$800 Street Legal Dirt Bike Is FIXED! (Mystery Problem Solved) 

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments that you guys left last video on this bike! It helped me out a lot!

Word to the wise on setting float levels. Do not immediately flip the carb to 90 degrees. Instead, watch the float needle and begin taking the carb to 90 degrees but stop once the float needle begins to seat. This is the true position of the float. If you continue to move the carb to 90 degrees you will see that you are actually depressing the spring within the float needle. If you make that mistake and set the level at 90, you will have a higher than expected fuel level in the bowl resulting in richer than expected conditions.

Always love how inclusive you are to your audience. When i watch your videos, I feel like im hanging in the garage with you tinkering with these old machines! Thanks man, hello from eastern MN

I have a 2013 DR650. Such a great bike. There's a lot of enjoyment to be had with a dual sport.

I love that you tested the horn basically everytime you went to start it 😂

Thanks for removing the exhaust for me, sorry it was not the issue, glad you got it running 😊

A little trick I always do on any bikes where the air filter contacts the airbox I usually take Vaseline and smeared around the contact point of the filter and the airbox this way you'll know of any Dirt got past that part of the filter into your air box or carb and it also protects and holds onto any dirt

Your tenacity paid off there buddy , well done .

Really enjoy your videos and your ability to keep your patience. I’ve learned a great deal from all the different projects, but appreciate how most problems have common roots. By systematically analyzing and not over stepping you made me a believer. Keep ‘‘em coming

love how you keep the videos coming --and vinny helps out on the repairs --- great video

Just thinking i know my XR650L needs ten minutes of warm up time before it runs properly, look into a jd jetting kit , I have used them on several of my strokers with fabulous results 😀 😎

I have a 95 DR650 and if you want to wake it up find a TM40, HS40 pumper carb from a older Harley. They basically bolt right on the 95 with very little work and make the DR a completely different bike. I also found and installed a good used and cheap GSXR750 muffler that was also an easy swap. Last thing, don't forget the oil filter cartridge. It's just behind the cover above the sight glass.

Look forward to seeing your videos please know that we appreciate what you do and keep it up I'll keep watching them

If you check your first video on this rig at the 9:45 mark, when you were checking the spark it was arcing from the spark plug boot/insulator to the engine .. so you may still have an electrical issue. good luck

I had the same problems with my XT600E. Wouldn't wanna start normally and wouldn't wanna rev out right after starting. Only when I tried a gazillion times starting it, it would eventually warm up and was good to go... Never found the cause. Maybe it was the float height too. But I am not a mechanic and had the bike at the garage multiple times. Thank god I now have an FI bike.

Love 💘 the big bore dual sport bikes !! I have a XR650L with some mods etc !!! It will blast through anything, nice job Mr Joe , love the variety in your videos !! Hope weather good your way we have 7 plus feet of snow north of you in Duluth MN - once again fantastic 👏 job

When you said the stator and cdi was changed I was certain it would be a spark timing issue ,your channel is a wealth of knowledge, cheers to you

I had the exact same problem on my 96 Dr350, the stock carburetor are too finicky, I bought a mikuni flat slide carb, installed it, problem solved, pulls better, idles perfect. If you keep that carb, you will always have issues with it. Only bad issue with the Dr I've had.

I've Noticed several Times that you have Bought Bikes without Air Filters. Back in the Day i used to Keep a Small Bath Sponge just big enough to fit into the Air Filter box of most Bikes and it was a Great Quick Fix. Loving the Video's and Keep up the Good Work.

I used to have a KLR650. For a guy in South Florida it really was an adventure bike but the combination of a 400lb bike and cross terrain tires made it squirrely in soft sand. It was mostly a commuter and eventually I sold it because I was using my car more. To this day I still regret selling it.

That's funny. My cousin sold me the exact same bike, 95 DR650 for $800 as well. I love that bike so much! So far only issue was replacing the choke, and I have some electrical work to get the rear turn signals going again. You lucked out with that Acerbis tank too! Hard to find anything for a pre-96 DR.

Just a heads up, it's a good idea that you don't blip the throttle when trying to start modern 4 strokes, give it 3 blips before kicking and don't open the throttle, if anything open it the littlest bit. And don't rev a cold motor so much on startup, hold it in place or leave choke on if bike is operating correctly :). Just saying this as a fellow mechanic myself, Also love your stuff man. I learn alot of things watching you

I also believe honking the horn definitely helped too… lol Keep these great videos coming.

Awesome job on diagnosis. I would say it’s still worth adding the washer and O ring to the top of the mixture screw. It made a big difference on mine and it’s definitely supposed to be there 👍

I just found this video in my feed and I have not seen your previous videos. For reference, my wife a GZ250 that she rides a couple of times a year. It sits parked for extended periods, so I run the carb dry when it is parked up. The side effect is that once fuel does get into the bowl, it has to get through the rest of the ports in the carb before it will run right (despite air cooled engine tendencies). Once I get it started, it NEVER runs off idle until it has ram for a few minutes on the fuel enrichment and has a little heat in the engine. Even then, I have to rev the bike to pull fuel through those ports until it will run. I’m willing to bet with that MASSIVE vacuum leak your found, there was no way there would be enough vacuum in the carb body to pull fuel through the smaller ports, which would cause the mixture to be far too lean once you cracked the throttle. I’ve also had to soak her carb in a ultrasonic cleaner a couple of times to get the junk out the carb …. Which how I learned to run it dry. If others covered, this, sorry for repeating stuff, but the carb bikes tended to be sent to the dealer on the lean side already. Removing the cover over the mixture screw and both removing it and cleaning it and the port... then returning to stock setting, you may actually find it needs to come OUT, not in. It sounds starved for fuel, not rich. At no time on your ride-by videos did I see any black smoke which certainly would have indicated a rich condition. Further, if you know how to read the plug, remove it and inspect it. If you start with a clean plug, the combustion condition will show on your spark plug. Essential skill for air cooled engines.

You need to keep this one! Those 650s were always very cold blooded.jetted lean from the factory.

It’s about time let’s sell it and get something new to amaze us with your expertise.

The one thing you show in your video is patience Maybe off camera you are throwing your tools and kicking the dog, but the reason I watch you is that you show a process of fault finding And you reach out for suggestions, which shows class Great video Thanks

Good job been watching you for a while Great work 😊

Great job joe looks to be a pretty good bike couldn’t help laughing every time you pressed the horn been there myself buddy brought back some good memories lol take care and have a great week 👍👌❤️🔧🔧🔧

When I used to put a tune on 80’s era GM CCC Rochester carburetors, almost every one had a low float level and idle mixture screws that were too lean.

Thanks for inviting us into your garage love your videos

Wish I would have seen this video a few months ago! I had much of the same issues as you experienced on an older (1987) DR600. I needed bigger jets as it would bog at more than 50% throttle and I could not believe the difference an air filter made! That was something I did not expect. These bikes HAVE to have a filter to run right. Great video!

Well sir I am impressed. You have done it again. I'm ready for the next one. Thanks again for your time and videos.

Sounds like that idle could still use a quarter turn. Great video!

I'm proud for you. You stuck to your diagnostics and reached out when needed. Well done PS be careful riding that thing it seems Fast 😊

Bro I've learned so much from your videos you made me the dirtbike mechanic I am thank you

Hey Joe, I watched a few videos which demonstrated ways to whiten plastic parts of motorcycles, game consoles and various other white plastic things. They all involved the use of hair bleaching gel, applied and exposed to ultra violet light or Sunlight. Had to try it myself and it really works. Hope you can use this information to save yourself some work and cash.

Deffo not allowing the engine to idle long enough to fully warm up was one issue, and when I realized you had snow outside . . . But so glad to see her running nicely at the end. Many decades I bought a used Yammy 175 trail bike after taking the train 70 miles to see it. I rode it home, but found it refused to go past about 55mph! A friendly local bike shop said try it without the air filter. Worked a treat! Used it daily for the next 4+ years with an off road air filter and no air box.

I admire your perseverance, and Vinny does too

My wife had a DR650 with erratic tickover/idle and poor low rpm performance, after much trial and error it turned out to be a sticking choke valve in the carb. it ran prfectly once it was repaired. Your bike sounds very similar at idle.

When you were riding down the road it sounded like the air mixture was to lean it was spitting and popping when you let off so the air mixture is lean if the timing is correct! Good vids! I'm 54 and i have done what you are doing my whole life! I just quit doing it a couple years ago my back is bad but I'm thinking about flippin' atvs again keep up the faith brother we are few nowadays!

I think there is value in making the seat look oem again. Great job! Enjoy your videos!

Your a hell of a mechanic sir,thanks for the entertainment and education

above is the website the lobby reviewer’s recommended in a previous video finally found it and I was a history buff for a motorcycle. This is a history of how to solder.

I learnt to ride on one of these. Thankyou for the Pleasant flash back 👍

Love the channel, always a learning moment. Left us hanging last time. Will the bike ever run again? Will Vinny approve of the repairs? Tune in tomorrow. 🙋‍♂Who was waiting for a deer, fox, or coyote to stagger into the roadway

Love your channel great content, im older but i learn watching your channel

Put a good pipe system on it it makes all the difference in the world and it will come alive so much better I have a dg and it really runs off well

👍estaba seguro de que era eso a mi con una honda xl600 lm me pasaba exactamente lo mismo fue poner el filtro y se soluciono...

BRAVO - you got it running. Love the channel, keep up the hard work, 309k subs - kudos

A DR650 needs 20w50 oil, filled to the very top of the sight glass. Did you put the cover on the airbox? It won't run right without that, and the filter will get dirty REAL fast. The only place air is supposed to go into the airbox is through that rubber snorkel in the top of the airbox. It is perfectly sized to provide exactly the right amount of air flow. One huge problem with the DR650 is the enricher/cable assembly. This is what replaces the choke. Does the same thing, just a lot more complicated. It's better to remove the entire assembly, the "choke" knob, cable, and the plastic part that screws into the carburetor. Just the weight of the cable flopping around will eventually break off that plastic threaded part that screws into the carburetor, leaving you stranded. ProCycle sells a "choke" assembly with a knob that screws directly into the carburetor, and does not use a cable. You have to reach under the tank to use it, but it is far less likely to break off than the stock part. And you can carry a spare if it does break. ProCycle also sells an extended pilot screw complete with spring, O-ring, and flat metal washer that can be adjusted with your fingers while the engine is running, no tiny little screwdriver needed. It's still running very rough compared to a properly running DR650. The pilot screw (the one with the spring, flat washer and O-ring) needs to be between 2 1/2 -3 turns out.

This sounds as if your compensation holes in the carb might be clogged up. They are very tiny small holes (mostly there are two of them) near the throttle valve in the inlet ventury that control the part between stationary and 1/4 throttle. You will find them if you look for it with the throttlevalve closed or just opened... Good luck!

Cmon man its been 2 days without a video. Are you getting lazy on us!!!!! Lol. I can't believe how much work you get done and how many videos you put out.

I know that you can fix that tachometer, easy fix Joe!

still sounds a tad lean, but good stuff getting it to run alright, i had an 07 dr650, spretty much the same bike, almost indestructable, id also check the flywheel on the crank, those back fires may have semi sheered the key in the keyway

What is that long annoying beeping noise?! I thought the beep was in my house hahaha!😀 Love the videos, keep them coming!

Again, I loved this thing A LOT. The reason I think it's possibly my old DR is because it has the 1992 rally-stile fairing/headlamp cover rather than the correct 1995 version shich is smaller. Where did you pick it up? Did it come from California? Such a great bike! I'm sure there are a lot of them out there with the Acerbis tank, it might not be mine... But even at 75mph+ there was minimal buffeting and it was comfortable on washboard roads at speed. LOVED IT!!!

Great work !!!!

I was laughing at the start of the ride you were freaking out about ice patches but at the end you were all "Lets send it Bud!"

Really nice troubleshooting. 😎👍

Giant desert tank, nice. My old Dr 250 had one, ride forever.

Didn't see this video before sending comment on other video. Glad you got it.

Again another mystery solved and a running bike. Great video bud.

Stock DR 650s are set very lean! When starting don’t open the throttle just choke and start! Greatest bike I’ve owned!!!

I guess I was close! I suspected that the fule venting was a issue...unscrew the fuel screw or go up on the pilot..?

That popping back through the exhaust when you were riding it that bike is still lean you need to fatten it up bigger Maine bigger pilot believe me it'll make all the difference

Great Bike... The DR650 is an All Time Classic... It will take you just about anywhere...

I’m on my second dr . The first thing I would do is the carburetor mods.. stock would be the pro-cycle needle that feels like adding 1/3 more power second a TM40 pumper carb. That’s like adding 50% more power. I had to reduce the front sprocket down to 13 if I remember correctly problem was that when riding on tight trails first gear is way too fast. I now have a Kevlar clutch..😮 lol enjoy your Bush Pig they grow on you

Love the big single cylinder bikes. Nice one.

The dr is a cold-natured beast they run better in the south they don't like cold weather at all! That's why I always was a honda guy the Suzuki was always temperamental even if the whole engine is up to spec! After they get warmed up they are good bikes I like the bigger bikes im 250 pounds I raced moto cross for years!

This would be my dream find on marketplace, next to a cheap/barn find old Honda CB

Loving the videos on the dr . One to check is the carb top next to the vacuum hole you blocked off where the black plastic meets the carb there should be a tiny o ring there mine was missing and was running like yours till I fitted one take alook ?

i never saw an airbox lid... if thats missing it will still be lean cuaseing that irratic idle and backfire pops think about the tyrx they dont like to run at all without the airbox on jetting. i once had a guy bring me a bike that wanted some jetting done to make it run better so i jetted it with the airbox lid off assuming he didnt have one, got the bike running great until he took it home and put the lid back on then it would just flood out lol.

Seems like you have an arcing plug cap at low revs clears as revs rise had this problem myself . When you watch the first video im sure you can see the plug cap arcing to the engine as well as the spark on the plug .👍

I feel like an idiot thinking it might be the wood drift key. If that was the case the fly wheel would move out of it's propper alignment and that would show off timing because the timing mark in the bottom of the engine is on the flywheel. Good job joe I Learn so much from watching your videos👍

15:03 There's a bit of spring in float tangs, so best practice is to measure float height with the float bowl face just past vertical with the needle valve just touching the seat, not with the carb inverted, or you'll get a low fuel level in service.

Nice work Joe ;) Listening closer, that break up at low throttle is very "sharp" giving the indication it's ign related. Ask Vinnie to help you 😅

Throw that carb in the trash and put a pumper carb on the bike. It will completely change how that bike runs. It's a must do upgrade.

I've got that same air filter oil spray and I've been using the same can for 20 years and it still works lol maybe 15 years its been along time 😮

That is a very nice bike for $800, like new. Wish I had it 😉

I would paint all the white on the bike to match the seat and then that bike would look mean as hell..I had a friend with a bike like that and it was awesome.You got a great deal for $800

Good job finding the float height problem, but that vac port on the carb definitely needed to be sealed off.

I really want a DR650. I have a KLR650 that I plan to keep too. $800 is a great deal for someone who can get it running. It looks like it’s in great shape too.

Man that is one hard to please engine. I wouldn’t trust that bike as far as I could throw it. Nice job on the video.

Bravo ! My friend! Well done! I've been looking to get into a Dr650 for so long especially a deal like you got. If your ever looking to sell her off let me know:)

When adjusting the idle speed, go half throttle so the carb slide isn’t resting on the adjustment screw.

Enjoyed the video! Keep up the good work. You are the best their is out here to watch make something that is dead, come alive. I enjoy it alot. Keep it up Joe 🤟🏼

U really enjoy what u do that’s what counts ; u always do the basic’s I know a lot of beginners can an will learn a lot from u. Well done B lucky Gypsie Chris

Runs and rides well. I'd say it found a very good home!

I think the second petcock is so you can get all the fuel out on long trips, so you need to put a t in the fuel line to the carb, also when you put foam filter oil on your filter you want to put about three times as much and then ring it out so you know it gets all the way through to every piece of foam, because a foam oil filter is very much like a oil bath air filter from the old days on cars, you're relying on the oil to stop the dirt from getting into your piston!

Check your last video on this bike at 35:00 it shows your cam bearing is smoked. Looks like the aluminum on the head is ground down under the cam, and the cam looks to have wear as well.

As I said in previous video, I had to have idle about 1400rpm on my 94 model. If it was lower it either wouldn't idle or would splutter while taking off in 1st.

Well done!!!! Now go and have an adventure on the best adventure bike ever made!

I didn't watch the whole video yet, but sometimes if you have fuel, compression and spark and it still isn't running good, it could be because the spark is at the wrong time. I know you did the valves but how about a flywheel that walked a little bit one way or the other? Woodruff key?

Great video as always joe

Hey man, I love your videos! You should try to buy and work on a 1986 Honda VF500F Interceptor. It has a large global fanbase and enthusiasts who would love to watch you work on one. Not much videos online. It's a real headache.. :) A specially carb work would be great to see you tackle.

A nice seat cover and you'll have a great looking bike.

I always hate those mystery problems, especially when I take something apart and can't find anything, put it back together and it works.

great bike, especially for $800! the idle does not sound right at all. sounds sporadic at best and low speed stumble makes me think carb still needs work. you are on the right track though, idle circuit and pilot jet is where i would look. if all that checks out i would suspect the line you installed due to rotten pipe thingy. i am not familiar with that at all but maybe is sensitive to diameter/flow?