2012 Suzuki Dr650se Specs

2012 Suzuki Dr650se Specs

Turning the humble Suzuki DR650 into a citizen of the world

There are a few good options available as good solid dual-sport and adventure round the world bikes, and here I refer to the mid-size and smaller bikes, not the dump truck heavies. The Kawasaki KLR, the Honda XR650 and Honda CRF250L, BMW650 Xchallenge, Suzuki DR650, and so on. We had the KLR, the Xr650, and then as we had the Dakar's we used them for our trip up to Africa and Europe.

And now there's the 701 Husqvarna and for a while already the KTM 690 enduro. Both which are brilliant bikes but out of our budget and I am still not convinced about the KTM690's reliabiltiy. I am probably just over pessimistic about it.

Well, they were supposed to last for our entire route around the world. Eventually stored our BMW 650 Dakar's in Germany as they were getting old and worse for wear due to Africa. Our main goal was to get simpler, lighter bikes that also cost less to maintain and ship. Our riding is also geared for offroad and dirt and we always try out damndest to stick to that, and many bikes over the long term just does not last.

We will update this page every now and then with more info

With a bit of research and a lot of help from people like Mick, Tanya from Earth's End, and Wouter Brand we were able to convert the humble Suzuki DR650's round the world motorcycles. I have yet to meet adventurers who use their bikes in such an extreme way as these three Chuck Norris's, and if the DR is good enough for them the bikes will for sure last for us.

It is easy to go bonkers with farkles, pimping, and converting these bikes but we wanted to stay light and minimalist but still have the essentials.

The reason we decided on the Suzuki DR650 as our new bikes after the BMW Dakar's

DR650SE is a cheap reliable dual-purpose bike that is like a Toyota J70 and had very few changes since its birth in 1996. The DR still has a bit of a primitive suspension and is very basic in design and not fast. The major thing is the original design performs excellent for such a huge amount of riding styles.

The KLR we owned and although a very cool bike, still heavier than the DR, it's water-cooled and lacks a bit of quality compared. The XR650 is equally impressive but also heavier and has some stories of eating its own engine over time. The 640 KTM and the 690KTM are well, KTM's ready to race, and lack simplicity, affordable maintenance, and durability. The KTM640 is an icon and good alternative.

This is not a which is a better type debate.

The decision eventually boiled down to what is best suited for us, our pockets and our experience over the last few decades since we seriously took up this crazy sport of adventure dual-sport riding. So it's what's overall as a package working for us. It's not to say a KLR, XR, or KTM is not made for long term travel. They can do that and have done that as proof of so many trip logs on HU and other forums and blogs. The DR650 overall just tick more boxes for us than the other motorcycles.

• Tractor type Torque – It's a low ref air-cooled single.
• Reliability – heavy and old-fashioned, built to outlast the Giza Pyramids. The DR650SE is famous for needing little apart from infrequent oil changes to last for years with minimal maintenance. Parts are generally available and overall maintenance is cheap.
• Handling and versatility –need upgrades but is a do-it-all bike.
• Economy – the bike is surpassingly light on fuel and if ridden conservative it will do 21km/l
• Price – Not many other dual-sport bikes can beat it for price.
• Aftermarket parts and bling – There is a staggering array of options to bling and convert the DR650 to perfectly suit every type, size, and shape of rider and activity. You can convert this bike as close as possible to a perfect hand made tuxedo.
• Seat height and ergonomics – The DR650 is a relatively small bike and doesn't sit as high as many modern dual-sport motorcycles and is perfect for vertically challenged riders. If you still find the DR650 too high, there is an alternative bolt hole for the rear suspension to lower the bike further, then just slip the front forks a bit in your triple clamps to suit. It's not a good pillion bike in our opinion.
• Shipping – This is where the 160kg-180kg bike scores when you need to fly or ship the bike around the world. Adding 70kg price penalty to a big bike and the cost goes through the roof.

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ADVENDURO BLUEPRINT

Keeping it light weight and reliable was the most important aspects. Weight ain't your friend, ever, and whatever we did we tried to keep it as minimalist as possible. That means the bike and suspension can cope better and last longer.
Less to go wrong and worry about all the time and easier to find faults and problems. It is easy to go overboard with farkles and the "maybe we need this" stuff that actually have little to zero value or importance. If it was not something absolutely needed we did not use it.

We did not perform any modifications to the carburettor or to push more power out the engine. Reliability is key and keeping things stock will ensure the bike and engine will last longer. Also when things do go wrong or we need parts it is easier to search for problems and find stock parts than having to ship aftermarket parts at great cost. Which is exactly what happened to DR650 overlanders we have met that kitted their bikes with aftermarket engine upgrades.

MODIFICATIONS

• Neutral sending unit (NSU) – This is a sensor within the engine that lights the "Neutral" indicator on the dash. It is held in place by two screws. There are rare instances where these screws have backed out and ruined clutches and/or gearboxes. If your neutral light stops working, find out why as it might be the problem. Here is how to: NSU fix
• Upgrated the headlights with the Cyclops 10.0 H4 LED headlight bulbs
• Countershaft sprocket seal – can pop out. Not a common problem, but has happened. Buy a seal retainer for under $20 from Suzuki or Procycle. In 2013 models that Suzuki finally put these on the DR650 as standard.
• Safety features on clutch and sidestand – Switches here won't let the engine start until the side stand is up and the clutch is pulled in. On a 1-10 difficulty scale, this is a 1 to fix. Not a bad safety feature but it is annoying and just unnecessary.
• Fuel tank & filters – We opted for the Acerbis 26L tank as it was priced well and an easy fit. The Safari 30L is a great option but nearly double the price. We also use Guglatech filters fitted in the neck of the tank to catch water and debris. We also fitted inline fuel filter in addition to the tiny white plastic filter inserted into the metal fuel tube going into the carburettor.
• Airfilters – I called up NoToil and asked them if they would make us special filters for extreme dust use. They came back and said they would make it for us using the same foam they use for the Baja racers. The foam are more dense which filters better but obviously have drawbacks on power. Looking after the engine is more important than power.
• Handlebars and handguards – The stock bars are rubbish. Fit a decent set of Renthals or other brands and if need be handlebar raisers. We used the Acerbis handguards.
• Suspension –The stock suspension is not adequate. Our option was to go for purpose-built shocks from Cogent Suspension We upgraded the rear and the front suspension. Do not skimp on your suspension, it is the second biggest expensive stuff to fix on a bike.
• Seating – The seat is fine for around town, but definitely needs changing for long adventure rides. There are many aftermarket options but we ended with the Sargent seats. They are well made and we can easily clock up 500km-700km per day with no issues. And we don't use any other aftermarket butt savers.
• Heavy exhaust – The standard exhaust is ridiculously heavy at 5.5kg and quite restrictive.  The cheap popular mod is the Suzuki GSXR1000 exhaust adaptation – the DR650 will still be quiet, a lot lighter and have better low and midrange power. We also fitted a South African aftermarket exhaust to the one bike and saved 2,5kg.
• Bashplate & casing savers – Again there is a staggering range of options. We opted for the JNS Engineering Skid plate as it also protects the oil filter casing. The Stainless Case savers we bought from Procycle. The Case saver chain guard – This nice piece replaces your plastic sprocket cover and protects your engine case from a chain derailment or failure. The 3/16″ (5mm) thick steel plate is adjustable to accommodate 14, 15, and 16 tooth sprockets. Includes mounting hardware.
• Upper drive chain roller – A lot of DR650 owners claim this isn't necessary and will eventually break, so they remove it and fill the mounting boss in the frame with either a Locktite 8mm set screw flush with the boss or just fill the hole with some silicone to prevent water from entering. I could see the chain on Elsebie's bike slapping up and down and for sure over time it will break off the roller.

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• Lower and wider footpegs– The stock pegs are too small and too high making the seating a bit cramped. We have now fitted JNSEngineering lower pegs mounts which have a 38mm drop and 25mm set back to make the footing position better. The quality of the JNS peg holders looks very well made and a quality finishing. We have fitted the DRC footpegs and although they won't break the paint finish they applied came off within a year.  If such stuff is important.
• Dash & electrical connections –The DR650 only comes with a simple speedo. Our Zumo 660 GPS's are now our speedo's and navigation dash. Fitted onto the bars with RAM mounts. And Touratech GPS bracket. Our tank-bags are powered directly from the battery using an SAE electrical connections. (scroll down)
• Pannier frames & luggage rack – As we only use Turkana HippoHips 30L soft luggage saddlebags we fitted lightweight frames to support the bags and keep them away from the exhaust. The rear luggage rack sits flush with the Sargent seat and makes for a nice platform to carry the waterproof duffle bags. We have been using this luggage combination since forever.
• Weak frame mount –If you fit a rear rack, there's a weak mounting point on the frame that will snap on rough roads if you have a bit of weight on the back. It just needs a bit of welding to make it stronger.
• Intank fuel filters – This is a very important overlooked item. We had water in tanks, we had brown dirty fuel in Africa and having proper fuel filters will save all the drama with stripping carbs and clogged up FI. GUGLATECH FILTERMASTER made us two intank filters which sits flush with the Acerbis tanks and the fuel cap fits perfectly. These filters will prevent water and particles to go into the tank, but we still also use inline fuel filters in addition to these filters.
• Brake and Clutch levers –  Not much wrong with the stock except you want shorter levers and also adjustable. Look out for Warp9 Brake and Clutch Levers
• Replacement wheelbearings – The stock wheel bearings are only sealed on one side. If you ride off-road these bearings could prematurely fail on you and result in ruined hubs. The first time you change your tyres, get proper double-sealed bearings in these sizes: – front wheel- 6003LU (SKF 6003 2RSJEM) (x2) – rear wheel -6204DU (SKF 6204 2RSJEM) (x2)- sprocket carrier- 6205RS (x1) Dust seals: Rear-wheel: (34X52X6) (26X47X5) 09283-26019 Front: (23X35X6)  09284-23001

ON THE GO RESEARCH LAB – UPDATE IMPRESSIONS

100 000km 5 year

Basically all the mods we opted for to date have done their job and there's not much we would have changed. The engines do not use any oil, so at least using the NoToil extreme filters done their job. In addition we change oil between 4500km-5500km with full synthetic if we can find.
We have been riding at altitudes of 3000-5000metres for weeks on end and although the bikes are slower and underpowered there was no need to swap out jets.

The Cogent suspension has been serviced a few times, nevertheless, without a doubt an absolute must have and one of the best investements for the DR650's. We had small niggles over the time but nothing I would worry to mention as a problem.

The 26L Acrebis was a good size as we have had to use the full range quite a few times and on some occasions even carry even more fuel in containers. The extra range allows for better planning and filling options.
Rubbish- The rear brake/tail lights complete units we had to replace eventually due to all the rough dirt road vibrations.

We used a 520 chain and sprockets once and they lasted less than the 525 options, and cost was close to the same. We stuck to 525 and they are also available in every country.  The cush rubbers needs replacing often, when they wear out they also damage the sprocket carrier bearings.
Bottom suspension yoke bearings needs to be checked reguraly when doing extended or long term offroading as they dry-up and wear out the bushes.

Links to DR650 Wisdom:

Prepping your first Suzuki DR650 – Essential Mods, Farkles and TIP

Very cool video with a load of information to mod, bling and every other must-do to prepping your DR650.

Suzuki DR650 Technical Mumbo Jumbo Download Docs

Below is document links to various information for the Suzuki Dr650. It is for download if need. The documents cover workshop manuals, parts catalogues, batteries, carburettor settings and service and everything else I was able to service and maintain the DR650.

2012 Suzuki Dr650se Specs

Source: https://www.pikipikioverland.com/how-we-turned-the-suzuki-dr650-into-round-the-world-overlanders/