VOL. 54 ISSUE 48 DECEMBER 5, 2017 P67
claims 346 pounds wet and it
feels every pound of it; it does
not hide its weight very well,
and a lot of that has to do with
its nosebleed-high seat. At
37 inches—you almost need a
stepladder to get on it—the 650L
feels extremely top heavy. Once
it starts tipping over, watch out,
it's hard to stop it. I'm 6'1" and
the 650L still feels a little intimi-
dating to me, especially with the
wide—but comfortable for long
rides—seat that makes it tough to
reach the ground.
If you have any plans at all
to take the 650L on dirt, I'm
warning you: Don't do it before
you swap out the stock tires for
something with a little more meat
on them—like Dunlop's D606s—if
you want to have any fun at all.
The dirt-orientated D606s I
installed are DOT-certified and
2017/'18 HONDA XL650L ($6899)
ENGINE TYPE: ........Air-cooled, dry-sump,
4-stroke, single-cylinder
BORE & STROKE: .......... 100mm x 82mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: .......................8.3:1
VALVE TRAIN: ......... SOHC; 4-valve, RFVC
INDUCTION: ...... 42.5mm diaphragm-type
CV carburetor
IGNITION: .... Solid-state CD w/electronic
advance
TRANSMISSION: ........................... 5-speed
FINAL DRIVE: ............. #520 O-ring sealed
chain; 15T/45T
FRONT SUSPENSION: ......................43mm
air-adjustable Showa cartridge fork
w/16-position compression-damping
adjustability
REAR SUSPENSION: .....................Pro-Link
Showa single-shock w/spring-preload,
20-position compression and 20-posi-
tion rebound-damping adjustability
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: .................. 11.6 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: .................... 11.0 in.
FRONT BRAKE: .....Single disc w/2-piston
caliper
REAR BRAKE: ...........................Single disc
FRONT TIRE: .............................3.00-21 in.
REAR TIRE: ................................4.60-18 in.
FRAME: ............................................... Steel
RAKE: .................................................. 27.0°
TRAIL: ............................................... 4.0 in.
WHEELBASE: .................................. 57.3 in.
SEAT HEIGHT: ................................ 37.0 in.
CURB WEIGHT: ............ 346 lbs. (claimed)
FUEL CAPACITY: ............................ 2.8 gal.
GROUND CLEARANCE: ................... 13.0 in.
MPG: ...............................................52 mpg
COLORS: ............................................... Red
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
