XR650R Adventure Conversions – Sign In!

[kaijb]

Originally Posted by johnno950

Work in progress,love the xrs good power and easy to work on

I do like that fairing. Can you still get them????

I run the underseat tank but they have been known to flex it the rear mount point and split in some cases catching fire.



There are nutsets at the rear so I made up a plate just to keep it firm so now it is fixed front, middle and rear.



More on that fairing please? It is my last thing......

[Gildus]

Originally Posted by Garthe

Wow, lots of nice detail everywhere. Like those front turn signals and driving lights that tuck right in there. Love that side rack that goes all the way back. I've been looking for a setup like that. Is that a fork brace?

[Sean-0]

Aww shuk's

Thanks mate .. yes it is a fork brace ..why is it there you may ask??
i dunno why ......it was in a box of stuff i got from a fellow xr rider who sold his bike

i scored the parts bin

the rack is a turbo city job with under fender support ....they have the silly side mounts for bags but i cut em off and made some brace's myself for my bags ..works well
currently this is my work ride ,,so running street tires .....it currently has a 15/47 gear ..way to high for street ... but like most things i scored a Kush rear sprocket for nxt to nicks ...so i thought i would try it out .....ill buy a new 1 soon in a 42 tooth

as you can tell i like to talk about my bike

here's my dash i made myself ... the bike is setup for distance riding not really a hard core off track bike ... but like any good xrr it will do it all



the left side is where i mount my gps

[RideFreak]

Originally Posted by heetseeker

With all of the mods done to my XRR, ( racelight, Acerbis 6gal tank, computer, gps, rear rack, subframe support ect...) I've limited myself from a few types of terrain that I normally ride. I think it's time to add a 450 to the stable ... bare bones and light as hell, to pick up the slack when riding ds rides that are supported. The XRR stays right where it is. Not complaining, just sayin'...

You already have a 300 XCW, perfect lightweight compliment to the Big XR

[Gildus]

Originally Posted by Sean-0

.... the bike is setup for distance riding not really a hard core off track bike ... but like any good xrr it will do it all

so right! when you finish building the xrr to do one thing, it's so versatile you can just switch gears (literally) and build it up to do something completely different.

[ZXRaziel]

Originally Posted by Eggman

just finished mine up, been down for over a year. new suspension bearings, wheel bearings, fluidyne rads, biggest front brake I could find, baja designs rewound stator and headlight, excel rims, and suspension fresh from precision concepts.

anybody have a suggestion for a good mount for my garmin 478?

Thank you for posting this picture , long story short - you have inspired me to buy BRP , ( someone had posted this on another forums , ) that is how i want mine to look

[Eggman]

Originally Posted by ZXRaziel

Thank you for posting this picture , long story short - you have inspired me to buy BRP , ( someone had posted this on another forums , ) that is how i want mine to look

nice!!!! thanks, you wont regret it

[jules083]

Quick question for you guys

I have an XRR that is somewhat stock, has a 4.3 gallon tank, BD headlight, homemade dual sport kit, stock gearing, lowered with a Performance Designs lowering block, and Kenda Trackmaster II's.

Here's a pic:



I see the pics and the mods of all of you guys, and there are some sweet looking pigs here. I was thinking about buying a DR650 for a second bike to use for longer rides, but a few deals fell through and now I am thinking about just setting the XR up a bit better.

My main questions are reliability, maintenance, and comfort.

How long are the motors/transmissions really good for, taken care of? I see a lot of conflicting stuff here all of the time, with numbers ranging from 80,000 to 20,000. Any rough ideas on when I'd be changing things like a crank, or internal transmission stuff? Piston and rings?

What oil change intervals are they actually good for? I know honda says 600, I've been doing them sooner and don't even have a speedometer or odometer, so I guess at this stuff.

Comfort wise, fix the seat, change gearing, and maybe a small bit of wind protection, right? Any recommendations on seat? Everything else I can figure out myself, but the stock seat is terrible. I have no natural padding.

I see luggage stuff being all over the map, and subframe concerns going every which way. It seems like I should be fine with the Giant Loop Coyote, right? Most of the breakage I've seen has been from way more stuff strapped on than just that. I'll probably have to strap a few things on the outside of the bag, maybe a tent, but nothing too heavy. Any and all heavy tools should be elsewhere somewhere, I haven't came up with a spot yet.

Thanks. I was kinda excited to have two dual sports and keep the XR light, but it's looking like I'll be better off spending some more money on her and having the 'one bike fits all' attitude.

[Shibby!]

Originally Posted by jules083

I see the pics and the mods of all of you guys, and there are some sweet looking pigs here. I was thinking about buying a DR650 for a second bike to use for longer rides, but a few deals fell through and now I am thinking about just setting the XR up a bit better.

My main questions are reliability, maintenance, and comfort.

How long are the motors/transmissions really good for, taken care of? I see a lot of conflicting stuff here all of the time, with numbers ranging from 80,000 to 20,000. Any rough ideas on when I'd be changing things like a crank, or internal transmission stuff? Piston and rings?

What oil change intervals are they actually good for? I know honda says 600, I've been doing them sooner and don't even have a speedometer or odometer, so I guess at this stuff.

Comfort wise, fix the seat, change gearing, and maybe a small bit of wind protection, right? Any recommendations on seat? Everything else I can figure out myself, but the stock seat is terrible. I have no natural padding.

I see luggage stuff being all over the map, and subframe concerns going every which way. It seems like I should be fine with the Giant Loop Coyote, right? Most of the breakage I've seen has been from way more stuff strapped on than just that. I'll probably have to strap a few things on the outside of the bag, maybe a tent, but nothing too heavy. Any and all heavy tools should be elsewhere somewhere, I haven't came up with a spot yet.

Thanks. I was kinda excited to have two dual sports and keep the XR light, but it's looking like I'll be better off spending some more money on her and having the 'one bike fits all' attitude.

Where to start... I'll try to stay in order:

1) A modified DR650 makes an ideal adventure bike. It tops my list right now followed by the X-challenge and KTM690 and

2) No idea what people are saying, but unless they have first hand proof I wouldn't take it for much. There was a guy on here from Japan I believe with 80,000 KM when he rebuilt the top end, then put another 40,000 KM on it before I believe it was wrote off.

I personally have 35,000-40,000 KM on mine. It's "loose" but still rips! Not a single engine issue yet.

3) There's lots of talk but few people get their oil checked. I run with 2000 KM oil changes and filter on every second oil change. I'm sure oil tests would show 4,000-5000 possible.

4) I run a Seat Concepts foam and cover. For the price I think it's pretty good. Haven't tried others so can't compare other then knowing it's a big improvement over stock.

5) Windscreens make a HUGE difference. Definitely put one on. Doesn't have to be large. Depending on your set-up even a cut down 990 screen works wonders.

6) Between myself and my friend we have 15,000 KM of HARD dual sporting with Coyote bags and no subframe issues. I did switch mine out to a steel subframe and have put on an additional 28,000 km's. (I was running a Coyote and Wolfman Expedition saddles). These have been tested on everything from gnarly single track, back road bombing to Baja at race pace, even included a 4.5 ft drop to flat.

By the way, 1.6 KM/Mile.

I've done some rides with others and depends where and what you ride. Locally I wouldn't switch the XRR for anything else besides maybe a 530 / 450 / 570 converted dirt bike. On the road the XRR sways more towards an offroad mostly bike. It'll do highway but it likes to be offroad. A DR650 can do both, and I would say it's middle of the line. The 690 and X-challenge are both expensive, modifications required as well (expensive), and open the door to much more to go wrong. Simple is key. No electric start, no batteries, very little electrical, blank sheet for customization = All good in an adventure bike.

Those that have and push FI haven't had a bike not want to run three mountain passes back into the back country. Once again, simple = better. You can fix a carb on the side of a trail with simple tools.

[Garthe]

VERY nice response.

[jules083]

Thank you very much for taking the time to type all of that. Excellent answer, and gave me at least some sort of idea for each of my questions/concerns.

Originally Posted by Shibby!

Where to start... I'll try to stay in order:

1) A modified DR650 makes an ideal adventure bike. It tops my list right now followed by the X-challenge and KTM690 and

That's what I've read, and what made me start looking for one. A dr was actually what I started out looking for a few years ago when I ended up getting the XRR

2) No idea what people are saying, but unless they have first hand proof I wouldn't take it for much. There was a guy on here from Japan I believe with 80,000 KM when he rebuilt the top end, then put another 40,000 KM on it before I believe it was wrote off.

I personally have 35,000-40,000 KM on mine. It's "loose" but still rips! Not a single engine issue yet.

That's good to know. I imagine any dual sport that gets ridden hard is going to feel 'loose' after 40,000 KM. I'm assuming you mean all of the little stuff, like foot pegs, levers, pivot points, bolt threads starting to get rough, that kind of stuff.

3) There's lots of talk but few people get their oil checked. I run with 2000 KM oil changes and filter on every second oil change. I'm sure oil tests would show 4,000-5000 possible.

Sounds about right. I guess when I get a real odometer I can judge that a bit better. I'm thinking trail tech vapor, it seems to give the basic information for about the right price.

4) I run a Seat Concepts foam and cover. For the price I think it's pretty good. Haven't tried others so can't compare other then knowing it's a big improvement over stock.

Looks like a good enough seat at the right price, I'm putting it on my wish list.

5) Windscreens make a HUGE difference. Definitely put one on. Doesn't have to be large. Depending on your set-up even a cut down 990 screen works wonders.

I'll come up with something, but I know one will be a big help.

6) Between myself and my friend we have 15,000 KM of HARD dual sporting with Coyote bags and no subframe issues. I did switch mine out to a steel subframe and have put on an additional 28,000 km's. (I was running a Coyote and Wolfman Expedition saddles). These have been tested on everything from gnarly single track, back road bombing to Baja at race pace, even included a 4.5 ft drop to flat.

By the way, 1.6 KM/Mile.

I've done some rides with others and depends where and what you ride. Locally I wouldn't switch the XRR for anything else besides maybe a 530 / 450 / 570 converted dirt bike. On the road the XRR sways more towards an offroad mostly bike. It'll do highway but it likes to be offroad. A DR650 can do both, and I would say it's middle of the line. The 690 and X-challenge are both expensive, modifications required as well (expensive), and open the door to much more to go wrong. Simple is key. No electric start, no batteries, very little electrical, blank sheet for customization = All good in an adventure bike.

Those that have and push FI haven't had a bike not want to run three mountain passes back into the back country. Once again, simple = better. You can fix a carb on the side of a trail with simple tools.

Right now I have a borrowed KLR from a friend, he has my XR. We are both wishing we had something in the middle of the two for longer days. I'm liking the wind protection and smooth ride/power. He's loving the extra 20 HP and the 100+ pounds lighter weight.

I'm still on the fence between getting a second bike, probably a DR, or just putting more stuff on the XR. I'm thinking I could get the XR close to the long ride ability of a DR with the right mods. I guess the trick is to do that correctly without losing any of the off-road ability that the bike is great at.

Simple is better for sure in my mind. We still have the water cooling to worry about though, but in almost 20 years of riding water cooled dirt bikes I've never personally had a failure. I've crushed radiators before, but never had one leak. Both of my XR's radiators are actually squeezed in a bit from the previous owner, but it doesn't seem to cause problems at this point. I would like to someday add a KTM fan, DC power, and a cord for my GPS. I'm still running AC only on everything.

One of my complaints on the XR is vibration, and I'm sure a lot of that is caused by a worn chain, stock gearing, and the Trackmaster II tires. The KLR I have been riding the last few days is smoother, but seems to have similar engine vibrations if that makes sense.

[Shibby!]

Originally Posted by jules083

Thank you very much for taking the time to type all of that. Excellent answer, and gave me at least some sort of idea for each of my questions/concerns.



Right now I have a borrowed KLR from a friend, he has my XR. We are both wishing we had something in the middle of the two for longer days. I'm liking the wind protection and smooth ride/power. He's loving the extra 20 HP and the 100+ pounds lighter weight.

I'm still on the fence between getting a second bike, probably a DR, or just putting more stuff on the XR. I'm thinking I could get the XR close to the long ride ability of a DR with the right mods. I guess the trick is to do that correctly without losing any of the off-road ability that the bike is great at.

Simple is better for sure in my mind. We still have the water cooling to worry about though, but in almost 20 years of riding water cooled dirt bikes I've never personally had a failure. I've crushed radiators before, but never had one leak. Both of my XR's radiators are actually squeezed in a bit from the previous owner, but it doesn't seem to cause problems at this point. I would like to someday add a KTM fan, DC power, and a cord for my GPS. I'm still running AC only on everything.

One of my complaints on the XR is vibration, and I'm sure a lot of that is caused by a worn chain, stock gearing, and the Trackmaster II tires. The KLR I have been riding the last few days is smoother, but seems to have similar engine vibrations if that makes sense.

No, the bike itself is holding in there just fine. No bolts rattle out (other than seat bolts?) and everything is fine. I've done no repairs to this thing other then normal wear items and a pinched oil filter cover o-ring. I do check the valves every 4000km too while doing the oil filter change.

By "loose" I mean the engine is pretty easy to kick over. The compression is still there, but the stroke between the compression is pretty easy. I can still do wheelies and powerslides at 90-100km/hr.

My bike has all the things you mentioned and every one is worth it. DC voltage isn't too bad depending on your existing electrical system and how it grounds. The fan and GPS power cord are great! I've never really had a problem with mine overheating, but I knew it was running hot and the fan adds peice of mind to that. I know it's cooling off faster when Im going slow, and at least keeping the temps at bay while stopped. I've rode in 44 degree heat in the city without any issues. Same with coastal humidity and Moab dryness (38 degrees).

On top of what you listed I have heated grips, 12v plug that I've never used..., and I think that's it. Oh! Another good thing about the GPS cord is you can charge a cell phone with it using an adapter. I've recently added a small battery under the seat to help smooth low RPM voltage and charge cell phones using the GPS cord at night. I have done and do a lot of random camping with this bike so that small source of power is great! It's not big enough to run accessories once the bike is shut off though. After about 2 minutes my HID will start to flicker (35w).

I think rad braces are a must as well. The stock skid plate on these are pretty good and the nice thing about plastic is they slide over trees and rocks (at least better than aluminum). That being said I have a Ricochet on mine. Rad braces are a must. I come from the bush and see a lot of crushed rads, some of them leaking, etc. Even being able to bypass one is a good idea. Otherwise cooling is good in my books. Keeps oil temps reasonable and requires minimal maintenance. The downside is its another thing to fail.

[jules083]

Originally Posted by Shibby!

No, the bike itself is holding in there just fine. No bolts rattle out (other than seat bolts?) and everything is fine. I've done no repairs to this thing other then normal wear items and a pinched oil filter cover o-ring. I do check the valves every 4000km too while doing the oil filter change.

By "loose" I mean the engine is pretty easy to kick over. The compression is still there, but the stroke between the compression is pretty easy. I can still do wheelies and powerslides at 90-100km/hr.

My bike has all the things you mentioned and every one is worth it. DC voltage isn't too bad depending on your existing electrical system and how it grounds. The fan and GPS power cord are great! I've never really had a problem with mine overheating, but I knew it was running hot and the fan adds peice of mind to that. I know it's cooling off faster when Im going slow, and at least keeping the temps at bay while stopped. I've rode in 44 degree heat in the city without any issues. Same with coastal humidity and Moab dryness (38 degrees).

On top of what you listed I have heated grips, 12v plug that I've never used..., and I think that's it. Oh! Another good thing about the GPS cord is you can charge a cell phone with it using an adapter. I've recently added a small battery under the seat to help smooth low RPM voltage and charge cell phones using the GPS cord at night. I have done and do a lot of random camping with this bike so that small source of power is great! It's not big enough to run accessories once the bike is shut off though. After about 2 minutes my HID will start to flicker (35w).

I think rad braces are a must as well. The stock skid plate on these are pretty good and the nice thing about plastic is they slide over trees and rocks (at least better than aluminum). That being said I have a Ricochet on mine. Rad braces are a must. I come from the bush and see a lot of crushed rads, some of them leaking, etc. Even being able to bypass one is a good idea. Otherwise cooling is good in my books. Keeps oil temps reasonable and requires minimal maintenance. The downside is its another thing to fail.

Awesome man, thanks. You convinced me I think, I'm going to give up on a DR for now and focus on this. Either way I would have a winter project setting one of them up, might as well set-up the bike I already own.

Edit- I just finished reading this thread start to finish, my wish list right now is huge. The key focus for me at this point is to do as much as I can without adding too much weight, or detracting from the bike's ability. The only real weight adding stuff is going to be a small tool kit and mount, some electronics like a real speedometer, and bike protection stuff, like the skid plate and some radiator braces. I'm hoping to avoid adding a rear rack, I don't think it will be necessary with a Giant Loop. I've looked for ways to save weight elsewhere on the bike, there isn't much 'extra stuff' that can be taken off.

Hopefully my 4-wheeler sells to fund the project, if so then I'll have a build-up post this winter. I like to tear bikes down over the winter and do everything, so if it goes right I'll have a box of new parts to go on. My shop is coming along nicely, by winter I'll have a small area in the house set aside for bike work.

[AJ..]

Glad that this thread had resurfaced.

This has been an awesome thread.

Will contribute abit next week with the rally fairing built off.


Cheers

[jules083]

Originally Posted by AJ..

Glad that this thread had resurfaced.

This has been an awesome thread.

Will contribute abit next week with the rally fairing built off.


Cheers

Yeah, I didn't realize how buried this thread got until I started looking at it. Some good info here for sure.