Some viewers have said isn't it stupid to take a DR650 into difficult tracks? Of course the answer
is yes! But you are dealing with Australians here. Our smaller brains have trouble making
the connection between our actions and the inevitable negative consequences.
To make matters worse, it has rained and the DR650 is still running those
Dunlop D606 tyres at 20PSI because I forgot to install rimlocks. Sigh.
This section is hard enough on a dirt bike when it's dry, so should be interesting.
This hill should be even more interesting. Andrew had to work hard to get the Beta
Xtrainer up this one as it just kept spinning on all the exposed tree roots in the rut.
Wow. There is something about a big grunty thumper with a massive flywheel that makes
for great traction, I simply didn't expect the DR to get up that hill.
As always, a big problem is the lack of ground clearance and how
the skidplate and footpegs are always hitting the moment you go near ruts.
Many will remember the Honda XR650R, an incredibly popular bike that Honda canned
for some crazy reason. I would love to be on the design team to create a sports model of the DR650.
Make it lighter. More powerful. Better suspension and more ground clearance. A sixth gear. Fix all
those stupid little problems that Suzuki keep ignoring. Then sell it for $1000 to $2000 more.
Unfortunately Japan seems to be in a massive economic and psychological rut. Once they were
proud innovators and market leaders, and now they can barely muster up the courage to change the
stickers on their bikes each year.... or shock, horror... the colour of the plastics. So many
of their bikes are still fundamentally good, but are still stuck in the 20th century. Sigh.
Anyway, back to this ride! Trying to keep the DR650 upright in wet conditions is actually a
lot of fun. As many of you will know, I like to think dirt riding is 80% riding
ability then only 20% the bike. So instead of whinging about the tyres, suspension,
or lack of an anodised billet fuel cap, occasionally I like to deliberately make
things hard for myself. So hauling the big bushpig through these slippery conditions
on hard inappropriate tyres is great for working on the traction skills.
When I was over in Canada the Traction eRag crew had just bought an old Honda XL185 for $300. They
fixed it up then got one of their local riders to take it in an extreme enduro. Predictably, he flew
past piles of guys on the latest model enduro bikes and wearing all the flashy gear. He even
stopped at various tough sections and would help the same guys get their bikes up nasty climbs.
I love hearing about things like this. Too often we believe the crap that the advertisers keep
throwing at us. This new model will turn you into a Jarvis. This new knobby is the key to unlocking
the Johnny Walker within you. Sure a better bike, different knobby, or anodised fuel cap,
can make a difference, but it's only affecting 20% of the equation. I reckon keep it all in
balance and spend most of your energy working on your technique. Anyway, I'm about to start a rant
so I'll sign off and do a proper rant about this in a specific video soon. Cheers guys!