Is The Suzuki DR650 Good At Interstate Highway Riding?

Well, is it?
I finally got around to taking my DR650 on the Interstate and I was quite surprised by the experience! I had been expecting to be blown around due to the bikes lighter weight and this day was even better since the wind was gusting. Nothing like being behind a Semi at 75 mph with a gusting crosswind on top. And much to my surprise the DR650 was relatively stable. I experienced no wobble and easily maintained speeds, I think I actually got the bike to 85 mph while passing a Semi. Overall, the ride was pretty smooth and I was never once terrified. Once my DR650 has a seat swap and some panniers installed as well as a few other upgrades, I'm very much looking forward to doing some long range moto camping! Stay tuned...

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[precipiceofgrind]

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[stevesjourney]

I've put 32, 000 miles on my 2021 in the last 8 months. Crossed the country mutiple times and run from Florida to Alaska and then up the Dempster to Tuktoyaktuk. This bike handles all environments just fine and I'm majorly loaded. I will say that it's easier to go faster in the highway with a 14 tooth front sprocket instead of the 15 tooth as it puts it right on the power band. Glad to see you having fun.

[flatheadfletch]

I grew up where your riding, Hurricane and St George. In the 70’s and 80’s the enduro riding was fantastic. Going out to gold strike. Going to Mesquite up over Utah hill, up to Black rock. To many people their now. I’m looking at buying the DR650S now at 63. Miss those days !

[RKmndo]

I've done days of 1000+ miles on DRs. A big tank helps. I've crossed half of a continent in a day.

The same DR can tackle sandy, muddy, rutty, rooty singletrack.

[TillDeathDualUsSport]

I regularly ride mine on both highway/freeway with motocamping gear in tow.

I find it to be more the adequate with passing power if need be.

Ride on!

[tarjas]

The DR is a true dual sport. Almost all the smaller bikes are great off-road, better than the DR even on tight stuff. On the road they just aren’t comfortable or safe with no roll on speed while going 75, especially when in hilly terrain. Keep the great content coming!

[ingoeckstein]

I had a 1990 DR650. In 1992 I rode from southern Spain to Switzerland. That's 1000 miles. Left at noon and got to Switzerland at 4AM, 16 hours later. Add food stops, coffee, tolls and gas stops and my average speed was between 100 and 110 mph and I was the slowest in the group. The Mistral wind was blowing pretty hard in southern France and twice I had the feeling my front wheel had jumped. But the DR650 is a dual sport bike and I rode to the top of Mulhacén, the highest mountain in Spain. I don't think this had been done before or ever since. Not because it's that hard, just because you piss off a lot of mountaineers and hikers. So, not really recommended.

[BillySBC]

The big factory front fender doesn't help much at higher speeds, tends to grab air and cause instability. I put the Acerbis front fender on my '22 and it helped quite a bit. I also put a front fork brace on and would like to tap it for bolts and lower the fender to a standard height so prevent stuff being thrown back up into my engine, the bike needs some kind of a mud guard to prevent that. Good demo though, thanks for posting it.

[johneli]

Engine doesn't seem to be straining at highway speeds. This bike seems to be able to do everything okay

[kurthedgecock]

I think the bike does fine on the interstate. I've ridden across Houston several times in I-10. The seat concepts comfort seat is a definite improvement over stock.

[roylafleur]

Glad you finally passed the big rig. I wanted to see how that went and see it at "passing speed". Great video!

[dannykwan]

I like the looks of the DR 650 compared to the KLR. From its inception 34 yrs ago and still going strong today, thats amazing.. Not much has change . Its legendary proven and loved all over the world .

[jonathanragle]

I've rolled 95mph on the speedo for hundreds of miles with no issues, but I try to stay at 90. Only mods that might matter are tm40 carb, Leo slip on and big bags (big wind resistance). 2 months ago I did 520 miles in a day. I don't recommend it but I was fine (decent seat, big tank, dropped pegs).

[hooperv]

Like all of the bikes I have owned. And my work van too. The speedometer is off about 5 miles an hour at higher speeds. You can be sure if it says 70 its more like 65. Check it with a GPS and you'll see. I LOVE MY DR!!!

[Weltbummler]

I ride my DR on the highway all the time. In fact it does well enough on the highway that i decided to sell my multistrada, so now the DR is my only adventure bike. 80 and under is no prob. Just get a windshield on there and a comfy seat.

[edwardkaminsky]

Looking good D! Love that DR.
60-65 tops for me. MPG is a curiosity.
That camping trip was epic.

[ynotjf]

I ride behind a Madstad windshield which keeps the wind off my chest. I’m not sure why but the windshield helps reduce the shakiness & buffeting, my bike handles like yours if I lower the windshield. The biggest thing for me is riding with the right helmet. I’m amazed that you can talk into your comm system at interstate speed.

[xnihilo]

I had a DR for a few years and enjoyed it for backroads and trails. However, sustaining speeds of 70+ was just beating me up. It could do it, but was just uncomfortable.
I have a '23 KLR now and it's MUCH better at sustained speeds. Is it as comfortable as my V-Strom 1050? No way. Does it do as well as the DR on trails? Nope.
The good thing about the KLR is that it CAN DO pretty much everything I throw at it...just not the best at anything.
Nice vid 😎

[trevorjameson]

I have a DR650, this is my second one in twenty years. It does just fine on the interstate, no problems at all cruising at 80mph. It does move around a little in the wind, but it's not bad at all. And it has plenty of passing power even at 70mph. The thing I've always loved about the DR650 is you can travel on the highways, but it's also very capable off-road, like those gnarly 4x4 mountain trails, it handles all that stuff very easily. Great bike!

[SecondHalfofLife]

seriously considering get a DR650 to do the continental divide next year. Good to see it can hold up on the highway ok. I imagine a fairing would help a bit as well. Seems like a really good light adventure bike.