Saturday, August 15, 2009

The big Test Tomorrow

Tomorrow I am going to take the DR350 out for a ride in the foothills. That should be a great teat of the potential of this motorcycle. I am going to give it an oil change and new filter first, then ride to the forestry roads and just get on it. So far I like the bike, it is light, nimble and has plenty of torque, it does not have the rip your arms out of your socket torque of the XR600 I just sold, but it is good manageable power. I like to push my motorcycles to the limit jst because that is the way to find out what they can or cannot take, plus it is a super adreneline rush. MY next test is going to be a 3-4 day trip fully loaded down and just head out somewhere that sounds fun. I know the DR is a bit smaller, but I have heard that they make great sport adventure bikes.
The DR350 weighs about 268 LBS dry, and my KLR weighs about 388 LBS dry, so there is more than a 100 LB difference in the two. Full of fuel and my stuff the KLR must top 425 or better. The DR will top 300LB with fuel and my gear. That makes big difference on how it will handle on the highways and freeways, but it should not be a problem for me. The other concern is the fuel tank the KLR has a 6 gal fuel tank (+/-) and I can go 200-225 miles before i need to start looking fuel, about 45-50 MPG. The DR350 has a 2.4 gallon tank and a 0.4 reserve, and i am going to estimate about 60+ MPG, which means at about 100-120 miles before I need to start looking for fuel. That is an easy fix though, there is an aftermarket tank that is 3.5 gallons, which should get me 200 miles per tank, so that is ok.
I spent the day fine tuning and riding the bike, so far I really like it, it is a lot of fun. It has the power to get it up in 1st and 2nd gears and will out gun most cagers from stoplight to stoplight. On the freeway it cruises at 65-75 with no real struggle and I had it up to 85 before I shut it down, with throttle to spare. I am certain that about 90-95 is tops, doesn't sound fast but we are talking about a single cylinder medium displacement bike, so really not to bad. I generally cruise 65-70 on the Hwy's anyway, I am not looking to get where I am going fast, but to enjoy the surroundings, and for that slower is better. I'll take a camera and shoot some pics of my ride tomorrow and post as soon as I can.

Next week I am going to LA for 3 days and will take the DR350 on the back of my motorhome, I can't wait to explore the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). I may actually just take a trailer instead and take both the KLR and the DR because I am visiting my brother who is also a motorcycle fanatic, and maybe we will do some riding. Yeah that would be a blast, I haven't seen him for 5 years and what better way to catch up than to take a ride together.

Here is a very good site on the DR350:
http://www.suzukidr350.com/

Unfortunately there is not as much information as I would have thought out there, but maybe I have missed some. The above site is a very comprehensive site for the DR350 and has good information, it is well worth a look.

Here are some others that are worth a look as well.

http://www.motorsports-network.com/SUZUKI/dr350/dr350.htm
http://www.bikepics.com/suzuki/dr350/
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/suzuki_dr_350_s_1991.php
http://www.mondoenduro.com/mondoenduro.html These guys toured the world on DR350's Great story!
http://rides.webshots.com/album/60192191rIrvfi

Just some stuff to get you familiar with this bike, which in my mind is very under-rated and underappreciated. I have had many bikes over the years, some I have kept for years and others I sold in a short period of time. I have a real strong feeling this will one that will stay in my possession for a longtime to come.

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