Hello peeps,
I've been having a scout around ( from the comfort of my arm chair!! ) for an overland/rtw bike, and wanted to know the difference between an XR650R and XR650L. A friend of mine who knows a lot more about dirt bikes than me, said the later red ones were made in spain, and not up to Hondas usual standards. I have owned 5 Honda rode bikes and none of then have ever so much as coughed, so i'm kinda sold on another.

Cheers loads for any advice

Where to start? - they are totally different bikes, sharing only manufacturer, similar name and number of wheels...

XR650L is air cooled, electric start, steel frame, modest (although competent) suspension, fully road legal (ie instruments, key ignition, lights, horn, turn signals etc.) 'trail' or 'dual sport' machine. It can trace it's roots back along a long line of air-cooled thumpers from Honda.

XR650R is water cooled, kick start only (although aftermarket e-start is available), alloy frame, fully adjustable quality suspension, and most are 'enduro' models so only have head and tail light (although some euro spec bikes were supplied with dual beam headlight, brake lights and turn signals). Introduced in 2000, it is essentially an open-class race bike, with few concessions to road use - that said, being a Honda, it is surprisingly competent in a dual sport role.

If you want more specific info about each machine, look at any number of Honda resources on the web. If you want personal opinions on how each bike works as an overland machine, you're in the right place here...

xxx

Sounds like the L model is IDEALLY the one to go for. I was wondering if because the R is an enduro bike primarily, does it have a high maintenence eigine that needs rebuilding regularly, or can it be treated like a road engine ie. 2-3 k between oil changes etc.

Hi Lee - yes, you're right in as much as the oil change intervals on the L model are a lot longer. The handbook for the 650R says to change oil every 600 miles! but as I said above, that is primarily in racing conditions. Essentially the XRR has a much smaller oil capacity - only 1.8 litres, so the oil gets worked very hard.

On average I change the oil and filter every 1000 miles in general trail riding conditions, although on my trip to Europe & Morocco this year, I pushed that to around 1800 miles - although the oil was black and thin by then. Ideally you should stick to around 1500 mile (max) changes, and always change the filter too - they are only a few pounds. Otherwise the XRR is pretty low maintenance, valves don't go out of check very often unless you are thrashing it - 6000 mile checks would be fine, longer if you're gentle.

The XR650L is certainly a great travel bike - Chris Scott used one extensively and the Americans particularly love them - cheap, rugged, low maintenance, electric start (don't leave home without one!), but that is the main problem- the 650L is essentially a USA and rest-of-world model, and was never imported into the UK. You might be able to find a grey import on the open market, but they are very rare in the UK.

Personally, having bought an R and prepped it up as a full-on rallye bike (and adventure tourer), there is a lot to recommend it - however, there are far better bikes for distance work, you've got to want to take the tricky route to make the hardcore 650R really worth the effort.

I have just bought a new Yamaha 660 Tenere after years of being dyed in the wool Honda... and the new Ten' is a fantastic machine - everything the XR isn't on the road, and almost as good off-road for the sort of trail riding you might undertake on a solo overland trip... seriously, get finance if you have to, but get one - it's awesome!

xxx

But for common dirt roads

__________________
Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Hi Patrick - don't believe all you read - journalists love to see 183Kg vs. 48bhp and make assumptions... also I imagine they have only ever been ridden on the standard (road orientated) tyres?

Sure the XT660Z is pretty weighty compared to a traditional dual-sport, but it feels a lot lighter than the figures suggest when riding - the weight is carried low, and when you are up on the pegs it is wonderfully manouverable. Remember this bike already has a 23 litre tank, fairing, decent lights, big battery, full instrumentation, pillion pegs and luggage worthy rear subframe. Add all that to a DR or XR or a KTM 640 and the weight is getting close to the same?

To answer your initial question - compared to my XR650R which has the 6 gallon acerbis tank, AQ fairing and nav gear fitted, sure the XR is a little more lithe, and is certainly more eager performance wise, and I'm sure is still 20Kg lighter - but in the real world, trail and overland riding, there is not much in it - you could take the Tenere anywhere you'd realistically expect to take a faired/big tank off-roader, and the XT is vastly more comfortable on the highway. I've not ridden the XT in really nadgery terrain as yet, but assume the XRR would have the edge, if only due to the better suspension and little less weight.

I agree the engine is 'old-school' compared to many of the current generation machines (not least the new KTM690 Enduro), but I think that is part of the equation - the XT660 lump is proven and dead reliable - 12,000 mile valve checks and 6000 mile oil changes - makes a big difference on a travel bike, which essentially this is? A WR engine, although very reliable as a race bike, just wouldn't have the same 'fit and forget' ability in that respect. The Tenere will lug along all day off road in second gear - plenty of torque and smooth delivery from the efi - it is a gem in that respect.

And personally I'd say 48bhp is plenty for the sort of riding the Tenere was designed for, it's not a racer after all (although I hear some wags are racing a couple in the upcoming Dakar in South America - that should be interesting to see!). It won't light many fires, but it just gets on with the job with a quiet confidence. As a travel buddy isn't that is exactly what you want?

xxx

ps. I agree with you about the DR650SE - it would be my choice over the XR650L too I think, although even harder to come by for Leevtr in the UK!

Hi JMo,
Any pics of your prepped bike as i have just bought one and want to copy you
Only joking of course, but would like some ideas.
Cheers, Lee

Not sure you can post photo links in the HUBB, but I'll have a go... otherwise check out TBM magazine from next month onwards... x