rtwPaul

We arrived in Santa Fe after a little CDR action to meet @D-Train (Dusty) he and his partner Paul (not me, but what a great name ) started a new training and touring company called West38moto. We had arranged for El to do a little training and me to take some photos and then join them on a short tour from SF to OX.

If you do any training you know the first thing they always want you to do is to be able to pick up your bike, a DR is too easy, what you really need to pick up is a fully loaded GSA!!!

Dusty is a fun guy and motivates all the students really well, always smiling and laughing but teaching fundamentals at the same time.

I won’t go into detail about what the training entails, you can contact them to find out, just need to say a good coach to student ratio and at the end, some riders who struggled at every challenge became very accomplished in unique off-road situations

If Alpha Basecamp is not your thing, then this might be…and waaayyyyyy cheaper

The cool thing about the training location in Santa Fe, it was in an abandoned gold mine, an amazing location for sure

see the riders over the far side?

leaving the gold mine to find some sand to play in a few miles away Dusty showed the way on street tires

…and someone liked riding sand and mastered it with ease

and that kinda looks like this…

other riders not so much…

training done, we headed out, destination OX, there were just a few of us going. I have a certain dislike of riding in groups, my last two group rides include a leg busted into about 50 pieces and a kidnapping, so needless to say I kept my distance and just shot photos of the group

We covered a few sections of the NMBDR on graded roads and in the woods

and the first few days out with the group were great with the highlight being a massive fire wild camping at around 6000′

time to button this build up as we hit the road in a little over 24 hours…

There seemed to be a ‘little’ talk about front suspension since my last post and I did say that the PO had dealt with this so I didn’t need to – well I changed my mind!

I opened up both sets of forks, reset the white bike back to stock height from factory lowered and did a fork oil change, not really a big deal, very simple forks to work on.

one part I was waiting for was a chain oiler, the Motobriiz arrived, a very simple set up, activated by wind/ air pressure, but the great part about it is it oils the underside of the chain. A friend of mine has one on his bike and has ridden 9000 miles since install, no chain adjustments required and the chain which had over 10,000 miles before installation now looks like new. Ask me questions in a few weeks/ months for a long term opinion

…and it installs perfectly where the stock tool box used to live

Tools, when I was in Greece and bought these bikes online I wasn’t sure if I’d have access to all my tools or if not then what tools I could get my hands on. I started looking at other riders tool kits to see what they were using and then if I could find a tool kit that came close without having to buy too many extra tools.

The one I found that checked most of the boxes was RRR Tools, you can check them out and then see what extras I added. Before anyone jumps in and thinks this was a sponsorship it wasn’t I paid full retail, but what I will tell you is this – with what’s pictured below I did around 98% of the work on the bike or will be able to once I had corrected things and changed fasteners that could be troublesome.

Luggage

over the years I have used a number of companies trying to find the right set up, for bigger bikes and 80/20 riding and hard luggage its a simple choice – Jesse Luggage.

…but now back in the dirt soft bags are the way to go, I elected for pannier racks to add some additional stability and structure to a potential rear end weakness and for me nowadays there is only one real option for soft luggage and that is Mosko Moto. If you haven’t checked them out, you should read the thread from the begining, it is very interesting how they developed the product with input from a bunch of opinionated ADV riders…Us inmates, its here

We will be using the new Version 2 of the 25 liter Scouts, they are due for release very soon but for now, Mosko has loaned us two sets of V1.0 bags “with character” as Pete (@Sideoff ) likes to describe them.

The setup will be very similar to what’s pictured below, we’ll be putting them thru the wringer for sure. It’s a very simple set up, two Scout V2.0 saddle bags and a Backcountry duffle for each bike, a total of 80 liters

Any questions as normal fire away but be warned we leave bright and early May 3 so after that responses may be a little slow, as we have something in the region of 25,000 miles of dirt planned this year and a lot of wild camping. The tracks/ routes we already have laid out look like the image below and if that seems interesting then the ride report is already up and running as this RTW has been going since Jan 2016, it’s here, subscribe and follow along. I would suggest starting at page 1, we’ve hit some amazing places already (including Cuba) and this year looks to be prime for a lot more good locations…

There is a Guinness World Record in the mix as well with ride, more about that will be revealed in the RR soon…

Hope to meet some of you out there in the dirt, I’m sure we’ll be passing a few DR650 owner along the way…

Reading back over comments I reread @cyberdos and his comment about the kill switch, I go outside, hit the switch and it clicks in as it should…but then it won’t come back out. A little gentle persuasion and it comes out but next time it sticks again, time to dismantle. As he showed in his write up its a simple procedure and removing the little brass pin just stops the detent happening, now you just need to hold it in for about a second and the motor dies

this is where it hangs up

The culprit is directly above the red button piece, the likely cause is dirt in there that wears an untrue path.

I like my kill switch to be working 100% just in case the bike decides to go for a swim!!!

Other minor things…

Extra throttle and clutch cables in place, if you are questioning if this is worth it? On the TAT 2015 literally on the very last turn before hitting the beach in Oregon mine gave up all but two strands. Easy fix I had one in place to swap out, another rider who was staying at the same place riding the same bike as me (WRR) saw this and said his was feeling notchy so the following morning he called the local dealer to find none in stock and the closest one nearly 700 miles away. – You decide

Extra ground strap, this is from an early model Harley I had a few laying around, this has a couple of advantages, gives your battery just a little more juice and if your single ground (one the motor) isn’t grounding the frame too well, this will. This will help if you need to add items up near the bars, now you can ground up there and only return the positive lead if you have already used the extra connector.

Once I have it to correct size I cover it in heat shrink

Pegs were swapped on both bikes, I had a pair of Pomotobillet Adv pegs laying around so just grabbed a mount kit and for the other bike I went with Warp 9

The stock filter looked like they were done and wouldn’t survive another cleaning so new filter in place, I oil them and then add a filter sock (and carry extras) for quick and easy filter cleaning on the trail.

Brake snake for the offroad protection

Profill tank filter, extra filtration will never hurt

Changed out the stock (sized) batteries which were struggling to hold a charge after a 2-second starting attempt. Stock battery is around 130CCA, a buddy of mine works for Tucker Rocky and one of their brands is Bike Master. The make a lithium Ion battery that is actually smaller than stock size, and they include padding blocks to adjust height. The big positive for buying this battery is 250CCA and it can be charged with any standard charger, a Shorai battery needs a specific charger…dam does that starter motor spins easily now.

and it weighs 2.1lbs less

The is a stock (ish) CCA battery available as well if you want that, it’s slightly cheaper and puts ut 150CCA. I ran the 250CCA in my Super Tenere all over Mexico, Cuba, US and Europe for the last 18 months and never a single issue, started the bike first time every time from snowy conditions to over 100 degrees.

The next part WAS NOT necessary at all, but stronger wheels are a good thing, and 3.50 rear opens up a few more tire choices…and as the upcoming ride is planned to be 95%+ off road better is well, just better. I have read so many guys having cracked rims I didn’t want to add my name to the list.

So…Warp 9 on the phone again. 7000 series, matt black, 3.50 rear – stock is 2.50

with 320 front brake rotors, I’ve had too many close calls and as the DR’s front brake isn’t the best a braided line and a 320 rotor adds a lot of stopping power

The bikes are done so next thing for me was the final weight. They came in at 364.1lbs with everything on them but NO gas

@EvergreenE bike

I’ll add the final installment in a few days, that’ll cover luggage and tools…

more stuff…

Added some racks, side and rear, made a tool tube from some shitter piping and a locking cap from fleabay

if you want one of these just look up “Cherne locking test plug” I think I paid around $20 shipped

I picked up a couple of used cans off the flea market on here for silly money so couldn’t say no, FMF for one and DG for the other, yes there are loads of other options and better ones for sure but at this price these will be good for now

On my bike, I changed the stock front sail out for a new WR450F fender, prefer the strength and the shape and for $24 delivered honestly why not, pop 4 holes in it, done!

For bars I went with CR high on both bikes, one is a Protaper and the others are Renthal just cause I had them laying around, and also had two GPR dampers so they are a real nice addition when you don’t have to go to the store to buy them.

and yes before someone jumps in I did reset the tension pin to be flush with the top of the arm

Controls, Warp9 because the stock ones had seen better days from too many naps at a guess, so why replace with stock when you can get better quality for a better price

I use the 714 rally grips, they add a good amount of cushioning and grip but also are long lasting, I have a set on my S10 with 60,000+ miles and they are still like new.

As I’m using Barkbusters, one bikes were good, the other were toast so again I had a spare set to use…but the grips need a little trimming off both ends. Throttle end so it doesn’t hang up.

A new throttle sleeve as the old grips it was incorporated so no choice. I was a tight fit so a little hair spray to make the fitting easier and that end cap just pops off

Left-hand side is easier to get on but I prefer a real tight fitting grip so I add a little electrical tape in the middle of the bar before adding the grip, you can see a very slight bulge

Then safety wire the grips on in three places per side for added security from slippage

and one of @neduro mirrors per bike

Next up, this…

Electrical, everybody’s favorite!!!

The initial challenge was to remove all none stock wiring from the bikes, and there was a lot, in that original photo of all the stuff that came off have a look again at the wires

once that’s done then its time to look at the stock wiring to see if along the way there had been issues and fixes to get riding (maybe) but were never looked at again because they kept working. The only problem with ‘temp fixes’ they are exactly what they say they are and will eventually fail, so now is a good time to check with all the correct parts at hand.

Around the taillights, wires had been connected unnecessarily with cheap bullet connectors so I removed them and cleaned up the connections

Then covered the group of wires with more heat shrink for their whole length and then plastic casing over that, I changed the routing from the down the middle of the rear fender to the side for more protection

Rear turn signals were replaced with flexible LED’s and again the wiring protected and routed away from possible harm

Up front it wasn’t much better, potential issues could happen so more protection was added and smoother routing with minimal bends

In the middle of the bike before doing more electrics I did a quick welding fix around the battery box issue area, adding additional strengthening and welding to the alleged weak point.

I’ll cover the lower strengthening later…

In the middle of the bike I changed my mind on the EB set up and went for the Fuzeblock instead as it looked like a much cleaner install and it was. This opens up the opportunity to add additional circuits at a later date if we need them

Right now as we are heading into summer, no heated grips just power to the front and rear, I use SAE type plugs from Optimate as everything else fails eventually on the outside of the bike, I have used standard 12 volt cig lighter, USB, Hella but the only one that lasts is the SAE.

So with connectors front and rear its simple to add an extension to go either into the tank bag or luggage and then use a USB or cig. adaptor where it’s away from the elements

in the rear attached to the rear rack for stability and protection

Up front, I used one of the old turn signal mounts drilled out and reversed

Working thru the stock connectors once I check them that everything is good and clean I add some dielectric grease

I also check the reusable zip ties as I go along and if any are brittle I replace them, I found a pack of 100 reusables on Amazon for about $6

While I was in Europe I found a guy who makes a replacement top security screw for the Garmin Montana so you no longer need to have that little security torx on your keys to punch a hole in your pants pocket when you loose the cap!! LINK If you use a Garmin you’ll know what I mean, if not skip this part

Getting quickly bored with electrics, there is still more to come later, I did a change of pace and thought a valve adjustment would be an easy job….wrong!

The last person in this motor decided to put the cover in with every ounce of strength they had and round out the Allen hole. The only way I managed to get it off was by taking off the side case to be able to get at the backside after trying a few options on the front side first

I do like how easy the valves are to do on the DR

to stop second guessing myself if in the future if I don’t have a manual beside me and can’t remember which is which I mark the gauges as a reminder

Not surprisingly the plugs are fouled from that .50 jet at a guess, so they need to be changed

Over on DRriders, I’d seen a LED headlight mod by n2o2diver, without even seeing the headlights I knew they’d be crap, so I followed his lead and bought his suggestion for headlights.

This is where the problem began, the seller or manufacturer had changed the design a little. In his write up he had made substantial modifications to the headlight mount, I sat down and figured a way to use the LED and if for any reason you wanted to you could still use the same housing and return to stock…with his version you can’t

Take your headlight apart and remove the mount, have the adjuster screws facing the back of the bike instead of the front. and bend the original mounting tab up out of the way.

take some angle and mount it on the (new) top with a couple of bolts

and that one bolt in the middle will mount to the ‘new’ headlight mount bar – this is where the difference is in the new light design

now mount it as normal and remove the springs from the adjuster screws then screw them all the way in until they hit the light body and make your adjustment, the light is mounted and is rock solid

To fit the surround you need to make two small cuts on the inside for it to fit over the angle that you added

and there you go new headlight

its a plug and play so you low and high beam work as normal, no having to play with wiring

A lot more light for $18

After this a little test, Watts = Amps x Volts for reference – I’ll use 12.5 volts as my reference number

stock light on low beam 4.12 amps or 51.5 watts

high beam stock light 4.56 amps or 57 watts…this bike had a 55/60 bulb

new LED low beam 0.89 amps or 11.125 watts

new LED on high beam 1.60 amps or 20 watts

and to take it one step further I added a 2000 lumen LED light bar to the high beam (both on full) 2.02 amps or 25.25

…so a gain of 31.75 watts, those heated grips or heated seat or heated jacket look like a much more viable option now don’t they without having to do a stator upgrade?

I’ll do a night time light set up once the bikes are done, but from a little further back it looks like this

As I was up front I added a tug strap to help with those moments when the bike takes a nap and isn’t easy to pick up

airbox and carb mods, something had been done, but I didn’t like it, there was a bunch of 90-degree plumbing tubes and the whole thing held together with bathroom caulk…it all had to go and a complete cleanup and carb rebuild

Sadly I forgot to take a photo but the 3 odd holes are where the 90’s were!!!

and caulk had been put in the left rear mount which had filled with dirt and that fitting was destroyed and spinning loose so had to be ripped out

I recut the airbox like this, it’ll make sense later…just about the same open area as the Procycle kit suggests but I had to work with what I had. A deburring tool for metal is an easy way to clean up the edges

Carbs were really bad and dirty inside and out

bottom screws were…ahem screwed!!! Tried with a JIS screwdriver and penetrating oil, then grips, got one but couldn’t get a good purchase on the other, then Wurth Rost-off to freeze and shrink it, then reverse drill bits and finally an easy out saved the day

and what do I find inside but more silicone and lots of dirt

The pilot jets had been either put in or removed with the wrong screwdriver. They were cleaned and reinstalled with a correct pilot jet driver (@motolab to source this)

Swapped out the choke nut from the plastic one that eventually either rounds off or cracks with the Warp9 one and added a little copper anti-seize and refit the who thing after doing a complete carb clean and rebuild, new jetting and needle with the better adjuster screw from Procycle.

Bad photo of anti-seize, sorry

One other thing I do with the carb is replaced more of the JIS screws with cap head allens at the cable mounting plate so if the carb needs to come off all you need to do is undo these two and then remove the cables in one piece so as not to have to add extra work to reset the cables when the carb gets refitted…pointing at with a flat blade screwdriver

Replaced the minute piece of foam in the secondary filter (under-diaphragm vent) with a little more substantial piece that fills the filter housing and used filter oil on it as well to assist with filtration so the slide doesn’t get unnecessary wear