Leanings

LEANINGS

The DR650 Appreciation Society

PETER EGAN

WELL, I GOT ABSOLUTELY MURdered on taxes this year. Following a financial planning guide that recommends "practicing for retirement" several years before you actually retire, I foolishly cut back on the sort of large, ruinous old car and motorcycle restoration projects that have always been the financial black hole of my earthly existence.

Unfortunately, the IRS saw all this thrift as a surge in personal wealth and politely asked me to send them enough money to pay for the cleanup of the BP oil spill in the Gulf. Like, next week. So I did what I always do when pressed for a big chunk of money in a hurry: I sold my Road King.

Put an ad in the paper and sold it the next day to a very nice fellow who lives only a few miles from our house. He had a 1995 Road King with high miles on it, and when he bought my bike he said, “Well, my old Harley lasted for 15 years and Fm 55 years old now, so if this one lasts 15 years I’ll be 70. It might be my last bike.”

This is a novel concept to someone who trades and restores motorcycles as often as I do. For me, it would be like Hugh Hefner saying, “This is my last date with a buxom young blonde woman.” Anyway, I ran the Road King money straight to the bank and my tax bill was paid. Several friends expressed their condolences, but I have to confess that I wasn’t all that grieved by the loss.

I’d contemplated selling the Harley this summer anyway, though I hadn’t planned on turning the money over to the Feds. My new motto at this stage of life is “Ride more, own less,” so the shedding of another insurance policy and registration renewal was not exactly at odds with my current mood. Also, my Buell Ulysses is such a good allpurpose motorcycle, I’ve hardly been riding anything else lately. It’s almost an Only Bike.

Almost.

I say that because, only a month or so after this tax debacle, my Colorado riding buddy Mike Mosiman called to invite me on a trail ride. He and his two brothers, Bob and David, meet every year at their grandparents’ ranch in Wyoming—just west of the Black Hills—and spend several days dirt riding in the area.

Sounded like fun, but I haven’t ridden a dual-sport or dirtbike since Mike, Bob and Dave Scott and I spent a week off-roading in Mexico’s Copper Canyon three years ago. As the following year drew to a close, I realized I hadn’t done any trail riding all summer, so I sold my Suzuki DR650 to my friend Jim Wargula, who still rides it all the time and won’t even discuss selling it back to me.

In other words, I’d need another dirtbike to ride on the ranch.

So I did what I always do when I need a versatile dual-sport bike: I bought another DR650.

This was a black ’07 model with 3500 miles, belonging to parts man Craig Grant at our local Honda/Suzuki/ Yamaha/Kawasaki store. Craig bought it used as an inexpensive fuel miser for his 60-mile commute to work and realized, after about one round trip, that something a little larger—say, an SV650—would be a more relaxed and comfortable highway bike.

I agree completely, but the DR has always been a strangely ideal motorcycle for my own anticipated mix of highway, single-track, gravel and backroads. It’s a simple, durable air-cooled bike with good suspension, yet it’s not excessively tall. It’s light enough for real off-roading but way better than most “purer” dirtbikes on the highway (if you have an aftermarket seat), and it’ll cruise easily at 70 or 80 mph. Nice torque, low cost—whether new or used—and easy to maintain. And it still looks like a motorcycle. A basic, honest one.

We have at least eight of them in our Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang. One of our guys, Aaron Fisher, rode his from Wisconsin to Alaska a few years ago. He got to the Arctic Circle and decided it would be fun to ride down the West Coast and see California. When he got to San Diego, it seemed like a good idea to dip into northern Baja. From there he meandered back to Wisconsin.

He rode up to the outdoor tables at our Crud meeting one summer evening, having literally just ridden back into town. He had a huge mound of camping equipment on the back, including a portable electric guitar and batteryoperated amp. (Aaron is one of the best slide guitar players I’ve ever heard.) When he climbed off the dusty DR, we all stood up and applauded.

This, folks, is the adventure rider we’d all like to be, but—alas—are probably not. (See his whole story under “Snowrider” on www.advrider.com.)

Anyway, I’ve finally got another DR and couldn’t be happier. I ordered the usual luggage rack, skidplate and Barkbusters for it, and after I call Corbin for a seat the bike will be nearly complete. The only question now is tires.

I need knobbies for the ranch trip but hesitate to remove the stock dual-sport Bridgestone Trail Wings because they’re so comfortable and quiet on the road. These past two weeks I’ve been riding to Crud meetings, running errands and just going for evening rides on our local farm roads, and I’d almost forgotten what a fun streetbike it is. With chunky tires, you lose some of that serenity (and grip) on pavement and don’t ride it as often. You can change tires or wheels, as needed, but that’s a lot of work.

Maybe that’s why one of our Cruds, Rob Himmelmann, has two of them—a crisp, clean street version and one with a big plastic tank and knobbies. Come to think of it, Rob’s brother also has two. Maybe they both just want spares in case Suzuki ever stops making them. You can buy these bikes used, in good condition, in the $2000-$4000 range, so the investment is not beyond reason.

Which raises the question, should a guy who’s “practicing for retirement” own more than one DR650?

Probably not. A better plan might be just to unlimber my tire irons and save up for next year’s tax bill, as I am now completely out of Road Kings to sell.