Quick Ride

QUICK RIDE

SUZUKI DR650S There's beauty in the beast

WHILE OTHER JAPANESE manufactures have been scrambling to make the grade in the Open-class dual-purpose wars, Suzuki has been standing pat with its DR650. The DR, new in 1990, has received only minor refinements since it won Cycle

World’s dual-purpose comparison in September, 1990. Now, it’s facing serious new competition from Honda’s XR650L and Kawasaki’s KLX650, both more dirt-worthy and both offering electric starters while the traditionalist DR carries on with its manly old kick-start lever.

Thanks to a 1992 restyle, the $3899 Suzuki comes to us with a pseudo rally-style fuel tank that holds 4.5 gallons of unleaded-sufficient for 200 miles between fill-ups. For a bike meant for use off and away from civilization, this is a very good thing indeed.

The big DR seems a perfectly satisfactory street mount-a lightweight one, even—and time in the saddle confirms this, the DR’s light street feel making it very nimble and easy to manage. That street nimbleness is deceptive, for if the DR is light as a streetbike, it is heavy as a dirtbike. If you venture onto fireroads with the notion of throwing the DR into nice, broad slides, plan on putting some extra effort into your ride-effort required strictly by the bike’s considerable heft. And it gets worse. Point the DR off the fireroads that comprise its natural habitat and onto tougher trails, and the bike’s weight and lack of traction can get you into trouble. Discretion, at least when offroad riding, is the DR pilot’s most important mind-set.

Help is available, however. A set of DOT-approved knobbies improves the DR’s traction, and therefore its dirt-worthiness, considerably. This is an important change to make, because with the stock Dunlop dualpurpose tires, slippery-slidey skids occur at an alarming rate. If you value your health, slick conditions-mud, especiallyshould be avoided as long as the DR rides on stock rubber.

The DR may be big and heavy off-road, but at least it’s comfort is first rate and all its controls are so well situated that everyone who rode the bike felt as though it fit them. The bike’s 35-inch seat height is low enough to allow most anyone larger than an elf to plant at least one foot firmly on the ground. This is helpful, especially when it comes time to kick the beast’s air-and-oilcooled engine to life. Thankfully, using the manual compression release, that’s a surprisingly easy job. Once it’s accomplished, the DR accelerates as briskly as any other bike in this class. Well-spread gear ratios in the bike’s slickshifting five-speed transmission provide motive force for just about any situation on or off road. Brakes are strong and progressive, and do a good job of buffing off speed.

The DR650 may look like a dirtbike, but it’s really most comfortable and effective on the street. That doesn’t mean you have to be afraid of looking for an occasional dirt road. It just means you have to treat the dirt with respect. The DR650S can be a beauty of a bike, but like any beast, it will turn on you if you mistreat it.

Jimmy Lewis