Dual Sport Modifications for Adventure Motorcycling 

Nice to see someone who actually uses their bike and hasn't just thrown a Touratech catalogue at it only to stand up occasionally when traversing slightly bumpy car parks!

When I visited U.K. and Ireland I wondered why people buy trail bikes. All the roads I saw were sealed! I have DRZ400E with similar modifications. I fitted moto-racks from the USA to my DRZ that were designed for the S model. With little modification they work as a integrated side pannier rack& rear rack. Since then I bought Mosko Moto Reckless 80 ( should be called rack less because it is a tie on system that is a brilliant design) for my Tiger 800XCx. The Tiger is gone now, but the MM bags fit the DRZ racks. One other difference to your bike is tank size. I used to have a 17L Safari tank on my DR350, but ended up having to walk 20 km in the Oz desert to get fuel. Now I have a 28L Safari tank fitted to the DRZ and almost ran out once. It is easier to partially fill it for most rides to avoid being too top heavy, then fill it completely on the odd occasion, than it is to carry extra fuel containers (fuel bladders). Granted distance between fuel supply probably isn't an issue in Europe.

Well thought-out mods there I T-J. Functional, practical, no nonsense and keeping the overall rig affordable and lighter weight.

Absolutely brilliant and simple. Just as relevant today as five years ago. International ADV riding is constantly being sold as an activity which demands anything upwards of £10k-£15k and that's just the bike! Back in the early '90s I did a trip round France and Spain from England on my trusty old Honda 550 F. I still remember going into a camping shop in northern France to buy a tent; that's how badly I'd planned the trip! DR-Z will get you just about anywhere in the world.

Great video, I like how you showed and talked about your modifications. We all have done some of the same but it's always fun to see bike specific mods that we might be able to steal away! Can't wait for more.

Normally I do not comment any videos, but this is awesome. Thank you for sharing your modifications on your bike.

Just watched your dual sport modifications video. Found it full of great advice that all dual sport riders would benefit from following. Jeff Fletcher, Author of "Marilyn Across America"

Great video. You really pointed out some great ideas I never thought of. I really liked the idea of spare tire tubes and where you stored them. Very creative ! Barry

Great video. You keep things simple, the way most of us mere mortals need this hobby of ours to be. Sure you can buy the Beemers, KTMs and the like, but some of us can't justify the expense. It's all about riding and enjoying the time spent, like you show us you do in your videos.

I love bikes that every part added to it is functional!! Beautiful bike mate

Great modification video!

need to thank you because just bought very same storage tool tube, saw it here and got my idea here. thank you Sir!

Ian, thanks for the mod update and ride along. Cheers, Mate.

Very nice video, thanks for putting the time on making it. Appreciate it for sure 👍🏼

Enjoyed your video. I have done most of the mods mentioned on my Suzuki DL650. They all work in real world traveling. Last year made 7000km trip from Ontario to Newfoundland and Labrador. Bike and mods/accessories worked great. Just wished it didn't rain 12 out of 13 days. Take care Robl

man that's some badass mods, nice bike!

Ian, this is a thoughtful and practical approach. As riders we all personalize our cycles, and dual-sporting ranges from highway riders ("adventure-touring") who occasionally access a two-track graded dirt road to bona fide enduro motorcycles converted and plated for occasional asphalt use. We try to strike a good balance for our intended riding venues, which you've done with sensible innovation. I have a Honda XR650R that at times tackles open desert or rougher single track. On another ride, the bike can cover 400 miles of U.S. Highway 50 asphalt across northern Nevada ("Loneliest Highway in America"). My TCI Products engine guards and convertible rack system, Nelson-Rigg bags and a 6.3 gallon Acerbis fuel tank accommodate a wide range of riding conditions. I'm concerned about balance (C.G.) and weight in certain riding conditions, as others have expressed, so I make these accessories easily removable or "convertible" for various loads, gear and riding conditions...Thanks, Ian!

Thanks for uploading, it’s always interesting seeing what others have done, cheers!

Nice idea with the rack in front!

Idk to many items takes the fun away from riding a bike. Yes you have to go on an adventure but half the fun is doing things with the bike such as wheelies, hill climbs, jumps and much more. I feel like to many things can encumber that ride style. I do see the usefulness out of a front rack I get it. Anyways thanks for sharing.

Good man Ian ... Quality of your videos keeps getting better and better ... Well done

Nice one Ian,Great info and a well produced video,was great talking to you at the Overland Event,Happy Adventuring.

Very informative I’m an ex road racer so don’t know much about this lark but going to give it a try thanks.

I've seen a number of videos praising the DRZ, but almost nothing on modifying them; now I have. Thanks for the ideas and insight.

Awesome setup, thanks for sharing :)

+Ian T-J thank you. I will have to shop around more. might buy the fleabay pn rack and modd it so it fits the e model this is the cheapest option at the moment.

well thought out ian-good stuff!

I was looking for mods to do to my Honda NX650 Dominator for my next trip to Morocco, this was the perfect guide, many thanks

Thanks Mate, really enjoyed that video.

Hi just learnt something about off road biking. well done. Janice

You got most of it. I did many of those modifications to my Suzuki DR650. But one must have item that seems to only be available for the DR650 and KLR650 is a centerstand. In fact, my choice of one of these bikes was determined by that. If you have a flat on a long trip out in the middle of nowhere, and you will, you will have to have someway to support the bike while removing the wheels, and a simple prop rod is not going to work on a large, heavily loaded bike.

Hey! Nice video!. Recently, I bought a 2014 KLR and started to do some trips with my father (he rides a 2010 XR250). One step at the time we're doing mods to our bikes, starting with protection. Thanks !!!

great clip

Awesome video and tips Sir. I'm just getting into dual sport and found this extremely helpful.

Hello Thomas. Great video. Good ideas also for my XR 650L ..looking forward to your other vids..! Thx. Torsten

Bloody good job lad.

great ideas! thanks pard, happy trails!

Good video. Just getting into adventure biking and this was a great primer.

very nice!well done!

.well done indeed! lots of nice tips in this video.ta a lot :-)

great video

Enhorabuena por el resultado de tu Suzuki DRZ 400 y por el excelente video. He disfrutado mucho viéndolos!! Es una excelente forma de disfrutar de la vida, de las personas y del mundo!!

Nice DRZ, I'm surprised you didn't replace the grips. I recently made a ss crash bar that also doubles as a second footrest. I'd like some wider but lower pegs as well. I think I will get the David Knight designs ones.

THANK TJ 4 THIS VIDEO.... I'LL FOLLOW YOUR MODIFICATION...4 MY MOTORCYCLE..THX A LOTS

Good video. I found it very useful. Best regards from Sweden.

nice vid. Been dual sporting for years. Nice music as well.

That map holder will definitely make orienteering / regaining more fun

well done on the edits and hope you enjoy your next trip

I quite like the video, well done. I would have used other methods for some of your solutions but its whatever works for you and I definitely took something away from this. Well done!

THANKS for sharing... gave me some good ideas well done

great video man

A great video Ian; very informative.

You've put out some nice content and are still around. 👨‍🦳How come your not still posting?🤔 Im a Yank, but I really enjoy the perspectives,🙄 that and I'm from the 80s too.😎

Really recommend some better riding boots for offroading. Had a mate learn this one the hard way. You can get some alarmingly comfy dual sport boots with good protection that can be walked in, but I usually opt for MX boots and have a pair of trainers within easy reach for extended walks.

Hi Ian - excellent outfitting of your DRZ! I enjoyed the video immensely. Glad to see others have a true passion for smaller displacement D/S machines as they can go ANYWHERE!Best,VZ (XT250 Reviewer on RU-vid)

another great video, keep it going.

Very nice, informative video, thanks so much!

Good job 👌 well done 👏.

Wow, nice one Ian, some points I might use on my own bike, Just started the mods to my CCM dual sport.

nice mods Bud, very informative and and helpful. big ta

I chose a DR650, for several reasons. It is less high tech than the DRZ, and therefore more reliable. Much fewer things to go wrong out in the middle of nowhere. Another big reason is that you can get an aftermarket centerstand for it. I wouldn't go anywhere on a bike with tube type tires and no centerstand. You're just asking for it. A centerstand also makes chain maintenance easier. The 650 also has a slightly lower seat height than the 400, and has a lower rpm, high torque air cooled motor. But there is one thing I have yet to figure out, and there seems to be no answer. And that is the seat. ALL dual sports have narrow bricks for seats, and every ride I've been on has been ruined by the seat. It's no fun when when you are constantly riding in severe pain. I also have an old low mileage 1980 Honda XL500S, and while the suspension is hopelessly outdated, the seat is way more comfortable than any modern dual sport. Manufacturers don't seem to care that people buy these bikes to actually ride them. They try to copy MX bikes, where you ride standing on the pegs most of the time. They need to put a wide well padded seat on dual sports.

Hi I like your point of view about adv bikes but my advise wear advneture boots like Sidi Adventure or Alpinestar Toucano the are confortable enough and give you more ankle protection than touring boots ;-),Nice you came to Spain to Pyriness

great video man, Gave me a few ideas for my DrZ.

good job and nice video

Nice build. Would love to someday traipse around the Franco-Ibero hinterlands as you have. Guessing good eats & friendly folk in many places. I just finished a solo 18,000 mile journey from Chicago to the Arctic & Pacific Northwest on an over packed & "adventurized" 2007 F800ST ... and can now really appreciate the idea of a much lighter adventure machine like yours, and, in my case, also a much lighter pack. Unpaved Dempster & 1/2 paved Dalton Highways, with the weight and the sport touring front wheel & suspension, were a real bear -- and thankfully I didn't have to outrun one, though I had a close call -- maybe I averaged 20 mph over those 1,500 miles of unpaved road-not-trail. Lot of work. White knuckle rainy / windy / mud moments just south of Deadhorse, Alaska with road construction. Much later, on my intended return route, I had to abort the Trans America Trail only about 100 miles in from the Pacific coast (Port Orford, Oregon), when I came up to a small but nasty mud hole up in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains ... a mud hole that my bike (an perhaps its driver) would probably still be in if I had attempted to cross. Sure was nice though on the paved open roads ... but any future adventure would likely be on a 400 to 700.

Nice animations, great video :)

thank you for sharing.. great work

You only need a bash plate and a bigger fueltank also bark busters then your pretty much all good to go anywhere, you don't need all these bags and stuff but it's nice to have.

just to add some proper enduro adventure boots and is perfect.

Thanks for the video! Super helpful!

Thanks for the tips.

Greetings from Lithuania!

I learned a new "tool" today, and I have a LOT of tools... The word is Reusable cable ties

Great video..i really enjoyed it. Liked and subscribed 👍

Hi Ian. My dream is to road the Pirineos like you. I hace the same bike. Good for road and out. Thanks.

WHAT A GREAT BIKE MAN!! Thanks for the upload. I'm sure you already know but, a "camel toe" is something very different in the States. ;)

Great info, thanks!

Nice viewing , travel light . Just minimize what gear you bring . Like a scout ranger

tink in the klr 650.....ist all ready

Well done. Rather enjoyed the video and your pronunciation of al-u-min-ee-um. :-)

'Drilled a large hole in the base of the camel toe to prevent it slipping' HAHAHA (sorry for being juvenile)

That tire won’t do crap in any mud at all. But good vid

great vid, way cool!

I'm perpetually frustrated that manufacturers don't supply bikes with larger fuel tanks. Even if not needed for long leg adventure touring, stopping for 1.3 gallons of fuel is always a hassle, even when commuting. Why should I be forced to buy Rotopak fuel canisters or a larger aftermarket fuel tank without a locking fuel cap? I'm loving the waterproof roll top dry bags, both on the pillion and rear rack, as well as improvised saddlebags.

Great video . this is the first i have seen of your videos but you have a new sub from me.

Great mods! It looks like it does great offroad. How does it do on the highway? Don't get me started on that Zed thing. lol

Great Video, Info and the video quality is awesome, Thank you. I have been riding only for a few years mayb 5 /6 years in India Mostly 500cc cruisers 250cc standard. Right now in Canada 🇨🇦 I bought a #Suzuki 650cc Vstrom. I am thinking about switching to a DRZ-400. IS it doable even for long travel rides also with proper mods. Mainly seat? I am a lil big guy.. Thank you...

Nice l mate👍🏻

3:47 you lost your bottle mate

Liked & subscribed. Now, how much weight did all the mods add to the bike, and more importantly, do you feel the added weight when riding?

All really basic stuff many people dont think of. The only difference between you and me is I make all of my own brackets....yes I'm that cheep and I can make cages that really make sence. Also like you I would never pay 800 - 1000 dollars for bags. I barely want to pay that for the trip.

Thank you for the support Ian! We love the DRZ here at PMR. Please check out www.pmracks.com for more info. You can also find us on Facebook at Precision Motorcycles Racks and follow us on Instagram @pmracks. Thanks again!

Hope you stopped to collect your water bottle @ 3.47 :)

helpful

about "camel toe" doe not add to much weight to the end of your side stand, when jumping it may go down! i use carbon fiber- epoxy for the stucture and a few layers of fiberglass where it stands on the ground ( not so abrasive): AND YES, I WILL DRILL A HOLE INTO THE CAMEL TOE!

3:47 you lost your water bottle!

I am going to get into a lot of trouble with the wife when I finally get my drz 😂

putting any additional weight on front wheel is shooting your own knee

nice ,but ,you need keep your front fork light as possible....no rack ,no load

well done thanks a lot from Russian comrades