Moto-Resto DR650 - Checklist of Mods
I bought this Suzuki DR650s new in 1996 when I was living in Atlanta and rode it regularly until 2009... Late in 2019 I started a resurrection/restoration project on it - here's a checklist of the work.
Disclaimer:
Motorcycles can travel at high speeds, mechanical issues can cause accidents, riders don't have much protection. Be careful!
Follow all the suggestions of folks who are wiser than me and don't even think about working on your moto if you don't know what you are attempting.
Be responsible and don't sue me, OK?
List of mods...
Motor
- TM40 replacement pumper-style Mikuni carburetor kit from ProCycle - replaced bolts with stainless cap screws, re-glued shim to motor flange with JB Weld, cut down upper bracket to clear frame b-pillar
- DP replacement clutch plates, new bushing, new weird Suzuki wire circlip thing in clutch stack
- Neutral sending unit issue fixed with ProCycle kit, thread lock and safety wires
- Removed old OEM engine case gasket, replaced with new gasket
- ProCycle stainless case armor glued to left and right cases
- Notched fins on head for IMS low petcock
- Replacement oil filter cover, magnet for oil filter
- Magnetic oil drain plug
- 'AlloyBolts' stainless steel bolt kit
- Valve adjustment, new o-rings for valve covers
- Timing chain tension adjuster cleaned, new mounting gasket
- Stainless banjo bolts and new copper crush washers for oil lines
- Starter replaced, updated with Warp9 end cap and bearings
- 57mm ID Silicone tubing to new air cleaner behind shock
- Cleaned and drilled OEM oil filler cap for safety wire
- New air filter for crankcase breather
- B&B heavy welded alloy sprocket and case guard
- New drive sprocket 15T
- 520 chain with new retainer parts and mounting bolts
- New 520 x-ring chain, and new 41T rear sprocket with new mounting bolts**
Useful tip: With all that crappy ethanol-blended gasoline out there you'll end up rebuilding your carburetor when the bike sits for more than a month. Once you decide on the best jetting for your use, order 6-10 of the small jets - much faster to replace them than to clean them when you just want to go for a ride.
Exhaust
- Wrapped exhaust header and midpipe with tan fiberglass insulating tape
- New heat-shield mounting rings for wrapped pipe
- Replaced pipe gaskets
- Replaced all OEM bolts with stainless socket-head bolts
- New P-clamp for muffler support at rear frame loop
- Disassembled and cleaned Supertrapp IDS2 'quiet' muffler, 5 discs at outlet, removed 40mm of case from the back
- De-badged, sanded and wire-wheel polishing
- Repacked with new fiberglass, stainless safety wire to hold packing in place
- New stainless clamp for mid-pipe to muffler
- Oval alloy cover/heat-shield for front of muffler and attachment clamps
Brakes
- 320mm Warp9 front rotor and caliper relocation bracket
- Rebuilt calipers and new brake shoes front and rear
- Galfer stainless lines front and rear
- Custom fabricated alloy clips for brake lines
- Replacement Suzuki rear brake lever with edges filed and sanded, painted silver
- Red anodized no name rear brake connector saddle
- Procycle rear brake limit adjuster
- New alloy fluid reservoir, matches front brake reservoir
Wheels
- Front wheel rebuilt in 1998 with 19 x 2.5 Takasago Excel rim
- ProCycle speedo delete kit for front hub (using a No-name GPS speedo now, I don't need a cable drive)
- Replacement wheel bearings front and rear hubs
- New urethane cush drive cushions for drive sprocket
- Removed old tires, thorough wheel cleaning, replaced ancient rim strips, inner tube replacements
- Front tire - bias-ply Continental TKC70 100/90-19 (was a radial Shinko 705 110/80R19 H - but turn-in was slow)
- Rear tire - bias-ply Shinko 705 120/90-17 H
- T-Rex axle sliders
Suspension
- Cogent upgraded fork springs, DDC cartridge emulators, fork caps with preload adjustment
- Casting marks and seams removed from fork triple-clamp parts, sanded and painted with black epoxy paint
- Replacement fork bearings and cups, with heavy waterproof grease
- 1998 Scott Summers(?) fork brace with hard rubber mounts - still hanging in there!
- Vintage-style black fork bellows (pre-stretched before install)
- Cogent 'Mojave' rear shock and spring (M10 stainless bolt and nut through the lower mount after I stripped it mis-reading the notes)
- Sanded swing arm, then used chemical etching plus aluminum etching primer and VHT satin black epoxy paint
Electrical
Replacement gel acid battery** Shorei Lithium-Phosphate battery6.5 inch amber glass round headlight with wire guard, LED BA20D bulb, custom H4 pigtail for OEM harness connector** 8-inch round headlight with H4 amber LED bulb from 4into1.com↗ with bronze plated grill, CNC black anodized alloy 43mm fork mounts- Relocated rubber telltale (high-beam, neutral, turn-signal indicators) lights stalk 180 degrees, now aligned under speedometer
- USB charger module with voltmeter mounted in custom alloy plate to right of ignition lock, added switch on headlight enclosure toggles between headlight as feed (off when key is removed) or from dedicated fused line to battery. This allows charging devices with bike off or locked - not the default position to prevent accidental battery drain
- Accessory/charging port in right side panel with fused line used to charge battery or take 12VDC out for accessories
- Added diodes to signal indicator lines to prevent current bleeding with LED signals
- Replaced turn signal relay with LED-compatible relay (Procycle)
- No-name LED bar-end signals running to drilled handlebar hole between riser clamps
- No-name LED fork-wrap signals under bottom triple clamp
- No-name LED animated signals at rear lighting cluster, under fender lip and above license tag
- Motone Bates-style LED brake light with resistors to brake wires on turn signals
- No-name GPS speedometer mounted in Auto-Meter steel pod with custom brackets (Watch out - the first speedo I bought drained significant current when the bike was off to maintain memory, much more than they specified)
- GPS sensor mounted to front fender for improved reception
- Deleted side-stand switch, replaced with removable waterproofed diode under seat (30VDC @ 4A diode signal to GND)
- Flex split-loom covers on all wiring bundles, crimped bullet connectors with heat-shrink plus electrical tape on inline splices
- Careful labels on wiring nest inside headlight cover
- Plastic P-clips mounted inside headlight cover for zip-ties to secure wiring harness
- Corrected color wiring schematic
Controls
- OEM left and right switch modules cleaned, replaced OEM bolts with stainless bolts
- Removed choke cable lever from left switch module
- Choke pull-out with short cable added at b-pillar on frame, to the left side of the carburetor
- Nissin 12.6mm adjustable front brake lever, painted with VHT gold engine enamel, stainless bolts for clamp, separate alloy reservoir
- No-name Clutch lever with split-perch and switch, sanded and filled castings, polished lever to match Nissin brake lever, swapped in stainless bolts for the clamp
- No-name 22mm black alloy bars, top brace removed
- Cleaned and repainted OEM handlebar risers, with replaced original hardware with 304 stainless bolts
- 4into1.com 'Rebel' brown grips with stainless safety wires in grooves
- New throttle and clutch cables, pre-lubed with moly dry-slide before assembly
- No name alloy shifter with knurled contact cylinder, silver anodized
Frame, Tank, Seat, etc.
- Stripped and de-tagged frame, re-painted with VHT satin black epoxy paint
- ProCycle lowered pegs (1-3/4 inch drop + wider pedals)
- 12L/3.2 gallon "Manta" steel tank from 4into1.com custom frame mounts, painted with clear matte urethane (2-part chemistry needed - enamel and lacquer paints can melt with gasoline spills)
- Large rubber stoppers drilled and mounted to frame as inner bushings for the fuel tank
- Custom fabricated 6mm plate alloy adapter for rear tank mounting bolts and front seat lip, stainless threaded inserts
- Brat-style seat with laminated maple plywood base, stainless strap mounting loops underneath for side-mount bags
- Carbon-fiber shelf above rear shock to support electrical loom
- Custom 3mm aluminum alloy side panels with stainless threaded inserts for optional tie-down points, custom frame mounting flanges also use stainless inserts
- Dished aluminum oval number plate heat shield for upper exhaust pipe and muffler joint, matching oval for left side
- Goat leather fork-mounted tool kit with fork-mounted custom alloy shelf at center
- Preston products vintage-style universal rear fender
- Trimmed OEM inner fender re-installed to protect Cogent rear suspension and air cleaner
- Custom rear light mounting box for LED signals, LED brake lights, plus tag mount with white LED light
- Triumph-style aftermarket alloy front fender mounted on fork brace, GPS antenna bolted on top for speedometer
eBay purchase - well-used OEM Suzuki skid plate refinished with extra cooling holes drilled, 304 stainless all-thread extended engine mounting bolt** Black HDPE plastic skid plate from Acerbis with notches for T-Rex side bars- T-Rex side crash bars
Travel Gear
- Removable B&B black powdercoat rear rack
- Stainless M10 eye-bolts for front B&B rack mounts
- Removable heavy P-clamps for rear loop B&B rack attachment
- Removable stainless loops for tie-down hooks on side panels
- Permanent stainless strap loops under the seat base
- Alloy oval over front of muffler to protect panniers from heat
- VUZ Moto 22-liter tank bag with magnetic mounts - it's waterproof and has pull-out backpack straps, will hold a helmet
- Room for large side panniers and rear bag if needed
Things still on my mind:
Had a gasoline spill on the matte enamel I used on the fuel tank and it ate up the finish badly... used some acetone (and gloves) with rags to strip off that clear coat and ordered some catalyzed urethane clear for a repaint - it just arrived
Seat alignment with tank still doesn't look quite right... thinking of raising the back of the tank at least 1cm and adjusting the seat to meet it. Could even go higher, will cut to wood spacers I can bolt in and try some different versions. I can flat-foot at a stop with the current setup, so I have inseam room. If I do move the seat up, then I'll probably make new side plates that come up higher and cover the old top rails from the frame.
The amber headlight uses a BA20D bulb, but I tried an old H4 bulb and it looks like that will fit - may be a more even pattern with another LED bulb type?
This thing is pretty loud with the Supertrapp IDS2 muffler... may try a DB killer if I can find a way to insert it at the inlet
Front fender is very short... could machine a bracket to move it down and attach it to the fork brace?
Longer term... I almost pulled the trigger on a rewire with the motogadget controller. Expensive, but elegant.