DR650 versatile cheapie or heavy dinosaur? 10 questions from ADV Pulse!︱Cross Training Adventure

Great video, well-timed fart, lmao, thanks for the chuckle! Cheers, Ronny

Great video! I once had a 2001 DR650 that I kept bone stock during the six years that I had it. I mistakingly gave it to my brother in 2008. If I was to purchase a new (or new to me) DR, I definitely would not do any mods to the exhaust or fueling. My only mods would be larger fuel tank (maybe), beefing up the suspension springs to handle a bit of luggage (definitely), and a new seat (most definitely.) I would probably do a few petty mods like replacing the mirrors with Double Takes, etc. I never have, and I never would ride the DR like a full-blown enduro bike. I wouldn't mind having an XR650L, but I have no experience with that bike to make and comments. Both bikes are still available here in the U.S., but their days are numbered. I am truly surprised that they are both still available here.

On the flip side, last March I purchased a new Kawasaki KLR650 non ABS. I have done some small mods like the skid plate, Thermobob, winshield bracket, luggage rack, and clutch switch by-pass, but that is as far as I'm going. The bike runs great stock, and the suspension is more than adequate.

Love your videos and as a DRZ owner I can relate to some of the similarities with the old school ‘technology’, hard seats and soft suspension. I’m 50 yrs old but the child in me loves the fart sequence at the end!!! 👌

Why the generic computer voice? We listen to hear your quaint Aussie accent.

I want to know where all the weight difference is, and why, between the DR650 and the euro 500's. I can understand a need for some of it, but 100+ lbs seems ridiculous.

Folks might want to try lowering the DR. Makes it less of a tall pig, more of a fun dual sport.
Don't love what this does to the front suspension, and does feel weirdly low; but it's less demanding and more fun in the tight stuff. Would rank it higher than a tall DRZ in tight technical riding. Also feels better on pavement when low.
You can preview low pretty easily: change shock bolt position, and slide forks up. (Forks can go higher than safe height if you're just taking it easy; but note that factory lowering front seems to affect the shock performance, so preview won't be fully accurate -- might even want to skip factory lowering the front if the street handling doesn't bother you. Bothered me, really like it on street now.)
I use it mostly for dirt.

I've had most of the big Japanese singles, and the BMW 650 Dakar too. I had me a DR650 that I modded a bit. Some of the mods were expensive and to me useless - the pumper carb. Suspension mods - fork brace and stiffer springs were the best mods.

In the end the bike was just too heavy for my desert dualsport - I'd dump it at least 2 times in every ride. I got a WRR which did the highway OK and was far easier to ride offroad.

The stock 35 HP DR engine is merely OK for mountain highway pleasure riding. A jerk in a Miata can easily block you from (safely) passing, whereas on my Duke 690 I probably wouldn't even be aware he was trying to block. I do think about street tracking a DR650 - I've a friend that is a good suspension guy. Then maybe a intermediate big bore kit looking for another 10HP and beefing up the bottom of the range a bit. I envision a bit more dirt traction than a Supermoto, and a lower but still plush controlled twisty road ride, with maybe enough pop to dispatch most cars I come up on. BTW, the Duke was a good bike, but it was dismal on even smooth dirt roads.

I've personally been singing the praises of the drz400 and dr650 for years but the truth is after buying my new crf300l i dont want to go back at all. It's so smooth and somehow feels lighter than my drz even though i had the USA spec lightweight E model.

Bush Pig approves this video.

Watched your channels for years mate, absolutely love your content and the way its delivered. Although i own a XR650 R and absolutely love it.. I rekon one test ride would convert the lot of you DR people 😉

Fun video! I like the old school Japanese enduro bikes. Way back when (late 80s) I had an '83 XL600 with similar vintage XR500 suspension under it. That bike was simply awesome. It did 5 gear wheelies and was good enough to ride off road. Was young back then of course and rode the XL everywhere. It was the right bike at the right time in life. I put 40K trouble free miles on my XL.

The XR650L somehow lost the plot in comparison - the older XL engine was just plain better - it had more power and revved quicker. I suppose that is due to emissions and can be fixed. I recall modding the"touch lever" on the XL's 2nd carb to open it much sooner, that increased it's brappability quite a bit! Naturally it had a Supertrapp on it with a pile of discs...

Currently on a PC6 with Rottweiler's map Yosh can equipped '23 Husky 701 Enduro. Ya, it cost a lot of money, but I'm having my late mid life crisis right on schedule, and that engine is amazing. Strong off the bottom, midrange is stout and it revs to the moon. The 690 platform is truly amazing once fueled properly and allowed to breathe, it just makes a load of power everywhere.

My old XL and the DR with their smooth easy power both have an endearing "just ride the shit out of me, it will be fine" quality to them. In contrast, the tuned 701 is just flat out thrilling power wise and if the rider doesn't respect it and instead "rides the shit out of it" while off road, especially with the traction control nanny turned off, it will most definitely not be fine 😆

I actually geared it up +1 / -1 (16/45) as the stock gearing felt too revvy and short after the fueling and exhaust mods, especially on the highway. The engine wants to pull a load, it reminds me of my 500cc two stroke desert bike, which also responded well to taller gearing. The somewhat ironic thing is per the Gearing Commander site, the taller gearing's 1st and 6th closely matches my old XL600's stock 1st and 5th. The XL always was good on the highway up to 75 or so.

There is a part of me that wants to build up a Bush Pig DR just for the Hell of it, as I like modding bikes, but my wife would kill me if I bought another MC.

After having some classic carb bikes, never again will I buy a carb bike. Never had any issue with fuel injection

Another great bushpig vid. And yet I still dont know if you run the standard 15-42 gearing. Are you? Have I missed that info in all the vids ?

Imagine if Rally RAID embraced the DR like they did the Tenere and the CB500x and what sort of a DR we could have if they did

Just bought our 2nd '98 DR650 in south africa used with 50 000 km ... had full service on purchase, put about 5000km on her and bike died offroad spontaneously... 3rd gear disintegrated and took out everything in its path ...will cost more to repair than purchase price ... very disappointed after doing all the research to choose her ... apparently 1 of only 3 in our country thats completely destroyed itself😢

Thanks for the laugh's, glad all the other Elite DR riders were busy.

Not a cheap bike in the states. By the time you put on a larger tank, better seat, improved suspension, wind protection, etc. You could have bought a T7. Poor fuel economy too.

I have a 2017 Ktm 690 and it’s been a fantastic bike for me. Great fun both on and off-road and very reliable with routine maintenance. After years of owning this bike I still get a grin every time I throw a leg over it.

good bike all round mate

farting very funny !😂

DR650 ftw

Cool video. For solo on and off road as a 55 yo rider, I’m pretty happy with my 2018 DR650 after an IMS tank, Renthal 0809 High bars, Barrett and B&B racks, Pro-cycle Seat, Heidenau K60 Scout tyres and LED spot light were installed. The rest stock.

I find the DR a satisfactory compromise. However, being 5’9”, the DR is slightly heavy and geared too high for tight tracks and buzzy at high speeds. A sixth gear would be an improvement.

I use a fake AirHawk air cushion over the seat for distance with better vibration dampening. But what matters most is that she’s reliable, low cost, simple to maintain and gets me home!

bought myself a 2009 dr650 about 6 weeks ago. finally had the chance to take it on some rough fire trails and single track and holy it out performed my wr250 by 1000% i definitely thought the weight would make it limiting off road but i was so wrong. glides over everything and realistically isnt that hard to throw around. just takes some experience riding enduro. couldnt be more happy with it

I have a love/hate relationship with my DR. Cheap, simple, and with mods, close to my unicorn adv. But... I jumped ship after being stranded outback the second time in three trips. 🤷🏼‍♂️ One owner, fully serviced. That said, I recognise that most DRs are reliable, and I was unlucky.

Cons? They don't have much power, have poor fuel economy when loaded, brakes are meh, they're very agricultural, suspension is rubbish, seat is crap, headlight sucks. Could be lighter. I can't wheelie them (yeah, definitely the bike) 😂 Owner groups can be disturbingly cultish. DRs are good, potentially really good, but so are other bikes and brands. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Pros? Cheap. Simple. So many accessories, go anywhere, most issues can be fixed with $$, potentially one of the best all round adv bikes, probably are the Hilux of bikes, a good one is fantastic, usually reliable. Not too heavy. Can be fixed in the field. Will go all day at 110km/h across most surfaces. Not as likely to get speeding tickets (but still quite possible).

Who farted first, 44teeth or CrossTrainingAdv?

I got a 2021 over the summer. I'm still getting to know the bike. I like the old school simplicity.
Seat is really bad... 100 miles and my rear hurts. planning to do seat concepts upgrade -expensive
Front headlight is really bad but I don't want to do much night riding.
I am a big guy a little over 19 stones and the stock suspension seems fine to me.
Stock foot pegs are weird with the rubbery feel
Starter bearing has the "rooster sound" which is not good, I hope to upgrade that bearing.
As far as affordability, I wish people would stop saying "this is cheap" whether it's a candy bar, car or motorcycle....that will only encourage manufacturers to increase prices..
Thanks for this video, good content!

Second multipurpose bike, (Himalayan was first) and while I loved it, my DR650 is the first bike that I’ve back flipped and crashed, got back up, limped home, and road the next day. It’s the first bike that’s really got me off the pavement. I love it for exactly what it is. A cheap, capable, extremely modifiable bike that doesn’t way the weight of a modern adv. its streetable to be comfortable enough for street use, has classic 90s style, and good off-road.
As I always say, my DR650 pound for pound can always outride my ability. And that’s more than enough for me.

Hey mate, Im looking at getting a DRZ400, why do you prefer the 650?

If the world went into financial crisis & could only make 2 motorcycles: 1 is the PW50, the other is the DR650.
You can adv, single track, tour, commute, motard, road track, custom, big bore. It does nothing great but can do everything okay.

Your channel is the major reason I bought a DR when I got back into the sport after a 35 year absence. No regrets! I've done most upgrades, except for the engine and exhaust, and am content to leave as is for now. But...I bought a much lighter bike (FE 350) a couple years back and find I am riding the DR less each year. Still, I don't think I will ever sell it.

Weight is always interesting point, a 690 weighs basically the same, a KLR 650 is a lot heavier, the RE Himalayan is a lot heavier, Yamaha XT 660 is a lot heavier, so in reality for what the DR is it is not that heavy, the original XR 650 was lighter but it was only kick start, so saving lots of kilos.

Also take into account a CRF 300 rally is 153 Kg wet, the DR is 166 Kg wet, 13 Kg difference, so reckoning is the CRF is heavy for its capacity, but is preferred by many riders as a lighter option.

I shipped my 2014 DR 650 over to the UK from OZ and clocked up 13000 klms riding across Europe to Romania and the bike is currently in Croatia, where I plan to go back and ride back to the UK before shipping the bike home, it had 320,000 Kay’s on when I sent it over and had no mechanical issues at all.

The DR is perfect for me at the age of 63 as I have the fast riding days behind me, I ride for the enjoyment of riding and exploring new places and most importantly enjoying the views.

Sure they are not cutting edge but that is what is so good about the bike, they just do what they do.

I’ve owned 3 of them, including a 790 conversion which provides the sort of power you need for the open road. As for a Suzuki successor, it won’t happen. For that matter, forget about Japan and look to China. The DR had the worst suspension of any modern dirt bike. Life threatening at speed even with moderate bumps.

Stumbled on a 350, bought a 200 for my wife, working on the wording to make buying a 650 make sense to others

The perfect outro...

Definitely great, simple, reliable machines. Cheers for the upload 😎👍

Ove been scrawny my whole life kick with both feet when i was a kid 13 yo had a xt660 and kdx250 and yz250 currently have klr650 klx650 built up a bit and have had several fzr600s turnt dirtbike I love heavy durable tanks un less I'm for sure going sky ward thats what i have yz250s and ttr250 for

DR650 is the magic unicorn albeit a slightly aged and overweight one but it will definitely go down in history as a legendary bike.

Great and accurate summary of the DR650. I had a 2017 which I added all sorts of bling to it was a great bike which I really liked I only sold it because I changed jobs and wanted a bike to commute into the city (Perth) along the freeway and park in public car parks I was worried that because it looked like a trail bike it would get stolen. I bought a Vstrom 650. I have now sold that and bought a CRF 300 Rally to replace the DR I bought it instead of another DR only because of the weight I am 64 and not very confident off road and if I am by myself struggled a bit picking up the DR. The main thing that I didn’t like about the DR was riding it for long distances on main roads at 110kmh the bike did it no problem but I found it quite tiring. The CRF300 has less power but I s a smoother engine and seems to have similar top speed with stock gearing I still don’t enjoy that side of riding but it’s all a compromise. I would highly recommend the DR650 to anyone as well as the CRF300 Rally they both need suspension upgrades and seats and possibly an exhaust to reduce weight a bit. The advantage of the CRF is a lighter bike better fuel economy so you don’t have to carry as much fuel which is more weight, longer service intervals and smoother engine and a six speed gearbox. Disadvantages are fuel injection which is harder to fix in the middle of nowhere and more to go wrong although being a Honda hopefully won’t be a problem.

Great video as always. It always makes me smile to watch you guys lofting big, effortless wheelies on your Bush Pigs…the kind of wheelies I struggle to manage on my 690 with nearly twice the power! Did somebody say ‘It’s not the bike, it’s the rider?’ 😂 Always worth watching.

It's a great bike for a big rider. I'm a small bloke so I prefer a lighter, smaller bike.

Great video, a bike that is simple seems to get some discrimination! Though when you're fellow riders experience issues with there fuel pumps, blocked injector, filter or electrical problems you learn to respect the simplicity of these bikes!
Just get rid of that CV carb and replace with a pumper carburetor and throw on decent suspension and all is good!

I did a well timed fart once while overtaking. Unfortunately, I got far more than I bargained for :P

Very interesting questions and answers.

Great video with valid points Barry.
I think one could argue that Adeventure Bike Australia would be the Oz equivalent of Procycle here.
Regarding the suspension, I took the forks and rear shock out and shipped them off to Teknik in Sydney and told them what I used the bike for and they came back perfect. Apart from what you have already mentiond, l think a cheap option for Suzuki could be a taller 5th gear for hwy slab riding and a 250W alternator output.

Long live the bush pig!!

Great video Barry! Everything you mentioned is spot on. The DR is a great all round bike and with a few modifications, it will do what you want it to anywhere. Modding it is half the fun of owning one.
Cheers!