Articles - Featured Riders

This month, we're riding along with Tom Bonamici, who owns two very distinct motorcycles: a 1973 BMW R60/5 with a family history and a 2006 Honda XR650L that represents a return to his motorcycling roots.

The BMW comes with a special story -- Tom's uncle put an impressive 91,000 miles on it before hanging up his helmet and selling it to Tom for just a dollar. Tom acknowledges he still has 88,000 miles to go before catching up to his uncle's legacy. This passing of the torch represents the kind of two-wheel heritage that many riders dream about.

This month, we’re excited to feature ProCycle customer Bill Quaccia from just down the road in Southern Oregon! Bill has an impressive collection of bikes, including a 2015 KLR650, a 2021 KLX300, and a 1977 Yamaha XT500. He also owns several Triumph Cubs and twins, BSA singles, and Ariel singles, including a '58 HT5, '55 HS, and '47 Red Hunter.

This month, we’re excited to feature ProCycle customer Jonathan Warstler from Northern Indiana! Jonathan enjoys spending time on his 2009 Suzuki DR-Z400S, which he purchased in 2019, and has modified to give '84-'88 DR vibes.

This month, we’re excited to feature ProCycle customer Joshua Hudson from Pennsylvania! Joshua, who is a US Navy veteran, enjoys spending time on his 2006 Suzuki DR650, as well as his 2012 BMW G650GS Sertao and 2020 Moto Guzzi V85TT.

This month, we’re riding along with Daniel Byers from Ohio who owns a heavily-modified 2011 Suzuki DR650 with a striking yellow and white color scheme that he has named “Thousand Sunny” or just “Sunny” for short.

Daniel has replaced “everything imaginable, except the motor, carb, and airbox” with the “entire ProCycle catalog!” Some of the more notable bits include a Yenkro Rally fairing, a translucent Safari tank, a wheel set from Woody’s Wheel Works, and Acerbis frame guards.

This month, we’re excited to feature ProCycle customer Han Kim from Utah who rides a 2007 Suzuki DR650 and a 2023 Ducati Monster.

Han has meticulously re-engineered his DR from the ground up. Starting from the powertrain, he has upgraded his motorcycle with a Mikuni TM40 carburetor, ProCycle SS Pro-Flow headpipe, DG RST muffler, and a high-output stator. He added suspension upgrades front and rear from Cogent, a Warp 9 fork brace, and a GPR V5 steering stabilizer.

This month, we’d like to share something a little different. ProCycle customer Raynor Vandeven from Arizona owns a 1996 Suzuki DR650… with a custom-built sidecar!

While Raynor loves riding his DR650, he loves his dog, Nancy, even more. His motivation for building the sidecar was to be able bring Nancy along on his local adventures. Since she already loved hanging out the car window and the back of Raynor’s truck, getting her on the DR seemed like a no-brainer!

This month, we’re featuring Jeff Elliott from Texas who rides a 2020 Suzuki DR650 which he affectionately calls his “Desert Donkey.”

Jeff has been a long-time ProCycle customer and has made extensive modifications to his DR. When we asked what modifications he’s made, his response was “all of them.”

If you’ve watched the FortNine YouTube channel, you would probably be familiar with Ryan’s clone mechanics. This month, we are featuring Mechanic #45, who owns a 1997 Suzuki DR650 (which he recently released an epic video on) as well a ‘97 DR350, an ‘82 Kawasaki KL250, and a ‘75 Suzuki RV125.

The modifications 45 has done to his fleet of bikes are extensive.

This month, we are excited to feature Joey Pons, who is based in Louisiana and is the proud owner of a 2020 Suzuki DR650 and a 2021 Yamaha FJR1300. While the FJR is undoubtedly a cool ride, the one we’re really interested in his DR, so let’s dive in!

Visually, the most obvious upgrades to the DR are the 4.9 gallon IMS fuel tank in natural, a Seat Concepts seat, a ProCycle skid plate, a rear top rack, Wolfman saddlebags, and a ProCycle tool tube. Joey also upgraded the suspension, both front and rear, with a Cogent shock and Cogent Dynamic Drop-in Cartridges (DDCs).