XR650R Dual Sport Project & Travels

Project Objectives

In 1995 I bought a new BMW R100 GSPD and began a series of annual trips to explore the unpaved backroads of the Western U.S.  Usually I trailored the BMW to a motel in the target state, then left my truck to explore on the PD for 8-10 days.  The PD was comfortable and packed well, it was reliable and capable of doing most forest roads and many jeep trails.  It had a large gas tank and gobs of low-end torque.  The exhaust note was the sweetest around.  I hung onto it for a while after my XR came along but eventually sold it.

Here are some more photos of my BMW GSPD.

My project objective was to build a much lighter, nimbler, and more off-road capable dual sport than the GSPD, but with some of the comfort and range features of the latter.  I wouldn't need it to be a pack-horse, but I'd need to haul enough for two-day rides, including water, survival items, tools, maps and a warm torso layer, but no more.  It wouldn't have to be great on tight trails, but moderate technical riding should be feasible.  My new strategy would be to truck it to an area with lots of targets, ride locally until I'm satisfied, then haul it somewhere else and repeat.

To meet my goal the bike had to be street legal in Illinois and in the Western target states.  It would need to be light (by dual-sport standards) and powerful, have good suspension and brakes, good engine and chassis protection, adequate cooling for the hot Southwest, and be reliable at elevations up to 12,000 feet.  It would need to have at least a 200 mile range without refueling, be comfortable for a 6 foot/250 lb rider, and have moderate luggage capacity.  I also desired features like a keyed-ignition switch, brake light switches on both controls, and a speedometer, trip meter, and non-resetable odometer.  Oh yeah......it had to be awesome!  No sense compromising on a motorcycle when you already own three.  With this in mind, I set off to research the available platforms and compile parts lists.