the new DR650
Colin Learning
I've decided to log the adventures and modifications to my new Suzuki DR650 Dual Sport motorcycle!
the 2017 model DR650SE. The previous year was grey, and the 2018 model is white. I think my timing was good :)
It's a new bike for me, having started riding on my fathers Kawasaki KE100 Enduro when I was about 15. After that I pretty much exclusively had ridden cruisers, comfortable road bikes. Two Yamaha Viragos most recently, a 535 and a 750. Both old.
the 1979 Kawasaki KE100. Pretty sure this is the exact model year of my dad's bike I learned to ride on. (random photo from the internet, I'm just borrowing it)
Seeing as I wanted to do more camping in remote areas, a dual sport seemed like the best option to get to remote locations, on back roads and logging areas with access sometimes hours away on the highway. I Didn't want to limit my off-road and back country performance, but reasonably comfortable highway riding was required!
After spending a lot of time reading about current dual sport options, and then watching videos on YouTube on specific models I had narrowed my choices down to based on reported reliability, design simplicity, and the resulting ease of repair and maintenance, I decided on the DR650. It's a 20 year old design that has remained virtually unchanged over all those years (aside from some improvements) resulting in a very inexpensive motorbike for it's capability, as well as a vast array of aftermarket accessories and modifications supported by an easily accessible wealth of information online.
Ta-Da!
my minutes old motorcycle, freshly delivered! (there isn't even dirt on the tires, it arrived on a truck.) It doesn't look like this anymore, stay tuned!