

Curious if anyone has tried using the Pro-X fork protectors on the stock Dr650 fork setup? Their website says they are not compatible with the DR 650, but I can’t really determine why. They seem very similar to the neoprene seal savers. They say they are sized for 44-50mm fork tubes. The DR has 43mm diameter fork tubes, so it seems within reason. Maybe if it is a little oversized it’s actually good to reduce the chance of it binding when it compresses? Anyway just wanted get some thoughts/ opinions on this. Thanks!

Hello guys,

Here with a quick feedback from my experience with motolab and some begginers advice for those who are on a budget.

I bought a new throttle slide guide because I noticed it was worn during my last maintenance before the summer and I suspected it was the culprit behind my poor fuel mileage (somewhere bewteen 6-7 l/100km)

I'm here to give some peace of mind to those who buy this part and are freaking out that it doesn't fit the carburetor. I was stressing out because my old throttle slide guide simply clicked in place while the new one didn't go all the way in because it was lightly bent inwards and was already thinking about returns until I realised that you are liable pay for your own return and are only refunded if they find that it was indeed defective. Since this would take another 2/3 months and there was a chance I wouldn't see the money back I simply tried again. I didn't use any heat although it's a plastic piece and I could have probably "fix it" that way, the risk of actually ruining it by melting it the wrong way made me think twice.

It took some effort but I managed to fit the slide inside the carb by opening it up slightly while pushing it it.

Now, some advice for those who are on a budget and think that those Ali Express rebuild kits for the BST40 are worth a try.

They are worth a try but know that precision parts are something to forget about. From the cheap kit I bought I currently have the needle because it was the tapered profile I was looking for instead of ruining the stock needle and grinding it, the white plastic piece that goes in between the spring and the needle itself, I also have the gasket for the bowl installed and I feel like if I ever need a new float, that one is reasonable but without any guarantee. So you indeed end up saving a bit but it's not a miracle saving hack where 30€ gets you what hundreds of euros would. You will eventually have to spend on the jets at least. Mikuni jets (main and pilot) weren't even that expensive, they're like 5€ but sourcing and shipping them is the big problem if you're not an American who can Procyclcle like regular people can Uber Eats. Comparing the genuine with the fake ones side by side you can see that they're different, the fake jets don't match the size they're supposed to be, in this case the pilot jet was much larger (I couldn't tell a difference between the main jets by sight because the hole is much larger and harder to spot differences but I believe they're different too).

The bike was good but never running quite right, I was adjusting air mixture screw, I had the needle on the 4th slot to compensate for other stuff and still had some issues that I attributed to the bike not being warn enough yet, among other things.

I also didn't have WOT. Once I went past 90% or 95% that last bit wouldn't do anything I had to return back to feel the bike pull again and it wasn't a slipping clutch.

Getting the genuine jets was night and day. I'm flying now. I paid for the whole speedometer I can finally use the whole speedometer (jk be careful out there guys).

Also I was using the cheap Chinese needle jet but ended up returning to the old one because I realised that the kits comes with stuff for the BST40 from KTM so the needle jet has 14 holes instead of the 12 from the DR.

Bike's running great now I feel like I'm flying but still have to ride some more to know whether I should put the 155 main jet or keep the 150 and also figure out if the needle's good on the 3rd clip or if it would be better on the 4th.

Motolab review, the products are great and those guys were helpful in what they could when I had problems with the delivery and were pleasant to deal with. Real people instead of bots.

Rant: I had some issues with this shipment, basically my mail courier f'd me up, package was sent back to them but at least I got it on the 2nd try. I'm just mad I had to pay shipping twice and also airport taxes were a big surprise because I had to pay local taxes on top of what I had already paid and the shipping price was taxed too. I'm baffled. But welcome to the real world I guess.

Final tip: Don't forget your JIS` guys even if you replaced the carburetor with hex heads, the air box cover and the bolt inside it, as well as the carburetor clamps, are still JIS (you can see the little dot on them meaning they're not Philips).

Also covering everything with a cloth will save you plenty of headaches. I had peace of mind knowing nothing was gonna get lost. And it came in helpful when I dropped a screw while bolting in the bowl

Hello! I'm starting to compile my list of winter mods and have been thinking about upgrading to the TM40 pumper carb for better performance and, hopefully, to stop gas from consistently getting into my airbox when I drop the bike on trails.

I have an Acerbis 5.5-gallon tank and am working on turning off the petcock as soon as I go down, but it's still not quite fast enough. I've read conflicting information on whether the pumper carb will alleviate my problem. The carbs are tuned for altitude (Colorado) and were recently rebuilt, but it's a 2007 and previous owners modified it, so I'm wondering if it's just how the stock Mikuni is set up.

I'm a pretty new dirt rider, and I drop the bike at least every other ride, so I'd like to avoid having to clean the airbox and check the crankcase for fuel intrusion so often.

Edit: Ok, so it sounds like since the stock carb doesn't have a traditional overflow, and since I don't have a vacuum petcock from the stock tank, I'll have to do a little hose work or look at upgrading to the pumper. Thanks for the help everyone!

Hi there,

I ride a 1996 DR 650 RSE and have issues clutching with two fingers.

I have installed and oiled a new clutch cable with correct routing and an adjustable lever.

I adjust the cable slack to have minimum play and then put the reach adjuster to the max forward.

Issue is when pulling until the lever collides with my ring finger the clutch is not fully open, I can feel the bike slightly pulling.

When Off-roading I'd like a good two finger pull. But the lever travel from closed to fully open seems enormous:/

Besides that, the force required is quite high, I'm running 2 OEM and 2 stiffened clutch springs to prevent slip. My hand is tired quite quickly.

Can you easily clutch with 2 fingers?

quit my job and took my dr to places in eastern europe, balkans, türkiye.. about 3 months, around 10.000km. Best ride of my life.

now I dont want to go back to nine to five. any suggestions? next year, i think about doing something like a work and travel through türkiye again then go further to central & south east asia.

ehh.. and i made a free app to connect motorcycle travellers, share cool wild camp spots and navigate gpx :)
would love to see you around! https://twowheelsapart.com

I feel like I haven’t seen older people riding mid or smaller bikes.
Is it comfortable for you more experienced gentlemen?

I switched tank, exhaust and header (fmf powerbomb set) with my latest mods. The exhaust makes a popping noise when i shut the bike so i know i have to mess with the carb to get this bike running ideally now, dont want to buy the TM40 right now but, can i just mess with the stock carb to get it running nice, or do i buy the jetting kit and if so which ones ? Thats my buddy and his wife riding an SS1KR BMW, what a beast …

I bought a 2018 dr650 about a year ago. 25k miles, too the best of my knowledge, I've added about 5k or so, easy. I've ridden pretty aggressively offroad, daily commute to work, big highway>bdr days, did a 1200 mile round trip back in June... no trouble at all.

About a month ago, I was riding to work, heard a rapid snapping noise (not clacky or metallic), then the motor died. I tried to bump start in 2nd on the coast and it started right back up, made the noise and died again. I decided not to start it up again and pushed it the half mile to work in the rain.

Once I got it home, i removed the seat, tank, etc. And immediately found a cracked spark plug cap. Figured that would have been the noise I heard (spark trying to escape the broken cap). Replaced the caps and plugs and started it up. It sounded louder on the top end, so i figured i would check the valve lash. Followed the steps to get to TDC on compression stroke, set the exhaust valves to spec, but the intake valves had way to much play. The rocker arms could move way past what the clearance should be. No matter how many times I checked TDC/stroke, the exhaust clearances looked right, but I had to send the tappets too far down in the lock nut just to approach the spec clearance. When i ran the bike again, it seemed like the top end noise increased as the bike heated up.

Forgot to mention i changed the oil at this time and, I'm embarrassed to say, accidentally over filled. So, after a few miles of test ride, the over fill situation payed off. I stopped, rescued the bike, started over with the work.

Checked clearances again- no change. Cleaned the air filter, secondary filter, cleaned plugs, drained overage oil, drained float bowl, new battery (replacing old one which was limping after a bunch of start attempts through this process), tested pulse coil resistance (in range- 214 ohms, where 175-250 was spec)... still running rough, can't accelerate past mid range, gets louder with heat...

I feel I'm at the point where my youtubing, manual reading and googling have started to hit a wall and I must have effed something up or there's a deeper issue I'm unable to identify. I just want to take it to an actual mechanic and have them reset me or give a list of what to do or something...

Any advice?

Got a 2009 650, bone stock, and did the following mods:

• TM40 carb with lighter return spring, open airbox
• Cogent dynamics rear shock
• Cogent drop-in DDC cartridges + springs for the front
• IMS natural 4.9 gal tank
• Acerbis plastic skid plate
• 1" lowered pegs
• Bark Busters handguards with weighted ends (vibration damping)
• Fatbar with 1" riser clamps
• DG performance slip-on muffler

Took her out to a 100+ mile section of the Norcal BDR the other day, just to try everything out, and here are my thoughts.

TM40 Carb

This thing makes it feel like a different bike. Where the old carb felt like a tired office worker, this TM40 feels like a 1950's prize fighter. Grunty, powerful. Huge difference. Also, I HIGHLY recommend getting the lighter return spring, as the one provided makes the throttle pull far more difficult.

Cogent Rear Shock

This is a HUGE difference, and I haven't even set the sag or messed with preload/compression yet. Immediately stiffer, no more "squatting" under power, the front wheel comes up way easier. Another part that contributes to making the DR650 feel like a different machine. Highly recommend if you're planning on any dual-sport stuff.

Cogent Drop-in DDC Cartridges

These were surprisingly easy to install, as I've never worked on suspension before, and made a huge difference. The front feels so much more planted and stable, with no more wallowing in corners, and no more of that spongy brake-diving. Recommended.

IMS Tank

This tank goes great with the fit and finish of the DR, and I think it looks better than the Acerbis from the front, because it avoids that fat/bulky look. One issue I had is that the reserve has not been working, and I assume this is likely due to plastic flakes/residue which I believe are common with these new tanks. So, I will be draining the fuel and removing the petcock to clean it out. This tank is a must for longer trips where there are no gas stations for 100+ miles. I haven't fully tested the distance, but I've heard other reviewers say 200+ miles.

Acerbis Skid Plate

This was super easy to mount, and I bought it because other reviewers said it doesn't reflect the engine noise as much as the aluminum. This piece feels really thick and durable, plus lightweight. I haven't smashed it over anything serious yet, so we'll see...

1" Lowered Pegs

I'm tall (6'2") and am mostly legs, so standing up on bikes when trail-riding often leaves me with residual back pain, plus DR650 stock pegs are notorious for leaving your legs feeling pretty cramped even if you aren't tall. These pegs certainly help. I might even go lower, like 1 3/4".

Fatbar with 1" Riser

In addition to the pegs, this helps when standing; not sure what else to say here.

Bark Busters Handguards

Nice fit and finish, haven't crash-tested them yet. I got the bar-end weights as well, and the vibration through the bars is minimal. I think it's worth the price, especially if you'll be doing any distance riding, such as highways.

DG Performance Slip-on

Noice! That's what I thought when I first heard it. At lower RPMs, not much louder than stock, so it doesn't wake the neighbors. At higher RPMs, she gets really ripping, so you can hear that satisfying BRAAP. Noice!

Hopefully this is a helpful one-stop for anyone considering these common mods.

Feel free to comment if you have any questions!

I need to change out the faulty NSU on my 1997 bike with 27k km (16,7k miles) on it. I've already got the new NSU but not much else. So just before I was going to start the operation I started to think if if there was anything else I should be replacing while in there.

Do I need a new gasket for the clutch house cover (I got a new one about a year ago just after I fixed the nsu bolts about a month after I got the bike)? Do I need some clutch springs and bolts? Is there something securing the clutch bucket nut which may need replacing? Or should I maybe be doing a full clutch replacement (I don't know if it's ever been switched out or even how to tell if it's worn).

What do you guys think?

I tried the red polyurethane cush rubbers, and the cush hub absolutely would not seat with them. Bought OEM rubbers, and it's better than with the red ones, but still will not allow the rear wheel to go on. What do I do here?

It appears I have an oil leak from a crankcase cover that it looks like the previous owner already repaired with JB Weld. Is it worth trying to patch the patch or should I just replace the cover at this point?

Of course my front forks aren’t DR650 stock. The previous owner put 350 front forks on for more adjustable dampers. Anyone have some good inside or “rule-of-thumb” for first adjustment after a rebuild?

Can anyone recommend a list of items to carefully go through when buying a used DR? I didn’t see anything on DR riders or anything.

I’m looking to pull the trigger on one of a couple of potentially good deals, but for every post that says they’re indestructible and it doesn’t matter what I buy at any mileage as long as it’s a 1996 or later, there are posts that show leaky seals or bikes that don’t start in the cold, etc.

I know the 650 is a simple engine and as straightforward as they come, but I could really use some guidance because I’m buying it to keep for the long haul and not just sort of test it and flip it if it doesn’t work out.

Thank you I appreciate it.

Weekend mods ready

Hey, I'm going for the 18" rear wheel of a DR350. They are often sold bundled with the 1,60" x 21" front wheel. I'm looking at a golden set from a '92 model. It would be nice to fit both wheels to keep the aesthetic and possibly save some weight on the front wheel.

I know the rear wheel swap is mostly straight forward except for the brake rotor needing to be replaced. The front wheel though is not a simple fit. The axle size and bolt spacing of the brake rotor are different.

Is it possible (and viable) to combine the 350 rim and the 650 wheel hub using new spokes? Both use 36 spokes and those would probably need to be a somehow calculated lenght. I don't know if something like this is worth it or even possible and hope to get some insights.

Thanks!