DR650 Maintenance and problems log
Maintenance:
0 km (the bike is at 18896 km)
| new bearings front/rear - 5 bearings (Moose Racing) | |
| new brake pads front/rear (EBC Long Life Sintered) | |
| new chain (DID 525 ZVMX) | |
| new sprockets - JT 43T and JT 15T | |
| new oil and oil filter | |
| new air filter (Twin Air) | |
| new spark plugs | |
| new battery - Yuasa YTX9-BS |
+8200 km
| pulse coil is dead - used spare part I already had |
+10415 km
| rookie mistake - when putting back the rear wheel, I forget to put the middle spacer |
| - | after a few kms, the bearings are destroyed, two spacers are slightly damaged |
| - | bearings are all changed |
| - | I changed the two spacers on each end of the axle |
| - | luckily, damages to other parts are minimal |
+23500 km
| a bolt on the luggage rack is broken in two - I then notice that that bike rear/left rack bracket is broken |
| - | new welding of a bracket with reinforcement |
| - | managed to remove and replace broken bolt easily |
+27317 km
| changed brake light bulb and headlight bulb |
+33607 km
After a 6 months break at home, I have returned to Mexico to retrieve the motorbike and continue my trip. I took the opportunity to bring back some new spare parts. It was not necessary to change them now, the chain could have done a few thousands kilometres more. However, it is easier to buy parts in Quebec, and I installed them when I got back to Mexico. On a motorbike, space is too rare to be able to carry many spare parts.
| new air filter (TwinAir) | |
| new spark plugs 2x | |
| new front sprocket - JT 15T | |
| new rear sprocket - JT 43T | |
| new chain (DID 525 ZVMX) | |
| brake light bulb |
+43104 km
After a brief three-week round trip home, I bring back a new air filter.
| new air filter (TwinAir) |
+47482 km
The motorbike was shipped by cargo plane from Panama to Colombia. During my stay in Bogotá, I take the opportunity to go to a mechanic from a complete check-up.
| tuning + new timing chain | |
| valves tuning | |
| clutch tuning (wow, a new clutch plate was added) | |
| new gasket - clutch side | |
| new gasket - stator side | |
| carburetor: new float, new slide, new needle, tuning | |
| oil change of front and rear suspensions | |
| suspensions tuning | |
| new engine oil and filter | |
| air filter cleaning | |
| chain support | |
| new spark plugs | |
| new clutch lever | |
| misc. screws | |
| alignment of panniers and racks | |
| greasing | |
| alignment of front light! new tires |
+52028 km
Most of what was done in Colombia was bad work, thus I had the motorbike checked again in Ecuador. In fact, the mechanic in Colombia was a scam. Some changes he supposedly did were not done, or they were done with used parts somewhat less worn out than the one I already had on the bike.
| valve seals | |
| carburetor cleaning + new slide + new jet needle | |
| rear wheel bearings | |
| new timing chain | |
| gaskets (clutch, stator, valve...) | |
| new piston and rings set | |
| o-ring seal on radiator | |
| cush drive rubber dampers | |
| friction clutch plates | |
| welding and strengthening of the luggage rack and frame | |
| new rear suspension spring (more rigid) |
+57490 km
| welding of the luggage rack |
+59280 km
| fork seals changes |
+63590 km
One morning at about 5 Celsius, a screw on the oil filter cover broke after a cold start. I lose all the engine oil. Towing to Iquique.
| screw replaced by a custom repair (stud + blue Loctite + 2 bolts) |
+70769 km
Panniers repairs at an aluminum workshop.
| flattening | |
| welding of broken seams | |
| welding of numerous cracks |
+70993 km
In January 2020, I decide to take a break at home in Quebec without knowing that a Covid-19 pandemic was about to cause havoc. Since I planned to travel again after a few months, I didn't prepare the motorbike for a long hibernation in a storage facility. I didn't empty the fuel tank, nor the carburetor.
The motorbike was in dire need of proper maintenance and a deep cleaning of the carburetor.
| carburetor cleaning - new seals and new jet | |
| new chain and sprockets | |
| new battery | |
| draining and cleaning of the fuel tank | |
| new fuel filters | |
| engine oil and filter change | |
| greasing | |
| welding on the frame (two small cracks) | |
| welding on the luggage rack | |
| new tires front and rear | |
| change of the Allen screws on the front and rear brake assembly |
+71787 km
Again, welding of the luggage rack. After removing the rack, a tube fall on the ground and another breaks with a simple twist by hand. This time, the welding technology used is called MIG.
Engine oil and filter:
At the beginning of the trip, I was changing oil every 6000 km... After Ecuador, every 4000 km more or less.
| 0 km | oil change + filter |
| +5 800 km | oil change |
| +11304 km | oil change + filter (30200 km) |
| +17649 km | oil change (36545 km) |
| +23986 km | oil change + filter (42882 km) |
| +30234 km | oil change (49130 km) |
| +33607 km | oil change + filter (52503 km, after 6 months in storage) |
| +39272 km | oil change (58168 km) |
| +45418 km | oil change + filter (64314 km) |
| +47482 km | oil change + filter (64314 km, at the mechanic in Colombia) |
| +52028 km | oil change + filter (70924 km, at the mechanic in Ecuador) |
| +56225 km | oil change (75121 km) |
| +59280 km | oil change + filter (78178 km) |
| +63590 km | oil change (82486 km, after a screw broke...) |
| +66717 km | oil change + filter (85613 km) |
| +70769 km | oil change (89665 km) |
| +70993 km | oil change + filter (89889 km) |
| +74890 km | oil change (93786 km) |
Brakes:
| 0 km | new rear/front |
| +23104 km | new rear/front (rear 90% gone, front 60% gone) |
| +39288 km | new rear/front |
| +52028 km | new rear |
| +59280 km | new front |
| ??? | ??? |
Tires:
| 0 km | Dunlop 606 tires |
| +1000 km | front tire changed - Trailwing |
| +5800 km | rear tire changed - TKC 80 |
| +10400 km | tires changed - Shinko 705 (longevity: ~12000 km rear) |
| +23104 km | tires changed - Shinko 705 (longevity: 16184 km rear, 24 378 km front) |
| +39288 km | rear tire changed - Dunlop Trailmaster (longevity: 8194 km rear) |
| +47482 km | tires changed - Michelin Sirac (rear changed at 8743 km, split tire) |
| +56225 km | rear tire changed - Pirelli Scorpion MT90 AT |
| +70993 km | tires changed - Rinaldi Rallye R-34 (Brazil) |
Punctures:
| +6700 km | a nail - rear - United States |
| +10000 km | a nail - rear - United States |
| +35144 km | a screw - rear (tube replaced) - Guatemala |
| +37403 km | a piece of metal - rear (tube replaced) - El Salvador |
| +38501 km | a thorn - rear (tube replaced) - El Salvador |
| +38973 km | a nail - rear (tube replaced) - El Salvador |
| +50211 km | a metal pin - rear (tube replaced) - Ecuador |
| +56124 km | tire has a 1 cm slit - rear (tube replaced, new tire when back in town) - Peru |
