Okay, here’s my story about messing with a Suzuki DR350:
So, I got my hands on this beat-up DR350. Thing was rough, hadn’t run in years, but I figured, “Hey, project time!” I’ve always liked getting my hands dirty, and this seemed like a fun challenge.
Tear Down Time
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First thing I did was strip it down. I mean, really strip it down. Took off the plastics, the seat, the tank… everything. Got it down to the bare frame and engine. It was a mess of rust, dirt, and who-knows-what-else. Honestly, I almost regretted it at this point, it looked so bad!
- Carb was gunked up. Took that apart, cleaned every little jet and passage. Took forever, but that’s expected with old bikes.
- Wiring was a rat’s nest. Seriously, wires going everywhere, some chewed through, some just… hanging. I spent a good day just sorting through that mess and figuring out what went where.
- Suspension was shot. Forks were leaking, shock was bouncy. Knew I’d have to rebuild those.
Putting It Back Together
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Then started putting all back.I took out the engine and cleaned,and checked.
After the tear-down came the fun part (and the frustrating part): putting it all back together. I started with the engine, making sure everything was clean and tight. Got the carb back on, hooked up the fuel lines, and crossed my fingers.
Next up was the wiring. Like I said, it was a nightmare. But, bit by bit, I got it sorted. New connectors, some fresh wire, lots of electrical tape. Took a while, but I finally had a working electrical system again.
The suspension was a bigger job. I rebuilt the forks with new seals and oil. The shock was a bit trickier, ended up sending it out to a specialist to get it recharged and re-valved. Worth it, though. Made a huge difference in how the bike handled.
First Ride
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Finally, the moment of truth. I rolled it out of the garage, put on my helmet, and hit the starter. After a few coughs and sputters, it roared to life! That feeling, man… that’s why I do this stuff.
I took it for a spin around the block, then out to some trails. It wasn’t perfect, still needed some fine-tuning, but it ran. And it ran pretty darn well! That old DR350, that pile of rust and dirt, was back on the road (and off-road!).
It’s still a work in progress, always something to tweak or improve. But that’s part of the fun, right? Taking something old and broken and making it run again… there’s nothing quite like it.
