Another bike in the barn!

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firffighter
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Another bike in the barn!

Post by firffighter »

No. I didnt sell the KDX this time.

I have been wanting to get a dualsport for a couple of years now and have been asked to tag along on a trip to Mexico this next winter. Since I am turning 40 this year, my wife said my present was a dualsport bike and the trip to Mexico on it!

Picked up a nice XR650L that was set up for off-road riding from a buddy at church. She is a big pig, but will be reliable and shoulnt give me any problems on the trip.

I also live minutes away from Mt. Hood Nat'l Forest, so some logging road exploring will be in order as well.

Should be fun. Not as much fun as the KDX, but fun.
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Post by canyncarvr »

I'm missing the photo.........


I know a guy that rides a plated XR650. He picked up a second one as a spare. Plated it. A few weeks after he got his plates, DMV sent him a letter..'ERROR'...told him to send his plates back.

'But...but...' he said.... 'I have another 650 just like it that's been plated for years!'

'Yeah. We see that. Send those plates back, too.'


DMV has gotten tough on the off-road plating routine.

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Post by firffighter »

Yep. I looked at a couple of XR400's and DRZ400E's that were plated, but had been hearing the same stories, that is why I chose the L model.

I even took the bike with me to transfer the title and get new tags just in case they wanted to check the bike for street worthiness, but they just gave me the tags no questions asked.

Photo will be addes after my new fenders arrive from thumpertalk.
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Post by muddertrucker »

They did that 2 years ago here. They unplated any bike that was intended for off-road use only no matter what inspection and/or modification had been done and no matter how long it had been plated for on road use. That pissed off alot of people, some had spent alot of money on their bike wich were now useless.
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Post by canyncarvr »

2.8 gallon tank? Or...that was changed?

I'm interested in how you came to decide on this particular machine, if you wouldn't mind saying.

I've been thinking myself about the number of great places to ride..but you can't GET 'there' from 'here' unless you trailer a dirt-acceptable bike. Was reading a thread on ADV about a trip taken recently by a few relatively local riders..Gold Beach to Hells Canyon (via Lolo Pass)..the plan being to hit hot springs all along the way. Sounded like a whole lot of good time to me!

On their way!

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:grin:

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Post by fuzzy »

Did they ever make the "R" version as a street bike from the factory?
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Post by muddertrucker »

The only thing keeping me from switching from full off road to dual sport is the fact that I don't have license.
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Post by IdahoCharley »

>|QBB<[/url]
canyncarvr wrote:2.8 gallon tank? Or...that was changed?

I'm interested in how you came to decide on this particular machine, if you wouldn't mind saying.

I've been thinking myself about the number of great places to ride..but you can't GET 'there' from 'here' unless you trailer a dirt-acceptable bike. Was reading a thread on ADV about a trip taken recently by a few relatively local riders..Gold Beach to Hells Canyon (via Lolo Pass)..the plan being to hit hot springs all along the way. Sounded like a whole lot of good time to me!

On their way!

Image

:grin:
I can't believe there was two posts following CC's picture involving dual sport riders without a comment!!!

Firffighter - That you on one of them dual sporters?? :rolleyes: :grin: :?
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Post by muddertrucker »

DUDE! I didn't even notice, thats just wrong.
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Post by porterdog »

>|<>QBB<
fuzzy wrote:Did they ever make the "R" version as a street bike from the factory?
Negative; it's all race, all the time. I've owned a couple- fire breathing torque monsters.
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Post by firffighter »

Yes, I do work in Portland, Oregon. And, yes we just had naked bike night in town last week.

But, I can confidently state that none of those dual sporters is me. The monkey butt after a ride like that must be rough!

As far as why the Honda XR650L. I looked at several options including the Suzuki DR650 and DRZ400, KTM 450 and 525, Husky TE450, 510, 610 and even the smaller KLX250. I did not want an "adventure bike" like the KLR650 or KTM990, BMW, etc. because I wanted to be able to tackle real trails.

My priorities in buying a dual sport were:

*Reliability. I did not want to worry about racking up miles on the bike. The XR is known as one of the most durable and reliable bikes ever made. Aircooled, large oil capacity (unlike the newer bikes like KTM's or Husky's), many others getting 20k+ miles on these bikes without problems.

*Dirtworthiness. I wanted to still be able to hit some trails. No plans to race and enduro, but still if I were to find a trail I wanted to be able to take it on with confidence. The 650L has the typical torquey XR pull that allows it to chug through tough stuff without abusing the clutch or overheating. It is not as good a dirtbike as the KTM's or Husky's, but is better than the Suzuki's and the KLX.

*Stability. I wanted a bike that could handle 65 mph without feeling "buzzy" or feel like you could get blown over by a strong wind. The KTM's and Husky's didnt fit the bill here nor did the KLX or DRZ400.

Stock, the 650L is no rocket. It comes EPA friendly. Mine has had all of that crud removed, the airbox opened w/ K&N filter, baffel removed from exhaust, and rejetted which really wakes up the bike and it reminds me of my XR600 I had several years ago. I also regeared it by going down on the CS sprocket which still gives me the ability to cruise at 70mph and tackle tough trials. Overall it has great torque, will pull all day, and I can even get a 3rd gear wheelie out of her.

It also is heavy in stock form (around 330 lbs.). You can easily drop 20+ lbs. with removing unnecessary items and changing things like steel tank, handlbars, exhaust, etc. . The stock tank is 2.8 gal. I am going to get a Clarke 4.7 gal. before my trip to Mexico.

The 650R was never street legal, like mentioned, otherwise I would have considered one that had a kit and plate added since they are more dirt oriented and have many of the reliability features I wanted.

The Husky 610 was high on my list, but it came down to the Honda's reliability.

Hope this helps.
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Post by GS »

Good post fir,
I'm lusting after an xr650R, to replace my XL600. Think the L has elec start, while the R does not. Nice feature, as I age.

On the other hand, while suiting me just fine, my XL kicks back (when hot) like the meanest bull you ever saw! I kinda like the KLX250, but doubt it has the snappy power I thoroughly enjoy.

Hmmmmmm.......we can get these beasts plated here in canada, but we also run the risk of a road-side stop with an attentive 'officer'.....who can order a review of your legal conformity.
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Post by canyncarvr »

Re: 'Hope this helps.'

Yep!

Thanks!

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Post by skipro3 »

How about an opinion on this bike? A good deal? Pluses and minuses?

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/mcy/1225079216.html
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Post by firffighter »

Well Ski, I did look seriously at one of the new Husky's.

They are a true dirtbike that is street legal similar to the KTM 450/525 exc's.

They are highly rated, come stock loaded with the best off-road farkles you could want.

A "power-up" kit is needed to allow the bike to run well as stock they are fairly weak. I would imagine that is to pass the emissions for importing. Also, some were a little leary of 1st year fuel injection, but most said it worked perfectly.

Realistically, it isnt going to be comfortable on long sections of pavement. But, it shouldnt since it is a great dirtbike that can be ridden in any harscramble or enduro right out of the box.

The TE610 on the other hand is a true dualsport that can handle both duties well.
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Post by skipro3 »

I'm looking for something to link trails together. The latest ploy here is to decommission parts of trails so riders can't legally get in a long ride. Then too, they put up seasonal closures. With a plated bike, I get around that. I should have plated my Kawasaki while I had the chance, but that door is closed now.

If I do get one, I'll have a 2002 KX250 set up for trails and with an auto clutch for sale. Anyone interested?
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Post by firffighter »

For linking trails like you have described, I would think the Husky or KTM would be perfect.

Just a side note. Husky also makes a TE250 and 310. Everyone I talked to here in the NW loves these bikes on the trails. Most of the guys I talked with had 450 or larger displacement thumpers in the past, but swear by the little bikes.

Just something else to consider.
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Post by skipro3 »

I need it freeway legal in California. I don't know if the 250's qualify or not. I know the old 2 stroke 125's, back when you could street plate them, could not go on the freeway. I thought a 4 stroke 250 is like a 2 stroke 125 and that a 4 stroke 450 is like a 2 stroke 250. What have you heard?
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Post by Indawoods »

Your insane....
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Post by firffighter »

All Husky TE series bikes (250, 310, 450, 510 and 610) are 50 state legal bikes.

I dont think a 250 would be much fun on the freeway, but they are legal.
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