Yes, the front sprocket wear was an issue on my 2003 XL650V but we managed to replace it, there being less damage to the spline than we originally thought, tho' initially the mechanic warned me this might mean the bike was uneconomic to repair. I didn't know there was a wider sprocket available though. I will search this out! My original exhaust rusted badly on the connecting rods five years back. The mechanic tried to weld them back on but could not make a weld. A new after-market exhaust I got for about £150 works just fine, looks and sounds better, as well as being lighter. The cat removal would not be legal here. The bike is 21 years old with 35K miles and is running very well after a recent service! My favourite mod to my bike was a higher screen than the stock one. Surprisingly, an affordable Honda part! Oh, and the Scottoiler too.
If you saw some wear on the splines, you should put a superpinion asap, as once the wear starts, it goes exponientally faster. Removing the cat is not legal in several europeans countries, but most authorities wouldn't even realise it's missing, and if you need to pass a test you can put stock headers back in a few minutes. The diference whithout is really noticeable. I also had the optional taller Honda screen. It's better than any aftermarket one, but not available anymore. Cheers!
Cute Montage! Have you changed anything on the handlebars? I was thinking of a different one or maybe adding risers because it doesnt feel comfortable on Standing position while off roading :(
Hi there! I have a taller handlebar originally designed for a quad. The angles and comfort are similar to the stock one, but taller. I also have SW-Motech footpegs set on a lower position than the stock ones, so I have more room for my legs when sitting, and better balance and control when standing up while offroading. There's videos about these mods on my channel. Cheers!
I also bought a 91 RS. I really love the build quality and design. It's timeless and still looks cool today! The early nineties was the pinnacle of quality for many machines, including some cars but they dialed it back in the name of "planned obsolescence". A ridiculous marketing strategy. The DR650RS stands put as a masterpiece. I would like to know if you have souced suspension upgrade and if so, where from? Thankyou for the great video!
Definitely! I've had both, the RS and RSE, but always prefered the RS for the lighter weight, mechanical simplicity and 5mm more of suspension travel. Mines always started very easily with the kickstarter. One kick in summer and when hot, two kicks early in the morning in winter, that's it.
@@coastrider8881 Thanks for replying. Once I refresh the carb and get an extended idle mixture screw mine will do the same. I've never had a problem kicking over big singles and starter clutches and batteries are always delicate. Not the kind of bike to easily bump start! 😆 I've convinced my two best friends to buy one also. Life is good 🙏
@@MusicisLoveADZ Nice, you're going to have a lot of fun! Maybe someday I'll publish a video about how I adapted a full front from a Husqvarna 450 with a nice Marzocchi Shiver fork. 300mm of suspension travel baby!
Nice tips, especially about the exhaust weight and piston. Been running my 91 RSE for three years. Test rode an 800DE to see it would be a good replacement, but there's too much high frequency engine vibration/buzz at higher rpm. Would deaden my feet and hands quickly on a motorway. The DR stays!
Hi mate! The Marauder exhaust is made in one piece, so you either replace it wih a full dedicated system, or you cut the oem one to add an aftermarket muffler. In both options you'll definitely not gaining power, but maybe you can reduce weight and get a different sound from the exhaust. Cheers!
Thanks for the video, just got a problem on my transalp 650v xl 2002 and i was looking at the part you recommend but when i open the link that part refers only to the ducati or am i missing something here? thanks again
Yea, get a K&N and get fine dust into your admission, wtf are you talking about. Did you use 100 000 km K&N? highly doubt it. Keep K&N on the street if you care about your bike.
I would never put a K&N on an enduro bike except if it's for Supermoto/Street use, but on the Transalp 650 it's totally different. The airbox is very well designed, very large area, and uses the glovebox under the seat as a prechamber. The air crosses the filter with very low speed and pressure, unlike my DR 650 that has an airbox a lot smaller with a foam oiled airfilter which requires very frequent cleaning. I opened my Transalp 650 engine to replace the countershaft when the engine had 100.000kms, it had a K&N airfilter for the previous 80.000kms, several offroad travels to Morocco, and a lot of offroad in my area which is pretty dry and dusty. Everything looked brand new, pistons, cylinders, valves seats, not a single scratch. But again, I wouldn't put a K&N on my DR 650, but I'll definitely put one on any Transalp 650, even for hard offroad in the desert.
Hi there! Thank you very much! In fact it's even easier and faster on the 650, as you don't need to take out the side fairings. Also there is even less dirt going inside the airbox, as it uses the glovebox under the seat as a prechamber. I wish I had a 650 at hand to show it, but I will do a video about it as soon as I get one!
@@coastrider8881 Am the lucky owner of a TA 650/2005 & a Crosstourer DCT/2019. My 650 just clocked 110000km & been in my ownership for 12good year. Do most of My riding in arctic climates of Scandinavia… Great bike. Looking forward to Your future 650 footage. The Power Of Dreams ❤️
I've seen in the pictures that the DNA covers more surface, but the cotton folds are not as deep as in the K&N, so not sure which one have a bigger effective area. Visually I have noticed that the paper and cotton airfilters with deeper folds seems also to retain better the dirt, but maybe it's just a perception. The filter cost me 75€ on Ebay, which is the same price as the DNA. I mainly choose the K&N because I already had good experiences with it on other bikes, but maybe in the future I'll try the DNA. Cheers!
Hi there, I'm talking about old Africa Twins pre-2005. But most of them only need the superpinion if the countershaft have too much wear due to high mileage. The main problem is with old Transalps 650 and 700, in which the countershaft splines get worn out a lot faster due to poor design or bad quality.
Yep, they're very good. With similar pattern I've tried on my Transalps the Metzeler Enduro 3 Sahara, the Heidenau K60, and these Mitas E07+. Till now the Mitas are my favourite for all kind of terrain. But they are also the most difficult to mount on the rim. Cheers!
They are both good bikes. 650 is better for offroad and roads in bad conditions, 700 is more powerful, stable and comfortable for smooth roads. Cheers!
Interesting. Will it be an improvement compared to stock? And also, did you find any better solution? On my 650 the progressive springs and 7,5W oil made a good improvement over stock. Cheers!
@@coastrider8881 Okay so I bought a '91 RSE (SP43B) the other day... It has twin exhaust!? Is this normal? Can I just put 2 arrow exhaust mufflers on, will that help it to breathe? It starts with no choke and isn't smooth running at all. Main jets 150, pilot jet 47.5 and NO AIRBOX OR FILTER lol! I've ordered an airbox...
I accidentally entered your channel.. I was happy when I saw that there were two videos about a trip in Algeria 😊🌛 Unfortunately, both...explanation and information, but not a trip in the true sense 🤔❗ I very much appreciate your effort and respect your person, but I have advice that I hope you will accept from me as a person who wishes you success in spreading the channel💐😺 Since the title is a journey in Algeria🇩🇿the viewer expects to see a path and an adventure in which he hears the voice of reality... It shows you passing through valleys, people, villages, and mountains...🛣️🏕️🌐 My advice is to make the information you provide about the bike into a separate video ⬅️ And make the viewer feel with you only the road and the adventure.🛣️🏕️ Then he will love to follow you and continue to support you...😃💯 I'm looking forward to the next video... I hope it will be a beautiful and fun adventure🤲🏻💐 When you see this comment, please give me a sign that you have read it so that I can delete it. I do not want anyone but you to read my words, because I truly wish you well and progress. Thank you and have a safe trip😊👍🏻🥇👏🏻 Greetings from kingdom of Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
Hi! Thank you very much for your interesting and detailed advice. You do not need to delete it, as I think it's a worthy opinion. As I explain in the description of my first video this is not a travel vlog. The only purpose of this channel is to share information that may be useful for motorcyclists. All the videos in this channel are related to motorcycle, maintenance, modifications, reviews, travels... The reason I started the Algerian serie is because I couldn't find much information before my travel and I thought it could be useful to publish these videos to help other bike riders with some information. On this specific travel I couldn't get much good quality footage. Sometimes for technical reasons, like a dead battery, others because I was sick as I got a very strong conjunctivitis when I was in the middle of the desert and had to drive several hours on a very bad road half blinded before I could be treated, and very often because I just wanted to enjoy the trip whithout bothering about getting footage for RU-vid. In my next travel I'd like to spend more time getting better footage and propper videos of the country, but again, this is not a travel vlog nor I'm a youtuber. I'd also love to visit your country at some point, as I'm sure there are amazing things to see and wonderful people. Have a great day!
@@coastrider8881 Thank you for your explanation...I'm sorry didn't know 🫣 You are most welcome...but never ever come to Saudi Arabia in Summer 😂... It's unpleasant weather..... Even us we can't go out the city because of the Heat....the winter time amazing you will love it.... Wish all the best...💐🤲🏻 Thanks again for your reply
Usually in Algeria during ramadan most restaurants take their annual leave (holiday) to rest and make some changes in their restaurants and then open again after eid so if you decide to come again the best time to visit is summer for the north and spring or autumn for the south. You're welcome anytime 🙌🏻🇩🇿
Thanks for your insight! Appart from big cities, restaurants were closed everywhere. But late at night a few grills/barbecue places usually open, and they are very good! I will definitely return to Algeria, best people I've ever met!
this is it, older bikes and beautiful destinations. Djebel is of course quite different but now when you have offroadized both 650 and 700 transalps, how do you choose between them ?
Well, it's definitely how they look. With similar modifications the 650 is better in offroad and roads in bad condition, while the 700 have more power, is more stable, and the seat is better for long stretches of smooth road. It all depends what you're using the bike to.
Any chance you found out the thread size regarding the rear shock? I also found myself an old AT skidplate, it just looked like a perfect fit on your 650. Safe travels. Cheers
Hi there! Sorry, I forgot. Just measured it and it's M14x1.5. The AT engine guard looks awesome on the 650, unfortunately it doesn't fit the 700 because of the side fairing.
I too have done the cat removal mod and it's fantastic. You save a lot of heat and it sounds great even with the stock muffler. Also installed a 10mm longer rod on the rear shock and the ground clearance is very good. I replaced the fork oil with 10w oil for better damping and added fork preload adjusters.But i always had a problem with potholes and shock damping as i mentioned in another video.
I just grab the spring with my arms and twist it as i like to add or remove preload. The rings follow the spring turn. I have a question though. I have the xl700 for 7 years and i have a huge problem with the comfort when riding over potholes. I mean it hits the pillion back and neck so bad she needs painkillers to end a trip. I' ve done a service to the rear shock and installed a new rod 10mm longer for more travel and more ground clearance. I used to run the compression fully out to the softest setting but didn't help much. Now i test it to one turn out from full hard and i have the feeling it's a bit better riding over potholes but in theory is should be stiffer and worse! Any suggestion on compression settings? My father has the 650 transalp, it has the same shock, and the ride is smooth and comfortable.
The shock may seem the same as the 650, but it have different reference number and probably different inner settings. The 700 have definitely stiffer suspension than the 650, and is worst on potholes. I've improved slightly the front with a 7,5W oil, and loosened the rear shock preload, but still more uncomfortable on bad roads than the 650. Maybe progressive springs would be a solution, but haven't tried yet.
@@coastrider8881Oh i forgot to mention. I've tried the hyperpro progressive spring. The Bike is much more stable and sporty but it gets even more uncomfortable so i went back to stock spring. Next thing i will try the YSS shock with rebound adjustment or a more expensive one if i can afford it.
@nikosf3n, that's interesting, I was about to buy hyperpros for front and rear. In what way did it make it more uncomfortable? I'm hoping to go off-road a bit more and thought the progressive springs would improve that...
A great idea, but with limits, as it only increases the spline area by an estimated 30%. Surface rust that is forming on the hardened surface, then worn away, plays another key part in spline wear.
An increase of 30% is HUGE. If you increased the rear tire width by 30% it would be 170 instead of 130, go figure! A lot of factors intervene in the wear of the splines, but unfortunately the Transalps 650 and 700 suffer from a faster wear than they should, and it's even worst if you use them a lot offroad or in the city. This sprocket is the best prevention, put it before it's too late. I've had to replace the countershaft on my first Transalp (I did it myself), so I know the amount of work and money required to repair. I've also had another 650, now a 700, and an Africa Twin 750, and seen dozen of them when looking for a good one. Believe me, you absolutely need to put a superpinion first thing on your bike.
@@coastrider8881 Thank you for your well meant advice. I read a lot about this on the German AT forum. The consensus seems to be that while it is a wear part, it’s life can be prolonged by proper use. Which means using the original sprocket, which is supposedly softer and sacrificial to the shaft, keeping enough chain slack and not accelerating at less than 3000 rpm. There are several senior members there with high mileage on their engines, following these recommendations and have no problems what so ever. Personally, I have the feeling that rust is quite possibly another major factor. With rust of course easily worn off. And once wear has started, wear will only accelerate, because the sprocket will start riding an eccentric path on the shaft, which will only exacerbate wear. I regularly oil the output shaft. To do so, I cut a hole into the sprocket cover for access.
This is true for the AT and old Transalp 600, but unfortunately the Transalps 650 and 700 have a notoriously weaker countershaft. It's even worst on the 700 that uses the same part as the 650 but have more power, torque and weight. On the AT and Transalp 600 the superpinion is a solution for high mileage bike which start to have some wear. On the Transalps 650 and 700 it's an absolute necessity to put it as soon as you can. The only downside is with the superpinion, appart from costing double than the stock sprocket, the chain wear slightly faster. But all of that is still a lot cheaper than replacing the countershaft. Specifically on the 650, by adding the superpinion you virtually got an undestructible bike, as this is the only weak point on a well maintained bike.
Hi! In the description of the video you have a link to the manufacturer. You can buy it there or find a list of resellers in different countries. Cheers!
Hi man! That is an imposible question to answer, as there are a lot of models and years of production. Some engines are more reliable, than others, and in my opinion the peak of quality on the most sold motorcycles was achieved in the '90s, later on the quality started to go down to reduce costs, except on very expensive top of the range models which duplicated their price instead of reducing the quality. Look at the price of a new Honda Fireblade compared to average wages, and then do the same with the new price of the original 900 Fireblade with the same year average wages. With that being said, after owning, and abusing, dozens of bikes, and having dismantled or repaired a few other dozens, at the moment I'm sticking with Honda and Suzuki. But again, keep in mind I usually buy bikes with 10+ years, and models that have proved to be reliable, so I have no clue which new bikes are more reliable, but you can get a good taste when going to a dealership and check the quality of plastics, metals, paint and the overall enginering of the bike, not only the looks. They all look good now, even the chinese bikes. Cheers!
Hi there! the average fuel consumption is not very useful, as it depends a lot on the way you ride and the type of roads you're usually on. My average consumption was reduced by around 0,2 l/100kms roughly. I drive often on small roads in a sporty way, so my consumption is usually around 6l/100kms. Shockingly, I had a better average consumption on my Transalp 650, despite being carbureted. But I still need to try some things on my 700, like a k&n airfilter and other mods. Cheers!
@@coastrider8881 Of course... I meant how much did your consumption lower after cat removal :) Well that is something. What is your average range with one tank currently?
Around 280kms, but I usually refill at 250/260. For my algerian trip I knew a couple of legs would be over 300kms whithout fuel, so I just brought a cheap 5 liters fuel canister. You can also buy a big 4/5 liters bottle of water, empty it (watering plants for example) refill it with fuel, use it as soon as your tank is half empty and dump it after (in a garbage can). No real need to install gigantic tanks on the bikes, as most of the time they're fuel stations everywhere.
Hello my friend! Very nice video! Just a recommendation. Try Dunlop TrailMaxx Raid Tyres. They are amazing. They are as cheap as Mitas tyres but they are better on street and much much better on the rain and of course on off road use they are exceptional. Dunlop broke the code there. Cheers
Hi man! I don't know in your place, but here the Dunlop Trailmax Raid is 50% more expensive than the Mitas E07+. Also the thread is not as deep, so not sure how it would work on mud or sand. I'm very happy with the Mitas. In the next Algeria video I'll show how it works on soft sand, with my heavy bike. Cheers!
I like this common sense approach, modifying the bike to suit your needs. It shows that you are looking at the problems and thinking it through, rather than googling what everyone else has done. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but this is much more creative and entertaining.
Thank you. I like to make my bikes fit my use as much as possible, in a budget friendly way if I can. There is a lot of information on the internet, but you have to do your homeworks to understand what would work better for you, and sometimes think out of the box. I share what I did in case the experience may be useful for others. Cheers!
Bon choix! J'ai eu deux Transalp 1989 et 2000 et après 15 ans de BMW GS et RT j'ai vendu ma BMW 1200 RT pour acheter une Transalp 700 de 2008 avec 48'000 km. A 65 ans j'avais envie d'une moto légère, fiable, économique pour tous les jours et la seule qui répond à mes besoins c'est la Transalp. Pas brillante mais à l'aise partout et bien plus aventurière qu'une GS.
It depends where they come from and how loud and frequent they are. In extreme situations it can damage a valve. Did you change something on the bike that increased the popping and crackles? It's hard to tell whithout testing the bike. If you are worry about it you should bring the bike to a good mechanic, but the Transalps 650 and 700 are prone to pops due to the PAIR system.
