Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Adirondack Park

I managed to find a few days to get away for a ride and had a great time. Didn't really have much of a plan in terms of route / destination when I left, however, I figured Adirondack Park was worth exploring. I had gone there last fall on the SV and it was terrific. Going back there was definitely on my list. I tell 'ya, this new DR is a veritable Swiss Army Knife: it performed respectably well on the highway, although most of my 1,500 Kms were on secondary roads travelling at 100Km/h and slower. However, I did several jaunts on the slab and there was no trouble keeping it locked at 120 clicks but I imagine wind protection might be an issue after a few hours at that speed. I also made a point of exploring almost every dirt road I came across. Dozens of gravel roads, dirt trails, logging roads. I didn't do any serious off-roading, but I certainly went places that would be completely inaccessible on my old SV. I even managed to drop the big DR when I lost my footing as I came to a stop while riding along some power lines. Snapped my right bar-end mirror. Oh well, could have snapped my brake lever!! So I ordered some Moose Racing bark busters as soon as I got back (installed them earlier this evening) and put the original mirrors back on.
Moose Racing bark busters will help to protect against damage.
A week before leaving on this road trip I had new sprockets and a chain installed at Route 68 Sales & Service in Flackville, NY (just beyond Ogdensburg). Because my local dealer charges criminal prices for really crappy service, I find it well worth my while to drive an hour and cross into the US to buy from Ken at his small shop. Great service, and pricing is waaay better. I also picked up a sleek DRZ250 tail light to replace the big ugly DR light, as well as a bunch of oil filters. The new sprockets are geared 1 down in the front, and 1 up in the rear (15/43) which helps make the low end a tiny bit snappier, and highway speeds don't suffer too much. The new 37 Litre Givi topcase mounted to the luggage rack is perfect for a 2-3 day trip. And, the new Solstice 10-Watt LED offroad lights are totally amazing. And travelling with my Garmin Nuvi 760 GPS makes life real easy. I even listened to the MP3 player the entire ride. I also made a larger toolbox from some 3" ABS pipe with a screw-on end cap. Holds more than twice as many tools as before. Here are some shots I took with my really crappy camera.
Spent the first night at a cabin in Tupper Lake.
Overlooking Lake Placid.
Overlooking Lake Placid, again.
A wind farm along Route 11, somewhere near Malone, I think.

Friday, August 7, 2009

mods

Here are a few photos and a video clip showing the GSXR muffler installed on the DR using a specially modified Two Brothers midpipe (with a GSXR flange welded to it).
GSXR600 muffler with modified Two Bros mid-pipe.
GSXR muffler with a bunch of 1/4" holes drilled into the baffle plate for a little "extra sound"
Factory Mikuni BST40 slingshot getting the DynoJet treatment... a 160 main jet, and the slimmer DJ needle.
The factory needle (fat) and the DynoJet needle (skinny)
Installed.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

no time to blog...

This new DR is a completely different kind of fun. I thought I'd really miss the old SV, but so far, I'm having way too much fun riding the big DR. Been busy modding and upgrading, too. New exhaust, DynoJet kit, airbox tweaks, chain & sprockets, lighting, luggage and rack, etc,. This thing rocks, and hard, too. So, no time to blog. I just can get enough riding this thing.