Good effing site this. I got it bookmarked under "common" folder in my Mozilla bookmarks toolbar and when I right click on it the XRL thread opens together with a good few others. Always check in a few times a day. Keep it going guys! The XR644L is a force to be reckoned with
Hahaha. I used to have a XR644L but now I actually have a XR650L. I wonder how many people think they do as well.
I've been concentrating on clutch control and only using my index finger on the lever. My old trials bike has a mechanical clutch like the XRL. I was able to move the clutch perch way in on the bars so I was pulling the end of the clutch with my one finger. It'd be tougher to do on the XRL. Not sure if there's room inboard on the bars, and it might have a plastic locating pin to keep the perch from moving or rotating. You could just buy a clake - though!
There may be some hydraulic clutch actuator kits available for the XRL. I never felt mine had excessive pull, though. Maybe I would if I'd been working it a lot.
I can't move it much further inward because of my oversize bars. The Clake needs a hydro clutch. And I'm not spending that on the XR even if someone makes one. :huh Pretty f'n clever. http://www.clake.com.au/clake-two-dual-standard-control/ http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=25920050&postcount=262 Mine is cut down and I should be working it a lot more than I am.
Even if mine had a hydraulic clutch, I still wouldn't drop the coin on a Clake. They certainly are cool, and I'd like to have the bar mounted back brake - but I bought my last bike for less than what a clake setup would cost. I'm hoping that practice will just make my forearms stronger so I won't have to worry about making my clutch weaker. So far, all I"ve gotten is sore forearms.
Before you shell out the bucks for a hydraulic clutch check the basics. You might need a new clutch actuator shaft bearing. If it's worn, lacking lubricant, packed full of dirt, or the shaft is worn that will sure add to the pull force required to activate the clutch. Here's what ya need to fix dat man! New bearing, new seal and that's the tool I made to push the bearing and seal in, You need a blind hole bearing puller to get the bearing out. This fall:
I ride with a guy who put a magura hydro clutch lever on his XRL about a year ago. Pull at the lever is silly light.
Looks like an aid for handicapped people. I say use what works for you but I cut my teeth old school so that's how my reflexes work. I don't feel the need to work the clutch much on my L. I use it for taking off, downshifting, and stopping. The engine has torque down to 1RPM (I exaggerate, it's closer to 1.5RPM) and with the vacuum slide carb, it pulls like a locomotive without hesitation. Or, like a two stroke slipping its clutch. I don't ride it slow enough, nor tackle climbing the large obstacles with it, so, not much call for clutch action. When climbing our rocky sections with ledges, I pick the smoothest line I see, around the ledges, and stay on the throttle in second so as to not lose momentum. The bane of the L for me is that I can't hold it upright if there's the slightest dip where I go to put my foot down at a stop, so I don't consider it an option to try to work it up over obstacles slowly, especially when climbing. But, if I keep it moving fast enough, it'll slam through the rocky climbs, turn well, and stay pretty steady. I'll pop the clutch while yanking upward to cross the rare downed tree, if it's small enough, but usually the rear spins and the front won't come up much, if any, just lighten a bit. After much trying with the L, I realized that if I wanted any chance of learning how to ride slow through knarly terrain, it would have to be on a lighter bike. I just don't have the size and strength to handle the L that way. So, not much clutch work!
I'm trying to decide between the CRF250L or an older XR650L. I have my "big Honda" CB1100DLX for strictly street, and my "little Honda" TLR200 for trials/puttering around the yard. What I need is a fire road, dirt road, some single track, explorer that is street legal. I'm older so I don't go fast anymore, I just like to go explore whereever I want to. My dream trip is riding the trails and roads in Utah and Colorado. A little personal info: I'm 58, 5'8", 30" inseam and 175 lbs. Can anyone here offer opinions, contrast or comparison?
I took a brief look into their website,didn't find anything for the L. Where's his choke (lever) placed now..? Btw,the tranny sprockets you got laying around is a NX 2nd or a 5th among them..?
WalMart sells a squeezer thingy to build your wimpy forearms up. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ytTRNtJDht0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I bought one after having surgery on my hand for Dupuytren's contracture, also known as Vikings disease.(The surgery left the scare in the middle of my palm) That is a really cool disease that causes your hand to contract into a fist. Folks with northern European ancestry are vulnerable to it. The squeezer thingy has a dial that you use to increase the resistance. I started out doing 20 reps, 2 times a day on the lightest setting. I now can do 10 sets at 20 reps 3 times a day on the heaviest setting. Popeye forearms I now have.
