Potential problems to be aware of

The DR650SE engine has an outstanding reputation for long, trouble-free service life. Of course, it should go without saying that proper maintenance is the key to that longevity, and Suzuki's engineers have made your life easy in that regard. The DR650 is a remarkably friendly bike to work on, generally. It's also a well designed, low-stressed engine, with an excellent lubrication system.

Nothing's perfect, though...

We don't want to scare you off but even the best engineered mechanical devices can have issues in assembly and design. The DR650 is no exception. Suzuki did a great job with the DR650 but over the years certain items have surfaced in a repeating pattern. We will cover those items and let you know what years the issues affect below.

Starting with issues that may affect every year model of the 96-Present DR650SE:


 * Stator Cover Crank Access Plug They seem to weld themselves in position sometimes causing you to go for the chisel. Loosen them when the engine is at full operating temperature! (even if you have to resort to the chisel) Apply a bit of anti/never seize compound to the threads when putting the plug back in. If you are planning on doing a valve adjustment crack the plug loose the night before.
 * Neutral Sending Unit (NSU)- This is a sensor within the engine that lights the "Neutral" indicator on the dash. It is held in place by two screws. There are very rare instances where these screws have backed out and fallen into the engine. I'm sure everyone can imagine the carnage if one of those screws managed to bounce between a connecting rod and a crankshaft lobe at 5000 rpm. Now throw in the image of hot oil spilling out of your engine all over the rear tire at 70 mph as the engine locks up. Not pleasant. Clearly, this is a worst-case scenario, but you get the idea.
 * The extremely rare cases where these screws fall out seem to happen to higher mileage bikes, but that's certainly no guarantee.
 * There is one possible warning sign. If your neutral light stops working, even intermittently, SHUT DOWN THE BIKE UNTIL YOU FIND OUT WHY. The fix requires removing the engine cover, appling threadlock and re-tightening the screws. Some prefer to remove the sensor entirely. Crisis averted...
 * A magnetic oil drain bolt may go a long way to catching a stray screw before it has a chance to cause more significant damage. Some chose to replace with NSU screws with 5mm x 20mm hex head bolts (to engage a few more threads) and 5mm serrated lock washers.

'''Note: Starting in year model 2017 Suzuki has started using threadlocker on these screws! Better late than never right?'''
 * NSU Links:
 * Avoiding NSU Problems by macdesign (ADV Rider).
 * OHH $hit Oil Change... by chaos_magic_man (Thumpertalk)
 * NSU Checkup "How To" by greenlizard (DRRiders.com)


 * And while you are checking your NSU screws....  Primary Reduction Gear Crank Nut: There have been a number of documented cases of the primary gear retaining nut coming loose and backing off. While you have the clutch cover off it would be a good idea to check this nut for proper torque (72.5 ft lbs). The nut is a left handed thread. If you find the nut is loose on your machine you will want to check the condition of the key. If there is any side wear or grooving replace the key. Using some removable threadlocker on the nut would not be a bad idea either.
 * Countershaft Seal: This is rare but, if it happens, could be a disaster. The seal around the countershaft (front sprocket shaft) can be pushed out, which essentially dumps all oil from the engine/transmission. This could cause loss of control due to oil getting on the rear wheel, damage to the engine, and of course the 'bike will be unridable until the seal reinstalled and oil added. There is much debate on the cause, but there is also a simple, cheap fix available - several "seal retainers" are available commercially, or you can build your own.

Suzuki has recently started installing a countershaft seal retainer on their later model DR650 machines to address this known issue. This part fits all 96-current (2016) machines: P/N 24751-32E00 is available for order at any Suzuki dealer.

Trail ride cut short - Countershaft seal strikes again!
Speaking of punishment:
 * The upper drive chain roller- It needs to go away! Remove it and fill the mounting boss in the frame with either a loctited in 8mm-1.25 x 12mm set screw flush with the boss or just fill the hole with some silicone to prevent water from entering. This roller tends to break off on the 96 and up models taking the boss and a large chunk of the frame with it. This roller's mount cannot withstand the torque of the motor which is applied to it when the suspension is compressed and the roller presses down on the chain. Removing it does not cause any issues with the chain hitting the frame or air box like on a MX bike... but keeping it on the bike has enough documented cases of disaster that not removing it is asking for punishment. :-)Upper_Roller_Damage1.jpg
 * Do it now!!! Upper chain roller went bye bye (DRRiders.com)
 * upper chain roller removal....crack frame (DRRiders.com)
 * UpperRollerHole.jpg Chain Roller (DRRiders.com)
 * Lots of problems (DRRiders.com)
 * The upper chain roller went AWOL (Thumpertalk)
 * Chain Roller Hole (Thumpertalk)
 * G#$%D$%& chain roller (Thumpertalk)
 * To the nonbeliever's, upper chain roller (Thumpertalk)
 * top chain roller (Thumpertalk)
 * Just take stupid thing off. (Thumpertalk)
 * mayday!!!!upper chain roller broke off!! (Thumpertalk)
 * Well the unfortunate has happened....


 * Also see cutout switches under Electrical
 * Header weld- Here's one area where Suzuki's quality control consistently slips. At the header flange, where the exhaust pipe meets the cylinder head, is often a big glob of weld . Right where you don't want it, right where it will collect heat and restrict exhaust flow. If you modify the intake side of the engine at all, you would do well to examine this weld, and grind it smooth, if needed. Be aware that you can remove too much material, and possibly weaken the pipe's weld to the flange. You can strengthen this area by welding a bead around the outside, where the pipe and flange meet. Also inspect the header pipe for any hairline cracks which cause exhaust leaks.
 * Dry steering head bearings. Uncertain if this is isolated to specific years, or simply an assembly oversight from the factory, but some steering heads have very little lubricating grease on them. If you catch it early, it's easy to fix (just slather grease all over both the upper and lower bearings). If you wait too long, the bearing will be ruined and you will need to go through the tedious task of removing the forks and steering head, driving off the lower bearing, and replacing both bearings and races.


 * Wire Harness Chafing-  On the right side of the steering head the light support bracket has sharp edges that cut into the wiring harness. Check this on your machine!
 * Wiring harness abrasion at right fork (DRRiders)


 * What's that rattling sound?- Some of the standard rattles you might encounter on the DR650:
 * 'Heat shield on the head pipe... the screws come loose and the inner heat deflector rattles on the outer guard.
 * 'Header to muffler/mid-pipe union clamp bolt... the bolt is too long on quite a few machines causing the end of the bolt to rub on the shock spring (look for tell-tale paint missing on the spring).
 * 'The shock shaft bumper backup washer... The bumper gets dislodged from its normal position (or has shrunk and loosened up on the shaft) allowing the backup washer to rattle.

Issues that (can) affect the 96-2003 DR650SE year models:


 * Leaky base gasket- The paper cylinder base gaskets first installed by Suzuki can suffer leakage. The norm is for the gasket to leak after time. The exception is no leaks. If a leak does develop, it is often no more than a slight weep, and many owners just live with it. Some have managed to stop the leak with a bead of sealant. Overfilling the crankcase might aggravate the trouble, so take care to keep the oil level correct. In late 2003 Suzuki changed to a steel laminated gasket that took care of the issue. The steel gasket has a small tab with a rivet in it on the front right corner of the engine below the oil cooler.


 * 3rd gear issues- Some DR's can have a pronounced whine in 3rd gear which can be caused by the hardening wearing off or a badly cut gear. Not catastrophic but annoying anyway.
 * 3rd gear has also been known to disintegrate in a small number of cases. Unfortunately whine or lack of is no indication either way something is going to happen. So far there have only been 30 or so documented cases as at 17th Feb 2012 in the US/OZ/NZ out of the many thousands of DR's running around out there and some racking up very high mileages with no problems at all.
 * Riding conditions may play a part as the Australian bikes affected seem to be at about 20-30,000km whereas the New Zealand/US bikes were between 40-60,000km.
 * Suzuki changed the part number for 3rd gear in 2006 and 2008 and so far the years represented in the failure list are from 1999 to 2009.
 * The 3rd gear cog is under load in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears and is the hardest working of the cogs.
 * If you are going to have the cases apart for any reason, for peace of mind it would pay to replace both the drive and driven 3rd gear cogs.

Issues that affect the 98 and part of the 99 DR650SE year models:


 * No starter clutch torque limiter- "1998 and early '99 were equipped with a solid idler gear in the starter reduction gear set that created a problem when the engine kicked back during shutdown, breaking out the gear bearing bosses. This occurrence is typically caused by pre-ignition, resulting from poor fuel quality or excessive lean fuel-air mixtures, sometimes arising from improperly installed/tuned aftermarket modifications. This also breaks out and destroys the left case half due to its rigid design. The case halves always come in matched pairs and cost in excess of $650US not to mention labor charges to change all internal parts into new cases. This should not be taken lightly. '96 and '97 had the torque limiter gear that is designed to slip due to a preloaded slip clutch arrangement. In an effort to assist consumer with this possibility, [Suzuki] went back to this design in mid '99 after vin # X2100561 so if your Vin # predates this you should consider installing this updated item shown above." -quoted from the Keintech website. 

There is a Youtube video providing a quick visual checklist of these issues and several others:

PREPPING YOUR FIRST DR650 - ESSENTIAL MODS, FARKLES & TIPS

 * Return to DRRiders.com

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