It’s a few months overdue, but here is the bike of my dreams for maybe the past 15 years or so. When I was looking at a bike that could handle some forest roads, but also get me there without a truck, this was on the list. Back then, Washington State was a little different and getting one of these bikes plated was next to impossible, even if it was plated in another state like Oregon. I ended up with a Triumph Scrambler and was happy enough with it, but as time went on and I kept seeing single track I was too afraid to take the Scrambler on, I knew I needed something I could dump without worrying I might dent a metal tank or break any other number of parts off.
Fast forward to 2020 Covid summer and I’m itching to go explore. The Scrambler was sitting more than anything and figured, why not list it and see what happens. Well, it was sold in less than a day and I was instantly on the hunt for the 650R I had thought about all those years ago, knowing now it shouldn’t be much of a hassle getting one with a plate or getting one added to it. I tracked one down nearby, went and checked it out, made an offer and drove home with this beautiful thing.
As you see it now, the only thing different is the tires. They came home with something meant for the street. I quickly swapped them out for these Tusk Dsport tires. I quick lost both mirrors on a long hanging tree as well, lol.
So what’s next? Good question, so many things….
- Gear – Coming from a mostly street type setup, I have no gear. I have a super old helmet that’s probably worse off than no helmet and I’m wearing work boots. So, will be keeping an eye out for at the very least, a helmet and boots. The Fox Legion stuff looks really nice.
- Lighting – Went out for a night ride recently and not only is the stock headlight pretty weak, but I really need some sort of aux lights meant for the trail. I was riding with a good friend and he had a nice LED setup going and it really put my whole setup to shame. He suggested some smaller fog light LEDs that should clamp to my forks. I ordered one up for testing and we’ll see how it goes. I also plan to update the existing system for any road use I might encounter. Will likely look at the signals and everything else while I’m in there.
- Cockpit – The bars on this bike are just a little too low and I really prefer a fat bar setup. So at some point, I want to clean everything up. New bars, possibly a new computer, fix up the hand guards and in general, just up date it.
- General Maintenance – I haven’t done any sort of maintenance to this thing, at all. The PO said he had recently done an oil change and levels looked good, as did the coolant. Once the real crappy Washington weather arrives, I’ll be going through all of that, cleaning everything up and making sure this thing is ready for a busy 2021.
So that’s where I’m at. I’ve got plenty of mods I’ve read about and will think about getting after. Also would love to do some trail reviews, gear reviews and everything else in between. Really looking forward to the adventure this bike will bring to my life. I’ve already been out several times and was able to rekindle a friendship from my bmx days in the early 2000’s. Life is good and I’m hoping this will make it that much better!