Hey guys,

I’m thinking about buying a dr650 for daily city commuting and highway on the weekends. I’m absolutely in love with the bike, and on paper, it’s the perfect bike for my situation. The only thing holding me back is the carburetor. I’ve never owned a carb bike, and I’m having a hard time finding good sources for life with a carbureted daily driver (specifically regarding cold). The winters where I live are long (avg temp during coldest month is around 3°C to -4°C, any colder and I probably just wouldn’t ride), and I also live about an hour and a half from the alps which would be cool to visit on the weekends. Also, I’m used to cold weather and I have warm gear so that’s not a problem.

My questions are:

(1) How long does it take to warm up your bike in the winter, and is it hard to start (electric starter)? (2) Would that be annoying if I only have a 15 min city commute to work? The scenario I’m imagining is running late for work on a cold winter morning and I can’t get my bike to start, then I have to wait 10 min for it to warm up while I’m in a rush. (3) How realistic is that scenario? The speed limit on my city commute is mostly about 30kph (20mph), with lots of stop and go. (4) So in this situation, could I still drive it cold if I only stay at around 30kph?

(5) Also, how often do you actually have to mess with the carb maintenance and F/A wise, and (6) if I’m going to the mountains, generally what are the altitude intervals before I would have to pull over and retune? I’m picturing constantly having to tune and retune the carb each time the weather changes slightly, or every 30ish minutes while going up a mountain pass.

If anyone has experience with any of this, or can speculate, please let me know, thanks :)

I have a 2024 DR that's totally stock, and I'll admit I'm not a very experienced wrencher. I've thought about doing some mods to the bike in the future, but now all of a sudden I'm about to receive a 35FO GSXR muffler and want to install it! I'll be using the ProCycle mid-pipe kit. My question: What about the existing bracket on the 35FO -- will it mount to the bike as is? Doesn't look like it to me from photos (I don't have the actual muffler yet). If not, are there extension brackets for the 35F0 available for purchase? Also, any additional tips about this installation would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone have any luck finding a 16T front sprocket for 525? I converted mine to supermoto and ride only highway/streets. I have a 150/70/17 rear tire and would like to go 150/60/17 but wanted to gear up the front.

Or should I just do the 520 conversion and just admit defeat...

does anyone know where to get a starter motor for a 1992 dr650, everywhere i’ve looked online only has the 1996 and up starter motors. i even ordered one from partsgiant.com that said it was a 92, and sure enough it doesn’t fit, gonna keep it in case my 96’s starter motors gives out, so not a complete loss. BUT I RLLY NEED ONE FOR MY 92!!! Thank u!

Does anyone know the exact diameter of the oil sump plug? I want to get a new one because the threads on mine are gone to shite (someone overtightened it) and I need a replacement to stop the slow leak it's been having. My Dr is from 1993.

Having a starting issue on a 2008 DR, electric start works tested resistance on the spark plug resistor cover,the ignition coil and the CDI unit and they all are to spec, but I’m not getting any sparks from the spark plug itself when I test them out against the bike. Very confused, not very smart, trying to use the manual but struggling. if anyone can help it sure would appreciate it

I installed the Procycle Jet Kit, and followed the instructions pretty much spot on:

• 150 main jet
• e-clip is on the 4th groove
• fuel mixture screw is two turns out
• snorkel is removed, and a couple holes cut
• I have a Barrett exhaust

The bike runs like a dream on the road. But, over very bumpy terrain at low speed the engine wants to bog and die. Just to be clear, it's not just a regular stall because I'm going too slow for the gear, I can tell the difference.

Any tips?

EDIT: I just realised that I never need the choke now, no matter how cold. I definitely needed it before. That feels like it contradicts it bogging at low revs though, maybe two separate issues?

Question for the brains trust. I have an old stock fuel tank that has been sitting in the communal garage exposed to the elements for the past 2 yrs.

Would it be safe to put it back on the bike? Would I need to do anything to it or need to check anything? I did empty it out before I leaving it there and will def be putting fresh fuel in.

Thanks

There will be a few months where it doesn't get above 15 degrees F. At what point is it to cold to run the carb stock? Anything different I need to do to be able to use it daily? Battery tinder I'm guessing. Bike will be stored in unheated garages. It stays dry here but will need to go on dirt/gravel road occasionally wondering if I need something more aggressive. 1200 elevation.

What are some key things that are different (visually) between the newer post 1996 models and the older ones? I know the post 1996 models are more desired and would like to know some easy differences that can spot them apart. Thanks.

I’m looking to buy a dr 650.

I wanted to buy one used but the closest bike is 600 miles away where it’s initial value is worth also paying shipping for. The total still comes out to a price similar to me just buying a new bike between $6.5 ~ 7.5 grand.

What are some good resources I can use to shop around for a bike if this is my first bike buying experience and what should I expect to pay for a bike around initial sale value or msrp?

I’m pretty sold on the dr650. Looked into the klr, drz, some triumph bikes, and a bunch of alternatives but for a $6.5 ~ $7.5 grand price range with a couple grand for wiggle room and equipment the 650 is feeling like my best option.

I live in Florida. Coldest it gets is 32° F three days out of the year. It’s also the dry season. Hardly rains during this time of year and it’s very predictable / short lived if it does rain. I’m well experienced with the cold and will take necessary precautions.

Anyone done this? Feel like my dr is going to topple over in the breeze.

How much did you cut off?

Just picked up a brand new 2025 ($7860 OTD in case wondering, includes tags) and I went with new because being my first carboreted bike I knew it would be a learning curve and I wanted to start with one that was unmolested. It runs like absolute shit. The dealership is at a higher elevation than where I live so the fact that it runs lean out the door is really messing with performance. My question is: can I change the fuel/air mix? Can the dealership? Does the idle screw adjust the air or the fuel? Will it void warranty if I do it myself? I haven't looked at the carb all that closely and until our garage is finished I'm keeping it in storage ten miles away so I can't just go and look at it. I heard adjusting the carb requires drilling through an anti tamper plug, is that true that I can't adjust the idle? Thanks, and I'm excited to join this community!

EDIT Well, it was a vacuum issue as I had forgot to reattach the petcock vacuum hose *smacks forehead.

So, sparkplug replacement and/or using heat shrink wrap over duct tape on the tank vent line has got me back to speed!

Thanks for the help everyone!

So far:

I’ve changed the sparkplugs. Dual electrode (wasn’t sure how to gap them but most things I read said dual electrode is fine out of the box)

I adjusted the valves and put new fuel lines and new plastic disc filter (got rid of the really small one last year) a few weeks ago, and bike felt amazing.

It was a few days after valve adjustment that I noticed the gas tank vacuum hose was disconnected from the tank. Maybe it fell off, maybe I didn’t put it back on. Anyways, there had been some damage to the line. I duct taped it, and things seemed fine till a few days ago. Today, I shrink wrapped the vacuum line.

I know there are lots of other variables, but to keep things simple and procedural, I want to eliminate this hose as an issue.

Everything is stock.

Is it true one can take the gas cap of while running to see if it improves? What about pulling the vaccum line off while running and covering with thumb to feel suction?

I am pretty sure it’s fuel deliver related as when idling it will die if “ON” but idles much longer in “Prime”.

I am going to clean air filter in the mean time.

I had a DR650 a few years back my uncle bought for me, unfortunately I ended up needing to sell it to pay off some bills. I'm looking at getting another one, however I'm 23 and my credit score isn't fantastic. I make a decent amount and work 40hrs a week, and I'll be saving up over this winter.

I live in NY so riding is limited to half the year, but I'm curious how much I should save up to put down/what I can expect for a monthly payment.

Any advice is much appreciated!