After many many problems (clutch shafts, sprag clutch, main starter gear, starter, 2 batteries among many other small problems) My ds hasnt gotten much use in the past 6 months. Im thinking im finally at a stage where I can run this thing for awhile without it falling apart! (only concern is makes a lot of noise when starting, so hopefully i dont have to drop the 450 for the sprag clutch/main gear)

I havnt run it in awhile due to bad weather, and the fact I just wasnt interested in finding out it was broken again...lol So today i go out and after remembering to turn the damn fuel on, it fired right up [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] The only reason I ran it was because my friend with a stock yfz did the cam mod and had his head ported, and he wanted to drag me. In the past I would get him by about 2-3 lengths, usually losing traction in the first 3 gears. After his mods im glad to say I can still edge him out, but usually not by more than 1/2 a length. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

It felt SO good to feel the torque of the DS again... Even after riding my freinds yfz's none of them felt as good as the ds (im all about the low end smooth torque) I was dead set on dumping the DS, but I think now ill hold onto it for about another year or so, and unless somebody releases some spectacular model, I will probably just rebuild the ds, and maybe try to squeeze a bit more power out of it.

This post isnt of much importance (maybe even a waste of space...lol) but riding this thing after a few month absence was truly amazing [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

*edit* the one thing I need to get taken care of, is the red oil dummy led light on the dash. I have had this problem for far too long (been to lazy to fix it) I originally thought it was the oil sensor, but after replacing still wasnt on. At one point it would flicker by playing with the wires, but now it wont even do that. I had the little dash cover off but im a bit reluctant to cut into all the wires right now. any suggestions? im considering just buying a new led light, and if that dosnt work, i guess ill have to start following wires.

Now i get to spend the next day reading all the threads ive missed [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

R00ST

Good for you man.. I was in a similar boat looking to get a 450R, but I'm glad I'm sticking with my DS. Now if I can get the stroker in time.

 

A word of warning on the 450 r

i was dead set on buying one and when it was finaly revealed that it was coming as a kick start i went with the DS, a choice i have wondered about ever since , dont get me wrong i love my ds and it has laid waste to several 450r's and others, But you know how it is wondering about what might have been.

Last week i was out on the dunes stopped for a break just at the waters edge when a guy with an 04 450r stopped to talk, he asked about the ds which turned out to be a couple of months older than his R,
i told him i was happy with no major hassles, he showed me round his R, which like me he washes and oils every ride, he showed me where the paint was peeling off around the shock mounts on the arms. and around several other areas in the frame where the welds are, in the climate and conditions we ride in this side of the pond that leads to rust and having to strip and powder coat after a couple of years or kiss your frame goodbye.
He was disapointed, and i felt a lot better about my decision.

 

I should add that i have been a die hard honda fan and as the name would suggest a 250 r owner,
so im not dissing honda, as a bomb owner

 

after all my troubles with my 03 baja, i finally got in the mind-set that i was just going to get rid of it...only problem was, there was nothing else i wanted! No way i will get a yfz (dont know what it is...ive ridden about a dozen of them, as much as i like the power to weight ratio, i hate the 2 stroke powerband and the ergos on that machien) so that left me with the pred and 450r... thought the pred looked great, finally got to ride an 05 and quickly changed my mind (ergos and lack of power) then i thought ok...450r it is. (and yes i know that was the worlds longest run on sentence [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] ) Im glad I didnt go and trade it in on one (highest I found a dealer would give me was 3600 for the quad and all the extra parts (have at least a 1k in bolt ons)

I will still probably be in the market again in about a year, that should give a chance for zuki to relase their new ride, and maybe even more atv's popping up (I would still love to see a big bore honda, or a new bomb)

Ya one reality i knew i was going to face was a frame issue with the 450r, but I had big plans for it, as my buddies and I wanted to all do our frames candy blue, with orange plastic. Before i pc'd it i was gonna have the whole thing gusseted.
(all 3 of my buddies have yfz's, but again, i wont touch a yfz lol)

Now im considering a new carb for the ds, to get that extra edge over these pesky yfz's. Im going to go search, but any new revelations in the past 6 months? or is it still basically the 46hv and the TM45? Before I got mad at my ds, I had planned on getting the HV, but after being told its really tough to keep it in tune for smooth low throttle/idle i had changed my mind and wanted the TM.