What suspension changes do I need to make (rear and/or front) to handle my 6'. 260# body size?

Go to the race tech website or call them and they can tell you the correct spring rates and valving changes if needed.

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John

KienTech Engineering

For suspension upgrade.
Kouba, RaceTech, Eibach...and many things DR.

After reading just about every bit of literature to be found on this site and advrider in regards to 650 thumpers, I finally bought a DR650! First of all, thanks to all of the members who have contributed to the wealth of information on this site. I also have a suspension question that I haven't been able to find any literature on. In regards to the Progressive springs that are found on Happy-trail.com and Dual-star.com, would those be sufficient for a combined rider and gear weight of 275lbs/125kgs (this includes the weight of panniers)? In other words, what kind of load are the progressives for a DR650 designed for? Or should I be looking at Eibach's at kientech, which have different available spring rates? I'm new to motorcycling, but I know that 3-4 inches of sag with the stock spring with no rider on the bike cannot be a good thing. (this is with preload nearly at the max)

Thanks for the info Patrick. I'm going to give Jesse a call.

I was just reading this thread and I have been thinking about this same subject since I got my bike a few days ago. I am not worried about much except getting this suspension setup right for my weight (240lbs).

I went to the Race Tech site and I tried to look up my year and model but the closest they hade was the 2001 DR650SE. I am assuming it is like this because they are basically the same up to the year 2007?

I won't require much in the way of additional weight capacity as I will not be taking trips for longer than proabably 3 days at a time. I bought the bike as a commuter more than anything. About once a week I head into the mountains to hang out with my family.

I have no idea how the bike is setup currently, but I plan to take it into a shop here in ABQ and have it looked over. Even though the bike looks basically brand new and only has 600 miles on it, I do want to make sure it is in good shape in the places that I know nothing about.

So I guess my main goal here is to convince myself that all I need is the stock shock that it has to handle my riding conditions. Maybe if things change in the future I would consider an upgrade but at the moment I want to keep it as stock as possible for money reasons more than anything.

I want to save as many duckets as I can to get some decent riding gear...

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2005 DR650SE, 98% Stock...
Together we Served

If you aren't mechanically inclined, taking it to a dealer service department that will charge you 'x' (probably $70+) per hour will teach you nothing. IMO, most maninline dealers are aftermarket suspesion savvy, as they're just running a moto repair service shop as a money-making biz. I'm not knocking them.

You will want to do a little research and learn some basic stuff on your own...maybe. If you just plan to fart around locally and depend on dealers for your needs - and are willing to spend what they need - then it doesn't really matter.

ThumperTalk has a good DR forum. Adventure Rider Motorcycle Forum has a great DR650 thread with tons of onfo.

With all due respect, it sounds like you are kinda new to motos, and I really suggest that you do some reading. It'll make you happy...probably.

I am new to having to worry about them for sure. I have spent a lot of my life before the Marines on a motorcycle, though. Back then we had the local shop who did us right on maintenance.

My problem with working on them myself is available space, plus cost of tools. Everything I have is geared towards working on Avionics systems on aircraft so I know I will be dropping some money on tools eventually. I can be mechanically inclined when I have the right tools.

Right now I would like to get the bike looked at, and adjusted as best I can for my weight and riding conditions. I am willing to take the hit this once because I need the bike to cut down on gas expenditures. I really do not know much about the suspension systems and I would like to have a pro look all of that over for me.

I have a good hook-up in the ABQ area. The lady I bought the bike from used to do warranty work at a local Harley dealer for many years and she is sending me to a good friend of hers who has since opened up his own shop so I should get relief for this first checkup.

I will check out the Thumper Forums for sure and thanks for the reply...

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2005 DR650SE, 98% Stock...
Together we Served

So it has been a whole and I have learned a few things:

Even though the DR650 stock suspecsion is soft, I can abuse the piss out of it. I have put that bike through the ringer while I researched suspension upgrades.

I have ordered the Eibach 883 series springs for my bike now. Kientech.com sells them with the adaptor to make them work on the DR650. I went with some beefy stuff for an experiment of sorts.

I got the .55 kg/mm fork springs and the 8.4 kg/mm rear spring. They will be in thie wednesday and will be installed on Saturday. I will let you know how they work out.

The other piece coming in that is much needed is the IMS 4.9 g tank.

I also finally got rid of the stock tire and got some pretty aggressive DOT approved tread. The rear is a Cheng Shin and the front is a knobby by Kings Tire.

They work well together. Obviously they do not perform as well on the road but, honestly, There is not enough difference to warrant not getting them for the performance increase offroad...

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2005 DR650SE, 98% Stock...
Together we Served

Update:

I installed the tank and the new Eibach springs. The springs went on surpisingly easy and the tank was even easier.

The springs though, they made all the difference in the world. It transformed the bike. I put the .55 kg/mm in the front and the 8.4 kg/mm in the rear. It can handle anything I throw at it now without any concern.

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2005 DR650SE, 98% Stock...
Together we Served