From: owner-dr350-digest@lists.xmission.com (dr350-digest) To: dr350-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: dr350-digest V1 #14 Reply-To: dr350-digest Sender: owner-dr350-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-dr350-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk dr350-digest Friday, April 9 1999 Volume 01 : Number 014 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 22:14:12 -0600 From: "Tom Warr" Subject: (dr350) Highland 950 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_00AD_01BE820D.21F14BC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Listers: Thought you'd be interested in this: =20 =20 -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- Fr=E5n: Tom Warr Till: info@highlandmotors.com Datum: den 24 mars 1999 02:47 =C4mne: The Highland 950 =20 =20 This is a very interesting bike! Is there a dealer in the US? Can = one attatch panniers? Is a larger tank or fairing available? I would = be interested in using it for dual sport touring. =20 Thanks very much! =20 Tom Warr Bikermaniac Great Falls, Montana drwarr@montana.com Hello Tom, thanks for your E-mail. We don't have any dealers in the U.S. yet, but = we're working on it. Hopefully by the end of this year we'll have some = more information to give you regarding dealers. Yes, you can attatch = panniers. We will make a larger fairing like the KTM Adventure. Best regards=20 Sweden Highland Motors AB (publ) =20 - ------=_NextPart_000_00AD_01BE820D.21F14BC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Listers: Thought you'd be interested in = this: =20

-----Ursprungligt=20 meddelande-----
Från: Tom Warr <drwarr@montana.com>
Till:= =20 info@highlandmotors.com=20 <info@highlandmotors.com>Datum:=20 den 24 mars 1999 02:47
Ämne: The Highland=20 950

This is a very interesting = bike! Is=20 there a dealer in the US? Can one attatch panniers? Is a = larger=20 tank or fairing available? I would be interested in using it = for dual=20 sport touring.

Thanks very much!

Tom Warr = Bikermaniac
Great=20 Falls, Montana
drwarr@montana.com

Hello Tom,

thanks=20 for your E-mail. We don't have any dealers in the U.S. yet, but we're = working on=20 it. Hopefully by the end of this year we'll have some more information = to give=20 you regarding dealers. Yes, you can attatch panniers. We will make a = larger=20 fairing like the KTM Adventure.

Best regards

Sweden Highland Motors AB = (publ)

- ------=_NextPart_000_00AD_01BE820D.21F14BC0-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 06:58:13 -0700 From: Subject: RE: (dr350) Many Tanks, Doug, Bryan Doug, I have the IMS tank, and it has ~ the same width as the stocker; the Acerbis one is just too big! You are correct in that the IMS take some work. It is compounded in my situation as I have RMX forks - had to scoot the tank rearward 5/8" w/ new brackets, and one side still comes in contact; may have to weld a bead on the clamp or frame stop tab. John >I like my Clarke tank. The Acerbis tank is vey ugly and hangs down too far >in my opinion. Most of the DR riders I encounter at dualsport events that >have a larger tank use the Clarke. I think I've probably only seen one or >two Acerbis tanks. I've heard that IMS tanks are not easy to get on the >bike - fit issues. >My Clarke tank bolted right up. >> I know there's alot of talk over which tank (IMS, >>CLark, Acerbis) is best....anyone want to make a recommendation here? >> -which is largest capacity? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 12:04:48 EDT From: Comobu@aol.com Subject: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan Question for you Dan... I was hoping to brace the INSIDE of the DR swingarm...hoping to help all the chassis flex going on in hardpack ruts and whoops... but have not heard of bracing the outside??? Could it have warped when you did the outside bracing? Can you tell us more about the mod? Also does anybody sell the precut brace for the inside of the arm? (Thumper Racing will not) Thanks... Guy @ Comobu.aol ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 10:30:26 -0700 From: Subject: Re: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan Gladly. The idea came from the various articles in the rags; they referred to Thumper & Cycle Gear. To save the $ I had the inside bracing done first by making up my own templates from cardboard. A riding bud cut the material (0.90" alum.) & welded it in. Warpage was not a problem. The back end seemed a little more stable in the whoops, but side kicking continued. I had the shock revalved, and yet the swapping continued. The idea to do the outer surface came from Chris Hanes' DR catalog (Baja Off Road Products - he holds the rights to the DR Baja saddle; the long, tall one). He does Baja (Mexico) tours and used to use DRs; has since gotten out of the accessories/mods business - too bad because his catalog had lots of DR-specific stuff - now he does the tours *only* on KLXs. Templates were made for this second go around for the outside where the forward section mates to the rear; the thing warped outward but was still usable, ugly and certainly a conversation piece. (Chris' welds looked much more professional) No one dared ride close to me afterwards; could have been they thought it would self-destruct, inflicting damage on anything close or that I was a bike abuser/breaker of some sort. Rob King (Canadian RMDer) bought it from me, and I picked up a replacement off a parting out DRS. To summarize, don't bother messing w/ your swing arm, even if you do a good job; it is not worth it. The Kouba link is a much more effective answer whereas the bracing adds little benefit; the side hop went away by using his link. This is not an endorsement (I paid full price), but the experience of a satisfied customer. One last thing: I sold the links because they did not allow for a matched ride height, front & back, for subsequently installed RMX forks & shock. But that's another story. John Comobu@aol.com on 04/09/99 09:04:48 AM Please respond to Comobu@aol.com To: dr350@lists.xmission.com cc: (bcc: John D Gill/RSS/Rockwell) Subject: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan Question for you Dan... I was hoping to brace the INSIDE of the DR swingarm...hoping to help all the chassis flex going on in hardpack ruts and whoops... but have not heard of bracing the outside??? Could it have warped when you did the outside bracing? Can you tell us more about the mod? Also does anybody sell the precut brace for the inside of the arm? (Thumper Racing will not) Thanks... Guy @ Comobu.aol ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 13:24:23 -0500 From: Dan Schewe Subject: RE: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan Norm: I'm almost sold on buying a set of your links, but what do you mean when you said in your Kouba Link description, "to get the bike on plane" - new termanology. Lastly, John noted that with the Kouba Links, the bike didn't have a matched ride height. Would different fork springs or position in the tripple clamps make a difference here? Dan - -----Original Message----- From: john.gill@conexant.com [SMTP:john.gill@conexant.com] Sent: Friday, April 09, 1999 12:30 PM To: dr350@lists.xmission.com Subject: Re: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan Gladly. The idea came from the various articles in the rags; they referred to Thumper & Cycle Gear. To save the $ I had the inside bracing done first by making up my own templates from cardboard. A riding bud cut the material (0.90" alum.) & welded it in. Warpage was not a problem. The back end seemed a little more stable in the whoops, but side kicking continued. I had the shock revalved, and yet the swapping continued. The idea to do the outer surface came from Chris Hanes' DR catalog (Baja Off Road Products - he holds the rights to the DR Baja saddle; the long, tall one). He does Baja (Mexico) tours and used to use DRs; has since gotten out of the accessories/mods business - too bad because his catalog had lots of DR-specific stuff - now he does the tours *only* on KLXs. Templates were made for this second go around for the outside where the forward section mates to the rear; the thing warped outward but was still usable, ugly and certainly a conversation piece. (Chris' welds looked much more professional) No one dared ride close to me afterwards; could have been they thought it would self-destruct, inflicting damage on anything close or that I was a bike abuser/breaker of some sort. Rob King (Canadian RMDer) bought it from me, and I picked up a replacement off a parting out DRS. To summarize, don't bother messing w/ your swing arm, even if you do a good job; it is not worth it. The Kouba link is a much more effective answer whereas the bracing adds little benefit; the side hop went away by using his link. This is not an endorsement (I paid full price), but the experience of a satisfied customer. One last thing: I sold the links because they did not allow for a matched ride height, front & back, for subsequently installed RMX forks & shock. But that's another story. John Comobu@aol.com on 04/09/99 09:04:48 AM Please respond to Comobu@aol.com To: dr350@lists.xmission.com cc: (bcc: John D Gill/RSS/Rockwell) Subject: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan Question for you Dan... I was hoping to brace the INSIDE of the DR swingarm...hoping to help all the chassis flex going on in hardpack ruts and whoops... but have not heard of bracing the outside??? Could it have warped when you did the outside bracing? Can you tell us more about the mod? Also does anybody sell the precut brace for the inside of the arm? (Thumper Racing will not) Thanks... Guy @ Comobu.aol ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 11:31:08 -0700 From: Subject: RE: (dr350) Kouba Link Dan, The ride height became slightly off for me but only after I swapped out the stock DR suspension for ones off of an RMX; the shock is longer as are the forks. I was able to achieve a balance, front to back, after returning to the stock OEM links. I could have stayed with the Kouba link and the RMX shock/forks by having the fork travel shortened a fraction, but wanted to take full advantage of the extra available travel, being here in the south (Pacific) west (desert). In conclusion, you will not have to be concerned so long as you use DR components, although Norm may have some experience beyond that. John >Norm: >I'm almost sold on buying a set of your links, but what do you mean when >you said in your Kouba Link description, "to get the bike on plane" - new >termanology. Lastly, John noted that with the Kouba Links, the bike didn't >have a matched ride height. Would different fork springs or position in >the tripple clamps make a difference here? >Dan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 16:43:05 -0500 (CDT) From: njkouba@ix.netcom.com Subject: RE: (dr350) swingarm 350, Dan On 04/09/99 13:24:23 you wrote: > >Norm: >I'm almost sold on buying a set of your links, but what do you mean when >you said in your Kouba Link description, "to get the bike on plane" - new >termanology. Lastly, John noted that with the Kouba Links, the bike didn't >have a matched ride height. Would different fork springs or position in >the tripple clamps make a difference here? > >Dan Dan: John installed RMX front forks and rear shock on his DR after he had used the new links in conjunction with the stock DR Suspension. The RMX forks and shock are of different lengths than the stock DR's, and he had some problems in the match up as far as I know. The links will not effect the Geometry of a stock suspended DR if the sag is set at 2.5" to 3". Being on plane in the whoops means when your going fast enough just to hit the tops, falling off plane means when your only going fast enough just to hit the bottoms. sixtys terminology, sorry. Norm Suzuki DR Suspensions DR. DR ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 9 Apr 1999 22:02:15 -0700 From: Doug Bragg Subject: RE: (dr350) RE:clutch switch Yes, I have removed the clutch interlock. I removed the headlight shroud, then pulled the wire from the clutch lever all the way to the wire bundle above the headlight, seems like there was a connector in the mess of wires, I pulled the clutch wire off and then connected the connectors back together, bypassing the clutch switch. - no soldereing or splices of wires were required. Doug B Tacoma, WA - -----Original Message----- From: Scott Aldrich [SMTP:scotta@sr.hp.com] Sent: Thursday, April 08, 1999 7:34 AM To: 'dr350@lists.xmission.com' Subject: Re: (dr350) RE: kick stand switch Michael Terrian wrote: > I guess I'm starting to lose it; I can't remember that far back (6 months) > anymore. I know I removed the switch and wires up to the harness connector. > I even sawed off the bracket on the frame that held the switch and the tab > on the kickstand that actuated it. I can't remember exactly what I did > where the wires ended but I do remember that the solution was fairly > obvious. I'm pretty sure all I had to do was cut the wires right behind the > connector (near the horn) and wrap and tape them together. What about the clutch switch? Anybody else remove that one? I couldn't stand having to hold the clutch in whenever I went to start it, so I soldered that one together. Now I can use the starter if I want the bike to crawl up a hill :-) (No, I haven't done that...). - -- Scott Aldrich / UN*X System Administrator ------------------------------ End of dr350-digest V1 #14 **************************