hello,

very happy new year 2006 !

i actually ride a r80g/s pd, after having done a "small not achieved" world tour on
a r100gs for more than 2 years and 70 000 kms.

i m more and more looking at the honda slr or fx 650, for travelling and riding
daily in paris + some off road in the province.
http://www.moto-station.com/article66.html
http://motoplanete.com/honda/FX650.php
(sorry it s in french, it s just to give you an idea of the model, since there
could be some differences between france and england/other countries)

it seems nice, reliable, esay to fix, powerfull enough, air cooled, mono cylinder, only 161 kgs empty tanks so lighter than my g/s (i m
only 1m70, 60 kgs, not very tall and strong) + i don t consider myself as a good
driver :-)

i s less "gadget" than the transalp, less enduro than the xr650, so a good compromise i guess :-)

what s your opinion on this bike ? reliable, easy to fix ? are there any special preparation (i wrote to acerbis and overland prep, waiting for their answers, if you have any other good helpfull contacts) especially for :
- a bigger tank,
- a confy seat,
- racks for the luggage,
- engine protections
- etc ... all that could be perfectible and good for travelling.

i saw no info on this honda model : but maybe some xr650 parts that acerbis/overland prep, others make/sell, can adapt/adjust the honda slr or fx 650.

so before buying one, i d like to know if it s a good bike, if some preparations are available.

thanx for your kind answers
happy trails

__________________
--
Vincent Danna

* www.va-project.com
Sept 2008 - dec 2009 : Voyage et art contemporain en Amérique du sud.

* http://vincent.danna.free.fr/
2002 - 2004 : Un tour du monde en moto.

The SLR and FX share many features with the Dominator NX650, although with a slightly reduced HP, and so the engine should be as relable and easy to work on as the NX650. It's possible that the dominator fuel tank may fit (17 litre) and the Acerbis tank may also fit.
My friend as replaced the original SLR front wheel with the NX650 21 inch wheel, it it seems to inprove handling without raising the seat height be many mm.
Would a Dominator not be a better option than the SLR/FX ? there are many more accessories available for the Dominator - luggage, racks etc.
The SLR has narrow handlebars, not so good for offroad control.
The SLR chassis does not look as strong under the seat and around the rear footpegs, it looks a cheaper and thinner casting.

Bill

Hello Vincent

I just wondered if you received my e-mail...

Regards

Norman

Recently changed my fx 650 to a transalp after two years of happy riding.

Good points: nice ride, reliable, easy handling, easy to work on, great for city and secondary road (80 k/h), enough power for highway and pillion, big enough range (200 km before going to the gasstation)

Less points: strong one-cyclinder characteristics which means that you will becoming a little bit tired on the highway. Good enough for tarmac, but not for offroad.

Major drawback: no documentation, information, accesorry parts or other riders available because this bike is rare (at least, in Holland that is). I had to wait 4 weeks to replace the part around the frontlight after a crash

The FX 650 is the luxury version of the SLR including a bigger tank. But this also makes him more vunurable when going offroad.

This bike is great, really! I did change to the transalp because I have to do a lot of highway too. The second reason was that I wanted things like documentation, information and other riders to share experiences. First thing I ordered for my new bike where crashbars. Something I never found for my Fx.

But for the city, best bike available, absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!

ps. I used the bike last winter in cold weather, wet weather, slippery roads and busy traffic. No sweat because the bike felt always like I could trust him.


[This message has been edited by borus (edited 06 January 2006).]

hello,
thanx for your answers. my mind is clearer now about the features of this bike. shobsohi1 : i just answered you.
the second hand price here in france is around 2000 euros, in good condition, so it'd be quite a cheap relaible toy, even if some parts may need to be modified for overlanding and offroad.
if it s comparable, a 20 years old r80g/s is minimum 3000 euros here (what i have at the moment).
cheers :-)

__________________
--
Vincent Danna

* www.va-project.com
Sept 2008 - dec 2009 : Voyage et art contemporain en Amérique du sud.

* http://vincent.danna.free.fr/
2002 - 2004 : Un tour du monde en moto.

shobsohi1,
i replied you twice on your email adress but i received twice a "Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender" from my email box including "This is the Postfix program at host smtp4-g19.free.fr. I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not
be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below."
don t know what the problem is ?
do you have an other email box ?

__________________
--
Vincent Danna

* www.va-project.com
Sept 2008 - dec 2009 : Voyage et art contemporain en Amérique du sud.

* http://vincent.danna.free.fr/
2002 - 2004 : Un tour du monde en moto.

Hello Vincent

Thanks for the message.
please try
shoboshi1@aol.com or shoboshi3@aol.com

If still no luck please call me in England on
UK code + 1323 898781 and i will return the call. At home all day sunday till 17.00 hrs Uk time.
Definately interested in the bike and can travel to see it within a few days or so.
Thanks again

Norman