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School me on the XR650L

If you can finish an enduro on one of these, you're a mad man. Their better than a KLR by far but I like the DR650 better honestly and I've never owned a DR650 .. haha.. I've ridden a few and liked them better. You sit in the bike as opposed to on top of it.
 
channelcat said:
got my 91 dr350 to start first kick with no choke the other day. the miracle of the uncluttered mind...
as a commute bike XL vs DR is probably wash in terms of utility. The DR has a dry sump, oil in frame, no radiator needed, which is a nice feature in dirt, but will cost you at used bike prices, so I'd say go for the XL. Its a Honda. What could go wrong?
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My DR650 carries the oil in the bottom of the motor, no oil in any part of the frame. It also comes with an OE radiator for cooling the engine oil.

Lex
 
XR650L

:) I've owned three, for nearly 100K total miles. :ride
They're tall! Plush and comfy enough for all-day, 500+mile days at 90mph avg speed with taller gearing. Still capable of 50mpg too!
Outstanding off-road manners despite being a little heavy and a little under-powered. Both traights are easily improved upon.
Stone-axe reliable, just take good basic care of it, no low or dirty oil, or air filter and , keep up the batt. You don't worry about having to kick-start your car do you?
I've also ridden many DRZ,KLR, DR and XRR to compare. Best all-around in my playbook. :cool
I'll own a fourth one day. :thumbup
 

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ScottRNelson said:
I don't understand why anybody who likes to ride in the dirt would rather have a DR650 or (shudder) a KLR650. :)
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I can answer than... If I had bought an XR650L, every time I got in the dirt I would have wanted it to be an XR650R. I already own an XR600R so why get a XR650R I might as well get a KTM. If I have a KTM I am not kidding myself I am not riding it very far on the street so I may as well truck it to the dirt and for those sorts of rides I already have a CR500R.

So what I really wanted was a bike I could take down a dirt road, ride 2 up comfortably, mount luggage, get ~200 miles per tank, be reliable and not be particularly good at anything. The KLR was exactly that, it does nothing particularly well thus does not lead you into wishing it was something it isn't.
 
angelsndevils said:
Ya I already read that. That is exactly my point. They already have all the parts in production but they don't use them so they can keep the weight number down 2 extra pounds.

Sunk my ktm 625 in a jeep bog that had filled with water one time. Just looked like a little puddle. Next thing I knew I was up to the radiator shrouds in water. When the battery finally gave out while trying to get it dried out and fired up, I was glad to have a kicker. AAA can come to starbux and jump you. When you're out in the bottom of a cow mountain ravine you are happy to give her a kick.:ride
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:thumbup
Can relate to the puddle...Years of history,.. riding logging roads in Northern Oregon.

Jeep and general mud slinging 4WD clubs, went at it as well, in mass.

Something that looked like a shallow puddle, could turn out to be so deep it would swallow a truck.
 
louemc said:
:thumbup
Can relate to the puddle...Years of history,.. riding logging roads in Northern Oregon.

Jeep and general mud slinging 4WD clubs, went at it as well, in mass.

Something that looked like a shallow puddle, could turn out to be so deep it would swallow a truck.
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Taught me a good lesson. Stay to the edges if you have to hit one. Years later up at pennypines I came around a corner and the whole trail was a 4' wide by 25' long puddle. I ran wide out of the corner and used the bank of the puddle like a berm with right side of bars dragging in the brush. Just before I slid down into it, I wheelie-hopped my crf450 over it to the other bank. Now left bars were eating brush which started forcing me back into the puddle. Wheelied again and got the front tire to the end of the mess as my back tire slammed into a steep underwater edge. I stopped after about 20' and looked back to see how my buddy would do. He drove straight into it and sunk it over the front fender on his yzf 426. Took both of us to pull it out. Wheelie for safety, wheelie for survival!
 
angelsndevils said:
Taught me a good lesson. Stay to the edges if you have to hit one. Years later up at pennypines I came around a corner and the whole trail was a 4' wide by 25' long puddle. I ran wide out of the corner and used the bank of the puddle like a berm with right side of bars dragging in the brush. Just before I slid down into it, I wheelie-hopped my crf450 over it to the other bank. Now left bars were eating brush which started forcing me back into the puddle. Wheelied again and got the front tire to the end of the mess as my back tire slammed into a steep underwater edge. I stopped after about 20' and looked back to see how my buddy would do. He drove straight into it and sunk it over the front fender on his yzf 426. Took both of us to pull it out. Wheelie for safety, wheelie for survival!
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The old days. I love it.
 
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