2017/2018 HONDA XR650L
FULL TEST
P68
perform well at both ends, on
and off the road. They are excel-
lent dual-sport rubber for any
dual-sport bike, especially if you
plan to spend a lot of time on the
dirt.
The stock handlebars have
to go. I have no idea who they
were designed for, certainly not
a human. Taller bars with a flatter
bend are needed, as are wider
footpegs.
Even with its seemingly glaring
flaws, I had a blast hanging out
the ol'-but-new XR650L. Often
times when I had a few hours
to spare, I'd throw on a helmet,
pants and boots and head out
to the nearby hills for a quick, or
sometimes long, recharge. The
smallish 2.8-gallon tank will/
should/might get you just about
100 miles of light-duty street
riding.
But the XR650L is capable of
a lot more than just local rides.
I feel that the $6899 XR650L
would make a good-performing
and very affordable adventure
bike; when you look at it in that
light, suddenly the 650L doesn't
seem quite so heavy, and with
a few personal mods and some
simple must-have bolt-on acces-
sories, like a larger fuel tank,
saddlebags, stouter lights, etc.,
you have yourself a super-reli-
able and agile ADV bike that can
certainly handle technical trails
better than some of its higher-
priced and more technically
advanced rivals. As is, though,
the XR650L is a fun, affordable
dual-sport machine that has tons
of potential for being a super
long-distance roamer, both on
and off the road—as long as
you're not in a bit hurry.
As far as I know, Honda has
no plans to drop the XR650L
from its lineup anytime soon, but
I do know for sure that it returns
as a 2018 model, happily and ex-
actly like it was last year, and the
year before that, and the year
before that and… CN
This is what the
XR650L loves
to do, and it still
does well.
