DL650 protection

[holodragon]

Hi

I am after some advice about protecting vulnerable bits on the Wee. I have a good bash plate, Barkbusters & radiator cover, I have also fitted smaller indicators as the originals broke too easily when I dropped the bike.
I have been told the oil cooler is vulnerable, any suggestions for cheap protection?
Has anyone used headlight protectors?
Will be riding on gravel & some dirt/rocky tracks.

Help please,
Andy

[gregdobrynin]

http://shop.touratech.com/oil-cooler...0-v-strom.html

Sent from my GT-I9100G

[TravellingStrom]

I have just finished a 250.000km rtw trip with my strom. Never used a headlight protector and never had an issue, except a few scratches when I crashed.

You don't need and oil cooler protector, apart from the stock one, a rad protector is advised though, but you have one anyway.

I had the OEM handguards, dropped, crashed or otherwise fell off ,many many times, never broke a hand lever, but took two anyway

Bash plate and engine bars, I used Givi bars, but I also had hard panniers, they protected the bike and my legs

That pretty much covers protection

Personally I would steer clear of touratech, overpriced and there are many other products out there, just mho

Cheers
TS

[s445203]

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but TravellingStrom, how many times did you need to adjust the valve clearances over your 250k trip? And how did you go about it when in the midst of nowhere?

Congrats on completing RTW!

[rusty max]

Hi Andy,

Got hit by two little stones the other day when I passed a gravel truck on a country road.One hit the visor of my helmet and the other one the fairing of the bike. Nothing happened to the headlights of of my DL 650, but I got protection on,pretty cheap and effective.
WWW. A.M.H.P.com.au

Cheers

[farmerdan]

hey holo just wondering what rad protection you went with?

[holodragon]

Hi Farmerdan.
I actually got the Touratech radiator cover, I bought this as soon as I got the bike 6 years ago, it fits easily but is a tad expensive, you may be able to find a cheaper version or ask Gabe at ZEN Overland - Everything Adventure & Off Road to see if he could make you something up.
Radiator guard Suzuki V-Strom DL 650 - Vehicle protection - Protection - Vehicle equipment | Touratech Ltd

I also got the kick stand 'foot' which I swear by, again easy to fit & very stable on soft ground.
Kick stand support extension Suzuki V-Strom DL650 - Vehicle protection - Protection - Vehicle equipment | Touratech Ltd

I now have 'off road' foot pegs too, I just removed the rubber inserts & cut teeth into the pegs with a hack saw

Any other questions just ask, Andy.

[TravellingStrom]

Originally Posted by s445203

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but TravellingStrom, how many times did you need to adjust the valve clearances over your 250k trip? And how did you go about it when in the midst of nowhere?

Congrats on completing RTW!

Sorry for the late response been busy with real life

I had there different bikes over the trip so I guess the results are not normal

The first bike was dusted but had specs checked as per manual

South America bike was not checked before I sold it at 90,000km

My current bike is at 96,000km and had them checked while engine was stripped down in Laos

I won't recommend any particular person at this stage as I have had mixed results. In SEA for example, big bike mechanics are few and far between, but every man and his dog can repair a 125 wave

[keithert]

I just dumped mine in my driveway and managed to break a turn signal. From what I read that is pretty common.

[g6snl]

"keithert I just dumped mine in my driveway and managed to break a turn signal. From what I read that is pretty common. "

YES

[holodragon]

I think we have all done it, I changed the original/huge indicators for much smaller ones & now they don't get smashed every time I drop it. The alternative is LOTS of superglue!

[pecha72]

Originally Posted by s445203

how did you go about it when in the midst of nowhere?

Me and my wife went Europe to Oz on our DL650AK7 in 2007-2008. Much smaller trip than what Travellingstrom did, but plenty big for us. Anyway, there were no right size tyres, or proper spare parts for this bike readily available between eastern Turkey and Australia. Even in Thailand, it was not like Europe or US, although something could be found in places like Bangkok or Pattaya, but you usually still wait a few days – everyone said OEM parts would have to be ordered from Singapore. We carried a few oil filters, air fliter, some other basic spares, extra chain locks (never needed) etc.

And I would not let the regular local mechanic touch this bike, unless the problem is something purely mechanical. FI, ABS, electronics in general – I would at least try very hard to fix it myself, before I´d let anybody else possibly create more problems. Note, that I do NOT want to bash the local mechanics, in fact I take my hat off for them, they are very good in putting everything back on the road with tools from the Stone Age. But they normally fix “low-tech” stuff. Modern technology is a different challenge. And in those parts, the whole concept of “preventive maintenance” is largely unknown, people just ride/drive the vehicles until they break down, then take them to the local mechanic.

So, learn to DIY, and do that as much as you can. Besides, it is always good to be able to work on your bike.

[Squily]

I know you don;t need to hear this, but just in case someone else reads this thread on future

IMO- best bashplate for a DL650 is a B&B
Bash Plate - Suzuki - DL650 V Strom

Protects the VULNERABLE oil cooler behind the front wheel and eliminates the need for further protection of it. also: well built, sturdy/strong and doesn't take away any additional ground clearance on an already very low bike

Stay away from SW Motech bashplate- not worth the money/effort and not very strong.


Lastly, FYI valve clearances. The one in my shed is on about 65kkm and the tappets are starting to get noisy, so will have to do the shims before the next big trip

[noexit]

My vote for the best bash plate and crash bars are the ones made by altrider. I had quite a few people come up to me and comment on them when I was at Nakusp last weekend.

Crash Bars

Skid Plate

The skid plate is designed to bolt to the crash bars, but I really think it's a good investment. The stainless bars look great, even after you've nicked them up a bit, and the plate allows enough access to remove the oil filter and drain plug without removing the plate. It also comes up high enough in front to cover the oil cooler.