8.05.2009,12:00 PM
Education of a DR
The new baby is home. Well, more appropriately, 'secured' (it will remain in a friend's garage during modification progress). We drove deep into Texas Hill Country to pick up the next project: Suzuki DR 350SE. It is the street version of the full-on DR350 dirt bike.

How does it compare to the Kawasaki KL250 Super Sherpa (aka 'Sherpie')? Other than an increase of 100cc engine displacement, the DR 350 has increased suspension travel. This was a major motivation in upgrading from the Sherpa. This particular bike has several aftermarket modifications of the stock model:
1) an aftermarket Clarke gas tank to increase fuel capacity,
2) pumper carburetor with adjustable jet screw (can change jetting on the 'fly'; great for high altitudes),
3) Supertrapp IDSE exhaust pipe, adjustable for noise level (I intend to tone it down a bit), and
4) RaceTech fork cartridge emulators with LR Progressive springs.

These are modifications I would have had to do (except for exhaust) on a stock bike; now all I have to do is fine tune them for me. I will, of course, have to add a few other modifications:

1) shorten the seat height so that at least the ball of one foot touches the ground. To accomplish this, the seat will be modified first by shaving it down, then lower the suspension (as little as possible) with longer dog bone links.
2) replace the front fender with a more sleek and aerodynamic one.
3) evaluate the front and rear turn signals. In place are very small LED lights. Not sure if these will suffice despite the advantage of small profile signals.
4) install fold-down mirrors.
5) reupholster the seat with another cover (one on the way).
6) replace the stock rear rack with one from TurboCity: wider and more carrying capacity.
7) explore sidebag options and fabricate a light but strong support to protect against the exhaust.
8) determine what kind of character it has.

That is about it for now. Stay tuned for progress!

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posted by Macrobe
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