DR650 spring
 

Hi
Can any one tell me what the standerd leangth of the rear shock spring is on the 2007 Dr650 and is there any difference in leangth between the 1998 and 2007 models, is there a heavy duty touring spring for the DR
I met a guy with a 98 DR he was carring a lot more luggage than i am but the back end of his bike sat much better than mine, the rear shock was a lot stiffer, he'd had the bike from 2 years old and had kept it standerd, I got my DR new in Australia in 07 and the back end has all ways felt soft, even with out my panniers.
Was there ever a change of shocks between the years? and info please Skip

Assuming that the first owner keept things 'standard' too?

Anyways ...
The spring length is one measure - usually used to determine if the spring has aged excessively. It is done with the spring out of the shock absorber .. you want that length?

You will also want the spring factor - how much weigh causes it to compress by a certain length. This is changed to suit the weight of you and your luggage - not the spring length. It does mean a new spring though.

You can adjust the preload on the spring .. untill you run out of adjustment that is. Set of large nuts on the bottom of the spring - you will want to compress the spring more.

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There are quite a few springs avalible for the DR .. best to email Jessy at ummm KienTech Engineering

Or if you are in OZ then ring Vince Strang - Suki Inveral NSW.

It is possible Suzuki have changed spring rates over the years.

Thanks Guys for the info that gives me a good starting point. Cheers Skip

Well I'm nearly finished my trip but since I only upped the pre-load on my 06 DR650, I now feel i could have done with a slightly stiffer rear spring. I see a little oil is now leaking out now so the seal has obviously gone. I don't really notice when I'm riding but it will no doubt be an issue when I try to get an MOT on it back in the UK. Does anyone know if the original shock can be rebuilt?

Yea, a proper suspension shop should be able to

Seeing you are in GB I can suggest two avenues possibly more convenient than buying in the US:

Hessler RT Online-Shop Stefan Hessler is a DR expert. I bought a heavier spring from him and are very happy with it. He asked me for my weight and that of my luggage ans supplied a spring to suit. The original spring would bottom out on French back roads without a pillion or luggage. However, I also think that the damping is way too soft for road use, although I don't mind.

The other option is HyperPro in Holland. We visited them 3 years ago and they re-worked the suspension of my then gf's DR, using their springs front and rear, re-shimming the forks and shock and changing the oil viscosity. It was too stiff for my liking, but she really likes it. They have a web site and they also make complete shocks.