I bought my first dual sport from
@Postmaster in 2012. It was a 1991 Suzuki DR350S (no electric start). I did not like kick-starting it, but that bike was very easy to ride.
I've had many dual sports in the last nine years -- DRZ 400, XR 400, KLR 650, DR 650, WR 250, KTM 350, KTM 500. They all had their strong points and weak points. Heavier dual sports perform better on the road, but they are exhausting to ride (read: pick up) when the trail gets hard. Lighter dual sports are fun to ride on trails, but are exhausting on the pavement.
The DR 350 strikes a great balance between weight and power and is very rideable on both street and trail.
Last week, I picked up a 1996 Suzuki DR350SE. This one has electric start and only 2,100 miles. Mechanically, it's still practically new. Cosmetically, it needs a bottle of Simple Green and an all weekend rubbing session. I'm going to give this bike some lovin' and freshen it up. I'm hoping that it'll be as much fun to ride as I remember when I bought that first one in 2012.
Time to get to work!
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Nice glenn saw it when you posted up on advrider. Wish they still made the dr350 such a great little machine.
Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
I remember that day, 9 years ago. When you tire of this one, let me know, I need something to do.
As far as I can tell, I am the fourth owner of this bike. The first two owners were in Texas. The first "For Sale" advertisement on ADV Rider indicated some nice upgrades:
Quote
- Freshly rebuilt shock
- new tires
- Teflon coated axles
- Teflon coated linkage bolts, spacers, and bushings
By "new tires," I am sure that he meant very little use, because these tires were manufactured in 2015, according to the date codes.
The third owner added some color when he posted it for sale early this month:
Quote
- stock but for suspension work
- induction system is stock, with a pristine, uncut airbox and snorkle
- burns no oil
- Seat Concepts standard height seat
The second owner chimed in on the third owner's ad and said:
QuoteJust to verify, the intake, carb, and jetting are all stock, I played with jetting a bit and ended up back at stock. I tried bigger jets, but alas, stock was perfect at sea level...rear shock rework and stiffer straight rate springs...
Japanese dual sports are notorious for having very soft, minimal suspension components. However, the suspension on this bike is very nice. It was done by 812 Suspension Design in Austin, Texas. It is nice and firm, and fully adjustable (compression and rebound, front and rear), with a remote reservoir on the rear shock. I will not need to do anything to the suspension on this bike except maybe tweak the settings.
Older Suzuki DRs are also known for having insufficient grease on the bearings and linkages. Today, I tore into the front end and found that the steering head bearings had plenty of grease on them. However, maybe it's just me, but I don't like grease that looks emulsified, so I cleaned it up and will re-grease with Belray waterproof grease. The triple tree and forks cleaned up nicely.
However, I did find that the steering head rubber cap has a little dry rot cracking, and the plastic housing on the lower bearing had a break in it. So I'll order and replace the steering head bearings. My guess: since this bike is 25 years old, I will need to check all hoses and other rubber pieces, and check all wires and electrical connections.
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The dual-sport trip master is back!
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My new steering stem bearings and OEM dust seal arrived today from Rocky Mountain ATV (also some other stuff, but more on that later). I like All Balls bearings because they use metal cages for the roller bearings, not plastic.
I ended up having to use the Dremel to remove the old bottom steering stem bearing. Bearing puller simply broke off the lip. Cleaned up the stem and applied a little grease. Packed the new bearings with Belray waterproof grease before installing. Got it all back together.
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Yesterday I worked on wheels, axles, brakes, and handlebars. With these old dual sports, sometimes it is notoriously difficult to remove the brake rotor bolts, and I needed to remove both brake rotors to remove the surface rust. The OEM bolts are so soft that people sometimes joke that they are made of butter, and they are often seized after this many years. The front rotor bolts came out with very little drama, but I had to Dremel and drill out all four of the rear wheel rotor bolts. The sprocket bolts came out easily. I had enough aftermarket bolts to replace the front rotor bolts and the sprocket bolts, but I am still waiting for rear rotor bolts. I had some stainless button head bolts that I stuck in there as placeholders. I also cleaned the wheel bearings, axles, hubs, rims, etc. and regreased.
I removed both front and rear brake calipers and cleaned them gently with a wire brush. Cleaned the hoses and removed the pins and pads and cleaned inside. Lightly greased the pins before reassembling. Both brake pads look good, but I'm going to replace them anyway and flush both brake lines with new fluid. The new pads should be delivered today, but it'll take another 1-2 weeks for the custom stainless front brake line to arrive from Galfer. I had them add 1-1/2" because of the stiffer suspension (riding higher) and I installed riser adapters for the fat handlebar. I broke the clutch perch trying to get the mirror off, and there was no way to get the OEM grip off the throttle tube. So, those are on order as well.
The chain appeared OEM, had lots of surface rust, and the links were not moving freely, so I ordered a new chain also. Should be here today.
Coming up next: Remove and clean rear shock; remove, clean, and lubricate swingarm bolt, linkage bolts, and shock mount bolts, check linkage and swingarm bearings.
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Nice bike. I noticed that it has IRC GP110 tires on it. I ran those tires on my 86 XT600 (kick start only) when I made a road trip to Red River NM in 1998.
As you may have noticed, they have minimal grip in the center portion, but will get excellent mileage when you are on a road trip.
Forget about riding in any kind of mud. They will "pack up" real quick unless you air them down.
They will make some noise on the highway while leaning over for turns. On my bike they would howl like gumbo mudders! I wore holes in the bottoms of both my saddlebags during a trip up to Deals Gap. I could not hear them scraping the ground for all the tire noise, Lol.
I just went and looked at that old bike. It now has almost 29,000 miles, and it still has some GP110s on it.
Thanks! Yeah, I've never tried these tires before. I generally don't like tires that are more than 3-4 years old, but I'm going to leave them on until I finish freshening up the bike and do a couple of shakedown rides. I have new tires, heavy tubes, and rim strips ready to go.
Bling bling
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I just put the IRC's on my Himalayan, rode the first 190 miles with them yesterday, quiet as a church mouse going straight, sounds like you got on the shoulder of the interstate when you lean. :D
Quote from: Merkur Man on March 06, 2021, 08:56:49 AM
Nice bike. I noticed that it has IRC GP110 tires on it. I ran those tires on my 86 XT600 (kick start only) when I made a road trip to Red River NM in 1998.
As you may have noticed, they have minimal grip in the center portion, but will get excellent mileage when you are on a road trip.
Forget about riding in any kind of mud. They will "pack up" real quick unless you air them down.
They will make some noise on the highway while leaning over for turns. On my bike they would howl like gumbo mudders! I wore holes in the bottoms of both my saddlebags during a trip up to Deals Gap. I could not hear them scraping the ground for all the tire noise, Lol.
I just went and looked at that old bike. It now has almost 29,000 miles, and it still has some GP110s on it.
I've been enjoying this thread, I've never had a 350 but I am fond of these 200SE's I have for the short people in my life. I can't imagine buying a dualsport to get dirty, and dissassembling / reassembing it after going over it with a fine tooth comb and taking it back to dirt. It looked good to me when you introduced it, not it looks fantastic. I hope you enjoy that thing more than any bike you've ever had.
Quote from: thinwater on March 07, 2021, 07:24:31 AM...I can't imagine buying a dualsport to get dirty, and dissassembling / reassembing it after going over it with a fine tooth comb and taking it back to dirt.
Thanks, man. It is true that the bike will likely get dirty again, but I don't mind. Right now, I just needed a project and all the tearing down, inspection, and cleaning... for me it's more about building confidence in the old bike's condition and reliability. This bike might find itself on a long trip in remote territory someday. I'd hate to be struggling on the side of the road over some bolt that won't come out or some bad part that I didn't know about!
Today, I installed the new brake pads (front and rear); the factory luggage rack (came with the bike, thankfully); new turn signals (front and rear); new clutch perch; and new clutch cable and throttle cables. Got the headlight reinstalled as well. I also removed, cleaned and greased the swingarm bolt. It came out with zero drama. These teflon-coated parts are nice! For that reason, I decided not to remove the shock linkage bolts... I don't think it's necessary at this time.
Still waiting for: skid plate, grips, throttle tube, and brake rotor bolts.
Almost ready to start riding it!
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Will the bike be ready for Tellico at the end of the month?
Quote from: klaviator on March 07, 2021, 08:15:03 PM
Will the bike be ready for Tellico at the end of the month?
Hoping to be finished by next weekend, if all goes well.
Wait until you see the gas tank... ???
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This thread is great. Thanks for taking the time to show how much love is going into this bike. I'm excited to see it and you back on the trail.
Finally received the rest of the parts I needed to finish the handlebars and wheels. Then I double-checked all of the bolts on the wheels and suspension and re-installed the gas tank and the seat. The previous owner sold me the bike with nearly a full tank of gas, so I'm going to use up the tank before I install the new super tanker tank. Should take about 80 miles...
Remaining: skid plate, gas tank, new tubes/tires, oil change, flush brake lines
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Looks goooood to go..... I see it's sporting the Motorcycle Alabama & Ride 4 Pie stickers.... It's official!!!
Looking good! I might need to get in line to buy this one..... LOL
Chuck
Completed the oil change today. The oil level was low and the color was dark, so it was time. Changed the oil filter and o-rings, and also cleaned the strainer. I was planning to change the air filter also, but the existing filter was nice and clean under the sock. Airbox didn't look too bad on the inside, but there was a bit of mud and dirt around the seams of the access panel. Cleaned it all up and put it back together.
Went for a ride on back roads up to Eva, then rode down to Cullman. Rode around town a bit, then came back home. My tank was not quite full, so today's ride was just enough to burn off most of the gas. The bike didn't have any strange noises or vibrations, and it rode super quiet and smooth. I did make a couple of adjustments to the levers when I got home. But I didn't have any part lefts over after all of my work, so I guess that I can call the refresh a success.
The factory bash plate is inadequate, so I ordered one from Ricochet. Still waiting for that. Galfer never got back to me about the brake line quote, so I'll figure something else out there (maybe just assemble my own line from Goodridge parts). About time to install the Big Ass Tank (BAT)....
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I've started the process of installing the super duper gas tank. I wanted a large translucent tank, but most of the tanks made for the DR350 are white and around 4.2 gallons. A little searching on the interwebs, and I found that people have successfully installed the Acerbis 5.8 gallon tank made for the XR650L. There are instructions out there for installing the tank with and without modifying any bike parts, but I've discovered that if I do not modify some parts on my bike, then the tank will sit too high or too far forward, and there will be pressure points on the tank. I want the tank to sit low and just far enough back to clear the forks, so that will be easier with a little minor cutting on the bike.
Specifically, I had to cut off part of a bracket that holds the seat and OEM tank, and I had to cut off the nubs that held the rubber bumpers under the OEM tank. I completed those items earlier this week. Now the tank fits like a dream. In fact, the main Acerbis bracket that bolts to the engine mount fits perfectly. Now, I need to make my own bracket to hold the tank to the engine mount and another bracket to hold the back of the tank (in front of the seat). I got some 1/8" thick steel plate from Lowes and made rough cuts tonight. Next, I need to bend them to shape, drill holes, and then smooth the edges.
One thing about this tank is that it has two petcocks, one on each side. The right side fuel line crosses over to the left and passes very near the cylinder head. For that reason, I ordered a piece of Thermo-Tec 1/2" Heat Shield from Amazon. Maybe I don't need it, but better safe than sorry!
Also, my skid plate arrived! I'll get that installed shortly also.
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Finally got the tank mounted this weekend. I took my time cutting and shaping the brackets so that they would fit well. Filled the tank approximately halfway, opened the petcocks, and let the bike sit for two days. No leaks! 5.8 gallons, bitches!
Got my skidplate mounted also.
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Finally, the time had come for a longer ride. Or, as we used to call it in the Navy, a "shakedown cruise." Go out and shake the hell out of it and see what falls off.
I rode 117 miles today, stopping only for photographs. You'll be pleased to learn that nothing fell off the bike. No gas leaks, no loose bolts, no funny noises ... in short, "Op Test Sat" (i.e., "operational test satisfactory"). Used about 1/3 of a tank, so I am estimating that I have a range of about 300 miles per tank.
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That sure is a pretty motorcycle...........:)
Quote from: AST236 on May 26, 2021, 01:28:09 PM
That sure is a pretty motorcycle...........:)
Thanks, Frank! How do you like my upgrades?
Looks great! Glad you're enjoying it!
How's your little one liking her new guitar?
Quote from: AST236 on June 01, 2021, 11:22:20 AM
Looks great! Glad you're enjoying it!
How's your little one liking her new guitar?
She loves it! Now that school is out, she's playing almost every day. Maybe one day she'll be famous and can support her dad...
Glad to hear it! If you get down my way, ring me up and I'll buy you lunch.........
Frank, If he get's down your way let me know. I'll ride up and buy you both lunch. I still owe him a lunch and would be good to meet you too.
Chuck
Great stuff! That is going to be a fun little ride!
Has anyone claimed first dibs when you sell it? :D
Quote from: KevinB on February 28, 2021, 05:36:12 PM
The dual-sport trip master is back!
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hellllllllllssssss yeaaaaaaaaaaa