XR650R Dual Sport Project & Travels

Riding and Ownership Impressions - XR650R Dual Sport

Gas Tank and Range
The gas tank is shaped just right and does not interfere with either the sitting or standing positions.  The flare actually provides assistance with hard braking, by relieving arm pressure when I clench the tank with my knees.  Tested range with 92 octane fuel was 246 miles.  Range to reserve was 192 miles.  This was on gravel roads at elevation ~1,000 feet.

Clutch
The stock clutch and the Magura clutch both feel smooth, but I think the lighter pull of the stock unit feels better.  The Magura clutch lever is smaller and shaped better than the stock one, and, its easier to operate with hand guards mounted and with heavy gloves.  The Magura compression release lever is a huge improvement over stock.  The Magura unit makes it easy to clear floods while in-gear, accomplished by simultaneous engagement of the clutch and compression release levers with the keyed ignition switch off.  An aftermarket cable clutch with a thumb-lever compression release would have provided the same benefit.  Overall, I think the Magura is an improvement over stock.

Vibration and Noise
The engine on this bike makes a lot of clatter.  Between this and the exhaust note, it gets intrusive while on pavement.  I think it'll quiet down as it breaks in, but for now I'm wearing ear plugs while road riding.  I don't mind it in the dirt or on gravel, because it provides feedback.  Vibration is a factor with this bike above 70 mph.  I only notice it on pavement but its always there.  Considering its mission of being a dirt-worthy backroads traveler, I don't consider it a bother.  I've already lost one of the bolts securing the UFO handguards to the handlebar end.  I've since begun carrying a spare bolt.  The front wheel gave some bouncy feedback at high speed on the freeway, as if it were slightly out-of-round.  The solution was to have the wheels balanced using stick-on weights.  Now it rolls smoothly on pavement at speed.

Seat
The OEM seat foam was widened by Saddlemen and augmented with a layer of gel and 1/4 inch more foam.  The workmanship was excellent.  On bumpy terrain or in the dirt the Saddlemen seat felt great.  For putting on road miles, however, the support wasn't right.  I've since had James Renazco, who specializes in dual-sport seats, give it his special treatment.  Since then I've done three all-day rides on it.  The comfort problem was solved with flair!  The Renazco seat is shown in the bottom row of photos on my Home Page.

General Ergos
The handlebars, grips, and pegs are great.  The Baja high beam indicator light is a bit distracting at night.  Even more intrusive is light reaching the rider from the top edge of the headlight.  I'll definitely need to block that with a piece of felt or something.  The 35W bulb supplied with the Baja kit is good enough for pavement, but doesn't cast enough light for other places.  It might be possible to inadvertently switch your lights off, or even kill your engine, when switching from high to low beam.  Possible scenarios could be hitting a bump while your fingers are on the switch housing, or just being careless about switching beams.  The Ken Sean mirror vibrates a little at highway speed, but no more than those on many street bikes.  The ball joint tension is adjustable. Even going 90 mph didn't budge it.  Its a high quality unit.

Power
In top gear, and before the power mods, it would putt comfortably at 35 mph and still pull hard up to very high speeds.  It literally claws its way up hills.  "Uncorking" it by enlarging the exhuast tip is a common power-enhancing modifiction, but frankly I don't feel much need for it.  I like the exhaust as-is, which is to say, relatively quiet.  Later I installed a jet kit with HRC intake manifold, K&N filter, and removed some crap from the filter cover.  Rear-wheel HP and torque increased by 2-3 rear-wheel HP at lower speeds, fattening out to a gain of 6 HP and 5 ft-lb of torque at 55-75 mph (elevation 700 feet).  Not too shabby for $97.  Click the image to view the before and after dyno run.

Starting
In stock form I could usually cold-start it on the second or third kick.  With the jet kit it sometimes starts on the first kick.  It has flooded every time I've dropped it, but the flood clearing drill has worked every time.  I don't consider the lack of an electric starter to be a deficit with this bike.  Electric start kits are avaialable from Baja Designs for those that want it.

Handling
I've already found the wide handlebars to be a negative factor on wooded trails, but I expected that.  This particular bike is mainly for open trails and for that its perfect.  See my 2004 Ouray/Moab trip report for an example of what I'm talking about.  There was no alarming feedback on the road at speeds up to 90, but I still wanted a more solid feel at speed up front.  Adding a GPR steering stabilizer did the trick.  On the highway or on gravel its a steady as a tank.  Turn down the damping and its good for trails.  Rocky areas are a point-and-shoot proposition.  I also like the brakes on this bike.

Tires
The Dunlop D606 tires seem to do well both on road and off.  I am especially surprised by how well they stick on pavement.  I took some familiar curves at higher speeds than I would on my Victory or my GSPD, and felt confident.  I know now that each set of Dunlops will be good for at least two of my annual Western trips.

Speedometer
The backlighting of this unit is rather dim, but I like the non-resetable odometer and the 4-tumbler trip meter.  I have to put my face right next the dial to see my speed at night.  Blocking the aforementioned headlight glare will improve this.  The scale is too compressed, reading all the way up to 140 mph.  Its the only speedo with all the features I wanted.  Overall I'm satisfied with it.

Dual Sport Kit
The dual sport kit I bought is intended to be left in place.  Modular kits for those who want to switch back and forth are available from Baja Designs and other suppliers.  The quality of the handlebar controls and other switches is excellent.  The wiring behind the headlight shroud is a bit messy.  It also leaves lots of wires susceptable to abrasion, and that needs to be fixed.  A new headlight mount and control panel assembly, built of aluminum sheet and designed to accomodate a small windshield will be a project for this winter.

Luggage
Man, I love those saddlebags!  Get the standard size panniers if you buy Aerostich.  Initially I thought they'd be too bulky, but they're not.