Race up the mountain: DR650 and Husky 701︱Cross Training Adventure

Looks like a really nice track! Nice riding & great video. You're on the right side of the track for us Canadians lol😂 have a great weekend!

Ive had some quality time with the RallZ on the 690. Around 3000 kms 75% dirt. I really liked them on the 890 but the 140/80 18 tube type RallZ rear has more void and are more agressive. Have to say they have been brilliant, equally good in mud and dry rocks and gravel and great on tarmac. I can see me getting 6000 kms from the rear easy. Dont understand the hate for the front RallZ. I really like it. It feels a bit odd on the tarmac at first but once worn in a bit it hangs on really well. Vibes like a knobby but meh.

Look forward to your review.

Did you have to change the spring rates on the new forks? If so, how did you determine the correct rate?

So, who is the winner???))

Nice to see you're slowly bringing the DR650 up to the level of the 690/701 ;-)

I took time out from GS release videos and it turns out it's another model improvement 🥈

but which bike made it home as well? 😉.. Hey I'm over 6500 miles on my rear rallz, gen2 klr.. it's spent but was great (still ok).. new tire is waiting on my laziness !

Maybe I missed it but do you have a video about the rmx fork swap? Thanks!

Looks like a fun road!

I'm in my mid 60s and love my 04 DR. I enjoy learning from your channel's content and positive comments towards the DR. I've upgrade the rear suspension to cogent mojave pro, switched the carb out to a TM40, RallZ tires, seat upgrade, bigger tank, LED lights, yada yada yada and various non-performance farkles. I think the bike matches my skillset... which is a fact often lost on spec sheets... "mine has more HP than yours"...I recently returned from a 2 week trip running the NEBDR in the USA with a guy on a KTM 690. On the trails the DR had no issue matching the performance of the 690 but on the street, the 690 could pass traffic better than the DR. Meh, that's okay. The DR's simplicity and rock solid reliability out weighs the added HP from a more modern machine.

The EXPECTATION would be in slow terrain/gnarly stuff/single track and faster open trails that the 701 would handle much better,even with your suspension upgrdes.
What did you and your pal truly think Skipper?? Very intersting vid as always and good skill set.

Yeah, but how fun is wheel spin? So fun

Yup, nice Sunday ride. Oops, it's only Friday. Glad your Zuke likes its new leg muscles, er, suspension, Barry.

Lovely track! Very similar to many of the trails in the Brindabella Mountains that border Canberra which are perfectly suited to these types of bikes. If you want the 701 to well at low revs I cannot recommend enough the Fuel Dongle from Rex at Fuel Torque for the Euro 5 models of 701/690’s. I recently bought a 690 after 20 years on KTM enduro bikes. I almost sold it immediately because it ran so poorly at low revs/throttle openings, often wanting to stall. I put in a Fuel Dongle from Rex and it completely revolutionised the bike. Now the thing has power and torque everywhere, is crisp and responsive and it never wants to stall. Just mentioning it as I know you aren’t the biggest fan of how the 690/701 bikes run 👍

Tell me more of the RMX front end conversion...

I own both a DR and an RMX, and this intrigues me greatly.

With the front fork conversion, what model RMZ is used and is it a reasonably straight forward job ?
What rear shock are you running?
Cheers for the video 🍻

Had 3 head ons over 50 years of riding, a few more close calls including ending up under a truck with the front wheel about a foot of my chest before we both stopped. Only once was I on the wrong side of the track, but every time I was leading.

From my perspective and country you are riding on the correct side of the road!

Welcome to the parts bin DR club. Looks like you could do with a heavier front spring rate. The DR I built with the 1998 RMZ conventional front end had 0.62kg/mm springs in it, which worked well for me at 95 ish kg, combined with a rear spring rate of 16kg/mm on the Cogent shock. Also I had some valving work done. Sold it to a mate who did Cape York tours, and it's potentially done more Cape trips than any DR ever. He loved it. It was basically still a DR geometry wise. The one I built with RMZ front and rear suspension from a 2007 model RMZ, and copied the RMZ geometry, is a completely different bike to ride. It will single track so much easier. The conventional geometry worked amazing in sand. The modern RMZ geometry works amazing in single track. Compared to an EFI 600/650 single like an SWM, no contest in tight slow stuff or deep sand for the DR with pumper carb. Hands down it's better. Strong and solid from idle. The SWM has had a reflash to give it much better low end, and it worked really well. But still not a proper thumper compared to the DR. On the tap it's another story. The SWM has the legs, but not the ergos or suspension of a parts bin DR. Pity Suzuki had ZERO vision or balls.

Thats a great run close to home. It really sets the mood for the rest of that loop. I also back off and try to calm down once I reach the top

Interesting people say you’re on the wrong side of the track, I wonder if they realise it’s a single track and not a two lane road. Also what year are the RMX forks ? Were they the same diameter ? Did you get new triple clamps ?

I’m one of those that once mentioned what I perceived as you cutting corners. You said it was the Drone: angle it flew or it’s flying station etc -ok then. No worries.

While I was watching this I immediately thought “Wow. This guy is really cutting corners “.
I was getting white knuckles from grabbing the front brake lever.
As a person who once bounced off the side of a SWB LandRover because the driver thought HE could see; I gotta say I think you’re threading the needle.

I’d rather not see you hit any oncoming thing. Many years ago, quite close to where I lived, 2 teenagers on dirt bikes had a head on. One died. At 16.
As you state- perhaps I should watch another channel.

Awesome, did the gold emulators with springs as per thier web site and that was good enough for me. Will probably do the rear over winter...maybe...I agree, Rallz's are great, but on the high end here in CDN. I did put the Dualventure tubless on the front which does the job but a little quieter on the road getting to the dirt.

I think at a certain age it all becomes about the ride not the bike.

I was expecting this vid , after seeing some telltale items on marketplace😂 another quality vid keep ‘em comin

It irritates me to see a rider riding on the wrong side of the track around blind corners and over crest hills , i have come across my a few Bull bars that wanted to kill me and i dont go to the Right EVER, id be dead now if i had.....

Where I live the husky is on the wrong side of the track . I got bigger things to worry about, like which clown is going to run my country

Another good vid Barry! Hope you are well my friend!

Any update with the tubliss system with the rallz tires?

I thought you were off to another type of bike! Have just done the ffrc mods to my suspension and major tryout is soon.Great fun

Anything over 40 HP is wasted in wheel spin.

That's true. But man do I love wheel spin.