Hello, "Mission creep" has set in on my Honda XR650R. I thought I was just replacing the suspension, but as I'm writing this, I'm staring at a bare engine in a beautiful aluminum frame. Mission creep.... Since I've done a lot more to this BRP than anticipated, and I have a lot more work to go, I thought I would keep track of the changes on this thread. I have to go back in time for a few posts to get people up to speed on the bike and it's state. Here is the bike in pretty stock trim. This picture was taken last March. Though it looks good from far, everything that could be worn on the bike *IS*. Chain is shot, brake pads shot, electrical system barely functions, no brake lights, needs valve adjustment, carb cleaning and new tires. You can see in the back right corner of the above picture what I have planned for the front end!
What's the point of this rebuild? That is the question. What's the point of this bike? As you can see from the picture above, I have a lovely KTM 990 ADV S that is my daily commuter and all around travel bike. Right now it's doing double duty as my giant dual sport bike to explore our forest roads up here in the Superior National Forest. And it does so surprisingly well. But it sure would be nice to have a bike setup just for the forest roads, aggressive tires, a lighter steed, with plenty of fuel range, simple mechanics and lower gearing....
First order of business was to swap out the front end for a used set of CRF-450 USD forks. I found a set off fleabay, and bought an Emig Racing triple tree adapter specifically made for the XR650R. It was a bolt on affair made in heaven. Now some may have heard that the USD forks aren't a proper fit for the XRRs. And that might be the case. Heck they didn't need USD forks on these bikes in Baja when they raced them, so they are probably good enough for me. That's the purists thought process. For me though it's a matter of available spring sizes. I'm 6'8" and 300lbs, so using the modern USD forks with a larger diameter offers a much better variety of spring sizes (larger). With my CRF-450, wheel, brake caliper installed, I modified (read cut up) my stock XR front fender to make the necessary clearance between the new mounting holes on the triple tree and the radiator. Time for a test ride. I was hosting this years Minnesota North Shore Shindig in a week's time, no better way to test out the bike than have the previous owner (and good friend) take it for a ride. A test mule of sorts... All weekend long, Eric beat up on the XR's front end like it owned him money. No ill effects, success! Notice the make-due headlight/flashlight combo we have on the fender. Big-zig in the background lent us his backyard engineering skills to keep us street legal. The forks guards and a myriad of other things were still on order, but all in all it was a successful weekend for the XR and the Shindig Rally. Then I got to thinking, the XRR would make a great bike for an overseas trip to South America, Scandinavia or Russia. So maybe I should put more into this thing than suspension and a larger tank. Maybe I should forget about riding it this fall, tear it down and do it right!
Ok, time to get serious and get this bike sorted. First order of business is to build another bike stand. I disassembled my previous bike stand that I had in Iowa, North Carolina and California. I've missed it ever since the move back to Minnesota. So I made a home depot run and $20 bucks and 2 hours later, I had me a nice table for bike building.... First thing off the bike was the suspension to get packaged up and sent off to Superplush. I've worked with them in the past when I lived in the Bay Area. As they say, the best compliment in the business world, is a repeat customer. Well, here I am repeating myself... I took my KTM 990 there a few years ago and they had that bike dialed in. I'm hoping they can do the same with my XRR. The thing that is most impressive is their ability to think outside the box for big riders like myself. I called other suspension shops, and I basically knew beforehand which springs they were going to recommend, even though the bike would have still been under-sprung. Hell, anyone can look up a parts catalog and see what "fits" the CRF-450 forks. But the folks at Superplush talked about cutting down other springs, etc. Real knowledge. To top it off, they were helping with other aftermarket parts, making sure I don't forget about the right footpeg bolts, steel subframe, etc. Real enthusiasts too! Ok, you get it, I like their service. Any howdy, Superplush sent out a shipping box and label the week prior, I got everything boxed up and shipped to them. Now I'm staring at a frame that needs attention. By the way, check out this chain and the side grooves in the sprocket teeth. Either the wheel is misaligned or the chain might be the wrong size for the sprockets, I can't tell yet, either way it's coming off!
Now that I have the luxury of a bike table, I decided to clean up the bike while I wait for parts and the suspension. After an afternoon of Honda polish, I tore into the electrical system, like a fat kid into cake. Leaving only the stock wiring harness, ditching the rats nest of wires the first owner put on it. I have a Ricky Stator, new voltage regulator and a LaPaz 8 inch HID light ready for installation.
Well, I'm waiting on a bunch of parts to arrive. So, I have some time to kill. I've decided to try and clean up the headers and exhaust pipe. I may end up ditching the setup completely for a new stainless steel header and exhaust, but that's money that would be better spent on gas! Even though trying to keep these headers looking nice might be futile, I'm going to clean up the surface rust on the stock pipes and hit them with a coat of high temp header paint. We'l see how they hold up. I was able to get the exhaust portion done this evening. Nothing like some elbow grease to get the rust off! Before: After: Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the header pipes tonight. I snapped the head off a header gaurd bolt (the guard is pictured in the above photo near the exhaust pipe) earlier today. I think the heat cycles made it really brittle. Since one EZ-Out job is plenty, I decided to hit the header bolts with some penatrating oil, so I'm going to let that soak in overnight and try loosening the headers tomorrow. I also ordered a new FMF exhaust strapped b/c the one currently on the bike has a rubber grommet that's worn through. Fellow inmate Snomore, is going to attempt at making me a new rubber grommet. If that fails, I'll have the new FMF hangar in a few days.
Making progress. Parts are starting to show up and I'm continuing to putz around with little projects until my suspension comes back. Everything else is a bolt-on affair. I have a few months to wait for the Renazco seat, but there is plenty to due until then. Today, I tried my best to remove a stubborn bolt from the stock header pipe. You can see the broken bolt and my subsequent attempt to drill it out enough to fit an EZ-out in the pictures below. Long story short, after two days of soaking it in penetrating oil, it didn't work. I was on the fence about replacing the ugly stock header with a purdy FMF header. This was the final straw, I ordered the stainless steel header this evening. I'm hoping it will mate up with my older FMF exhaust.
Ummmm.......i have that exact series of FMF "Q"...muffler...it`s the original "Q" muffler.......the Q2 and Q4 came after that one.....far as i`m concerned it was the nicest looking of the bunch ....but...you did know the pipe you just painted was stainless didn`t you........a little sanding or polishing and it would have looked new..stainless turns brown/golden colored after heat hits it..any rust you saw was baked on dirt..i used steel wool to remove that,,,then some SOS pads with some elbow grease and it looked great.. B
Yes. I was planning on doing the same to the stock header too, but now that I got the FMF header coming, I'm tempted to strip the paint and polish that section back to the metal finish. My biggest concern is the location of the pipe. It's going to catch a lot of baked on mud, and I don't want to keep polishing the SS every 6 months, so black was my way of making the problem go away. It's a work in progress, still not sure what I'm doing with it.
Instead of painting the pipes you should wrap them. Wrap will help keep the heat off the motor and shock. both suffer from over heating in certain situations on this bike. It can look cool if done right as well, as well as increase motor performance (better vacuum).
The wrap will also pre maturely rust your pipes I just built an xrr this summer and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. This winter I am hoping to tear it apart so I am watching your thread with interest I had heat issues from the exhaust (too close to petcock from tank) and installed a simple almuinum sheild..kinda hard to see in photo...
Not if its stainless. But that is a good point, I didn't even think of that. There is some wraps out there that are impregnated with some stuff that when you get it wet it hardens; plaster perhaps. I think that would better because my worry is now is that it will come unwrapped.
Hi Guys, I've been on the road working for the past week, but things are stil progressing. Lot's of packages with new shiny bits are arriving! Right now I am staring at a pile of parts ready to be bolted onto the bike. But I'm not going to let my enthusiasm get the best of me just yet. I'm going to hold off until I get my suspension back from Superplush, so I can work on a rolling chassis instead of balancing precariously on the skid plate like I'm doing now. Nonetheless, there are a few small jobs I can get done. Today I thought it would be smart to get some new cables ordered so I'm not waiting on them when I'm ready to ride. With taller handlebar mounts installed by the PO, the stock clutch cable was pulled tight. To gain some length, it was incorrectly routed behind the coolant hose on the left side of the engine. You can see the fraying that took place. Obviously this cable would let go when you are mathematically the farthest distance from civilization on some single track riding along at night, I don't know how the cable knows when to break, but they all know to cut loose when you are most vulnerable. Let''s replace this accident waiting to happen... Re-routing the hoses and getting them lengthened 3.5 inches should solve that problem! Of course, the push/pull throttle cables and compression release could use some length too. Below, cables labeled ready to ship to Motion Pro. Fortunately, Motion Pro already had the templates and they said my originals weren't needed! Saves me time and shipping costs! I have all four new cables coming, all lengthed 3.5 inches as well as a spare clutch cable. That's it for now. My workshop is filling up with boxes of XRR parts including a new skid plate, Acerbis 6 gallon, steal subframe, BD La Paz 8 inch HID light, FMF stainless headers, Ricky Stator, and on and on...
The heat wrap I used on my race car, soaked it in water before installing it made is stretch a bit and easier to contour. When it dried, it took the shape very well. Then coated it in high temp paint, worked very well.
Good news, Superplush finished up my suspension and it's on its way. Once it arrives, I'll be able to really get moving on this project. I have a pile of stuff ready to go, I just need a rolling chassis! Couple more days! -jw
