2017/2018 HONDA XR650L
FULL TEST
P66
XR650L by; instead of being the
best-performing dual sport bike
of its day, it now serves its new
role extremely well—being an af-
fordable, around-town commuter
and a remarkably capable trail
bike, complete with that golden
key on the back that opens the
gate to the world, aka license
plate.
The XR650L is still a blast
to ride, thanks to its super-
smooth and torquey engine,
and suspension that is surpris-
ingly good. The semi adjustable
43mm Showa cartridge conven-
tional fork, which was the hot
ticket back in the early '90s for
the serious off-road racer, still
performs well despite being a
little on the "springy" side (not
to mention stiff). But these forks
have been around a long time
and any quality suspension shop
will know how to make these
things really sing. The rear isn't
perfect but does its job admi-
rably; the Showa shock is fully
adjustable. The front and rear
disc brakes are strong (enough),
and we certainly appreciate the
stock hand guards and even the
old-school rear fender bag; I
actually used it a lot.
As mentioned, the XR650L
is heavy—really heavy. Honda
If It Was Mine…
…I wouldn't wait for the original tires to wear
out; that is for sure. Since my personal
XR650L would see far more terra firma
than tarmac, I'd—like I did with our test bike
here—swap them out for a set of more dirt-
worthy DOT Dunlop D606 tires, stat, and
I'd most likely toss out the handlebars at the
same time, or soon after. I'd also ditch the
mirrors for plastic retractable mirrors, and
replace the turn signals with sleeker ones.
Next, I'd throw the footpegs in the same
trash bin as the handlebars and replace
them with something wider than a fingernail
file. (A brighter headlight would be on my
Christmas list, too.) Now, I would be quite
happy riding and living with it this way for
quite a while before ponying up for a larger
fuel tank. Then I'd think about gearing it
down a bit, perhaps adding three or four
teeth to the rear sprocket to give it a bit
more snap on the trails, and then start figur-
ing out ways to lower the seat height and
lighten 'er up as much as possible. There
are plenty of ideas out there on how to do
that, though I wouldn't be in any hurry to
replace the stock muffler; yeah, I know, it's
heavy and ugly but I like quiet bikes.
Here is the start
of what we think
would make
an ideal—and
affordable—ADV
bike. What a
difference a few
accessories
would make!
