My Recently Acquired, 2005 Honda XR650L

[Weldangrind]

Red, all day long.

Love that bike! Glad to hear you're moving forward with a skidplate right away; breaking an oil line would wreck your whole day. I didn't have the funds for a new plate, so I fabbed one out of aluminum; glad I did.

If those headers are the same as my quarter-litre, they're stainless. I polished mine to make clean-up much easier. As well, they turned a very cool blue and bronze after a couple of heat cycles.

Is your current tank plastic? If so, dibs on your current tank!

[FastDoc]

Red, Spud. You don't want the zebra look.

I know you're prudent but be careful on that thing. I know I'd have a hard time not going nuts on it!

[katoranger]

I think that would be too much bike for me. The KLR650 was just too big. I wasn't tall enough and the weight was unnerving. Fun on the street though.

The 400cc size seems to be about the perfect compromise for trail and street use. Still would like a drz400.

[FastDoc]

Originally Posted by katoranger

I think that would be too much bike for me. The KLR650 was just too big. I wasn't tall enough and the weight was unnerving. Fun on the street though.

The 400cc size seems to be about the perfect compromise for trail and street use. Still would like a drz400.

Having ridden both I can say the XR is more manageable off road than the KLR, by a wide margin. That said it is A LOT OF BIKE on the trail. In the open western places where Spud rides he should be fine...

[katoranger]

The reviews I read say the same thing. The XR is more dirt oriented.

Still just a big bike. I am sure on the wide open trail it is great fun.

[beardo]

Personally, I love the red, white, blue and gold paint scheme from the old XL600R

http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0600/.../xl600r-86.jpg

[katoranger]

Originally Posted by beardo

Personally, I love the red, white, blue and gold paint scheme from the old XL600R

http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0600/.../xl600r-86.jpg

That is classic. My 86 xr200 has that theme.

[FastDoc]

That is nice!

[Cal25]

I like the clear fenders. Bet they would be hard to keep clean though

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Cal25

If the red stays RED, I like that better than black. The side panels dont need to stay white however, so you can really go any flavour you enjoy.

Quite envious of the the new steed, Spud.

Thank you, Cal. Another vote for red is noted.

Unless I spray paint the side panels, or buy painted side panels from another model year, I think I am stuck with the color white, Cal. I can’t use either OEM, or aftermarket, XR600R side panels, unless I move the battery box, and I don’t want to do that. I also don’t want painted side panels. Therefore, unless I want a red, black, and white motorcycle, I should probably get a red fuel tank.

Originally Posted by Cal25

Looks like a rear rack is in order. Any plans for another trunk?

I think I am going to purchase a Turbo City Borrego rack, Cal. I already own an extra J.C. Whitney travel trunk, and its mounting plate.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by katoranger

I vote red.

Thank you for your input, Allen.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Red, all day long...

Thank you for your input, W&G. The votes for red are clearly in the lead.

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

...Love that bike! Glad to hear you're moving forward with a skidplate right away; breaking an oil line would wreck your whole day. I didn't have the funds for a new plate, so I fabbed one out of aluminum; glad I did.

If those headers are the same as my quarter-litre, they're stainless. I polished mine to make clean-up much easier. As well, they turned a very cool blue and bronze after a couple of heat cycles.

Is your current tank plastic? If so, dibs on your current tank!

I don't think the exhaust header is stainless steel, which is too bad, since I really enjoy the XT225, stainless steel exhaust header on my Zong. :( I'm sorry, but my stock fuel tank is metal.

Spud

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

Red, Spud. You don't want the zebra look.

I know you're prudent but be careful on that thing. I know I'd have a hard time not going nuts on it!

Thank you for your input, Doc. I have duly noted yet another vote for red! Also, thank you for the good advice; I certainly will be careful. Safety was one of the main reasons I acquired the XR650L. I have discovered on longer trips, to more populated areas, I need a larger engine to maintain the same speed as the numerous, aggressive automobile drivers. 8O Therefore, I will continue to ride my lighter, shorter, more nimble Zong the majority of the time. However, whenever I have the need, or feel the need for speed, I can mount Porky, the BRP (Big Red Pig).

http://fozzy42.com/SoundClips/Movies/TopGun/speed.wav

Spud

[FastDoc]

Spud, I think Katoranger still has a Chinarack you might be able to make work. Maybe look at how it mounts.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

Having ridden both I can say the XR is more manageable off road than the KLR, by a wide margin. That said it is A LOT OF BIKE on the trail. In the open western places where Spud rides he should be fine...

The DR-Z400S is a great bike, but I chose the XR650L for a number of reasons.

1) In my area, a well beaten, DR-Z400S sells for about $3,500; I purchased my XR650L for much less than that price.

2) I wanted a second bike, with "longer legs," so I could take longer adventures, farther from home. However, I didn't want to purchase a street bike, and be limited to traveling on the pavement. Therefore, I decided a 650cc, dual sport motorcycle was the right bike for me.

3) I would rather ride, than do maintenance! Therefore, I prefer the simplicity, and the reliability of an air-cooled engine. This preference narrowed my choices to either the Suzuki DR650SE, or the Honda XR650L.

4) The XR650L has a curb weight of 346 pounds, which is only 29 pounds heavier than the DR-Z400S. In addition, the XR650L weighs 20 pounds less than the DR650SE, and 86 pounds less than the KLR650! 8O I often ride alone, so I need to be able to pick up my motorcycle by myself. Since the XR650L has an engine with 250cc more displacement, I consider it more street-worthy than the DR-Z400, and I can still pick up the XR650L after I drop it!

5) I spend long hours in the saddle, and I didn't want to spend $375 for a custom seat! In my opinion, the DR-Z400S saddle is absolutely painful! :( In stark contrast, the XR650L saddle is very comfortable; in fact, the Honda saddle might be the most comfortable, stock seat on any of the 650cc, dual sport motorcycles.

6) As usual, FastDoc is correct. If I desire, I can ride the XR650L on many of my favorite trails in the open spaces of Idaho. I still prefer to ride my shorter, lighter, more nimble Zong on these trails. However, the XR650L has a great suspension, excellent ground clearance, and only weighs 29 pounds more than the DR-Z400S. Since I already own an excellent trail bike with my Zong, I decided to get the better street performance of the XR650L over the DR-Z400S.

This afternoon I rode my Honda XR650L up a favorite mountain; it did a pretty good job! However, this bike is definitely geared too high from the factory, so I need to drop a tooth on the countershaft sprocket. Here are some photos from today's ride.

















The XR650L would definitely be difficult to ride in tight quarters, but the Big Red Pig performs surprisingly well in the wide-open spaces of Idaho. In addition, this bike easily cruises the speed limit on limited access freeways.

Spud