My 1993 DR350 Story 2012 - 2025

[Thedktor]

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Slightly off the topic but bear with me. May 2014 and life was finally sorting itself out, the new job was going well and we had obtained Suzuki dealership status = discounted parts for my old DR!
May as well treat myself to a newer bike then, this super-clean DRZ-400. I am quite a fan of the DRZ as well as the 350, in fact I have one now in 2025.

Now, what I didn't know was that in just 3 months on from this picture the company I was working for folded. Went bust. Dissolved! I had to sell the DRZ to pay the mortgage, life had once again become complicated and frustrating......

Of course, I still had the trusty DR - that was not being sold, ever.

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I like this picture, it is summer 2014 and although my job was soon to come to a halt, the weather was great and the DR was running great. There's a couple of things of note still to come before wrapping up 2014, so worth a mention...

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[Thedktor]

September 2014, my job had finished but I went into temp agency work straight away and had enough pennies spare to enjoy a fun couple of days in Wales. The DR performed brilliantly, in fact, it easily held its own with any of the other bikes there. What a great bike.

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Last pic from 2014, and partly to take the strain of the other DR I had picked up Garyboys '99 DR350SE - electric start yay! It needed a bit of work but at fortunately not much cost, and after a few weeks it was running really nicely.
A modified Honda silencer fitted had a nice crisp, deep tone, which encouraged throttle-happy behaviour and I rode that bike every weekend, and loved it.

After 2 trouble-free years and 13,000 miles it was moved on, for another DR of course, and it had cost me hardly anything.
Next post and we are back on track with the story of my '93 kicker....

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[garyboy]

I still miss that DR.
My much newer crf250Rally is better in some important ways, but
.. Still can't match that mud-plugging strong engine
.. or soft, easy suspension

[Thedktor]

Yes it was a great bike Gary. When I got it there were lowering links fitted which made the suspension far too soft, ideally you are supposed to put on a stiffer spring to compensate for the increased leverage from the longer links. I put it back to normal, as it also messes up the geometry making the front skittish.

On with the story and we are into 2015 now where work took a positive turn when one of the companies I worked for under an agency offered me a full-time job - result!

It wasn't what I wanted to do long-term but it paid the bills and let me put petrol in the bikes. I was mainly using the 99 DR but of course my favourite bike still had to go out, and below is a couple of pics, with an agricultural theme Yes another day out for the tractor group.

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Work took another unexpected turn later in the year, which we will come to, and it is motorcycle related

2015 April. A quick mileage check and the MoT for 2015 is 25,000 miles, about 3,500 over the previous year and 10,000 since I picked it up in 2012.

The picture, well, sometimes a super low angle helps liven things up. Sometimes

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[Thedktor]

Not many pics from 2015 but on a ride in August I noticed a strange noise coming from the back of the bike. I had a good look around but couldn't work out what the cause was, strange? Once home, with the aid of a torch, it became quite clear!

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No damage, and moving on with this story the next pic is quite significant, if you are still awake!

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Summer 2015 and I heard there was a job going here so stopped by while out on a delivery round. Long story short I started not long after, running the workshop, which was always very busy, and hard work. But I was trained at KTM/Husqvarna HQ and got to work on, and ride, all the latest bikes, pretty cool!

The picture is actually from 2021, shortly after the company closed - it is the only picture I have to match.

[Thedktor]

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That's not a DR350! No! - let me explain. It is 2016 and I worked at the Husky dealer for a year, and left on good terms when another opportunity came up. As it happens the business closed a few years later anyway when the owner retired.

The new job came after 7 years of work instability, and in sharp contrast, 7, no, now nearly 9 years later I'm still at the same company! Anyway, a new job, so buy a new(er) bike - a DRZ-E. What a great bike, but back to the DR350 of course, next.

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2017. Because the bike had been left outside for a number of years the bore had suffered and oil consumption was a bit of an issue right from when I got the bike in 2012. Despite this the DR ran superbly but got progressively harder to kick into life from cold with low compression, until I had to admit defeat. So with 26,000 miles on the clock the top end was stripped for the first time since it left the factory.

Full details of the rebuild can be found in an older thread here!

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[Thedktor]

Into 2017 now and the DR was back on the road again, and to put things in perspective a repeat post form the "rebuild" thread:

"In addition to this top-end rebuild a load more work needed doing as during the time the bike was out of action I had borrowed many parts for the other DR!

A pair of old wheel had to be dug out and new bearings and tyres fitted, both front and back callipers were gone and needed some old “stock” ones rebuilt. Chain, sprockets, seat, exhaust, hand guards, mudguard – the bike had been stripped bare! "

Anyway, got there in the end over some weeks, and a few easy prods on the kick start and she fired up sweet as a nut. Next stop MoT test, and no problem there as pretty much every moving and braking part had been renewed!

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Before continuing with the 1993 DR story I need to squeeze this in. At the end of 2016 I finished another long project and got this 1998 DR350SE back on the road. It had started with an engine completely destroyed after the previous owner didn't check the oil, hmm. But I had a spare engine (in bits) so eventually swapped it out.

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A lovely bike, should have kept it really, but after 3 years use it was sold on to make space for ... another DRZ

[Thedktor]

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2018, and a more sombre post just this once. I remember that over the previous year I had lost my best mate, plus two other good friends - all motorcyclists, but ironically, the victims of unlucky genes and health issues.

So I dedicate this picture to all those taken too soon, and a reminder to appreciate those close to you, and of course, make the most of your own life - every day counts.

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2018 - 2019 were an easy couple of years for the DR, with the 2019 MoT record showing 27,500 miles. 1500 miles on from the top-end rebuild, and it was running great!

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A lot of my riding at this time was on a another DRZ I had acquired, in fact I still have it six years on. Do I need to do a comparison of some sort? - they are very different bikes of course.

Now, the year of 2019, remember that? Life was pretty normal, but what we didn't know was the chaos that was about to hit the world in the following year!

[Scott_rider]

This is a good read and good photos too

[Thedktor]

Thank you Scott-Rider.

Into 2020 now, what a crazy year. Due to Covid related restrictions there were periods of time when the motorcycles remained parked up, but the summer months were ok and I made the most of it! This pic is a trail alongside Butser hill, an infamously steep and slippery hill that draws riders from all over the country.

I first went up Butser Hill about 40 years ago on my little DT175 - I was amazed that a trail like this existed within easy reach of my home, and it set the foundations for a lifelong passion for trail riding

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The Covid crisis in 2020 had dramatic and devastating consequences for many, but I was very lucky and had quite an easy time of it. This picture is a July summer's evening and I was back out on my bikes, and on my favourite bike in fact, my old DR350.

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Below, a pretty village called Hawkley where I like to stop and have a short break - note the bench in the shade on the right. I normally carry a flask of tea or coffee and have a few places where I can sit and relax properly for a few minutes

Now, this is the last from 2020 - in December we went into another lockdown unfortunately....

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