OK, before I get started I have a couple videos coming this week. One on changing spark plugs and another disastrous episode of me filming two hours of pavement because I didn't have my action cam pointed right 😖 Live and learn I guess. The good news is there should be no shortage of content coming soon! I'll also be making videos of just about everything because I need to learn what I'm doing and there is no better way to learn than by doing! So expect videos soon!
OK, so why I bought a stock DR instead of a modded out monster bike or something new?
I was considering a new bike but thought if I could find a low mileage used bike at half the price, then I'd take that. Why pay full price for a bike that's going to depreciate the second I pull it off the lot. Not to mention, these are off-road bikes, by the end of next season this thing will probably start to resemble something out of a Mad Max movie! I'd rather not do that to a brand new bike 🤣
After shopping for close to two years I was close to giving up on finding a low mileage dual sport. It seems most people that buy these bikes really like to ride them. Many people use them for distance riding and traveling, so finding a low mileage bike can be tough. On top of that most people like to mod these bikes and make all kinds of changes to them, myself included. I didn't want a bike someone else modded for several reasons.
So why by a stock dual sport compared to one that's already been modded?
My main reason is that I wanted to build a bike that fits my needs. There are so many gadgets and gizmos for these bikes. You can really get carried away and some people do. So I didn't want somebody else's build with a ton of modifications that I didn't need or want.
At this point I consider a stock bike like a blank canvas. I'm now able to create something that completely fits my needs. I'll also know what has been changed and how I changed it, and that should make it easier to troubleshoot down the road if any problems arise.
That's always a hazard of buying a chopper or a pre-built custom bike. You have to trust that the last person knew what they were doing and also that they did it right. Nothing worse than buying an awesome bike and having to re-do everything the last owner did because they were a hack!
On top of that, I've always been a less is more kind of guy. I don't want what I don't need. Only the necessities. A larger gas tank for those long mountain and desert rides. A more comfortable seat. A GPS holder for the phone. I'll probably tweak the carb and exhaust too for a little more power. Outside of that, a luggage system and I should be good to go! I'm sure as time passes I'll discover other wants and needs. Until then, I plan on keeping things simple.
The downside to having a stock DR650... IMHO stock DR650s kind of run like crap. You really need to at least tweak the carburetor and exhaust a bit to pull out the bikes true potential. It's one of the reasons these bikes are so popular. With a couple simple tweaks to the engine you can unleash the beast within!
I'll have some mod videos coming soon. I'll be adding a USB charging system for my phone and electronics. I also have a bash plate / skid plate to protect the underside of the engine.
This will be for the first mod video. It's a skid plate that protects the underside of the engine when riding off-road. As soon as I get this added to the bike I'll be doing some posts on local off-road trails too.
I'll be posting GPS coordinates too for other dual sport riders. I hate when you're watching riding videos and they don't tell you where they're riding.
Anyway, expect a lot of travel and motorcycle content coming soon.