The Cabinet Man
04-06-2004, 07:49 PM
Greetings all!! The Cabinet Man here. A bonafide FNG!! (Well, to this site anyway...) I thought I'd update The Masses on my DL650 impressions and brief experiences.
I bought my Black DL650 on 03/27/04. (It's not necessary to say that it's 2004 model...) I sold my 2000 BMW K1200RS a week earlier. I still have a 2001 Suzuki TL1000S. Yes, I doth love the V-Twin!!
I ride year-round. The bulk of my riding is commuting to/from work and my annual three-week, 5000 – to – 8000 mile pilgrimage out West. I've made this trip on both the KRS and the TL. (Yes, I rode the TL from Maryland to Utah and back – and lived to tell about it...) I sold the BMW because, while it's a good bike, it's not a great bike. I found it difficult to justify the costs of owning/operating such a beast when my TL is 90% the bike at 1/2 the price. The other reason I sold the KRS was because the throttle has no push/return cable and the heavy throttle body springs (required to return the throttle to “closed”) severely aggravated arthritis in my wrist caused by an old motorcycle crash.
But enough of that. Since I bought my TL, I had imagined that the motor would go nicely into a “light touring” motorcycle. When I first saw the DL1000, I said “YUCK!!” But the looks grew on me. I watched the boards and read the articles. I got scared off the DL1000 because of the 2002/2003 clutch basket problems. Last year when I heard that there was going to be a DL650, I knew that was it!!
My biggest concern during my long trips is “miles per tank”. The TL gets about 180 miles and the KRS got about 200. That's not quite what's needed for those long AZ/NV desert runs. I knew the DL650 would beat the 1000's 45 MPG, making it nearly a 300-mile tank. Take off about 40 pounds and the decision became obvious. Sure, I'd miss the torque, the second pipe, and a hydraulic clutch but nothing earth-shattering.
I put on the miles needed for the 600-mile service in three days and it sits at about 700 miles right now. (Maryland had a week of truly heinous weather last week and I'm still not acclimated to the DL for a lot of wet-weather riding...)
So what follows is what I've learned so far and a bunch of stuff about things I've bolted on while waiting for the rain to pass.
=========================
==> DL650 Impressions <==
-- The Good --
Makes good power after 500 miles. When I rode it from the shop I was still attuned to 1000/1200cc bikes. “What a slug!!” I knew to give it time and my patience was rewarded. It'll be plenty of power for the loaded, one-up touring I do.
Great exhaust note above 6000 RPM. Very nice growl. The Givi hard cases add an odd echo but it's minor. It's not as loud as the Yosh cans on my TL but push the DL hard to 7500 RPM and it's great V-Twin music!!
Light throttle. After my BMW experiences I was definitely looking for a throttle more like my TL. The DL650 has a very light throttle. Don't confuse “light” that with “touchy”. It's exactly what I was looking for.
Perfect EFI mapping. When I bought my TL, it went to the shop three times to get the mapping right. (It was WAY too lean...) The DL was spot on right out the door.
Great fuel mileage. The very first tank (up to 175 miles) was pretty pathetic: 36 MPG. The second tank did a fantastic 53 MPG. The third tank delivered 48 MPG and I was riding like I stole it!! It should get 50 MPG with “regular” riding.
-- The Bad --
Revs are higher than I'm accustomed to. Those coming off of bigger bikes that are used to cruising under 5000 RPM will be in for a rude awakening. A displayed 80 MPH is revving at 6000 RPM. I know the engine likes to rev but I'm so used to puttering along at 4500.
The 5000 RPM break-in rev limit makes highway use scary!! You'll want to be careful with your highway riding if you plan to stick to the Suzuki recommended rev limit. Whenever I ended up on the interstate, I was right-laning it the whole time and was tempted to turn on the flashers!!
-- Notes --
The speedometer is 5 MPH optimistic at 65 MPH. It's actually 60 MPH. I haven't tested higher speeds yet.
I was thinking about putting on a smaller rear sprocket to get back a few of those RPMs. I sat down with a calculator and determined that each tooth taken off the rear sprocket adds 2 MPH at 6000 RPM. I'll stew on that for a while before I decide what to do.
I didn't follow the break-in procedure exactly. Suzuki recommends keeping the revs below 5000 for the first 500 miles. I did that for the first 250 miles. At 250, I started revving to 6250 in first gear only. (6250 is non-coincidentally between 5000 RPM and the 7500 RPM allowed after 500 miles.) Then I added a gear every 50 miles. (Up to 6250 in first and second gear after 300 miles, up to to 6250 in first, second, and third after 350 miles, etc...) I should note that those revs were not sustained revs – it was just run up to those revs during acceleration. Constant revs were still held to 5000 or less. After 250 miles, I made those accelerations a bit harder as well. Not full-throttle stuff but A Little Something Extra to heat up the engine parts for a quick moment.
At about 400 miles, I decided to snug the chain just a bit. While doing so, I discovered that the rear axle was misaligned from the dealership by an entire tick-mark!! I corrected it and had a warmer-than-normal rear brake disk for about 50 miles. Caveat Emptor!!
I had the forks raised in the clamps by a 1/2“ at the 600-mile service. It helps the front feel more planted. Maybe it's just psychological but it does seem better.
My brake pedal was too high so I lowered it a bit. That resulted in a brake light that wouldn't shut off so I had to adjust the switch as well. It's all good now...
There seems to be a natural shift point between 6500 and 7000 RPM. I've run the engine up to 7500 RPM numerous times since 500 miles and it has no problem doing so. But there's something that happens between 6500 and 7000 that tells my brain, “Now!!”
===============================================
==> Givi Hard Cases (from Twisted Throttle) <==
-- The Good --
As recommended by Givi USA, I bought three E460N Monokey cases. (Actually, they recommended an E52 top case.) I'm glad I didn't get the E52 – it would be HUGE!! There is plenty of room in the three E460N cases.
Givi has a nice lock-and-catch design with all the forces working as they should. Still, my psyche would appreciate something that went “click” or “snap” when it closed.
-- The Bad --
I ordered three cases. However, Givi only keys them in pairs so I had two key sets. To get one key to fit all three cases, I had to order a replacement three-lock set -- P/N Z228 – for about $25.
The bags make the bike wide. Really wide! 45" WIDE!! I'll never again be ashamed to carry my Coleman collapsible chair. Don't try lane-splitting with these cases attached!!
The Givi docs that came with the cases say not to use E460 as pannier/side cases. Interesting... Givi USA thinks it's OK so I guess it's OK.
Maryland had some hellacious winds over the weekend and the cases made it a bit of a white-knuckle ride in heavy crosswinds. Granted the cases were empty and the wind was a perfect 90-degree crosswind. I'm sure I'll get to test this again the next time I'm in NE or SD. ;)
-- Notes --
No report yet on the effect of the cases on the fuel mileage. When I get that info, I'll be sure to post it. Maybe this weekend...
================================================== ==========
==> SW Motech Quick Detach Racks (from Twisted Throttle) <==
-- The Good --
Installation is VERY straight forward. The manual has almost no text but the drawings are very good.
Quick detach indeed!! Ten seconds per rack, tops!!
The Givi-specific mounting system is entirely made of metal and quite confidence inspiring, much more so than the Givi stuff. (More on that in a moment...)
-- Bad --
They'll be easy to steal. Get the SWM locks – it's cheap insurance. A Bad Guy can get them off in 10 seconds just like you.
Once the racks are installed, there's no place to attach the rear license plate mount. I think this is just an over site on SWM's part. They have different plating systems than we have in the US. I went to a hardware store and got two U-bolts. I used the two flat cross-pieces and made an extension downward and bolted the license plate mount on them. I covered the cross-pieces with electrical tape and no one is the wiser. Use lots of Loktite Blue.
The racks are “asymmetrically centered". That's a polite way of saying they're not centered. The left side rack is about an 1” or 1-1/2” closer to the bike that the right side. To be honest, the difference is more noticeable with the cases OFF the racks than when they're on. Minor issue...
-- Notes --
Don't tighten anything attached to bike until the racks are in place and aligned. The exception to that is the attachment bar that goes underneath the tail rack.
I know from physics class that the rear attachment bar is not
placing a lot of stress on the plastic fender but that doesn't mean
I'm not going to periodically monitor the fender for cracking.
==================================================
==> Givi Top Case Rack (from Twisted Throttle) <==
-- The Good --
Hmmmmm... I wish I had something.
-- The Bad --
Cheesy mount attachments. Ultimately, it's four thin pieces of plastic that hold the top case on. Just doesn't seem sturdy to me. I ride year-round. How's that gonna' hold up when it's 25 degrees??
The top case is difficult to attach: push, Push, PUSH!!
Back rest? Not likely with the aforementioned flimsy plastic mount. A passenger putting any significant weight on that could end up going off the back with the detached case. I'll be replacing this with an SWM AluRack when TT has them available.
I miss the rubber sheet on the stock tail rack.
-- Notes --
You'll save yourself a lot of cursing if you take a few minutes to remove the stock tail rack when attaching the metal Givi base mounts. The screws are really hard to get to. If you are installing the SWM racks, you have to remove this anyway. Don't be stupid like I was – attach the Givi stuff while it's off.
================================================== =========
==> Scott's Steering Stabilizer (from Scott's directly) <==
-- The Good --
Huge range of adjustments with good “fine” adjustability. Read the manual and you'll understand.
Fantastic machining. I'm sorry, but I'm a sucker for fine machine work. It's has “heft in the hand” and it looks like it was built for the military!!
-- The Bad --
It's expensive: $460 You have to really, Really, REALLY want one.
The installation instructions are slightly misleading. It implies that all of the plastic fairing has to be removed. I undid a lot of screws before I considered the “It'll never all come off” option. In hind site, I took off a lot more than I needed to. Take off the necessary pieces as you go – you'll save time.
Make sure the tower pin is aligned. It should be as close as possible to 90 degrees to the link arm. (Buy one and you'll see what I mean...) The tower pin frame bracket didn't “slip into place” on my DL. There were weld burrs I needed to file off first and I still had to do a bit of tapping to get it on. After I had it all bolted together I realized that the tower pin was just a hair too close to the tank and was putting unnecessary horizontal force on the link arm. I considered ripping it all apart to move it forward (more centered in the link arm) but instead I popped off the damper and bent the frame bracket forward with a big, round screwdriver. Brute force. Same effect.
I can't confirm it but the damper assembly may interfere with Twisted Throttle's crossbar brace.
==============================================
==> Throttlemeister (from Throttlemeister) <==
-- The Good --
Effortless installation. 10 minutes tops. The unit was cannibalized from my BMW. I ordered a DL adapter for $30. It took me an hour to install and align the unit on the BMW. On the DL, it took 10 minutes. Fits great. Looks good. 'Nuff said!!
-- The Bad --
Sorry, I got nuthin'...
================================================== =
==> Cee Bailey Givi Case Bags (from Cee Bailey) <==
-- The Good --
Very roomy. I was concerned about losing storage space but that's not the case.
Good form fit. The cutout fits perfect. A little “tucking” needs to be done before the lid will close but nothing major.
-- The Bad --
The zipper routing is a bit circuitous. There won't be any quick zipping on this unit. The zipper could be a little more robust. Time will tell...
No shoulder strap. I thought for sure I'd get one. Seems not.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On its way:
SW Motech Center Stand
Suzuki Touring Seat +20mm
Suzuki Tank Protector
I'll let you know...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To be pondered:
Gerbing Electric Gloves. I had heated grips on the BMW but I admit that I was usually underwhelmed. Sure, they could keep my hands from freezing but they rarely kept them warm. I'll try Gerbings and see what that's like. Plus, they'll “relocate” to the TL with ease!!
Saeng Ta Radar Detector Mount vs. various Aerostich/Rider Warehouse models:
http://www.saeng.com/cockpit.htm
Now, where to mount my radar screamer box??...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OK, enough of this tome!! I hope this helps anyone that could stay awake, errr, uhhh, I mean, that was interested. Post any questions and I'll give them my best shot.
The Cabinet Man
(a.k.a.: TCM)
I bought my Black DL650 on 03/27/04. (It's not necessary to say that it's 2004 model...) I sold my 2000 BMW K1200RS a week earlier. I still have a 2001 Suzuki TL1000S. Yes, I doth love the V-Twin!!
I ride year-round. The bulk of my riding is commuting to/from work and my annual three-week, 5000 – to – 8000 mile pilgrimage out West. I've made this trip on both the KRS and the TL. (Yes, I rode the TL from Maryland to Utah and back – and lived to tell about it...) I sold the BMW because, while it's a good bike, it's not a great bike. I found it difficult to justify the costs of owning/operating such a beast when my TL is 90% the bike at 1/2 the price. The other reason I sold the KRS was because the throttle has no push/return cable and the heavy throttle body springs (required to return the throttle to “closed”) severely aggravated arthritis in my wrist caused by an old motorcycle crash.
But enough of that. Since I bought my TL, I had imagined that the motor would go nicely into a “light touring” motorcycle. When I first saw the DL1000, I said “YUCK!!” But the looks grew on me. I watched the boards and read the articles. I got scared off the DL1000 because of the 2002/2003 clutch basket problems. Last year when I heard that there was going to be a DL650, I knew that was it!!
My biggest concern during my long trips is “miles per tank”. The TL gets about 180 miles and the KRS got about 200. That's not quite what's needed for those long AZ/NV desert runs. I knew the DL650 would beat the 1000's 45 MPG, making it nearly a 300-mile tank. Take off about 40 pounds and the decision became obvious. Sure, I'd miss the torque, the second pipe, and a hydraulic clutch but nothing earth-shattering.
I put on the miles needed for the 600-mile service in three days and it sits at about 700 miles right now. (Maryland had a week of truly heinous weather last week and I'm still not acclimated to the DL for a lot of wet-weather riding...)
So what follows is what I've learned so far and a bunch of stuff about things I've bolted on while waiting for the rain to pass.
=========================
==> DL650 Impressions <==
-- The Good --
Makes good power after 500 miles. When I rode it from the shop I was still attuned to 1000/1200cc bikes. “What a slug!!” I knew to give it time and my patience was rewarded. It'll be plenty of power for the loaded, one-up touring I do.
Great exhaust note above 6000 RPM. Very nice growl. The Givi hard cases add an odd echo but it's minor. It's not as loud as the Yosh cans on my TL but push the DL hard to 7500 RPM and it's great V-Twin music!!
Light throttle. After my BMW experiences I was definitely looking for a throttle more like my TL. The DL650 has a very light throttle. Don't confuse “light” that with “touchy”. It's exactly what I was looking for.
Perfect EFI mapping. When I bought my TL, it went to the shop three times to get the mapping right. (It was WAY too lean...) The DL was spot on right out the door.
Great fuel mileage. The very first tank (up to 175 miles) was pretty pathetic: 36 MPG. The second tank did a fantastic 53 MPG. The third tank delivered 48 MPG and I was riding like I stole it!! It should get 50 MPG with “regular” riding.
-- The Bad --
Revs are higher than I'm accustomed to. Those coming off of bigger bikes that are used to cruising under 5000 RPM will be in for a rude awakening. A displayed 80 MPH is revving at 6000 RPM. I know the engine likes to rev but I'm so used to puttering along at 4500.
The 5000 RPM break-in rev limit makes highway use scary!! You'll want to be careful with your highway riding if you plan to stick to the Suzuki recommended rev limit. Whenever I ended up on the interstate, I was right-laning it the whole time and was tempted to turn on the flashers!!
-- Notes --
The speedometer is 5 MPH optimistic at 65 MPH. It's actually 60 MPH. I haven't tested higher speeds yet.
I was thinking about putting on a smaller rear sprocket to get back a few of those RPMs. I sat down with a calculator and determined that each tooth taken off the rear sprocket adds 2 MPH at 6000 RPM. I'll stew on that for a while before I decide what to do.
I didn't follow the break-in procedure exactly. Suzuki recommends keeping the revs below 5000 for the first 500 miles. I did that for the first 250 miles. At 250, I started revving to 6250 in first gear only. (6250 is non-coincidentally between 5000 RPM and the 7500 RPM allowed after 500 miles.) Then I added a gear every 50 miles. (Up to 6250 in first and second gear after 300 miles, up to to 6250 in first, second, and third after 350 miles, etc...) I should note that those revs were not sustained revs – it was just run up to those revs during acceleration. Constant revs were still held to 5000 or less. After 250 miles, I made those accelerations a bit harder as well. Not full-throttle stuff but A Little Something Extra to heat up the engine parts for a quick moment.
At about 400 miles, I decided to snug the chain just a bit. While doing so, I discovered that the rear axle was misaligned from the dealership by an entire tick-mark!! I corrected it and had a warmer-than-normal rear brake disk for about 50 miles. Caveat Emptor!!
I had the forks raised in the clamps by a 1/2“ at the 600-mile service. It helps the front feel more planted. Maybe it's just psychological but it does seem better.
My brake pedal was too high so I lowered it a bit. That resulted in a brake light that wouldn't shut off so I had to adjust the switch as well. It's all good now...
There seems to be a natural shift point between 6500 and 7000 RPM. I've run the engine up to 7500 RPM numerous times since 500 miles and it has no problem doing so. But there's something that happens between 6500 and 7000 that tells my brain, “Now!!”
===============================================
==> Givi Hard Cases (from Twisted Throttle) <==
-- The Good --
As recommended by Givi USA, I bought three E460N Monokey cases. (Actually, they recommended an E52 top case.) I'm glad I didn't get the E52 – it would be HUGE!! There is plenty of room in the three E460N cases.
Givi has a nice lock-and-catch design with all the forces working as they should. Still, my psyche would appreciate something that went “click” or “snap” when it closed.
-- The Bad --
I ordered three cases. However, Givi only keys them in pairs so I had two key sets. To get one key to fit all three cases, I had to order a replacement three-lock set -- P/N Z228 – for about $25.
The bags make the bike wide. Really wide! 45" WIDE!! I'll never again be ashamed to carry my Coleman collapsible chair. Don't try lane-splitting with these cases attached!!
The Givi docs that came with the cases say not to use E460 as pannier/side cases. Interesting... Givi USA thinks it's OK so I guess it's OK.
Maryland had some hellacious winds over the weekend and the cases made it a bit of a white-knuckle ride in heavy crosswinds. Granted the cases were empty and the wind was a perfect 90-degree crosswind. I'm sure I'll get to test this again the next time I'm in NE or SD. ;)
-- Notes --
No report yet on the effect of the cases on the fuel mileage. When I get that info, I'll be sure to post it. Maybe this weekend...
================================================== ==========
==> SW Motech Quick Detach Racks (from Twisted Throttle) <==
-- The Good --
Installation is VERY straight forward. The manual has almost no text but the drawings are very good.
Quick detach indeed!! Ten seconds per rack, tops!!
The Givi-specific mounting system is entirely made of metal and quite confidence inspiring, much more so than the Givi stuff. (More on that in a moment...)
-- Bad --
They'll be easy to steal. Get the SWM locks – it's cheap insurance. A Bad Guy can get them off in 10 seconds just like you.
Once the racks are installed, there's no place to attach the rear license plate mount. I think this is just an over site on SWM's part. They have different plating systems than we have in the US. I went to a hardware store and got two U-bolts. I used the two flat cross-pieces and made an extension downward and bolted the license plate mount on them. I covered the cross-pieces with electrical tape and no one is the wiser. Use lots of Loktite Blue.
The racks are “asymmetrically centered". That's a polite way of saying they're not centered. The left side rack is about an 1” or 1-1/2” closer to the bike that the right side. To be honest, the difference is more noticeable with the cases OFF the racks than when they're on. Minor issue...
-- Notes --
Don't tighten anything attached to bike until the racks are in place and aligned. The exception to that is the attachment bar that goes underneath the tail rack.
I know from physics class that the rear attachment bar is not
placing a lot of stress on the plastic fender but that doesn't mean
I'm not going to periodically monitor the fender for cracking.
==================================================
==> Givi Top Case Rack (from Twisted Throttle) <==
-- The Good --
Hmmmmm... I wish I had something.
-- The Bad --
Cheesy mount attachments. Ultimately, it's four thin pieces of plastic that hold the top case on. Just doesn't seem sturdy to me. I ride year-round. How's that gonna' hold up when it's 25 degrees??
The top case is difficult to attach: push, Push, PUSH!!
Back rest? Not likely with the aforementioned flimsy plastic mount. A passenger putting any significant weight on that could end up going off the back with the detached case. I'll be replacing this with an SWM AluRack when TT has them available.
I miss the rubber sheet on the stock tail rack.
-- Notes --
You'll save yourself a lot of cursing if you take a few minutes to remove the stock tail rack when attaching the metal Givi base mounts. The screws are really hard to get to. If you are installing the SWM racks, you have to remove this anyway. Don't be stupid like I was – attach the Givi stuff while it's off.
================================================== =========
==> Scott's Steering Stabilizer (from Scott's directly) <==
-- The Good --
Huge range of adjustments with good “fine” adjustability. Read the manual and you'll understand.
Fantastic machining. I'm sorry, but I'm a sucker for fine machine work. It's has “heft in the hand” and it looks like it was built for the military!!
-- The Bad --
It's expensive: $460 You have to really, Really, REALLY want one.
The installation instructions are slightly misleading. It implies that all of the plastic fairing has to be removed. I undid a lot of screws before I considered the “It'll never all come off” option. In hind site, I took off a lot more than I needed to. Take off the necessary pieces as you go – you'll save time.
Make sure the tower pin is aligned. It should be as close as possible to 90 degrees to the link arm. (Buy one and you'll see what I mean...) The tower pin frame bracket didn't “slip into place” on my DL. There were weld burrs I needed to file off first and I still had to do a bit of tapping to get it on. After I had it all bolted together I realized that the tower pin was just a hair too close to the tank and was putting unnecessary horizontal force on the link arm. I considered ripping it all apart to move it forward (more centered in the link arm) but instead I popped off the damper and bent the frame bracket forward with a big, round screwdriver. Brute force. Same effect.
I can't confirm it but the damper assembly may interfere with Twisted Throttle's crossbar brace.
==============================================
==> Throttlemeister (from Throttlemeister) <==
-- The Good --
Effortless installation. 10 minutes tops. The unit was cannibalized from my BMW. I ordered a DL adapter for $30. It took me an hour to install and align the unit on the BMW. On the DL, it took 10 minutes. Fits great. Looks good. 'Nuff said!!
-- The Bad --
Sorry, I got nuthin'...
================================================== =
==> Cee Bailey Givi Case Bags (from Cee Bailey) <==
-- The Good --
Very roomy. I was concerned about losing storage space but that's not the case.
Good form fit. The cutout fits perfect. A little “tucking” needs to be done before the lid will close but nothing major.
-- The Bad --
The zipper routing is a bit circuitous. There won't be any quick zipping on this unit. The zipper could be a little more robust. Time will tell...
No shoulder strap. I thought for sure I'd get one. Seems not.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On its way:
SW Motech Center Stand
Suzuki Touring Seat +20mm
Suzuki Tank Protector
I'll let you know...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To be pondered:
Gerbing Electric Gloves. I had heated grips on the BMW but I admit that I was usually underwhelmed. Sure, they could keep my hands from freezing but they rarely kept them warm. I'll try Gerbings and see what that's like. Plus, they'll “relocate” to the TL with ease!!
Saeng Ta Radar Detector Mount vs. various Aerostich/Rider Warehouse models:
http://www.saeng.com/cockpit.htm
Now, where to mount my radar screamer box??...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OK, enough of this tome!! I hope this helps anyone that could stay awake, errr, uhhh, I mean, that was interested. Post any questions and I'll give them my best shot.
The Cabinet Man
(a.k.a.: TCM)