My Recently Acquired, 2005 Honda XR650L

[MICRider]

X2 on the Kenda's, how are they in the loose stuff? I want to get a K760 like Spud runs, but 80 to 90% of my riding is street so they might be a little too short lived.

Cheers,
Stew

[FastDoc]

I have Dunlop dirt only knobbies on Q and they seem to wear like iron. They are not DOT legal but you live in Idaho!

[deputygene]

Hey Spud, no fitment issues with the tank, followed some directions found on Thumpertalk, let the tank sit in the sun all morning to warm up and it slid right on.

The 270's seem to last forever. They are slippery on the street when first mounted but seem to get better with a little wear. The do fill with mud, but seem to keep right on churning. I like them, I think they are a true 50/50 tire, not great in the dirt or on the street, but ok on both. I think I will get 4000 miles out of mine, with a good bit of rear wheel spin. She will, riding much easier, probably get 5000 miles on hers. Both of our front tires are now toast and I am looking for a replacement. I hate the Suzuki Trail Wings, might replace both with what came stock on the Honda. Do you have a front tire preference?
As per DOT legal, maybe things are different elsewhere, but I have never, ever, seen an officer get down and inspect the sidewall of a motorcycle to see if it is street legal.

I found the tourmaster saddlebags on Ebay. Here is a link to another set I am looking at. If these don't go too high I might replace the set on the Honda. The older bags are a little bit more "floppy" than the newer ones.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tchlink:top:en
They are ok, the newer bags have bigger zippers that work better than the older zippers on the set I have for my Honda. I also got the Deluxe tail bag, but will replace it as it doesn't have enough capacity. Nice bag though. Here is a link to it.
http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/cata...-p-141_32.html
I didn't see the saddlebags I have on this website, they might be discontinued. These saddlebags are not waterproof. I sprayed both with a can of waterproofer, but on our outerbanks ride they were soaked through. Lesson learned, plastic bags to wrap the contents are a good idea.

[SpudRider]

Thank you for the information, Gene. I'm so glad a fellow China Rider also has an XR650L! I encounter a lot of mud riding in the spring and fall, so I am going to keep a more aggressive rear tire on my BRP. I'm going to first try the Maxxis, Desert IT, rear tire.

My used, BRP came with a Dunlop D603F, front tire; this tire works pretty well, but I can't find it for sale in the United States. I think I am going to replace the D603F with either a size 3.00-21, C858 front tire, or a Kenda, Washougal, K775 front tire. I also hear the Scorpion Pro, XCMH front tire is excellent, but a little more expensive.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

I have Dunlop dirt only knobbies on Q and they seem to wear like iron. They are not DOT legal but you live in Idaho!

I have discovered the powerful torque of the XR650L engine likes to eat tires, Doc. 8O I have been told that 1,500 miles from a Kenda, TrakMaster, rear tire is fantastic mileage on the BRP! I get 4,000 miles from the same tire on my Zong. I think either the Maxxis, Desert IT, or the Dunlop, D606 will give me the best wear for a rear tire on Porky. The Maxxis tire is non-DOT, and I don't care, since I live in the great, free, western state of Idaho.

Spud

[katoranger]

Spud, that's only one ride per tire.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by katoranger

Spud, that's only one ride per tire.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Today I installed a Parts Unlimited, 13T countershaft sprocket on my 2005 XR650L. This sprocket makes a nice, tight fit with the countershaft splines, and also employs the sprocket retaining clip. Since the temperature reached a balmy, 51 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon, I went for a 40-mile ride to test my new, 13T countershaft sprocket.





After experimenting with the stock 15T/45T gearing, and the somewhat lower 14T/45T gearing, I am very pleased with my current, 13T/45T gearing. I will definitely keep this gear ratio when my current sprockets wear out, and I switch to a 14T/48T sprocket combination for the next set of sprockets.

Spud

[Jim]

Glad to hear you like that setup. As always thanks for sharing the great photos.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Jim

Glad to hear you like that setup. As always thanks for sharing the great photos.

Thank you, Jim. Almost everyone reports the stock gearing on the XR650L is too tall. :roll: Nevertheless, I was very surprised to discover I needed to drop two teeth on the countershaft sprocket to properly gear the bike low enough for trail riding! 8O I am positive I am going to enjoy the much lower gearing. The bike's torquey motor now launches the motorcycle away from stop lights even faster than before, and I can still reach 85mph on level roads!

Spud

[SpudRider]

Today the high temperature reached a balmy, 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, I took the opportunity to mount a new, CST, Surge I, front tire to replace the Dunlop, D603 front tire on my XR650L.





Riding a few miles south of town, I tested the new tire in some soggy grass. The relatively narrow tire bit into the grass, and felt very stable.





Then I went for a 15-mile ride, and tested the new tire on the pavement.



Although it is not advertised as such, my Surge I tire has the DOT lettering on the sidewall. I tested the front tire up to 85 mph, indicated, and it performed very well. I will post further reports of this tire after the weather warms up, and I ride the muddy gravel roads produced by the spring thaw.

Spud

[FastDoc]

Great looking bike and wonderful scenery. I'm glad you got out for a nice ride. Yesterday was particularly warm in the Northwest!

That's a very aggressive looking tire. I bet it will work very well for your needs. It's interesting that it's DOT legal, it sure looks like off road in the pictures. I wonder what the criteria are for a D/S tire to be DOT anyway? That would be interesting to know.

The BRP is an amazing beast, Brother Spud. It's sunny and 'warm' here today too, I hope it is there and you get out for a ride.

AFTER church, of course. :wink:

[Weldangrind]

I'll bet that it felt great to get out and ride. It's been so long for me that I hope I still know how.

[MICRider]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I'll bet that it felt great to get out and ride. It's been so long for me that I hope I still know how.

Lol, same here! Every morning when I leave for work the KLR looks so forlorn tucked away waiting for decent weather... I even have a cool taillight upgrade (safetywise) to install, but I don't want to put it on till I can compare it to the original (battery is out etc...) Waiting, patiently waiting for spring...

Cheers,
Stew

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

Great looking bike and wonderful scenery. I'm glad you got out for a nice ride. Yesterday was particularly warm in the Northwest!

That's a very aggressive looking tire. I bet it will work very well for your needs. It's interesting that it's DOT legal, it sure looks like off road in the pictures. I wonder what the criteria are for a D/S tire to be DOT anyway? That would be interesting to know.

The BRP is an amazing beast, Brother Spud. It's sunny and 'warm' here today too, I hope it is there and you get out for a ride.

AFTER church, of course. :wink:

Thank you, Brother Bill. Indeed, I went for a 50-mile ride today; the weather was beautiful for the middle of February.



I didn't know the Surge I, front tire was DOT approved until I examined the sidewall.



I have never seen the CST Surge tire advertised as DOT approved; however, as you can see, the sidewall contains the three magic letters. I don't own the rear, Surge I tire; therefore, I don't know if the rear tire has the DOT markings.

The manufacturer has to submit tires for testing in order to gain DOT approval; however, I don't know what the testing standards require, Doc. In any event, the Surge I tire is well behaved on the pavement for having such a relatively narrow, aggressive tread.

Spud