Already had installed a UniFilter, FMF header/slip on system and desmogged it last year, rejetted the carb today to complete the performance upgrade. Runs great, instant power, breathes freely and brings the front wheel up easily. Have a new set of tires waiting to be mounted and that will complete the transformation other than some tank decals.
I'm picking up one on Monday. It has some of the same things done to it...like a slide carb and different pipe. I like the brush guards you have! These bikes are very popular out in the desert, where I'll be riding it!
I'm picking up one on Monday. It has some of the same things done to it...like a slide carb and different pipe. I like the brush guards you have! These bikes are very popular out in the desert, where I'll be riding it!
Note that there are two different bikes and dont get em confused... XR650L pictured in this thread... 650cc air cooled. and the XR650R, the BAJA king, 650cc liquid cooled BEAST. Both GREAT bikes, 650R never came street legal from the factory and if im not mistaken didnt have electric start either, but made a BUNCH more power than the L.
Great lookin bike OP. the mods make it look like it should! that stock tail light was NASTY!
I'm picking up one on Monday. It has some of the same things done to it...like a slide carb and different pipe. I like the brush guards you have! These bikes are very popular out in the desert, where I'll be riding it!
Cool, what year? Not that it really matters, they were virtually unchanged from 2001 up, and not many changes from the original 1993 model. Check out ThumperTalk and ADVrider as excellent sources of information, helped me a lot in deciding how to modify it to my tastes. Make sure you remove the smog equipment if it hasn't been done already and if it still has the stock carb do the "Dave's Mods"; drilling out the slide holes, rejetting and shimming the needle, makes a HUGE difference. The h/l guard, engine skid plate and guards and m/c guard are from Turbo City, available direct or through ebay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nd4spdbh
Note that there are two different bikes and dont get em confused... XR650L pictured in this thread... 650cc air cooled. and the XR650R, the BAJA king, 650cc liquid cooled BEAST. Both GREAT bikes, 650R never came street legal from the factory and if im not mistaken didnt have electric start either, but made a BUNCH more power than the L.
Great lookin bike OP. the mods make it look like it should! that stock tail light was NASTY!
Yeah, R's are a whole different beast, for us guys that aren't running Baja any time soon the L is great for everyday dual sport riding and is virtually bulletproof. Has any manufacturer ever produced an uglier stock taillight?
Quote:
Originally Posted by marylandmike
Great job Scott, you always do things first class....no exception here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HondaJim
Looks really good Scott. Nice transformation. It will really look good when you resticker the tank.
Thanks guys, I have a set of plain black Honda Wing XR stickers for the tank, have been debating covering the white side panels with all the manufacturer decals that came with my aftermarket parts.
SBeau, I suggest staying away from decals on the tank.
Ya think? I actually don't mind the stealth look as it sits now, very clean compared to the cartoonish stock tank decals. I like how your KLR looks all debadged with decals removed, you may be right.
Already have some cheapo ebay Wing/XR decals though so I'll probably try those and see how they look, can always peel them back off.
Besides looking better IMHO ... the plastic tank will breath and the decals may not stay on or look pristine for very long.
+1, I had an XR250L that I installed a plastic tank on and put the decals on it, they looked good for a few months and left stains on the plastic when I took them off.
Looks good, Scott.
Fun riding this summer, no doubt.
Trying to make it comfortable enough to keep up with Gin on her GS Kristen, haven't ridden it much yet with the windscreen but it does seem to do a good job of keeping the wind off my body and doesn't make the front end squirrely.
Looks great Scott!
I didn't notice any suspension mods on your list. The fork & shock spings are notoriously soft on the 650L, especially for a guy your size running an oversized tank and possibly luggage. Couldn't hurt to give a reputable suspension co. a call.
Looks great Scott!
I didn't notice any suspension mods on your list. The fork & shock spings are notoriously soft on the 650L, especially for a guy your size running an oversized tank and possibly luggage. Couldn't hurt to give a reputable suspension co. a call.
Plus, with an upgrade think of the jump............
nevermind. Scratch that.
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"Towards the end of the vid, it looks like she may have had a bafflectomy." - MarylandMike
Looks great, if the red tank doesn't bother you I'd leave the decals off, mine are peeling and the the tank doesn't look s nice under the decals as it used to.
Now, what about those stock Death-Wing tires, didn't I see a set of knobbies banded together in your garage in another photo somewhere?
I think it will look good with decals. However, as mentioned let the tank breath first. A new plastic tank needs to. I put some decals on my XR650L IMS tank right away & they just blew off in the wind on a ride. I let it go naked awhile & then put on a second set that stuck fine. All I see you needing is a SRC fork brace--you can feel a difference.
Looks great Scott!
I didn't notice any suspension mods on your list. The fork & shock spings are notoriously soft on the 650L, especially for a guy your size running an oversized tank and possibly luggage. Couldn't hurt to give a reputable suspension co. a call.
Yep, upgraded suspension is still on the list, did the do it yourself stuff first. Also thinking of adding an oil cooler and a fork brace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by voodooridr
Looks great, if the red tank doesn't bother you I'd leave the decals off, mine are peeling and the the tank doesn't look s nice under the decals as it used to.
Now, what about those stock Death-Wing tires, didn't I see a set of knobbies banded together in your garage in another photo somewhere?
Tires are next, new set of Kenda waiting to be installed.
Already had installed a UniFilter, FMF header/slip on system and desmogged it last year, rejetted the carb today to complete the performance upgrade. Runs great, instant power, breathes freely and brings the front wheel up easily. Have a new set of tires waiting to be mounted and that will complete the transformation other than some tank decals.
Before, all stock...
After...
that's one good looking bike. if your travels ever bring you out west, drop me a line I would love to show you around southern Cali. Couple of weeks ago, I picked up a 2002 Xr650R, which has been plated and in practically brand new condition, already been uncorked and jetted and came with a FMF pipe. since I've got it ,i've put on a new set of Dunlop 606 tires, changed the rear sprocket to 46T from 48T, and removed all the smog crap. I have a 4.6g IMS tank and a new Renthal bar to put on before the weekend , and going to get her dirty on Sunday. J919 and I are planning to hit some of the local mountains this weekend , hopefuly he'll bring his camera and we'll post some pictures. the trail conditions are just epic around here right now. the only down side I can see is not have the electric start. but I figured that would be a small sacrifice to make for more powerful, liquid cooled and much lighter bike than the XRL, that is still a Honda. I hope I won't come to regret this decision on some tight switch back
that's one good looking bike. if your travels ever bring you out west, drop me a line I would love to show you around southern Cali. Couple of weeks ago, I picked up a 2002 Xr650R, which has been plated and in practically brand new condition, already been uncorked and jetted and came with a FMF pipe. since I've got it ,i've put on a new set of Dunlop 606 tires, changed the rear sprocket to 46T from 48T, and removed all the smog crap. I have a 4.6g IMS tank and a new Renthal bar to put on before the weekend , and going to get her dirty on Sunday. J919 and I are planning to hit some of the local mountains this weekend , hopefuly he'll bring his camera and we'll post some pictures. the trail conditions are just epic around here right now. the only down side I can see is not have the electric start. but I figured that would be a small sacrifice to make for more powerful, liquid cooled and much lighter bike than the XRL, that is still a Honda. I hope I won't come to regret this decision on some tight switch back
Would like to see some pics of your 650R and hear your riding impressions!
Just figured out a wierd thing on my XRL tonight. When I installed the Western Powersports taillight I didn't think it seemed very bright and it barely got any brighter when the brake was applied. I double checked my wiring and it was correct but I didn't feel like it was safe to ride on the street without some idiot rearending me. I took it back apart tonight and checked it all over again. Found out that the second element in the bulb didn't light up with the brake, just one element was lit and it only glowed slightly brighter when the brakes were applied. I figured it had to be wired wrong or there was a glitch somewhere, rechecked my wiring and they were connected right, checked it with a test light and one wire showed power to the taillight with the key on and the other wire showed power when the brake was applied so that was correct. I was wondering if somehow I had gotten a defective tailight but it is such a simple device that it really can't be defective. I finally figured out that the bulb socket was assembled backwards and the contacts were reversed. I popped out the bulb contact plate, rotated it 180 degrees and reassembled it, stuck in the bulb and it worked fine, both elements light up when the brake is applied. Much brighter now and the brake light is extremely visible!
Would like to see some pics of your 650R and hear your riding impressions!
Just figured out a wierd thing on my XRL tonight. When I installed the Western Powersports taillight I didn't think it seemed very bright and it barely got any brighter when the brake was applied. I double checked my wiring and it was correct but I didn't feel like it was safe to ride on the street without some idiot rearending me. I took it back apart tonight and checked it all over again. Found out that the second element in the bulb didn't light up with the brake, just one element was lit and it only glowed slightly brighter when the brakes were applied. I figured it had to be wired wrong or there was a glitch somewhere, rechecked my wiring and they were connected right, checked it with a test light and one wire showed power to the taillight with the key on and the other wire showed power when the brake was applied so that was correct. I was wondering if somehow I had gotten a defective tailight but it is such a simple device that it really can't be defective. I finally figured out that the bulb socket was assembled backwards and the contacts were reversed. I popped out the bulb contact plate, rotated it 180 degrees and reassembled it, stuck in the bulb and it worked fine, both elements light up when the brake is applied. Much brighter now and the brake light is extremely visible!
I would post pictures but I don't know how, hopefully "J919" will post some soon. He and I hit the trail last Sunday and we had a blast. "J919" was on a CRF450R, and I rode the XR650r. my impression of the bike now that I've had my hands on it for a couple of weeks is that , this bike is capable of tackling a variety of terrains but it really shines on wide open desert and dirt roads. which is what it was designed for. If you understand its limitations and its strengths, it is probably the most fun one would have on two wheels. we rode every thing from tight single track to sandy wash basin, hard pack blue grooved hill climbs to rocky down hills and the bike handled it all without a hiccup. I did experience some break fade and a little front wheel wallowing in some sections. Steel braided break line and some fresh break fluid should take care of fading. Stiffer springs to carry my fat ass and a steering stabilizer should clean out the handling issue. After these are done, I think I'm going to look at the luggage rack and the wind shield, I really like what you've done, I hope you won't mind me stealing some of you Ideas.
why did you change your taillight? was it just for the bling factor or is there a functional advantage over the oem?
I would post pictures but I don't know how, hopefully "J919" will post some soon. He and I hit the trail last Sunday and we had a blast. "J919" was on a CRF450R, and I rode the XR650r. my impression of the bike now that I've had my hands on it for a couple of weeks is that , this bike is capable of tackling a variety of terrains but it really shines on wide open desert and dirt roads. which is what it was designed for. If you understand its limitations and its strengths, it is probably the most fun one would have on two wheels. we rode every thing from tight single track to sandy wash basin, hard pack blue grooved hill climbs to rocky down hills and the bike handled it all without a hiccup. I did experience some break fade and a little front wheel wallowing in some sections. Steel braided break line and some fresh break fluid should take care of fading. Stiffer springs to carry my fat ass and a steering stabilizer should clean out the handling issue. After these are done, I think I'm going to look at the luggage rack and the wind shield, I really like what you've done, I hope you won't mind me stealing some of you Ideas.
why did you change your taillight? was it just for the bling factor or is there a functional advantage over the oem?
Glad to help, if you need any sources just let me know. Good to hear your impressions of the 650R, haven't had the opportunity to ride one.
As far as the taillight, the stock light is FUGLY! The new light is not only much more esthetically pleasing, it's lighter and also brighter.
I've got a fork brace on the way along with a Wolfman tailbag, probably won't do a whole lot more right now until I put some miles on it and see what else it needs.
We did have a chance to get out of the city last Saturday, here are a couple of pics...
Looks great! Out of curiousity, is it still technically street legal and able to pass inspection with the plastic tank? I thought that the tanks had to be metal for street legal bikes - but not sure if that is still true...
Looks great! Out of curiousity, is it still technically street legal and able to pass inspection with the plastic tank? I thought that the tanks had to be metal for street legal bikes - but not sure if that is still true...
never heard that before. all the popular dual sport bikes out there have oversized plastic tanks available as aftermarket so I would assume it's okay to still ride on the street with them. never even gave it a thought though as I contemplated getting one for my dual sport.
__________________
I Don't try to explain to people why I ride a motorcycle
"For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."
Looks great! Out of curiousity, is it still technically street legal and able to pass inspection with the plastic tank? I thought that the tanks had to be metal for street legal bikes - but not sure if that is still true...
I think you're partially correct, here in CA once the bike is registered, we don't have to get it re inspected like we do with cars. and if you get pulled over by the highway patrol, they usually look for missing mirrors, lights, aftermarket pipes and these sort of things, they seldom focus on the gas tank. and if the LEO happens to be a real "DICK", all he can do is to give you a "fix it" ticket, in which case you just put the oem tank back on and get it inspected.
Technically your bike is no longer street legal, if you remove any of the smog control systems like PAIR or AIS, or have a fender eliminator, have integrated tail light, have after market pipe and a shit load of other modification that people do to their bikes everyday.
Glad to help, if you need any sources just let me know. Good to hear your impressions of the 650R, haven't had the opportunity to ride one.
As far as the taillight, the stock light is FUGLY! The new light is not only much more esthetically pleasing, it's lighter and also brighter.
I've got a fork brace on the way along with a Wolfman tailbag, probably won't do a whole lot more right now until I put some miles on it and see what else it needs.
We did have a chance to get out of the city last Saturday, here are a couple of pics...
Also stuck a few decals on it Sunday...
I think you should stop posting pictures,(LOL, just kidding keep them coming) . I just added "CORBIN SEAT" to my list. seeing that beautiful bike and the stunning back drop and cool places you get to see on a dual sport bike, is worth every penny
never heard that before. all the popular dual sport bikes out there have oversized plastic tanks available as aftermarket so I would assume it's okay to still ride on the street with them. never even gave it a thought though as I contemplated getting one for my dual sport.
I'm quite positive it's a DOT (federal) requirement - that's why you don't see new street legal duals in the dealer with anything but metal tanks. But as mantelhonda mentioned, 90% of the mods we do will possibly have problems with a state inspection, so unless you meet up with an unfriendly cop or inspector it's probably fine to run the roads with. Most cops probably don't even realize it's an issue...
here are a couple of pics from gorman last sunday... i was planning on taking more pics, but once we started riding i forgot all about the camera.
riding dirt is new to me, and the learning curve is pretty steep. i've fooled around with my little xl200 dual sport a little bit, but its performance is so poor that it doesn't really give me a good feel for the dirt. i rode mantelhonda's cbf450r on sunday, and that bike is amazing.
dirt sure is fun... this was my second day on a real dirtbike, and i found my groove. i had a blast: leaning into the banked single track turns, blasting through deep sand at 50mph, jumping over whoops, hill climbing and long steep downhill runs. i left the trail once in the rocks, but kept it on two wheels the whole day (which was a big improvement on my first dirt adventure... though that day was full of slick mud, which is a whole different kind of fun).
mantelhonda's new dual sported xr650r is a beautiful bike. i can tell that i'll need something similar to scratch that adventure itch...
Mine is a 2003. White Brothers pipe with 12 discs, skidplate, Vibranators with bar-end weights take the tingle out of my hands when I get off of it, Cycra bark-busters on the way. Fork brace planned.
Even before I get the too-stiff suspension fixed, I'm able to skim over whoops on this bike like I've never been able to do before. Can't wait to get the suspension worked out for me. It's been a while since I had a bike that I could wheelie in 4th gear!
These bikes do shine out in the wide open desert. Better riders can do some pretty technical terrain on this bike, but, it's so high, you have to have excellent balance at low speeds in tight terrain...it's a LONG way to the ground to dab to keep from falling over!
I'm quite positive it's a DOT (federal) requirement - that's why you don't see new street legal duals in the dealer with anything but metal tanks. But as mantelhonda mentioned, 90% of the mods we do will possibly have problems with a state inspection, so unless you meet up with an unfriendly cop or inspector it's probably fine to run the roads with. Most cops probably don't even realize it's an issue...
makes sense and as stated there's a lot of common mods that aren't technically legal but no one really seems to care. Guess I was just surprised that I've never heard that before after reading all sorts of threads on forums regarding plastic oversized tanks. good info.
__________________
I Don't try to explain to people why I ride a motorcycle
"For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who don't understand, no explanation is possible."
here are a couple of pics from gorman last sunday... i was planning on taking more pics, but once we started riding i forgot all about the camera.
riding dirt is new to me, and the learning curve is pretty steep. i've fooled around with my little xl200 dual sport a little bit, but its performance is so poor that it doesn't really give me a good feel for the dirt. i rode mantelhonda's cbf450r on sunday, and that bike is amazing.
dirt sure is fun... this was my second day on a real dirtbike, and i found my groove. i had a blast: leaning into the banked single track turns, blasting through deep sand at 50mph, jumping over whoops, hill climbing and long steep downhill runs. i left the trail once in the rocks, but kept it on two wheels the whole day (which was a big improvement on my first dirt adventure... though that day was full of slick mud, which is a whole different kind of fun).
mantelhonda's new dual sported xr650r is a beautiful bike. i can tell that i'll need something similar to scratch that adventure itch...
...j919
You guys are out in the boonies! Looks like fun, can't wait to take our bikes to Iowa next month and ride around in the fields and dirt roads.
As far as the plastic tank goes, Indiana has no inspection law so pretty much anything goes. Aren't there several bikes that come from the factory with plastic tanks? Perhaps they have a metal fuel cell underneath, not sure.
I'm quite positive it's a DOT (federal) requirement - that's why you don't see new street legal duals in the dealer with anything but metal tanks. But as mantelhonda mentioned, 90% of the mods we do will possibly have problems with a state inspection, so unless you meet up with an unfriendly cop or inspector it's probably fine to run the roads with. Most cops probably don't even realize it's an issue...
KTM, Husqvarna, TM, Beta, GasGas and a host of others all make street leagal dual-sport bikes with plastic tanks that are 100% DOT legal...even here in eco-naziland, California.
It's been a common misconception that you have to have a metal tank to be street legal, but it couldn't be farther from the truth.
Perhaps the misconception got started because all the Japanese manufacturers put steel tanks on their dual-sports, but whatever the reason, it wasn't because the DOT told them to.
KTM, Husqvarna, TM, Beta, GasGas and a host of others all make street leagal dual-sport bikes with plastic tanks that are 100% DOT legal...even here in eco-naziland, California.
It's been a common misconception that you have to have a metal tank to be street legal, but it couldn't be farther from the truth.
Perhaps the misconception got started because all the Japanese manufacturers put steel tanks on their dual-sports, but whatever the reason, it wasn't because the DOT told them to.
Hey, you're right, just looked up some KTMs!
Always that metal was a requirement - learn something new everyday.
From what I've heard, it is not DOT that requires metal tanks, it's the EPA. most plastic tanks emit some fumes through the tank wall. so if the factory is going to make plastic tanks they are usually double lined and have to meet a certain standard. so it is less of a headache just to make them out of steel and live with the added weight. of course KTM, HUSKY, and maybe BMW who are going to charge $10,000.00 or more for dual sport bike can handle the extra trouble of producing a plastic tank that meet emission standards.
From what I've heard, it is not DOT that requires metal tanks, it's the EPA. most plastic tanks emit some fumes through the tank wall. so if the factory is going to make plastic tanks they are usually double lined and have to meet a certain standard. so it is less of a headache just to make them out of steel and live with the added weight. of course KTM, HUSKY, and maybe BMW who are going to charge $10,000.00 or more for dual sport bike can handle the extra trouble of producing a plastic tank that meet emission standards.
You're right mantel, it's the EPA thats in charge of all that stuff. I think C.A.R.B. might be a result of EPA bullshiit too. Man, those EPA guys sure do ruin alot of good bikes.
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