I've owned a DR650 for many years, and one of the things it does best is cruise on the highway. The engine isn't working hard at all at freeway speeds, it's really nice on the road. But it is also really fun on gravel roads and dirt trails too, and does that equally well. It's really a great dual sport, like a true 50/50 bike.
@@insooleedat1asiandude I don't know about that. I have a friend who has an '09 KLR650 and he says it's great on the highway, probably better than the DR650 on the highway because the KLR has at least "some" wind protection. As far as the engines being able to maintain highway speeds, I'd say the KLR and DR would be about the same.
Plus if you are skilled enough and put on good suspension, the Dr can be used for pretty much everything even hard enduro, it's maybe the most versatile bike around
Thank you so much for posting this! I finally decided to get a bike and wanted a dual sport, but was worried about passing power on these types of bikes. This video definitely removes any doubt. i subbed to show my appreciation
Done 80mph fully laden a couple of times along the main roads from UK through France and Spain to Morocco. Did swap front sprocket on one occasion for that part of the trip for easier cruising. Bike had no issues and felt very planted. Swap sprocket out for desert and off road, back on for return. Did once run with stock sprocket and all was fine.
Ive never had a power problem with my DR650. You get much over 80 and it starts to feel squirrely from the weight. Which is a better problem to have than not enough power
Thanks for this, exactly what I was wondering about was worried that maybe the bike would be revving high at those speeds but it seemed like it was calm.
It moves with traffic no problem at all in stock form. I've since had a jet kit done and the airbox mod and that has made commuting on the freeway even easier. With the motor unrestricted and breathing easier you almost forget you don't have a 6th gear as the bike cruises super happily at 75 / 80 with plenty left for overtaking. Enjoy your DR they are awesome bikes
ProCycle actually has a transmission gearing replacement kit. Lowers the first 2 gears for slower speed stuff and raises the top 3 gears for better highway riding. It's mighty expensive at a whopping $1600-1800 but well worth it. Plus having the trans open to do it gives you a chance to wire up the NSU just in case (google "dr650 NSU fix").
My next bike might be a DR650 & maybe I'll put a 17" wheel on front. I once had a Suzuki S40 which is also an air-cooled 650 single & it was geared short & needed another gear past 65 mph but was belt drive so nothing I could do. DR650 makes more power & could easily handle another tooth or two on the front sprocket. I'm looking at the DR650 because it's 126 pounds lighter than my Suzuki Vstrom 650 which I can no longer pick up when it falls. And I always liked thumpers/single-cylinder bikes.
Thanks John , here is my updated video once I did some mods to my bike . Another plus about the DR over the XR is you don't need to reinforce your sub frame if you are going to carry any adventure luggage th-cam.com/video/NRLv-pmwDfk/w-d-xo.html
@@ullithebully I see you're in Atlanta. I was born there and now I live in south Georgia. I miss living up there and being an hour ride away from the north Georgia mountains. I've been binge watching your vids for two days now. Absolutely love them. I'm trying to trade my Harley for a DR650 now. Maybe one day we could ride together.
@tonygantt4830 thank you so much. Yes , I'm up there all the time. Absolutely love it , so much so that I bought a acre near Blueridge right on the national forest that I'm making into a little offgrid camping site. If you get that DR650 for sure let me know, more than welcome to come ride with me.
I just bought a DR650, I found I had heaps of vibration through both the foot pegs and the handle bars at highway speeds. The bike has 13K on the odometer
Do you know if the owner before you changed the sprockets to make it better for off road riding as opposed to the stock gearing that can handle hwy cruising ?
@@ullithebully the bike did come with some spare parts. One of which is a small sprocket with 15 teeth. The one on the bike is 14. What number of sprocket teeth is best suited for highways?
@@Kilo_of_Milk stock gearing for 1996 till current is 15T for the front sprocket & 42T for the rear. Seems like the previous owner went down on the front for more dirt bias and less hwy cruising comfort
So far stock gearing has been working pretty well I mainly ride side roads and Forrest service roads the more I get into more technical offroad rides I be changing the gearing to better suit those scenarios
So far stock gearing has been working pretty well I mainly ride side roads and Forrest service roads the more I get into more technical offroad rides I be changing the gearing to better suit those scenarios
I took the 15 tooth front sprocket off and put a 14 tooth front on now is perfect, they are too high geard stock to go bush and I still get 150 kilometres an hour easy with more in it and my carbi is stock and so is the exhaust, I like it quite to sneak about on, if I go on long rides on the road I just put the 15 tooth back on, much easier to change on the side of the road and easier to carry as well
Thank you for this video. Everything I read says this thing will go a 100 miles an hour but not smooth or comfortable. It will cruise at seventy , and how fast do you need to go on a dirt bike anyway? I think I found my next bike. I've already got a cruiser. Now I want something versatile with longevity in mind. Also a bonus when I die and my kids are selling off my stuff. They'll have a cool depemdable vehicle for the upcoming water wars.
I recently did this video doing the same test but with having done a airbox mod and jet kit installed but the gearing is still stock. The jet kit and airbox really wakes the bike up to the point that it feels like you got an extra gear th-cam.com/video/NRLv-pmwDfk/w-d-xo.html
@@trevorjameson3213 My bmw was 9 mph high at 55, I found a chp who didn't appear to be too busy and he used his radar, he checked 5 times and kept telling me to do 55 and I told him that's what the speedo said. He clocked me at 46 every time.
Wow, what helmet are you wearing to have such good mic sound at 75mph? Mine sounds like an open face helmet over 55mph. I just ordered a Scorpion AT950 but I've heard it's loud also.
I use a Bell MX9 adventure helmet and have a cheap external mic plugged into my Gopro. The brand mic is PowerDeWise and its only $35 on Amazon. You will need an actual Gopro brand 3.5mm mic adapter to be able to run this set up into your Gopro and unfortunately it runs around $50
I have owned a DR650 for many years. The best fuel economy is achieved at 60-65 mph on the highway. You should get around 53-56 mpg cruising at that speed.
I don't have a tach but I promise it's not rapped out at all it can run that speed all day with the stock gearing ratio . Here's a updated video I just posted doing the same test but with a jet kit installed and the airbox mod done and the bike runs even easier at those speeds. I have to take the freeway to get to the mountains where I ride and I keep it at 75/ 80 on the speedometer all the way with zero issues th-cam.com/video/NRLv-pmwDfk/w-d-xo.html
@@ullithebully i bought a new 2022 dr650 and the header/ exhaust glows bright red aka gets hela hott. I only have 60 miles on it. The dealership says its normal but that they will look at it
@@madbroindustries that's interesting, mine is a 2020 and I have just over 4k on the odometer and never noticed it get red hot. Have you checked the DR650 forums to see if anyone else has had this situation
@@ullithebully yea back in 2020 couple of brand new bikes did the same thing and the dealership took some of them back. It does it because its running lean but you cant adjust the carb when its new because it voids the warranty so the dealership said they would "fix it" and thats its "normal". Shits wild
I've set mine up that I'm comfortable for pretty long days on it with luggage included but I would not want to have a passenger with me cause even with luggage it gets a bit cramped and that extra weight of another person would be a strain if I were to guess as I have not done any long rides with a passenger. I am 6ft 2 and 190lbs. If my main objective was long rides with a passenger and luggage I would personally look at the larger adventure bikes in my honest opinion.
Some people have crossed continents 2up on DRs. I used to tour in Florida a bit with my wife, but we are small people...5'8"/30" inseam/200lb and 5'5"/30" inseam/petite. Bigger people may want more space.
Looking for a DR myself. I have a KLR but its too big for my GF to ride. I think the DR is better for her. Still to big, but i think she can get the hang of it
It's listed at 120mph but anything past 85mph makes the front feel a bit to light. With stock gearing it prefers to be in the 75mph range for hwy cruising
About 33MPG at speed over 85mph, I rode from Utah to Idaho at those speeds this Summer and I had to bring extra fuel in case I ran out of gas and I did 🙂
Six speed for a off road bike. Its really non importance . Especially the smaller duel purpose bikes . They dont have the motor to support that over drive gear which by the way was the 5th gear . No such thing as a unicorn bike . You want on road performance you will give up off-road performance its that simple ....
I've owned a DR650 for many years, and one of the things it does best is cruise on the highway. The engine isn't working hard at all at freeway speeds, it's really nice on the road. But it is also really fun on gravel roads and dirt trails too, and does that equally well. It's really a great dual sport, like a true 50/50 bike.
So far I am loving mine and totally agree with everything you said. Thanks for the comment Trevor
Better on the freeway than the klr650 I'm assuming ?
@@insooleedat1asiandude I would like to know as well
@@insooleedat1asiandude I don't know about that. I have a friend who has an '09 KLR650 and he says it's great on the highway, probably better than the DR650 on the highway because the KLR has at least "some" wind protection. As far as the engines being able to maintain highway speeds, I'd say the KLR and DR would be about the same.
Plus if you are skilled enough and put on good suspension, the Dr can be used for pretty much everything even hard enduro, it's maybe the most versatile bike around
Thank you so much for posting this! I finally decided to get a bike and wanted a dual sport, but was worried about passing power on these types of bikes. This video definitely removes any doubt. i subbed to show my appreciation
Appreciate that , thank you. I'm also excited for you and your new dual-sport adventure you're about to embark on , that is great news
I liked this vid.. straight to the point and quick to explain!! Not like other videos to the point at minute 2 or 3...
I appreciate it
Thank you
Done 80mph fully laden a couple of times along the main roads from UK through France and Spain to Morocco. Did swap front sprocket on one occasion for that part of the trip for easier cruising. Bike had no issues and felt very planted. Swap sprocket out for desert and off road, back on for return. Did once run with stock sprocket and all was fine.
Thanks Bob I appreciate the insight !
Why did you change the sprocket for desert and off road? Was there a lot of slow technical riding where stock first gear was not low enough?
@@7x779 No changed it for the road part. Higher cruising speed as per explanation
Ive never had a power problem with my DR650. You get much over 80 and it starts to feel squirrely from the weight. Which is a better problem to have than not enough power
True
Thanks for this, exactly what I was wondering about was worried that maybe the bike would be revving high at those speeds but it seemed like it was calm.
It moves with traffic no problem at all in stock form. I've since had a jet kit done and the airbox mod and that has made commuting on the freeway even easier. With the motor unrestricted and breathing easier you almost forget you don't have a 6th gear as the bike cruises super happily at 75 / 80 with plenty left for overtaking. Enjoy your DR they are awesome bikes
You said "here's your first gear" I got a bit teary eyed. Still hunting for my bush pig.
Lol youre gonna find it soon
Great info cause I'm looking to buy a new DR 650 soon.
Glad I could help
ProCycle actually has a transmission gearing replacement kit. Lowers the first 2 gears for slower speed stuff and raises the top 3 gears for better highway riding. It's mighty expensive at a whopping $1600-1800 but well worth it. Plus having the trans open to do it gives you a chance to wire up the NSU just in case (google "dr650 NSU fix").
My next bike might be a DR650 & maybe I'll put a 17" wheel on front. I once had a Suzuki S40 which is also an air-cooled 650 single & it was geared short & needed another gear past 65 mph but was belt drive so nothing I could do. DR650 makes more power & could easily handle another tooth or two on the front sprocket. I'm looking at the DR650 because it's 126 pounds lighter than my Suzuki Vstrom 650 which I can no longer pick up when it falls. And I always liked thumpers/single-cylinder bikes.
So far I love mine and its totally checked all the boxes for me of what I love using this bike for !
I’m that guy, Xr or dr, you may have just sold another DR!! Thanks for the vid. Just what I was looking for 👍👍👍
Thanks John , here is my updated video once I did some mods to my bike . Another plus about the DR over the XR is you don't need to reinforce your sub frame if you are going to carry any adventure luggage
th-cam.com/video/NRLv-pmwDfk/w-d-xo.html
Very helpful and good to know
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this video. I've been looking for DR650 highway vids.
@tonygantt4830 my pleasure, thanks Tony
@@ullithebully I see you're in Atlanta. I was born there and now I live in south Georgia. I miss living up there and being an hour ride away from the north Georgia mountains. I've been binge watching your vids for two days now. Absolutely love them. I'm trying to trade my Harley for a DR650 now. Maybe one day we could ride together.
@tonygantt4830 thank you so much. Yes , I'm up there all the time. Absolutely love it , so much so that I bought a acre near Blueridge right on the national forest that I'm making into a little offgrid camping site. If you get that DR650 for sure let me know, more than welcome to come ride with me.
@@ullithebully I will get a DR and will look forward to it. I'll be in touch when I do.
@@tonygantt4830 💪💪
Excellent Post, thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it Danny
I just bought a DR650, I found I had heaps of vibration through both the foot pegs and the handle bars at highway speeds. The bike has 13K on the odometer
Do you know if the owner before you changed the sprockets to make it better for off road riding as opposed to the stock gearing that can handle hwy cruising ?
@@ullithebully the bike did come with some spare parts. One of which is a small sprocket with 15 teeth. The one on the bike is 14. What number of sprocket teeth is best suited for highways?
@@Kilo_of_Milk stock gearing for 1996 till current is 15T for the front sprocket & 42T for the rear. Seems like the previous owner went down on the front for more dirt bias and less hwy cruising comfort
Thank you! Good to know.
Glad it was helpful!
Maybe drop 2 or 3 teeth on the rear sprocket keep the rpms lower and in the torque curve
That's right or add two teeth to the front one.. I did that on my xt250 and the odometer is slightly off but not by much as it was from factory
So far stock gearing has been working pretty well I mainly ride side roads and Forrest service roads the more I get into more technical offroad rides I be changing the gearing to better suit those scenarios
So far stock gearing has been working pretty well I mainly ride side roads and Forrest service roads the more I get into more technical offroad rides I be changing the gearing to better suit those scenarios
@@ullithebully exactly. Better to go up in back for rough technical terrain.
I took the 15 tooth front sprocket off and put a 14 tooth front on now is perfect, they are too high geard stock to go bush and I still get 150 kilometres an hour easy with more in it and my carbi is stock and so is the exhaust, I like it quite to sneak about on, if I go on long rides on the road I just put the 15 tooth back on, much easier to change on the side of the road and easier to carry as well
Riding 70-80 all day on my DR is a much different experience doing the same on my GSA. The DR can do it but it's not good at it.
yup def not much of a comparison when comparing a GSA to a DR on a hwy I totally agree with you there
Thank you for this video. Everything I read says this thing will go a 100 miles an hour but not smooth or comfortable.
It will cruise at seventy , and how fast do you need to go on a dirt bike anyway? I think I found my next bike. I've already got a cruiser.
Now I want something versatile with longevity in mind. Also a bonus when I die and my kids are selling off my stuff. They'll have a cool depemdable vehicle for the upcoming water wars.
Absolutely, these are def the Swiss army knives of bikes. Simple, reliable, inexpensive to own and service and a blast to ride !
nice 🔥
Thanks 🔥
I was told cruising >65 mph (stock sprocket) will dramatically shorten the lifespan. Does anyone have facts on this?
I haven't heard that , I'm at 10k miles so far and bike is running like a champ. I ride at over 65mph for extended periods often as well
what gearing do you run for highway 15/42 stock
this is a great video
Thank you and yes I still have the stock gearing 👍
I recently did this video doing the same test but with having done a airbox mod and jet kit installed but the gearing is still stock. The jet kit and airbox really wakes the bike up to the point that it feels like you got an extra gear
th-cam.com/video/NRLv-pmwDfk/w-d-xo.html
nice video
wish this was on my searcch
@@villasaw2299 thank you
My speedo is 4 mph off, anything under 55 is really 51 mph, 5 mph off at 70, really going 65, 75 is 70. Checked with my gps
I took your suggestion and did the same test with a gps and you are right I am seeing the same difference
All Japanese bikes that I'm aware of are like that; the speedo's are generally about 10% off (indicates faster than true speed).
@@trevorjameson3213 My bmw was 9 mph high at 55, I found a chp who didn't appear to be too busy and he used his radar, he checked 5 times and kept telling me to do 55 and I told him that's what the speedo said. He clocked me at 46 every time.
Wow, what helmet are you wearing to have such good mic sound at 75mph? Mine sounds like an open face helmet over 55mph. I just ordered a Scorpion AT950 but I've heard it's loud also.
I use a Bell MX9 adventure helmet and have a cheap external mic plugged into my Gopro. The brand mic is PowerDeWise and its only $35 on Amazon. You will need an actual Gopro brand 3.5mm mic adapter to be able to run this set up into your Gopro and unfortunately it runs around $50
My $900 Arai is way too loud!
Be nice to know how much more gas it guzzles at 70 and 80, if its significant, before a purchase.
I haven't noticed much difference
I have owned a DR650 for many years. The best fuel economy is achieved at 60-65 mph on the highway. You should get around 53-56 mpg cruising at that speed.
Seems this bike is the closest thing to being akin to a Swiss army knife of the motorcycle world
I've owned it for a year and a half now and I totally agree with that statement 👍
What RPMs at 70-80? You can do 70 on a 250 rapped out. What matters is how hard the bike is working to get 70mph
I don't have a tach but I promise it's not rapped out at all it can run that speed all day with the stock gearing ratio . Here's a updated video I just posted doing the same test but with a jet kit installed and the airbox mod done and the bike runs even easier at those speeds. I have to take the freeway to get to the mountains where I ride and I keep it at 75/ 80 on the speedometer all the way with zero issues
th-cam.com/video/NRLv-pmwDfk/w-d-xo.html
Did you test top speed, tucked in? Just curious. My 80's Yamaha XT600's would all do around 105 indicated, with stock gearing
LOL no I have not speed tested it , 90mph with about a 10% speedo error was plenty fast enough for me
Does your exhaust glow bright red when idling and ridding it?
Def not idling and have never noticed an issue while riding , why does yours
@@ullithebully i bought a new 2022 dr650 and the header/ exhaust glows bright red aka gets hela hott. I only have 60 miles on it. The dealership says its normal but that they will look at it
@@madbroindustries that's interesting, mine is a 2020 and I have just over 4k on the odometer and never noticed it get red hot. Have you checked the DR650 forums to see if anyone else has had this situation
@@ullithebully yea back in 2020 couple of brand new bikes did the same thing and the dealership took some of them back. It does it because its running lean but you cant adjust the carb when its new because it voids the warranty so the dealership said they would "fix it" and thats its "normal". Shits wild
@@madbroindustries wow that's crazy I'd never heard of this before hope it gets sorted out for you asap
Looks like u raised your bars. Did u?
I have the warp9 risers but still stock bars
Looks like a Katoom not a Suzuki DR650. Which is it?
@user-ii2mv6tj1z have no idea what a katoom is lol but my bike is 100% a Suzuki DR650
The bike in the video looks like a KaTooM, KTM,orange like a Kmart Trail Machine.
@user-ii2mv6tj1z hahaha ok I get it now 😆
I have 2022 dr 650 for sale 70 miles on it 7000
Do you recomend the DR650 for long trips, with lugagge and passenger?
Wich is the average consume per lt?
I've set mine up that I'm comfortable for pretty long days on it with luggage included but I would not want to have a passenger with me cause even with luggage it gets a bit cramped and that extra weight of another person would be a strain if I were to guess as I have not done any long rides with a passenger. I am 6ft 2 and 190lbs. If my main objective was long rides with a passenger and luggage I would personally look at the larger adventure bikes in my honest opinion.
Some people have crossed continents 2up on DRs.
I used to tour in Florida a bit with my wife, but we are small people...5'8"/30" inseam/200lb and 5'5"/30" inseam/petite.
Bigger people may want more space.
It helps to look ahead sometimes.my kneck is hurting just from watching you look over your shoulder every two seconds.
👍👍
Stock dr has more than enough power, do simple jet kit airbox mod and slip on and it’s a totally different animal.
Thanks Keith about 9 months after I made this video I did those mods and you right it really woke up the bike in such a awesome way
Looking for a DR myself. I have a KLR but its too big for my GF to ride. I think the DR is better for her. Still to big, but i think she can get the hang of it
You should totally let her test ride a DR & DRZ 👍
Do you know what the top speed of this bike is?
It's listed at 120mph but anything past 85mph makes the front feel a bit to light. With stock gearing it prefers to be in the 75mph range for hwy cruising
@@ullithebully got it, thank you. Do you have any recommendations for a good dual sport bike that will cruise me along the highway at a good speed?
@@Aidan_O my 1st pick would be Yamaha tenere 700
Ga400 is a legitimate test!
@@mcjc7807 alpharetta autobahn 😁😁
Whats the top speed of the bike?
I have not personally tested it to see but I have read that with stock gearing it's about 105mph
How much would it cost to get the bike close to the 120mph mark?
@@JeremyDovin I'm really not sure , you should Google some DR650 online forums as I'm sure someone has done that upgrade before
Ok thank you
Show me the odometer reading at 70-80mph guy
I'll be posting a new video later this week and ill do that
You sound like you from South Africa boet ;)
lol spot on boet, originally from Joburg , been in Atlanta since '99 so the accent is fading a bit bru
@@ullithebully Nice one mate....Im in jhb as well ;)
What does that look like a KTM?
not sure
Traded my R7 for one.
Awesome, which part of the country / world do you live in ?
@@ullithebully California.
@@maxpressure6780 nice , I've watched a bunch of videos on the California BDR , looks awesome!!
Autonomy at 80 mph?
Not sure I understand what you're asking
@@ullithebully sorry, km per lt at 80 mph?
@@mauricioflores5638 about 120kmh
About 33MPG at speed over 85mph, I rode from Utah to Idaho at those speeds this Summer and I had to bring extra fuel in case I ran out of gas and I did 🙂
I hate bullies...
same
i will not push my dr650 over 85mph
Yeah I rarely go above 80 unless in some needed overtaking situations but those are not often at all
Yeah I rarely go above 80 unless in some needed overtaking situations but those are not often at all
A South African southern US accent.
Lol yes bru 😆👍
Sounds slightly Australian
Lol I am South African but my accent is a bit mixed up from living in Atlanta since 99
@@ullithebully Thats alright bruz. You're a global citizen. Good onya for travelling and seeing the world.
@@MrBrentles thanks bru appreciate it !!
Six speed for a off road bike. Its really non importance . Especially the smaller duel purpose bikes . They dont have the motor to support that over drive gear which by the way was the 5th gear . No such thing as a unicorn bike . You want on road performance you will give up off-road performance its that simple ....
True
I only go full bar.
😆💪💪