Suzuki DR 650SEV

The DR650SEV is marketed by Suzuki as a Dual-Sport motorcycle, I would class the DR650 as a bit of a bush track blaster while being outstanding in the role of a commuter.

Big singles are cheap to run. Check out this little comparison on running costs.......

Service Item Road Bike Big Single
Chain/Sprockets $350 $180
Tyres (set) $500 $200
Service $250 $140

Being a single though the DR doesn't have the power to let you play any games on the tarmac, unless of course you have full knobblies fitted, which can help provide you with some entertainment on the road.
To put it shortly the DR is a great commuter, not bad for an occasional belt around the bush, is reasonably practical for long-distance touring, is cheap to run when compared to a road bike, and incredibly reliable.

For around $8800 on road with a two year warranty the DR650SEV is a winner, it is a big surprise that we don’t see more of them around.

Maybe it is because they don’t have the dirt cred’ of the XR?

But think about it are you good enough to make full use of that XR? Will you get sick of kick-starting the XR or KLX.

What this lack of cred’ means though is that you can pick up a low mileage late model DR in good condition for between 5 and 6 grand. This is bargain territory here folks.
While the big single is not overly powerful (34 horsepower at the rear wheel), it has earned a reputation as being unburstable.

The big DR most definitely deserves its good reputation for reliability.
It comes with overly long gearing 16/41 as stock which makes things difficult in the dirt. Much better to swap to a 46 or 47 teeth rear sprocket. This however means that you will be changing both sprockets and your chain because the DR comes with 525 items, this makes it a bit hard to find a decent range of sprockets to suit. The easiest way is to change everything to 520 or 530 to get the gearing a bit more realistic.

A gearing change makes the bike much more fun, especially in the dirt, while on the street things have also become a bit more lively with wheelies being able to be clutched up in second. The DR's clutch is also just about untrashable.

Instrumentation is acceptable for a bike of this nature. Consisting of a speedo with odometer and tripmeter, a light for the turn signal, a light for neutral and a light for high beam.

The big DR is much lighter than its forebears though still no featherweight, 147 kilos dry to be exact. Some of this can be trimmed off when going bush however, with the removal of lights, rear pegs, grab rails etc.

Where the DR might win some friends among those of us who are a little shorter than the average bear is with it’s adjustable seat height. Simply take your DR to your dealer and he can lower the seat height by 40mm in no time at all.

Seriously though the DR is a pretty comfortable everyday bike and much more practical for riding to and from work on than your sportsbike and pretty much any dedicated road bike. The upright position and wide bars give you plenty of leverage to throw it around and squeeze between the traffic (the bars are higher than most car mirrors) and you can still blow 99.9% of cars away at the lights, 14.6 second quarter mile see to that.

The Electric start makes it a much more practical day to day choice than most of its competitors.

SPECIFICATIONS
Engine Type: 644cc, 4-stroke, single cylinder, SOHC, 4-valve, air cooled with SACS
Bore x Stroke: 100 x 82mm
Displacement: 644cm3
Compression Ratio: 9.5 : 1
Carburetor(s): Mikuni BST40
Maximum Power: 34 hp measured
Starter: Electric
Transmission: 5-speed
Final Drive: 525 'O'-ring sealed chain

Dimensions (mm): 2,255 x 865 x 1,205 mm
Wheel Base (mm): 1,490mm
Seat Height (mm): 885mm or 845mm
Fuel Capacity (litres): 13 litres (including a 3 litre reserve)

Front Tyre: 90/90 21
Rear Tyre: 120/90 17

Front Suspension: Telescopic, leading axle, oil damped, 260mm or 220 mm of travel, 43mm stanchions
Rear Suspension: Link type, oil damped, spring preload adjustable, damping adjustable 260mm or 220 mm of travel

Front Brakes: Single Disc
Rear Brakes: Single Disc

Dry Weight (kg): 147kg