Hey Folks,

I am looking to buy my next bike. After years of riding a GS I want to go towards something light. I am a novice off road rider. The intent is not for a super offroad capable bike..but a bike that can take me camping to some interesting areas. The main usage will be commuting and touring. Other than its simplicity, the main thing that attracted me to the DR was that I can put a bigger gas tank on it and get ~250-275 miles of range. My commute is 100 miles total each day and not having to fuel up every day would be a god send (my GS barely manages this if I ride like a grandma at 65 mph). And I park in the city so carrying a fuel bag or rotopax is a non starter. My concern is that I am a fat arse (220 lbs) and not sure if the DR will be grunty enough to run a constant 75 mph highway slog.

My request: Are there any DR650 owners in the Bay Area who would be amenable to allow me to take a small test ride on their DRs? I am happy to quid pro quo with you riding my GS right next to me (ensure that I dont run away with your bike :D haha).

By the way feel free to tell me if you have any other bike recommendations. The only bikes that fit the intersection of have a large range + light (should weigh less than 450 lbs kitted out) are the DR650 and a modded KTM 690/ H701. The KLR is too heavy, The Aprilia Tuareg was a close contender at 440lbs wet but range is not enough and the other suspects like Tracer 9 GT/ GSA/ Triumph etc are too heavy as well

Thanks for hearing me out!

- PK

What octane fuel do you all run on the stock carb? It's a common trend for people to run high octane gas in vehicles built for regular octane, and that's a trend that confuses me knowing that manufacturers designate the desired octane based on what they've tuned theor engines for. Do any of you run 89/91 octane? Of you do, are there any noticeable differences in performance?

Considering how little I'm paying at the pump now to fill up, I could swing higher octane if there's any real reason to.

Have any of you done front end swaps? I'm going to be swapping the front end of my DR with a 2007 rmz450 fork and wheelset. Some people have said the valving is fine being that the bike weighs a lot more. I'm installing 5nm springs as well. Thoughts?

I’ll start by apologizing for a wall of text

I bought a 2017 DR650 with 1,200 miles, the PO put some goodies on the bike, the best imo is the mikuni TM40. The bike ran like a top up until yesterday. I was going for a ride, and the bike died while cruising along in 3rd. I pulled to the shoulder, let it sit for 5 mins, started up again and I’m on my way. I make it about a mile down the road, clutch in to shift from 2nd to 3rd, and the bike died as soon as I get the clutch in.
I go to start it again, and the battery is dead dead. I make it to the parts store, new battery, off we go. I go to start it this morning, fires right up, idled it for about two minutes, and then it just shut off. The starter cranks as it should, but now it won’t start.

FWIW, I felt as if the bike idled a littler lower than it should yesterday, and I adjusted the idle screw while the bike was cold. I’ve since bottomed it out, and brought it out 3 turns as per a guide from ProCycle.
I fear I may have flooded it, and now I’m consulting the DR community.

Does this sound like a fueling issue? I’m going to have to pull the carb and clean it, no info from PO on if the carb was ever cleaned since the install. Any help or insight would be much appreciated!

Hi everyone,

My Big 800 SR43 has almost 110k km on it and I want to bring the engine back to life.

I'm looking to upgrade to flat slide carbs, likely Mikuni TM36.

What setup works best for you in real life for low-end torque and smooth throttle response? Also, where is the best place to buy a pre-jetted complete kit these days?

My Big has an aftermarket exhaust and original airbox.

Thanks for any tips…

Have to get through some sketchy mountain roads. Need to be able to take turns really well on asphalt then highway speed to town. Would like to also hit the forest dirt roads shinko 705s have been great but I dont think are good enough for the forest. Have to take tight high speed turns on asphalt. Rather sacrifice off road for better on road safety. Any semi budget friendly recommendations

Hey all,

I’m trying to track down a weird fuel leak on my 1997 DR650's stock Mikuni BST40 carburetor.

If the bike sits outside in the cold, it leaks fuel. If I park it inside my warm garage, it doesn't leak at all. There is a yellowish, oily gas residue coating the throttle wheel mechanism (where the cables attach) and dripping underneath it. When this happens, the bike becomes difficult to start. It sounds like the starter sometimes seizes up, and I have to put the bike in gear and rock it forward to get it to spin again.

I have an aftermarket tank and a manual petcock that I always turn off, so it shouldn't be a constant gravity flood from the tank.

Thanks for any advice!

I did drop the DR on a trail last week, nothing too crazy. I was riding throughout the week and the front end felt a little looser than normal. I’m sure the Tusk D Sports aren’t helping. Is it normal for the right fork leg to have this kind of movement at the axle while on the kickstand?

In the morning i have been layed down on my left side, because my front slipped on oil in a roundabout.
4 hours later, my clutch cover said goodbye to me, and created a leak point which makes my rear wheel oily. Of course 200km from home. Saturday evening. F word me….

I attempted hard enduro been riding for 14 years really only a casual cross country/trail rider on much lighter bikes but currently im just rocking my 650 since I dont have a dirt bike at the moment tried hopping the big ole tractor tires and ate the floor. Anyone do hard enduro on it?

Took four days to do sections 3 through 1 from Highway 2 to the Columbia River of the Washington BDR. All dispersed camping and only stopping to resupply fuel and water in the towns along the way.

Was surprised at how few people I saw in the mountains. On section 3, only one Toyota and a sheriff in his 4x4 -- nice enough warning me about the washouts (they induced a bit of a pucker factor) and ensuring I have an inreach. On section 2 I saw one old-timer (must have been 75) on a heavy GS and a fire crew pickup dousing some brush. That's all whom I saw on the trails. Since section 1 is not much on the "trails" side -- it had a lot more traffic. All in all, serene and felt remote.

DR has springs matched to my weight but still on stock Trail Wings and stock tank. This made the uphills with loose stones on section 2 very time consuming and challenging. Lost it several times when traction gave up and lack of skill kicked in (8 months studying the trade): unload, pick bike up, ride it empty up the section, hike gear up, rinse, repeat, smile?.

My understanding, as we see it, you can't say "BDR" without "DR" 👊.

Hi! I’m a newer rider to off road and adventure riding and was wondering if anyone had some good tricks for being off road and going through the mud! Thank you, I’ve only went mudding once and dropped the bikes few times in some thick mud but kept on going

Been trying to decide if I say YOLO and pick up a used DR to try and get some miles in before winter (Northeast US, for reference). Never owned a motorcycle before. Asking $2500 OBO

Listing here:

“1999 Suzuki DR 650se . This is a single cylinder 650 oil cooled 4 stroke dual sport that Suzuki produced for decades with almost no changes besides colors and graphics so parts are usually easily available. New battery,air filter,front tire ,tube, starter torque limiter gear, petcock also carburetor was cleaned and rebuilt. Runs good , the carburetor may need more fine tuning though depending on your riding style. Does have some dents and scratches but considering it's 27 years old and was used on and off road it still looks pretty good. $2500 obo”

What would you look for if going to check out this bike? I see a touch of rust on the guard near the front, besides that from the pics it don’t look bad for ‘99 but I don’t know what I’m lookin for. 10k miles. says that it has a starter torque limiter.

I asked what was done to the carb (I don’t know jack). I’d want to swap the tires for country roads but i don’t hate it for a first bike.

Thanks yall, happy Saturday

I’m changing the jets and this portion next to the idle mixture had a cap on it. I assume not like that stock, it seemed like fuel was eating away at it. What is it supposed to connect to?

DR cut out on a dirt trail and wouldn't turn back on, I had lost the zip tie holding in the stand switch in for this one ride. I wandered back up the track, found an empty beer can, crushed it and found the mouth clamped around the sensor and the base filled the gap perfectly.

It got me to my date and back home, so no complaints from me.

Now for a new stand spring and maybe a bent metal strip to hold the sensor in.

Let me preface by saying I have an OEM Mikuni rebuilt kit coming tomorrow that hopefully sorts things out.

The bike starts right up with the choke and idles great when cold. After about 10min of riding I get some symptoms that seem like a fuel issue. It'll sputter at low throttle while in gear and then a loud pop when I pull in the clutch and twist the throttle. Then it'll either bog down or die unless I'm in gear and really on the throttle. I can't tell if it's starving for fuel or has too much.

When I drained the oil, it smelled like fuel. I figured maybe my float was sticking or the float level was off so I ordered a rebuild kit with hopes of that working.

The bike had been sitting for a few years before I scooped it up. I've had the carb apart twice and cleaned it with a good carb cleaner. The factory tank and petcock have been replaced with an IMS and supplied non-vacuum petcock. I've also adjusted the valves to the tighter end of the spec. Aside from that, the bike is completely stock. I'm running at 7800ft above sea level.

Hello guys, Its my first steps into the adventure world, truly in love with Tenere700 and Vstrom 800DE, but I see none of them is good idea for first motorcycle, so I decided to start bit lighter and slower one. Have seen tons of YouTube videos and reviews about those 3 bikes. But want to get more from just owners. I am 1.94 so heigh not problem, I just want to learn practice and get some basic off-road skills and improve them, also travel around town for just beginning like 100/150km, and also everyday usage, cuz am tired af with traffic.

The reason klx is in this list just bvs, cheap, easy, reliable and light. But I think dr650 is more well rounded and possible you can do much more with it, so drz400 too.

By the look Dr and Drz are my favorites too.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Just figured out that the bottom of a supercheapauto torque wrench works great to hold the damper rod in place.

I was having a discussion with a buddy who's also a huge DR650 as I am. He's got wandering eyes and always looking around at what else is out there yet keeps coming back to the DR is the best choice.

Yeah, we already knew that - I'm keeping mine until I die and then my wife has clear instructions to make sure it gets a great, not good, home.

But hypothetically imagine every DR650 in the world vanished overnight as if they never existed. For the kind of rider you are now and where/how you ride your DR .... what would you "replace" it with?

The Honda XR650L might be next closest bike but as I type this out, I'd probably just switch to my V-Strom 650 and call it a day.

What would you pick to fill your DR's parking space?

Hello, I got a DR650 this season and am loving it. One improvement that I'd like to make is the installation of a large fuel tank. Partially because I dented the stock one, but mostly so I have greater range.

I am a pretty forgetful person (ADHD) and I'm not sure I would always remember to turn off the gravity petcock after riding every time. I'd much prefer to use the stock petcock or an aftermarket one that doesn't use gravity, but I am having trouble finding information.

Since I can't find information I'm wondering if it's realistic. I explored other avenues before posting here, but I would appreciate any guidance.

Thanks in advance!

Obligatory pic of my bike on the left

Hey all, just bought a 2026 Dr with 0001 miles on it! Super happy with the bike. My takeaways are, ditch the oem hand guards, foot pegs, and tires. Gonna burn through the oem set and looking forward to a new set of tractionators. But overall I’m over the moon. I’ll likely do suspension upgrades so I can hit trails harder. Already put scratches on her in the woods lol.
For anyone wondering, I’m 5’7” with a 30 inch inseam. I don’t flat foot it, but have a small bend in my ankle to touch the ground. No lowering needed on my end! Cheers!