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. :D

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

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!

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...

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.

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.

That is nice!

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

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. ;)
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 :)

Thank you for your input, Allen. :)

Spud :)

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

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). :lol:

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

Spud :)

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

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. :D

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! :D

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. :D

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. :)

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport011.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport015.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport031.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport041.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport044.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport057.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport063.jpg

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/q...Kinport070.jpg

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. :D

Spud :)