I purchased a Suzuki DR 650SE new in 2017 from the dealer. They are super reliable motorcycles, the most reliable bike ever made in my opinion as a mechanic. Air/oil cooled, Japanese made, single barrel Mikuni carburettor, single cylinder. Very simple set up that translates to extreme reliability, robust durability and a very usable every day motorcycle. Good horse power for a dual sport, linear delivery. Starts first go every time as long as fuel is not stale. -3°C ambient cold start with full choke still starts first time. 47°C ambient hot st...

I bought my 2008 model with 4,000 kms on it in 2011. I then rode it "as is" to the red centre via Broken Hill, Camerons Corner and Inamincka. This enabled me to work out what needed changing or modifying.
Over the ensuing years I have modified my exhaust, airbox and put on a Mikuni double pumper carburettor. The bike has rear wheel horsepower of a standard bike at the crank but, more importantly, there is immediate throttle response. Add heated grips, luggage side and rear racks, bar risers and a 22 litre Acerbis tank and then customise the fr...

I write this in response to some who complain about it....suzuki has been selling this thing since last century (maybe even the one before...). It is a cheap bike that is tough, well built and reliable.

It is in many ways outdated but that appears to add to the appeal. It is easy to work on, uncomplicated and predictable. I doubt there is more info out there on any other dirt bike on how to improve or change just about every aspect of the bike.

Generally you do not have to do anything to it to ride within reason, but you will have to be se...

this a 3year bike with 38,000 km no sign is was going to destroy it self left me stuck in the bush miles from nowhere not good for a adv bike steer clear from them 2 off my mates have had the same problem at 10,000km and 19,000km. not happy

The DR650 is a great bike but it needs a few mods to make it an exceptional all rounder.
1 - chuck the standard seat away (the further away the better)
2 - chuck the standard muffler away (as above)
3 - 20 litre acerbis fuel tank
4 - carb rejet with procycle jetting kit plus mods to the carb & airbox as per Full Force Racing Video. (BETTER MPG than stock set up + more power !!!!)

Sure the DR650 is a bit on the porky side and the suspension may need a bit of tweaking but it is the best adventure bike you can buy for the money - Basic & reliable with little to break when you fall off (which you will if you use it to get off the beaten track)

There is a good reason why the DR650 has legions of diehard fans.....

I have had 3 of these, replacing each with a new one every few years. I've been riding nearly 50 years, don't drive a car and have owned over 60 bikes in my time, and to me the DR is one of the best bikes around. Unchanged since 1996 and with no known major problems other than a very few which have had serious 3rd gear failures, they are light, robust, incredibly reliable and easy to maintain, and are a joy to handle on twisty roads. The engine has screw adjusted tappets and the air filter, oil filter and plugs are readily accessible so doing a...

I bought the bike with 5000ks on the clock. I have now done 13000k.
The bike does every thing I want it too for how I use it,which is more road than dirt. The bike sits on 100kmr without a problem.Also as I am getting older I wanted a more lighter bike with less maintenance and the DR is perfect. I service the bike myself. I still have the standard tank on it and I get about 250km between fills depending how I ride it .Only vice is the seat it’s a bit hard on the backside but a lambs wool fixes that.Recomend the bike to any one.

Great bike, they haven't changed much over twenty years or so. As with most bikes they have a few niggly things that need modifying but that comes down to personal preference and what you plan on doing with it I suppose. For me it was the front suspension that dived hard under heavy front wheel braking but some heavier front springs and a set of intiminators sorted that one out.
Original seat was replaced with a Sargeant Seat for those long days in the saddle.
The old Mikuni BST40 carburettor in the bike is probably not cutting edge technolo...

This bike is fantastic to ride. Purchased one earlier this year. Love that it's simple to tinker around with too. Unlike other bikes, this one is easy to make any adjustments or repairs to. This bike has been ridden both on road and off. When riding on road once it reaches about 80 kilometres per hour it starts to get a bit reckless. This I have attributed to it's dirt tyres. When off road this bike makes everything a breeze. Even beginner riders are able to test out and build skills off road without coming off. This bikes balance is fantastic considering it's height and weight.

I got a black DR 650 SE. Rode it from adelaide to Darwin and out to kakadu and finke gorge track and oonadatta track and flinders ranges. Perfect bike for offroad and highway. I put a safari tank on it and it was sufficient for all without needing any spare tanks of fuel.
Its a solid reliable bike that never let me down. Off course one needs to find the right tyres. I chose Dunlop dual purpose. I also got a small custom windscreen for the front which made highway riding more pleasing. People complain about the seat stiffness. But wasn't issue...

Very great motorcycle. 1. Cheap. You can pick a used one up very cheap.
2. Build any bike. They are a platform for a great adventure tourer, daily commute, heavy dirtbike, supermotard, tractor to tow a plough.
3. Lots and lots of ome and aftermarket parts and accessories.
4. Loves to wheelie.
5. Bulletproof

This bike comes with alloy rims, straight pull spokes, an oil cooler, a rear shock that doesn't sag, dual spark plugs (good spark), foam air filter (more effective than a paper one), wide seat and a small headlight that puts out enough light to see by (but could be better). It has a solid subframe and weighs 166 Kg which is quite heavy for a road/trail bike. Bikes in this class commonly range from 100-140 Kg making it at least 20 Kg heavier than it should be.

The tappets are adjusted by shims... which means less adjustments than the screw a...

I bought an 04 model and thrashed it unmercifully for 5 years. I still have it and it goes great. I crashed and drowned it but it always came back for more. I bought another 2012 model and put 40'000 km on it in 3 years. Solid, dependable and tough. I will buy another when I wear this one out. There is a great range of aftermarket accessories available for them. If they fix the neutral sender unit issue and make the seat more comfortable it would be nearly perfect.

used a courier bike 95,oookm no problem at all, great on fuel, long power range through gears, comfortable seat, front shockers alittle small , great all round bike , oil cooled and no water or radiator was a bonus less trouble, use the clutch and dont break gears dude and ride properly. couldnt say more about it. love to own another one .

Suzuki have been making the DR650 without many major changes for nearly 20 years. You would be forgiven for thinking that either, the bike is way old and something newer must be better or that after 20 years Suzuki have had all the time they need to refine this machine into the best the world will ever see. To get this out of the way early, the bike uses components that are old (the almost superseded rod style fork dampers for example), and a number of niggles mean that Suzuki have not developed the DR into the best machine possible.

So why ...

First off, if you are seriously considering a DR then Google it, don't go by reviews here. There is a huge amount of content about the DR on the internet - just search on YouTube.

Secondly, you need to know a) what sort of rider you are - ability, aggressiveness, age,weight,height, strength etc and b) what sort of riding are you going to do. Work this out before you even go looking at bikes.

The DR is what it is - it does not pretend to be anything - it has many strengths and many weaknesses so do your research and get up to speed on t...

Bought a 2015 dr after reading mostly good reviews but quickly realized that this was not the bike for me. Dual purpose? Not really, high speed wobbles at highway speeds around 100 km/hr, tiny fuel tank and extremely uncomfortable seat. As for off road this bike is basically useless, front forks bottom out on anything more aggressive than washboard (210lb rider) stock tires are useless off-road and without lowering the foot pegs and adding bar risers this bike is very cramped and very uncomfortable while standing/riding 5' 11" rider. If you are...

Just clocked 1200 klms and put bike in for its first service. I complained about a bad rattling, clanging and banging noise when the bike was under load or with two up. The dealership said it was normal. I have owned motorcycles all my life and I have never heard noises come from a bike like that before. I was worried that the bike was faulty. I would not recommend purchasing this motorcycle. Its down right embarrassing riding down the street rattling and clanging and banging like that.

Just bought a new 2015 DR as well. Still running in (220k) but a bit if pinging and tapping at cruising speed (60-80ks). Is that normal? Great bike but sometimes noisy and not sure if that is normal i.e the sounds. I love the DR but not good enough to know the right or wrong noises.

2007 DR650 35,000 km (failed August 2015)
Bearing and/or 3rd gear failure, this can and has destroyed engines. Not restricted to any particular year model and no specific kilometers.
No recall or gearbox upgrade notification to date.
Bike forums listing bikes affected worldwide.
Great motor with a hand grenade gearbox - reliability issue.
Repair cost high.
I will require confirmation this issue has been addressed before considering to repair or replacement my bike.
To date no response from Suzuki Australia.
UPDATE: Received response fro...