XR650R Thread!

[BigNastybrp]

Originally Posted by BigToad

Honestly I don't remember having to change the decomp cable? Seams to me I was able to get it to work by rerouting however maybe someone else whose tall here has done it recently and can comment

Unfortunately my XR is getting very lonely since breaking my femur last summer on a ride (as usual the XR was ride-able)....for the record my spot or Iphone likely saved my life as I was alone on the side of a mountain...Naturally now I think everyone should have one! for the story and video see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgJqZ1TaZ5w (give it a thumbs up if you think a spot is a good idea!)

Crap that sucks. get better I know how you feel...

it was not good.
and the day before

[BigNastybrp]

Big toad at 44 seconds in do you say Berted up?

[RZRob]

Originally Posted by Dual Badger

What gas cap is everyone you using on a IMS 4.6 tank?
Just put this tank on my xr650 and the new cap leaks all over the place

Those stock caps that come with the IMS & Clark are worth replacing.

Tusk makes a really nice billet anodized aluminum one specifically for each brand. Rocky Mountain ATV sells them for $29. Pick your color. Great investment. Gas in the crotch is not a good feeling (ask me how I know), unless you're into that sort of thing. http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...IMS-Fuel-Tanks


RZ Rob

[Dual Badger]

Thank You all for the gas cap suggestions !!!!

[crypto666]

I think you would be happier on a xrr than a 450x. Even thought the xrr is heavier, I find it much more comfortable to ride, even more so when you are out in the desert and you are stretching its legs.

Originally Posted by AirCommando

XR650X AVrider's,

I need some help deciding the best way to scratch my dirt bike itch. I currently ride a BMW R1200GSA. Great bike but it is pretty expensive and emotional to scratch and break so I am looking for something better suited for the mountains and desert of Arizona. I have narrowed it down to either the XR650R or CRF450X. At the age of 44 I will not be doing flips on either one. Either will be an earlier version '00-'07 set up with large capacity fuel tank. I understand the weigh vs power trade offs. Is one more maintenance intensive then the other? Is one cheaper to farkle-out with aftermarket's? Any thoughts is appreciated. Thanks for your inputs.

[Unsung]

Okay, so my clutch center that the four pressure plate spring/bolts bolt too is damaged where one of the bolts broke out of it. I bought a new clutch center and I'll be pulling the old one off as soon as I make a tool to hold that clutch center still while I take the center nut off. When I get this nut off, will I have to do things to remove the clutch center from the clutch basket? I thought it would just be a separate piece but after looking around online for a walkthrough it looks like I'll need to do quite a bit more. Will I not be able to just remove this nut, and swap the clutch center, and bolt it all back together? Looking at the back of it, it looks like it'll be just a swap as I don't see anything that would hold it against the basket (rivets, plates, etc).

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by Unsung

Will I not be able to just remove this nut, and swap the clutch center, and bolt it all back together?

Yep, when you take the nut off the center comes off by hand and you're left with this:





If you have an impact gun and some leather gloves you can just take the nut off while you hold the hub with one hand.

[Unsung]

Originally Posted by larryboy

Yep, when you take the nut off the center comes off by hand and you're left with this:

Thank you larryboy, and thank you sweet baby Jesus. Less work = more riding time.

[Mur]

I just bought a 2000 XR650R, and I think it has the original front tire on it....

Anywho, does anyone know how to tell how old it is? The only numbers I could find are:

R2052,

EU X519,

5857.

And the 5857 is right before the dimensions 80/100-21 51M It's a Dunlop D739FA If that helps....

The other tire is a POS Chen Shing (Obviously not the original) and the number it has on it is 13082 6648 .

I'm replacing both of these, and was curious of the age of the tires. I think it might help to tell me the mileage of the bike..

TIA!

[Shibby!]

It's made in 2052.

It's a pig from the future.

Now go ride it.

[Mur]

Originally Posted by Shibby!

It's made in 2052.

It's a pig from the future.

Now go ride it.

I think your'e right, but it looks like the bastard before me took the flux capacitor out.

[seabee1]

Originally Posted by AirCommando

XR650X AVrider's,

I need some help deciding the best way to scratch my dirt bike itch. I currently ride a BMW R1200GSA. Great bike but it is pretty expensive and emotional to scratch and break so I am looking for something better suited for the mountains and desert of Arizona. I have narrowed it down to either the XR650R or CRF450X. At the age of 44 I will not be doing flips on either one. Either will be an earlier version '00-'07 set up with large capacity fuel tank. I understand the weigh vs power trade offs. Is one more maintenance intensive then the other? Is one cheaper to farkle-out with aftermarket's? Any thoughts is appreciated. Thanks for your inputs.

Well, I went from a GSA to a drz to an xrr to a crf. The xrr was definately a hoot to ride. Wide open stretches were great, and even some of the technical stuff wasn't a problem. Where I lost patience was really my own fault, but when the bike went down it flooded. Now you've gotta clear it before the starting hokey pokey. Around 6-8 kicks to clear it, then the just past tdc, then swift kick. Hopefully, it starts first kick, otherwise, you're doing the hokey pokey thing again. I really like my lighter crf with the magic button. But at times, I miss the xrr. Not usually, though!

[pigpen]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AirCommando
XR650X AVrider's,

I need some help deciding the best way to scratch my dirt bike itch. I currently ride a BMW R1200GSA. Great bike but it is pretty expensive and emotional to scratch and break so I am looking for something better suited for the mountains and desert of Arizona. I have narrowed it down to either the XR650R or CRF450X. At the age of 44 I will not be doing flips on either one. Either will be an earlier version '00-'07 set up with large capacity fuel tank. I understand the weigh vs power trade offs. Is one more maintenance intensive then the other? Is one cheaper to farkle-out with aftermarket's? Any thoughts is appreciated. Thanks for your inputs.

I rode an 1150GSA for a long time, Bought an XR650R, and I ride a CRF450R in the trails and ohv areas! The GSA is gone and all I ride on the road is the XR. I just always got on the XR vs the 1150 as it was way more fun, I owned them both for about 4 years. Always rode the XR unless it was a road trip. That being said I have ridden the GSA on the CDT and OBDR and throughout The western US mainly off-road, until got the XR. You can remedy the fall, drop , and restart procedure by purchasing and installing a pumper carb, TM40. Problem solved. The CRF is a great machine, but maintenance and light weight leads it to an substandard adv bike unless very technical trails and short trips are the norm for you. The XR has some shortcomings, kickstart and weak subframe, but I like both shortcomings. Let me explain; I can always start my bike, it has never failed me, no real battery just a dirt bike! The subframe leads me to pack carefully and light! The riding is always better with light weight bags and equipment! My CR450R is and R and I really like it for it's intended purpose, as it is not an X it is a tad different but I would not want to ride the street for an extended time on the 450 in either version! The XR can be a very capable ADV and DS bike once your have done some basic mods!

[tennessee thumper]

One of the 4 axle pinch bolts welded to the RH fork leg snapped off.

Has this happened to anyone?

Did you repair, replace or ignore?

I just finished a good run around Terlingua, TX and Big Bend with it like this and no issues.

I

[bump]

Perhaps you are thinking of the L instead of the R because Honda lists the current CRF450X at 269 pounds and I think the XR650R was listed at 277 with most magazines saying the XRR weight was 280ish. The L though is usually listed about 350 so that would be a huge difference. If one is comparing the 650L to the 450X then it's not a fair comparison IMHO.

I would say the two bikes have three major differences: Ergos, power characteristics, and maintenance.

The CRF feels much newer and slimmer. If you are an average sized guy then the CRF will feel better most likely. If you are a bigger guy then the XRR will likely feel better.

The XRR has more power and more fun power. The power is down low and in the mid where it is usable. Adding parts to create the Bob Bell engine make it giant fun to ride. You could ride about anything in 3rd gear if you wanted. Naturally, the 450 is at a disadvantage here against the XRR's 50% more cubes. The XRR will feel (seat) and look (plastic) just a tad old school. That said, the sort of riding you plan to do may be the best indicator of which bike is best. The 650 is simply a bike that requires little maintenance and if you run OEM filters and do basic maintenance like valves then I think the engine could easily go 50,000 miles and I'd reckon that is several times more than the CRF will go. Bob Bell told me that they really didn't need to take apart the 650 after any of the races including the 1000 and they only did it because they had Honda in charge. He said that engine would easily race all the events they could enter without a problem.

If you buy the CRF you must install the stainless valves but not much more to have a great bike.

The big XRR is very rideable stock IMHO but for less than a grand you can recreate the 1X engine.

I'd guess that if a license plate is valuable to you then you will find more XRRs plated than CRF450Xs. Also, know that the 2009-2012 CRF450X/R were considered a bad chassis. I think Honda still races the '07 chassis.

I think a better companion bike or comparison bike to the XR650R is the current KX450. I'd get the MX bike and change the gearing. I'd recreate the bike THR is using in the 1000 currently. Last month I drive Phil and Ryan down to Ensenada to drop off the THR 8X bike at the hotel before the 1000. We had alot of time and we talked about the differences between the Honda 1X XR650R that won everything for many years which Bob Bell developed, the current Honda 450 that JCR races which was developed by Bob Bell before Ogilvie died, and the current KX450 THR races also developed by Bob Bell. One thing is clear every time I talk with real racers (of which I am NOT) and that is that less weight is nearly always better in every way.

Also depends on your budget... I've seen very clean stock XR650Rs for $1500 lately. I bought one that was little used for $600 recently complete, running, and with a few accessories. So for $5K you can have a decent 450X, a full on 1X XR650R with cash left over, or part of a Precision Concepts KX450.

If you are looking for a dirt only bike and want the most fun then a newish Yamaha YZ250 is impossible to beat. They are very light, have great power, have better suspension stock than any other motorcycle in the world, are almost free to maintain, have lots of aftermarket parts like 150 watt stators ( a guy in Washington State is making them now), large gas tanks and weigh 60lbs less than any 450, are a third the weight of what these hugely stupid European fire road sleds weigh, and will make you a much better rider on any Sunday because of the light weight. I think the 2011 YZ250 are 211lbs!

If you choose the Honda 450 then here is a useful article: http://powersports.honda.com/experie...080a4a0dd.aspx

Congrats on avoiding the GSTurds and going for a real dirt bike instead of the pencil protector version of women driving Mercedes SUV/Minivans in Beverly Hills. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Originally Posted by BigToad

The XR will be less maintenance but will weigh like 55 lbs more. There will definitely be more farkles available for the CRF as they haven't made the XR since 07. Personally any farkle that adds weight to me is not a good investment for an offroad bike unless it makes it safer like a steering stabilizer...

Since I bought the XR I have barely ridden the GSA, its a fantastic bike with a cult like following, damn near bomb proof...and what like 8 Baja 1000 wins to its credit... Buy it, set it up right, and you will never regret it.......