New bits old bike DR650
 

So I'd just finished my trip down the East coast of Africa and I'm sitting in a backpackers in Capetown looking for the machine thats going to carry me on my next travels.

Up pops a 1994 DR650 in my home country and I arrange to have it checked out and bought, happy days I thought!

Get home and start to do my research properly and realise that almost all the aftermarket parts I can find are for 1996 and newer!

Does anyone have any experience of fitting 1996 aftermarket parts to a pre 96 machine? I'm talking extended tank, bash guards streamlined front mudguard...

Or do I have lots of bodging ahead of me??

Bodging.... It's a different frame.

Half the fun though ;)


Widen your search area outside of South Africa as the pre-96 version might not have been sold there so no parts are about.

It's the same in the UK with the POST 96 version. No parts !!

Ah damn.....

Thanks Ted, stock tank it may be! Don't know would I risk splashing out on a large plastic tank that won't fit. If it was a case of fiddling mounts I might consider it.

I'm in Ireland which is why I jumped at the DR I saw. Not too many around here. Makes me appreciate the parts availabilty for my 95 defender!

Ireland..... Man, you can get all the parts you need.

Ebay.....................

This Acerbis tank will fit straight on your 94:

Acerbis 25L Fuel Tank Suzuki DR650 1992 1995 motorbike Motorcycle Long Range | eBay


There are still a few of these tanks knocking around in Europe, so do some hunting and you should find one.

There's some info on the pre 96 here:

Zen Seeker's Suzuki DR650 Resource Site

On www.DRRiders.com there's a section for pre 96 riders as well as lots of general info on DR builds and modifications for the newer bikes.

I had a 93 RSE model with the 20 litre tank and small fairing/screen, I never bothered modifying it much (as I was broke back then) but it was a pretty good bike. As Ted mentions the 96 on DR650 is a very different bike.

I must be one of the few people that has never used ebay! First time for everything i suppose. Heading east in 2014 so you never know might see you on the road.

Thanks Gipper, hope i can find one for a half decent price. Plenty more research ahead evidently!

Talk to Gab at ZEN OVERLAND...

He will sort you out with any new parts you might need. If they can be gotten, he can get them, I'm sure.

Great bloke to deal with.

ZEN Overland - Everything Adventure & Off Road