Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126600
grease can be pumped into the lin kage between ma jor servicin gs. A zerk fitting is also loca ted on the swingar m, which keeps th ose bea rings wo rking smoothly and in creases their life . The fittings show that H o nda eng i neers have been doing th eir homework. The rear end goes up and down really well under norm al en d uro typ e riding, its intended us e. H aving less than ten in ch es of travel, harsh landings may occu r off skyscraper jumps. T he rear suspens ion's pe rformance is eq ua lle d up fron t. T h e 35mm S howa te lescopi c air fo rk h a s improved spring ra tes and increased oi l capacity. As with last year's model, 9.8 inches o f travel is provided. Replacing the fish oil with II o un ces of ten weight fork oil will help overall pe rforma nce. A 140 pound rider doesn' t usually need 10 ru n a n y air in the for k. On one choppy hare scrambles co urse, five p ounds o f air was used in eac h leg . T he for k sea ls do n' t leak. Spindly by roday's standards, th e 35mm stanchion tubes save weigh t. An exce llent steering head angle combined with a realistic amount of travel and a short whee lbase allow the XR 10 tu rn well in tight woods. O th er examples of weight savings in clude th e two piece fron t hu b along wit h a luminu m bo died rim locks. D.1.D rims are laced up o n both ends. Checking the spokes aft er the first few rides is a good idea , as th ey may become loose. The rear wheel is designed for quick ch a nges. After th e 24mm axle nut a nd th e brake ca ble a re loosened, th e wheel slides straight back, free from the swingarm. Th e brak e assem bly a nd ax le remai n in the hub . More than likel y, if you're in a hurry , it's because yo u have a flat tir e, rig h t? If you happen to have a spa re wheel you ca n slip o n th e bike, yo u' re in good shape . Otherwise, th e a xle a nd brak e a ssem bly will have to be tak en off an yway so a new tube ca n be put in th e tire. T he bra kes work well, considering th e sh oes' sma ll su rface a rea . The n on -floating rea r brake n eed ed adjustmen t fairl y oft en. The cable 01'1'1'ated bra ke has a wingn ut whi ch co u ld be easily tighten ed without too ls. The fo lding tip on th e brak e pedal co u ld save it from being bent in th e event o f a fall. Th e front brak e feels sp o ngy, but need s adj us ti ng less frequentl y than th e rea r. Th e brak es ca n ' t be judged o n th eir abilit y to perform a fter being run through wa ter , as th ey were o n ly bri efl y in th e . wet during testin g. A slipper type chain tensioning system replaced last year's ro llers. The change reduces noise whil e increasing durability. Excell ent snail cams with bold numbers sta m ped on them provide for fast , even chain adj ustm ent. Th e 106 links of 520 ch ain co nti nued to stre tch during each ride. Althoug h bei ng to ld by other XR200 riders abo ut the chain jumpi ng off, we never encountered the prob lem. P ro per chain adjustment is the key. Six-ply IR C tires come stock at both ends. The 3.00 x 21 from tire works better than its 4.10 x 18 counterpart on the rear. The IRC Volc anduro rear tire showed considerable wear after th e first hare scrambles and was rep laced. A sma ller 3.85 x 18 HiPo in t Red Dot wo rks we ll, as i t a llows the p ro per amount of whee lspin. A serious competitor wi ll want 10 rep lace the stock si x-p lys with top quality four-pl y tires. Bits and pieces TIlt' headlight a nd taillight still burned bright a fte r 400 mil es o f use, whi ch is almost a mi racl e. T here is no sw it ch to turn th em o ff and th ey bum co n tin uo us ly when the bike is run n ing. The real' fender isn 't long 0 1' wide enough to mount a tag. The bla ck anodized dogl eg levers are so me o f th e best. Reversed ball s o n th e ends don 't ca tch o n vines, trees or o th er o bstacles. Th e multi -purpose tool whi ch co mes with the XR perform ed a va riety of functions . An informative shop manual is availab le from Honda.for the XR. It sh ould be a must for every owner. After putting 400 miles on the XR, no mechanical probl ems were en countered oNo parts needed replacing during testing , not even a spark plug. The bott om line is th at an ad vanced ride r m ay become bored with the bike, as it isn 't exactly as much fun to ride as some snappier two-strokes. The XR has, however, proved itself as much more th an a pl a ybike, capable o f winning its class a t a lmost any en d uro. Owning th e XR200R would be a pleasure, as it requires so littleyet gives so much . • Frame 'type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diimond Front suap.neion/travel telescopic ai, f0rk/249mm. (9.8 inJ Rear euspeneIonItrevei Pro-Unk/247mm. (9.7 in.) Front tire • .. ... . . . . .. .... . ... . ..... ...... . ... IRC 3.00 X 21 - 8PR Rear tire , IRC 4.10 X 18 - 6PR . . Dimensions Wheelbase , Seat height M Inimum ground clearance Dry weight 1.3&6mm (53.3 In.) , , 890mm (35.0 In.) ; 340mm (13.4 In.) 101 kilograms (m. 7Ibs') - claimed Fuel capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 liters (2. 1 gal.) Fuel ,....". capacity , 2.0 liters (O.s get) ~ed retail price M.5§I