Anybody ride an XR650L?

[DeadRat]

Originally Posted by murgatroid42

I don't have # plates on mine, but lots of bikes wave to me. Maybe because it's a "no man's land" bike that all others wave. Even HD riders wave to me. HD doesn't make a dirt/dualsport bike, so there's no reason to shun me for not buying a HD when I want a specific bike.

Most, not all, Harley riders shun anything that's not assembled in Milwaukee with lots of foreign parts. ND, Showa, Keihin, ect, ect, ect. WOW! Same parts my Honda's made of.

[spezjag]

Personally, I love my XR650L. It is a totally fun street bike, can easily do fire trails and such, and is so reliable that I never worry about it getting me back home.

I had it re-jetted and put an FMF PowerBomb header on it, along with an FMF Titanium-4 muffler. It is loud, and I am thinking of swapping the FMF system out for a Big Gun quiet system. Anything, however, is better than the beached whale of a stock exhaust. That thing weighs a ton.

I will soon wear out the stock tires, and was glad to read about someone enjoying the Avons. I had also thought about the Michelins. It's a shame the Metzeler and Pirelli street-focused dual sport tires don't come in an 18" size.

I wouldn't worry about what others think; if it seems the right bike for you, then go for it. I don't plan on selling mine anytime soon, even though I also have some Ducatis and an RC51.

[RT jim]

[QUOTE=spezjag]Personally, I love my XR650L. It is a totally fun street bike, can easily do fire trails and such, and is so reliable that I never worry about it getting me back home.
QUOTE] Guys two questions on xr650L 1. Can I lower that 37" seat much(Hey if my ele. carving knife can buzz the seat i'll do that also) 2. Tips on bigger fuel tank vendor. thanks

[motowest]

I have a '93 XR650L which is a great bike. I had the exact same bike several years ago which I sold and have regreted selling it ever since. I have taken my stock bike and introduced an IMS 4.0 gallon tank, which is a must. Acerbis also makes a slightly larger tank from what I hear. As for lowering the seat, I've heard that there is a lowering link available for those who find the bike too tall. I don't need this, but I'm sure a search over on ThumperTalk will probably offer more information.


I am looking for more mods for my bike: gps, rack, luggage, etc. as I plan on riding in the Sierras and the OBDR this summer. These are great bikes, but their technology is over ten years old, so most people are looking at the newer bikes.

[Max Power]

[QUOTE=RT jim]

Originally Posted by spezjag

Personally, I love my XR650L. It is a totally fun street bike, can easily do fire trails and such, and is so reliable that I never worry about it getting me back home.
QUOTE] Guys two questions on xr650L 1. Can I lower that 37" seat much(Hey if my ele. carving knife can buzz the seat i'll do that also) 2. Tips on bigger fuel tank vendor. thanks

Re bigger tank. Go with the Clarke.

Info HERE

[murgatroid42]

Originally Posted by motowest

I have a '93 XR650L which is a great bike. I had the exact same bike several years ago which I sold and have regreted selling it ever since. I have taken my stock bike and introduced an IMS 4.0 gallon tank, which is a must. Acerbis also makes a slightly larger tank from what I hear. As for lowering the seat, I've heard that there is a lowering link available for those who find the bike too tall. I don't need this, but I'm sure a search over on ThumperTalk will probably offer more information.


I am looking for more mods for my bike: gps, rack, luggage, etc. as I plan on riding in the Sierras and the OBDR this summer. These are great bikes, but their technology is over ten years old, so most people are looking at the newer bikes.

Yes, ThumperTalk will provide all the info and opinions you need on accessories, etc. More than this site, although there is a lot of real-world riding advice here.

There are a lot of new people in this thread. It's great to see more people getting into dualsport riding. "Welcome to the asylum". Most people here are really very good-natured, friendly, and helpful, but make sure you have thick skin and put on your flameproof underwear if you venture into "Jo Momma".

[deerslayR]

[QUOTE=RT jim]

Originally Posted by spezjag

Personally, I love my XR650L. It is a totally fun street bike, can easily do fire trails and such, and is so reliable that I never worry about it getting me back home.
QUOTE] Guys two questions on xr650L 1. Can I lower that 37" seat much(Hey if my ele. carving knife can buzz the seat i'll do that also) 2. Tips on bigger fuel tank vendor. thanks

....4 gallon tank on my XR650L. Nice compromise between enough range and having a large pumpkin between the knees.
Did the jetting and added the Cobra muffler tip. Sweet!
Have ridden street, trail and even two enduros on it.
Most versatile bike I own.(have a BMW R100G/S , a DRZ400e and the Honda).
Here's a pic from last winter in Greenwich, NJ. Was doing the NJ TOR. Temperature 17* brrrrrr.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Nocturnal]

Originally Posted by RT jim

Guys two questions on xr650L 1. Can I lower that 37" seat much(Hey if my ele. carving knife can buzz the seat i'll do that also) 2. Tips on bigger fuel tank vendor. thanks

The XRLUG group on yahoo also has a lot of info on the L.

I think the lowering link will drop it up to 2", but I can't remember.

The only vendor for the larger tanks that I have looked at is BajaDesigns . I can't remember what brand(s) they sell or the price.

[katbeanz]

Originally Posted by murgatroid42

snip

STFU and drinking beer is good advice around here!

The wrong thing to do: A n00b, named "fstrnu" posted pics of his XR650L and bragged how it he could outride everyone, and how much better his bike was than the BMW GS'es, etc. He was immediately flamed into oblivion.

O.K. thanks for the insight!
I've got a 93 XRL with close to 20k. I'd like to have a 650R but not bad enough to spend a grand for an E-start kit or the hassle of getting one plated. For my needs the XRL is perfect, relatively inexpensive, simple, reliable, low maintenance and good suspension for mildly aggressive dualsport riding.
The seat height isn't much of a problem for me, but there was that one time on Colorado's rainbow trail

To some it might seem like polishing a turd, but a mild cam, 10.5 to 1 comp piston, mikuni flatslide and Big Gun exhaust makes for more fun per mile without losing reliability.
I never haul a passenger, and run dot knobbies so very little highway. Some walmart atv tank panniers and an old tankbag on the luggage rack haul everything I need for daytrips. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

[wickedsprint]

Originally Posted by Bum125

Most, not all, Harley riders shun anything that's not assembled in Milwaukee with lots of foreign parts. ND, Showa, Keihin, ect, ect, ect. WOW! Same parts my Honda's made of.

I wave to all riders, although I have owned like 11 jap bikes before my HD, and still ride dirtbikes, although when on the dirtbike...I get absolutely no waves from HD riders, even though my dirtbike would lay waste to 90 percent of them stoplight to stoplight, kinda amusing. Don't lose too much sleep over the non HD wave, alot of those guys are credit card riders with little or no skill and are probably deathly afraid to take a hand off the bars.

[RT jim]

Originally Posted by wickedsprint

Iwith little or no skill and are probably deathly afraid to take a hand off the bars.

I would be to with no helmet! Really I don't understand when it's 45 degrees and not wear one is it to hot?

[Gerg]

What kind of distances can you folks with the 4 or 5 gallon tanks run before you have to start worrying about a refill?

Gerg

[12bridn]

Originally Posted by murgatroid42

The wrong thing to do: A n00b, named "fstrnu" posted pics of his XR650L and bragged how it he could outride everyone, and how much better his bike was than the BMW GS'es, etc. He was immediately flamed into oblivion.

I was going to mention that. Pillshovel, Jimbo and I went to the same place that fstrnu took the pics in that thread. I rode my NX, Pill on his 625 and Jim on my KLR250. A guy showed up on an XR650L and we got to talking. He hesitated a bit when I asked him if he knew of advrider. He kept talking about how tough the (groomed!) trails were, and how he couldn't get out of 1st gear, even though he had put on a smaller front sprocket. We just nodded, seeing as how Pill and I were running 2nd-3rd 95 percent of the time, jumping he waterbars. He politely declined when we asked him to join our group.

I haven't ridden an XR-L, but my NX has the same engine. Shakes a bit, but has plenty power for anything I want to do offroad with a 390lb bike. I would like the extra suspension travel of the XR, though.

[DeadRat]

If you need a lowering link for the 650L, Devol makes a great one that lowers the seat 1". That doesn't seem like much, but 1" really made a big difference. White Brothers sells them for around $80.00.

[katbeanz]

Originally Posted by Gerg

What kind of distances can you folks with the 4 or 5 gallon tanks run before you have to start worrying about a refill?

Gerg

I rode White Rim in 2001 with the 4 gallon IMS, I had a extra gallon tied on the back that I lost about 40 miles in. I salvaged maybe a quart and got back to Moab with 154 miles on the odo. My engine is 675ccs and then I was using a modified CV carb. I run 14/49 vs 15/45 stock gearing.
I had some problems with the CV carb a few times so got a flatslide mikuni. Since I did the cam I'm usually on the gas fairly hard so I figure 30-35 mpg on two track.
My buddys DR650 sips gas and runs great, I had to do the motor work to equalize the extra load my bike has to carry.