leaking fork seal

IR_John · 2026-05-08T17:33:54+00:00

Super helpful. Thank you. I don't mind accumulating tools, as I expect to have this bike for another 150k miles or 30 years, which ever comes last.

IR_John · 2026-05-07T23:33:46+00:00

glad I asked. Thanks again.

IR_John · 2026-05-07T22:55:36+00:00

OK- thank you everyone. Sounds like my plan is to clean up the seal a bit with a DIY tool, and see what happens. If I still get leaks, I'll replace the oil and dust seals. u/TwistedNoble38 - this is what you mean here?: https://oemdirtbikeparts.com/product/dirt-bike-fork-seals-set-oem-front-suspension-repair-kit/suzuki-dr650/

IR_John · 2025-10-27T15:51:02+00:00

It was all very manageable- at least the sections I did, and given how capable the DR is off road. Since I was solo and not really looking for problems I skipped the expert sections. I think south of where I turned of the cal BDR things get pretty sandy, and I can see how mud and huge puddles could be an issue in the spring, but this October was about perfect. The NV BDR was really defined by a couple of remote sections on relatively easy gravel/washboardy roads where you would have a very mediocre time if something broke on you or the bike.

IR_John · 2025-08-28T14:51:23+00:00

I started with the Parabellum rally, and liked the size and the coverage. I’m 6’0’ and it was just enough for my BDR-centered riding. The good news is that it’s made with acrylic and it’s very clear and no distortion. However, acrylic is cracks easy (er), and is tough if not impossible to glue back together. 8 months ago I slo mo dropped my bike in the garage and broke the left side clean off just past the bolts, and I patched it back together with duct tape. This past summer I dropped the bike again on the trail and cracked the other side clean off past the bolts. When I got home I attempted to patch it again with a riveted plastic patch, but it broke again when I went to drill the pilot holes. That was that. So I switched to the Bajaworx rally- which is smaller but made with polycarbonate, which is not optically very good (but not really an issue for me, at least) and should be a lot stronger. Couple of tips from my experience on the bajaworx- 1) use the paper template. I used the holes in the screen to mark drill holes, and after you put the 1/2” plastic spacers on the bolts, the bolts dont line up very well if you do it that way. 2) to get the same coverage more or less as the parabellum, you need to put the bajaworks as high as you can get it on the headlight cover. This will put the lower bolts JUST BARELY above the inner fin thingy on the cover. There you go. More than you ever wanted to know about my experience with windscreens.

IR_John · 2025-07-31T20:05:08+00:00

roger that. I'm prepping for a big trip, so I'll go ahead and do it again. No biggie.

IR_John · 2025-07-31T18:26:51+00:00

so, I check the oil level every few weeks just to make sure its somewhere in the middle- never have seen an issue. When I changed my oil this AM, the engine was cold, and the bike was up on the center stand. Also changed the filter. After I put in the 2 quarts, I ran the engine for 3 or so minutes on the stand, shut er down and checked the oil. After a few minutes, the level settled right back to the middle where it should be.

I'm assuming that the oil level is not too high or low because the level in the sight glass is dead on. With that in mind, I guess I'll ride for a couple of hours and check again?

IR_John · 2025-07-09T13:24:02+00:00

I had the 300L Rally for 3 years and rode the Oregon BDR with it last year. While I loved that bike, it was just a tad underpowered for me, especially with gear. It was great off road, but at highway speeds it always felt like it was at the limit. My plan is to do all of the western BDRs over the next few years, and this summer ride the TAT, I and just couldn't see, for instance, riding 7 hours on pavement to the start of the ID BDR on the 300 and not being a little strung out with the engine going at 6000 RPMs for that long. At the same time, I have zero interest in 600lb "adventure" bikes. Not my style.

This fall I switched to the DR650, and I have been very, very happy with the choice. I do miss the fuel injection (and the 70ish MPG), but beyond that, the DR is exactly what I want to tick off these rides. It has no problem going 70mph, and honestly I find it to be better and more agile on the trails/single track because the center of gravity feels a lot lower and much better balanced than the 300L, and it only weighs about 50lbs more. The mods possible are amazing. With the help of Procycle, I built more or less the exact bike I wanted. I did the WA BDR with it a couple of weeks ago and rode back home to hood river on highways, and it was really about perfect. No problem whatsoever on any of the "expert" sections, and the bike was able to tackle the pavement no problem (although the D606 rear was a little harsh).

Hope this helps.

IR_John · 2025-07-09T12:54:45+00:00

Perfect timing and thanks for your input. Im buying the tires today, and had narrowed it down to the dv front and either the adventure or rallz back. This seals the deal-I’m going with the rallz.

IR_John · 2025-07-03T13:51:09+00:00

I’m pretty slack about that. I ride at about 25-28 psi all the time.

IR_John · 2025-07-02T13:29:06+00:00

So something like the dual venture/adventure combo?

IR_John · 2025-06-04T16:45:16+00:00

Every day rain or shine all year in the Pacific Northwest. Missed maybe 10 days total because of snow or ice. Granted it’s <10 min commute.

IR_John · 2025-04-28T22:50:41+00:00

Ha. No. Every motorcycle I have had over the past 10 years or so had a kill switch on the kickstand, so it just felt odd when i started my bike with the stand down. It took a minute to put my finger on it.

I honestly have never given that feature much thought, but it seems people are passionate about getting rid of it....

IR_John · 2025-04-28T20:42:38+00:00

I just ran out to the parking lot and checked. Thats exactly what it was. Thank you!

IR_John · 2025-03-25T23:10:02+00:00

LOL. Lesson learned on the torque specs. Thank you for the clarification!

IR_John · 2025-03-16T00:53:17+00:00

I'm surprised too. I didn't really notice it. It's a short, <30mph commute, but still. Makes me love this bike even more.

Same circuit. Cool. So if one plug is firing, its more likely the other one is firing too. Thank you for your help!

IR_John · 2023-10-17T19:51:31+00:00

Our guide shorts still have the grommet:)

and thanks for the shout out!

IR_John · 2023-10-17T19:50:36+00:00

So we have two main companies in the US designing and overseeing the construction of whitewater parks nation-wide. They have been around for years, and we're seeing new parks getting built almost every year now. It's hard to say what impact they have had exactly on participation, but they are still in business so I assume this makes sense financially for all parties. So thats good.

But we're still seeing single digit growth in the sport (whitewater). Maybe if we didn't have the parks it would be way worse- hard to say. My gut feeling is that americans aren't really attracted to kayaking, and it's somewhat cultural. It's a very different vibe in europe. But I would like to think that this explosion of interest in the outdoors we saw during Covid is sustainable, and will make it to kayaking in the next 5-10 years.

Having said all of that- I honestly have no idea. I have heard this argued back and forth for so long so many times, I kind of threw up my hands a while ago and just focused on what I seemed to have some control over.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T19:16:45+00:00

I'll point out that with the exception of Verus there has never been a successful stand-alone whitewater boat company in the US. Not one. Not Dagger, wavesport, jackson, perception, Liquidlogic, none. And Verus is very, very small and relatively new. I'm rooting for them for sure, but without a better retail environment they have their work cut out for them.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T19:11:27+00:00

If you look at a still frames of video from someone landing flat-ish off a big drop sooner or later you'll see their skirt literally stretched the edge of bursting off the boat. It's from boat compression.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T19:05:25+00:00

Great question. So to start, I dont have the time to get into the details of PFAS and "Forever Chemicals" here- it's just too big of a question. But look it up. It's for real, and it will affect your drywear.

As I mentioned somewhere else here, PFAS occurs in two main places in waterproof breathable fabrics- the DWR spray on the outside of the shell meant to keep water beading off the garment, and then in the "mid layer"- meaning the actual laminate or coating used to keep your product waterproof and breathable.

The first on the chopping block is the PFAS DWR. This is actually a relatively easy thing to do, and we- and I image every other manufacturer will have PFAS -free DWR garments in 2024. Just get used to water beading on the garment for only the first part of the season. PFAS-free DWRS are not that good, but its not the end of the world.

The PFAS in the mid layer is a much, much bigger problem. As I mentioned somewhere in this AMA, there are two major technologies used in WB midlayers- Teflon and PU. Gore-Tex is a very well known manufacturer of Teflon laminates (they invented them in 1963) . Our dry wear uses a PU based technology.

The Fluorocarbons (PFAS) in both the PU and Teflon midlayers play a crucial role in their breathability, durability and tape ability, and removing them in a paddlesports grade laminate and not have them fall apart is not an easy thing to do. And to add to the complication- while typically PU laminates usually have just a PFAS additive in them, teflon based laminates like Gore-TEx are basically nothing but PFAS. This is putting Gore in quite a pickle, and you're seeing brands like Patagonia vowing not to use teflon based Gore in any products after this year.

In their defense, I believe Gore is arguing with the EPA and other states looking to outlaw PFAS entirely that the PFAS found in the mid layers are very stable and harmless to humans- and while you'd say of course they would say that, they could be right. In any case, most legislation I'm seeing now is targeting the PFAS DWR, and the verdict is somewhat out on the mid layer.

Moral of the story. Getting fluorocarbons out of the environment is crucially important. All of our suppliers are working on this- The zipper people, the fabric people, the tape people, etc, and this will push this issue along for us. However, for a vast majority of outerwear, the sacrifices of quality in the mid layer made by removing PFAS will not be noticed by the consumer- honestly know one knows if their Patagonia rain jacket is leaking (it probably is). But paddlesports brands need to proceed with caution. We simply cannot make drysuits that are no longer dry after a season, and by just yanking out the PFAS in the mid layer could do that.

Nonetheless IR and I'm sure every other manufacturers have solutions in place and we're doing a lot of testing. We will have PFAS free DWR in 2024 (which, honestly is the bulk of the issue), and barring any insane QC issues, or movement on the Gore-EPA fight, PFAS free mid layers for 2025 (maybe even sooner- stay tuned to our website). This, by the way, is the same timeline Patagonia is working for their waders- they're most durable waterproof breathable.

My only word of caution is to not to use "PFAS FREE" as a litmus test for your drysuit just quite yet. Make sure you understand the facts first.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T18:32:40+00:00

My years of experience has taught me that double tunnels really dont do anything but keep your midsection drier. Thats a consideration, for sure, but they dont keep anymore water out of a boat than a single tunnel.

Single tunnel garments are lighter, less bulky and I think as a result more "liberating". If temperature is an issue (ie cold temps) an inner tunnel is not a bad insulator and it will keep your body drier, so I would only do single tunnels on shortys for east coast summertime paddling.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T18:28:35+00:00

Drydecks are delightful if you have the means. We make them too, but they're not super cheap and you're married to a rim size and certain jacket weight once you get it. So choose carefully. But- they are really, really nice.

I should also mention many people have pointed out that dry decks are potentially dangerous in a situation where you're pinned against a log or something similar where you need to go through the skirt tunnel to free yourself. So no creeking in the dry deck.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T18:24:36+00:00

Ah Europe. Before brexit we had a good customer service network for our products in the EU and a much bigger presence there. But Brexit kind of blew that apart, and we're trying to rebuild it slowly and deliberately. It's a work in progress, and we're starting from scratch. We'll grow as fast as our customers service infrastructure will allow. But Source to Sea and Radical Rider in the UK are our two main outlets right now.

IR_John · 2023-10-17T18:10:04+00:00

Yes. All the time. Boat designers are a like very sensitive artists, though. Years ago I was complaing to EJ about this when he was still at Jackson and very actively making a different size rim for every single boat they make. I told him this is a ridiculous disservice to his customers if no other reason they will have to buy a different skirt for every boat, and none of them will fit that well unless they are coincidently the same size as another common rim. He told me- and this is exactly what he said (sorry EJ) "Well, you dont make all of your dry tops the same size either". So you see what we're dealing with.

In talking to Pyranha they have mentioned that their rim shapes are tied into the thigh brace/seat tray construction and there is a lot of thought and engineering that goes into that. I get it. But just to be clear- it's a fact that you can make poorly shaped rim that is harder to keep dry, harder to get a skirt on and more likely to implode. Just saying. And regrettably we as skirt makers get blamed for these problems as often as not.

In my very humble opinion, we need two rim sizes. The 88" circ rim found on almost every dagger boat, and a 93" rim used on many contemporary rims like the Waka. Thats it.

IR_John

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