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This motorcycle is a great dual-sport and trail bike with lots of power.
The big engine is famous for producing tons of low-end grunt and blasting through obstacles with massive momentum.
This motorcycle comes with a lot of spares and accessories.
With the provided parts, it can be set up a lot of different ways:
- stock Honda appearance
- ultimate dual-sport / single Adventure bike
- trail bike
This XR has a rebuilt title. I have no information about the history. I have worked on this motorcycle extensively and have not seen any evidence of damage. I notice the front wheel is aftermarket. The triple-clamps are straight and good, and the frame is clean and straight.
The rear wheel is the original DID. Both wheels are a little rough, but the hubs are good. They are totally serviceable for a trail bike or dual-sport. For a show bike, the new owner will want to lace some Excel rims, buy a complete set of KKE off eBay, or maybe some super-moto wheels -- you decide.
This XR is street legal and registered. It was originally equipped with a Baja Designs dual-sport kit. It still uses the Baja Designs rectifier/regulator, but I have replaced the entire wiring harness with a custom harness. Rather than having the BD kit spliced onto the crusty Honda wires, I built an all-new harness with silicone insulated wire, braided nylon sheathing, heat-shrink tubing, and all crimped and soldered connectors. It's a clean harness with no excess wire lengths.
This XR needs no battery. It has the stock output stator. A lot of people put the high-output stators on these, but with modern LED headlights, it is not necessary. It has a capacitor that smooths out the current at idle to minimize headlight flicker.
The headlight is bright and has a good cut-off beam pattern. This won't blind oncoming drivers like Baja Designs offroad-only lights. It's mounted with nice machined billet aluminum brackets. I do have the BD headlight that has an aftermarket LED bulb in it if the new owner prefers the OEM look.
The bike has the original Honda plastics, not aftermarket. They're a little rough, but not bad for their age. The fenders are red and the number plates are white. They have been painted black and brown, but the paint can be stripped for the original appearance if desired.
For the street, the bike has a RAM-mount Double-Take mirror. It also has a Trail Tech Vapor computer.
This XR has a Mikuni TM-40 flat slide carburettor kit. This is a pumper carb that gives a faster throttle response than the original Keihin CV carb. The bike comes with the original carb also. For the TM-40, I am supplying a half-dozen main jets. That is all that is needed for tuning, because the rest can be set with the screws and needle position slots.
The bike has a Hotcams Stage 1 cam installed now. I also have the original Honda cam. The stage 1 cam has a lower lift and more duration. There are lots of comments about the cams, but from my personal experience riding both, the stage 1 cam flows better thank stock above 5500 rpm and makes a lot more power between 5500 and 8000. This is important when the bike is geared lower for the trails, because this bike has a 5-speed and does not have overdrive for the highway. With the stock cam, it can be geared for the trail or the highway, but not both. With the stage 1 cam, it can be geared for the trail but still have the top-end for the highway. Stage 2 might be good for Supermoto or desert racer, but I have not tried it since I wanted a trail-capable bike.
The bike has the stock Honda exhaust that has been "de-corked." The tip has been opened up but the exhaust baffle is still in place. This keeps the spark arrestor functional and limits the noise some. I'm sure with the cam and flat-slide carb, this bike would make more power with an aftermarket exhaust, but the stock exhaust is quiet for the trails.
Riding on the trail, the airflow over the raditors can be minimal. This XR features a Trail Tech fan to keep the bike cool plodding through the rock gardens.
This bike has the Devol aluminum radiator guards.
XR650R's are notoriously tall in the seat. Johnny Campbell probably never put his feet down, but if you ever have to and you're less than 6 feet, you'll appreciate this XR has a Performance Design lowering link. This is the best way to lower the XR because it maintains full suspension travel.
This XR has a XR's-Only Case Saver. This upgraded case saver protects the engine cases from damage from broken chains and is an essential upgrade over the sheet metal Honda case saver.
This bike's suspension is fully adjustable for compression damping front and rear, rebound/tension damping front and rear, and for spring preload in the rear. It comes with three different rear shock springs to suit riders of different weight. One boxed spring is 5.7kg/mm. I don't know the rates of the other springs, but they could be measured.
The XR comes with 3 fuel tanks. The bike presently has the clear 7 gallon IMS tank installed. It also comes with a red 4.5 gallon tank, and the red OE Honda 2.6 gallon tank. Expect to get between 35 and 45 mpg depending on how you ride. You can see why the 2.6 gallon tank is limited for anything but the track, but if you want the original stock appearance, it's here.
The bike comes with an aluminum skid plate.
The bike has a Pelican case on the tail for tools. It also comes with a steel luggage rack (not presently installed).
The bike comes with 4 sets of tires. It's presently wearing Dunlop TrailMax tires in nearly-new condition. It also comes with a set of MotoZ Tractionator Rallz front and Desert H/T rear. Third set is Pirelli Scorpion A/T MT90. Fourth set are non-DOT knobbies. See the pictures for tread conditons.
It comes with some spare tubes.
The bike comes with the original Honda seat in good condition with no holes or tears. It also comes with an SDG aftermarket gripper seat.
The bike has ProTaper EVO "Adventure" ADV bars installed
It also comes with ProTaper Mid-CR bars (a little lower than the ADV bars)
It has the bar risers that also adapt to the fat taper bars.
Bike comes with a chain in decent condition and a brand new DID 520ERVT X-ring Gold chain and masterlink NIB.
It comes with a 15 tooth sprocket (installed) and two 14 tooth sprockets for lower trail gearing.
It comes with a spare clutch lever.
Bag of replacement wheel bearings.
Card of bearing seals.
New oil filter in box.
The brakes are good and all the plastic bits on the swingarm are intact.
Bike has a new Uni foam filter.
The bike has the original right-side footpeg. I read that Honda had a problem with these footpegs coming loose in the frame. The solution is the Precision Concepts footpeg. This bike has not needed that and the footpeg is tight. A heavy rider might want to do that preemptively.
This motorcycle is mechanically in very good condition. Occasionally, the float valve will stick and it dribbles fuel out the overflow tube when idling. I can't think of any other problems.
It can be ridden and enjoyed as-is, or the new owner could buy the wheels, aftermarket exhaust and plastics of their choice and it will be gorgeous. Mechanically and performance-wise, it's all there.
