Hello all,
Not been posting for a while, but still lurking

No singles news really!
The 1991 DR650 has been ace and utterly dependable for my boy's first year of life, MOT time in a month. Lets give it a clean up, and a once over.

Wait! Whats that "clak clak clak" Must be the tappets, when did you last check em? Must be, oooh, 2 years? 3??

Anyway, tappet clearances were predictably huge. But still she "clak clak clak's"

Oh-oh. Sparkly oil...

I dropped by Burwins, great guys, MOT men, MZ racers, for an opinion.
They reckon a bearing at either end of the rod is letting go, thus the "clak" is the piston clipping the exhaust valve(s).
So they said "don't waste yer cash on an MOT! And use the 30 quid for the skorp MOT", tho did also say that if its still alive in month they'll gladly test it (and it looked like it would pass)! If I get the winter out of it before it expires, I'd be delighted. (It does 15 miles per day, central london.) And then put the Skorp on the road come Spring.
So, while it is still ridable, running, taxed (till July) and MOT'd does anyone want it?
To be honest, I cant justify rebuilding the motor. The cases will need splitting, then every bearing. And the chains. And surely a piston, rings, bore, valves, yada yada. Gaskets are even dear!
And its lumpy as f'ck and not very well carburetted anyway (US import, modified to remove evaporation control rubbish. Carb tired? Or just not set up very well?). But utterly reliable. Always starts. Always. Stops as well as DR's do.
In the 5 or 6 years I've had it:
New header pipe 3 years ago, new s/s micron can when I got it
Rebuilt forks 18 months ago Genuine $uzuki $eals
New C&S 1 year ago
New tyres 1 y ago
New shock 2 years ago (Hagon, adjustable, not cheap, covered in Waxoyl)
Heated grips (likely dodge by now?)
New clutch (metal and friction plates) 2.5 years ago. Genuine $$$$uzuki
EBC pads & rebuilt brakes about 18 months ago. More expensive $uzuki piston seals. I seem to remember I got stainless pistons too... Stainless front line.
New rear spindle and wheel bearings and hub bearings 18 months ago
There must be more. I have spent too much money on it, but this one is probably "goodbye old frend".
Immediately prior to my purchase, it had a new front disk.
Tho admittedly, I do paint over a crack in the frame every year, on the drive side, just near the side stand mount. The MOT man does a very good Albert Speer impression, and claims to be ignorant of anything amiss under his jurisdiction.
So does anyone have a DR650 they need a parts bike for? The plastic is all good, the tank is good, but has nicks in the paint, and the decals have worn thru. But there is no filler, no dents, and I think no rust.. Seat is good apart from one nick.
Kickstart only. So the battery is predictably gubbed!!
ALternatively, I'd love a 650 (or even DR600) kickstart motor, which is known good. But I think that is most unlikely!!

Anyone??
So in the absence of anyone taking it away, I'll break it on ebay as there is good stuff on it. And I'll keep the Hagon shock. But 1 year old son = not a lot of time to break a bike for which parts are not in very high demand, so I am not that keen...
I'm not looking for a lot of cash, is anyone interested? If really pushed, I could even deliver within M25, but cannot guarentee that I'll get there!!
There are some piccies on the site, and plenty of threads about shocks, brakes, etc. Ideas, laughter, commiseration on this thread please! I hope this finds all well and happy. Its been a good year for me, with the kid and all that. Time's abit tight tho for tinkering with bikes and silly plastic cars. So I haven't been. I think I'll be pressing the Skorp back into service quite soon.
a