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DR350SE questions...

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Shoot, I was just down by you. I should have swung by to hear success...right?
 
Got the stator in, gasket on, side case on, new oil in, shifter lever on, fixed the broken rear turn signal mount, cleaned/lubed the chain. Fired it up, 13.35v consistent at a downstream battery external SAE connector. So I think this part is now good.

Next up is trying to get the carb adjusted properly now that its been cleaned. Paging Woodbutcher to the white courtesy phone please.....
 
That will be easy. You are almost done. Just in time for the hottest part of the year...
 
Sir Woodbutcher came over the other night and we fiddled a bit with the carb air screw and got it very close. There's still just a little stumble from idle to roll-on. We played either side of that and just can't seem to make it go away. So I'll run a couple gallons of fuel through it and see if that cleans anything with a slight stick/abrasion/gum anywhere in there. Got up to 70mph with it on the highway which was ok, and in town I'm amazed at how well it turns/rides. It's effortless compared to the R1150GS.

While out today on it, I noticed I really didn't have a good front brake. Hmmm... I rubbed my finger on the disc and it was greasy! The WHOLE disc. So it's either fork oil, grease from the axle hub or brake fluid. It felt greasy though. So I think I'll order a front rebuild kit, new pads (these were almost new), a front brake master cylinder rebuild kit and front brake line and just take care of all this on one shot. The piston covers inside the front caliper were what I'd call 'wet' looking leading me to believe it's seals.

The journey continues!
 
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Good to hear a running / riding update. If is has not already been said ..... you need the stiffer diaphragm carb spring ... Thumper racing used to sell it. Be sure and up the pilot jet at least one size.
 
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Good point ... It would only be on the stock carb. You need to check and make sure the accelerator pump is working.
 
sandman said:
Good point ... It would only be on the stock carb. You need to check and make sure the accelerator pump is working.
Click to expand...

...once it gets over this very slight stumble/bog from idle to movement, it pulls like crazy. In fact, I was amazed at how easy that front wheel comes up. :-) So I think that part is probably ok.
 
either it is getting to much gas or it is way lean at idle or also the accelerator pump is not working or is not coming in soon enough.

when starting cold (well being August not hot) will it fire right up without choke or does it require much choke to start?
 
I run the fuel bowl empty when I put it up so it's always difficult to start cold. :mrgreen:
 
M38A1 said:
I run the fuel bowl empty when I put it up so it's always difficult to start cold. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Silly question but why would running the bowl empty make it difficult to start. Does it have a vacuum petcock? If so, that is the first thing I would remove! If not, then when you turn on the fuel, it should fill the carb up and not be hard to start. "Should" being the key word. All my carb'd dirt bikes through the years were treated the same way and they always started right up.
 
I said that a little tongue-in-cheek since when the fuel bowl is empty it takes a bit for fuel to get there and then start. Next time out to the garage I'll fire it up, count how long it takes, let it cool totally and try it again when cold and report back.
 
He doesn't wait for the bowl to fill. :-) Manual petcock. Starts pretty quickly with choke, but typical air cooled bike, likes to warm up. Bog gets less as it warms up. Virtually gone when actually applying power. So mainly bogs in neutral blipping the throttle. Much less if you are rolling in gear and on the gas.
 
My advice ( which I gave to the previous owner too) is ditch that particular carb. I maintained that machine for a few years and actually advised against buying it because that bog problem was severe during the test ride. That carb is not supposed to be immersed in solvent. It has soft parts inside the body that get damaged. I suspect that an owner before your seller soaked in in solvent.

I had that thing apart so many times chasing a rich mixture one day and a super lean one a week later that I got to where I could have it off the bike and apart in five minutes or less. Twice I had it apart on the side of the road for carb failures. It failed in Big Bend on a group ride, and in Oregon during a two week ride. Paul Glaves in Terlingua had it apart too. He is a wizard at motorcycles and still that carb isn't right.

Go stock, or get another pumper that as a better history.

On the bright side you have some very good Racetech suspension on both ends of that bike. You might need stiffer springs and of course the lowering links need to come off if they haven't already.
 
One more thought about fitment of the bike. That seat has been custom carved to about 2" shorter than stock. With your height the seat to peg distance should probably be at least returned to stock. in the current setup you might have some knee burning if you ride beyond 4 hours at a stretch. Seat Concepts makes a foam and upholstery kit for that bike if you can't locate a stock height seat.

When it is running right it is good for an honest 90 MPH in sixth gear by the way. GPS verified, although it is not recommended to be done all the time.
 
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Thanks Ed for the input...

I want to get this little 'project bike' done and go see how I enjoy/don't enjoy off-road riding. I may love it. I may not. I just don't know at this point.
 
Like Ed says look for a stock carb. I riden many with the pumper carb vs the vacuum .... Not too much difference.

Let's talk talk wheelies ... The dr350 / dr250 is one of the best wheelie bikes made... Not because of power but balance.
 
Little update...

I had a lot of grease on the front disc which puzzled me. I'd rub my finger on the front disc and it would come off as a black grease leaving only brake fluid, axle bearing grease or fork oil as the possible culprit. The tubes were clean and the axle seals look great, so that left brake fluid. I pulled off the front caliper and sure enough, the piston was weeping and the boots looked wet. A take-off replacement front brake caliper and pads were ordered and installed today. Lengthy cleaning of the front disc with brake cleaner to rid the slick stuff off too. Took forever to bleed the air out, but I finally got it.

So my next question is braking/stopping on these little bikes. My only real experience is coming from a BMW R1150GS with dual 305mm discs up front with four piston calipers. This little guy has a single 250mm two piston setup up front.

I get some good nose dive on hard braking, but with the front and rear engaged it takes a long time to slow down/stop. Is this normal coming from a GS experience? It just takes a long time in my opinion.

Next little project I think is to swap out the long extending rear blinker stalks for shorter ones that tuck under the tail rack. They'll be better protected this way.
 
Well when I picked up my new crf250l and departed the dealer and was headed towards a red light I quickly decided dragging my feet was better at bring that bike to a stop.
It scared the poop out of me.

But after doing a proper set of heat cycles to bake in the pads it stops pretty good. You have to factor in just how much lighter the DR is compared to a GS.

Those new pads need a good baking in
 
Those pads and that rotor do need to break in to each other before they will give top performance. Calling them 'take off' gives me the idea that they are used. If I am guessing right on that then those pads are conformed to whatever rotor they saw service with. Might take longer than new pads to bed in while you wear off the high spots. If your rotor is mirror polished from being used with all that fluid on it you might need to give it some abrasive attention.
 
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