No photos today, just a little bit about some maintenance on the DR800 today.
Pulled off the rear swingarm and cleaned, checked and regreased the bearings that join the swingarm to the main frame and the various suspension components. Only one bearing was a bit tight. The needle rollers were aok but the inner collar/spacer was a bit tight. An hour with sandpaper brought this together aok. Within a year I hope to take the swing arm off again, sand blast it, repaint and change out the bearing and spacer.
The frame design on these old bikes is really utilitarian, good and strong, with easy access for maintenance. That comes at a cost of weight and being wider than a more modern bike. At this stage its a fair compromise but I can see the day when a lighter bike will be very tempting, even at the cost of increased maintenance expenses.