Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) The XR650L is an extremely tall motorcycle with a 37.4-inch seat height. It's also quite heavy at a claimed dry weight of 324 pounds. (Below) The big 43mm Showa fork features a cartridge system. normal conditions, the wings aren't needed and can be easily removed. The XR650L is not a light motorcycle by any means. Its claimed dry weight is a realistic 324 pounds! That's approximately 60 pounds heavier than the XR600R, which is not an exactly light motorcycle to begin with. Riding the beast One press of the starter button and the XR650L fires to life. There's no doubt that electric starting on a single cylinder, big-bore four-stroke is literally worth its weight in aluminum alloy. Even before you hit the starter button, you'll notice that the XR650L is a tall motorcycle. Very tall.lt takes significant effort to straddle the 37.6 inches of seat height to board the Honda, and once you're on top, it's tip-toe time, even for a six-foot-tall rider! Shorter riders might have a problem with the XR's height and will probably want to take some of the padding out of the seat. Once you're rolling, though, you'll quickly forget about the height and concentrate on the XR600R-like torque, but you'll definitely know that you're not on the XR600R because of the 65O's tall gearing. Right out of the crate, the XR650L is geared for the highway and there are large gaps between each gear, especially between first and second; in fact, it almost feels as though they forgot to install second gear. The tall gearing is actually quite nice for street riding but not for the dirt. On two-track dirt roads, first gear is too low, and in second gear, the motor labors until the "Rs" build. This is especially evident while climbing medium-grade hills. One tooth down on the countershaft sprocket should cure the problem, and, according to Honda, does. The motor, as expected, is powerful. It pulls well off the bottom and revs quite high on top, exceptionally high for a big-bore single cylinder four-stroke. With the stock gearing, the XR650R cruises comfortably at 65 mph on the highway. Because of its torquey motor, the XR650L is, like the XL600, an excellent wheelie bike. Pop the clutch in second gear, pull back slightly on the handlebars and the front climbs nicely and predictably. Traction, however, is a must. On dry ground, the stock rear tire has a hard time hooking up, which brings us to the next subject - tires. The stock tires just don't stick very well on the dirt. Since the XR650L is quite heavy and tall, it likes to skate all over the trail, resulting in tired and aching muscles after a long day in the saddle. We immediately replaced the stock tires with DOT-stamped Metzeler Unicross knobby tires and they were a tremendous improvement, especially up front. If you don't want to replace both tires, at least change the front tire, which will make the XR650L much more docile and less of a handful on the trails. With knobbies attached, the XR650L hooks up well and can be ridden much more aggressively. Ridden that way, you can really appreciate the XR's excellent brakes. Both front and rear discs are powerful and progressive and require little pressure on the brake lever and pedal. As far as fuel range, the gas tank holds 2.6 gallons, and we consistently had to switch to reserve at just over 80 miles, which included a little bit of everything in terms of riding conditions, from highway cruising to two-track dirt roads to narrow trails. Fortunately, the XR has a half-gallon of reserve fuel. So, the XR should cover at least 100 miles before running dry, according to our calculations. For those who want more range, larger aftermarket gas tanks are already available for the XR65OL. The 650's suspension is praiseworthy, especially up front, thanks to the cartridge fork. It really works well, and you11 be thankful it does when motoring down rocky and rut-filled trails on the tall and heavy 650. The rear shock works just as good.' You can land off jumps with the confidence that the back end won't bottom harshly and swap. It tracks fairly well over the whoops, as well, but you can't push it as hard as you would the XR600R. Everything else about the 650 is comparable to the XR600R. It's extremely comfortable, the seat is nice and wide, the controls are right where they should be, and the motor has already proven to be bulletproof. Reliability should be one of the 650's strongpoints. Worth the wait? Without a doubt, yes. This motorcycles lives up to everything that was expected of it. Although it's a little on the heavy and tall side, the XR650L is definitely a neat bike, thanks to its extremely good suspension and motor, and, of course, the electric starter. Those of you who've held out on purchasing a new dual sport bike because you were awaiting the release of the XR65OL, won't be disappointed. It works well on the trail, even more so if you change the tires, and cruises along decently on the highway, making it not only a great weekend bike, but'a weekday commuter bike, as well. If you can't afford more than one bike in your garage, and you can't decide between a dirt bike or a street bike, then here's your salvation. You'll love this one. a Specifications 1993 Honda XR650L Engine type Air-eooled, single -cylinder, four-stroke .loo x 82mm Bore & Stroke Compression ratio 8.3:1 Valve train SOHC; 4-valve RFVC Carburetion 40mm CV Ignition SOlid state CD w / electronic advance Oil capacity 2.4 qt. Air filtration Paper element Engine dry weight (w/carb) .....113Ibs. Clutch Wet, multi-plate Transmission 5-speed, constant mesh Final drive #520 O-ring sealed chain; 15/45T Starting system Electric Battery capacity 12 Volt Front suspension 43mm air -adjustable leading-axle fork w /8position compression damping adjustability Rear suspension .........Pro-Link single shock w / spring preload, 20-position compression and 20-position rebound damping adjustability Wheel travel.. Front: 11.6 in. Rear: 11.0 in. Frame .5emi double cradle .. Brakes Front: 320mm, single disc w /twinpiston caliper Rear: 303mm, single disc w / singlepiston caliper Tires Front: 80/100-21 Rear: 110/100-18 OIA length 86.0 in. OIA. width .33.7 in. OIA height... 49.0 in. Wheelbase 57.3 in. Seat height 37.4 in. Ground clearance .13.0 in. Dry weight (claimed) : 324.0 lb Fuel capacity 2.6 ga1., including 0.5 ga1. reserve Color : White Retail price $4399 33

• Cover