46 mm Kayaba fork
with compression and rebound-damping adjustability
Front Wheel Travel
285 mm / 11.2 in
Rear Suspension
Pro-Link Kayaba single-shock with
spring-preload, compression- and rebound-damping adjustability
Rear Wheel Travel
307 mm / 12.0 in
Front Brakes
Single 240 mm disc 2 piston caliper
Rear Brakes
Single 240 mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tyre
80/100-21
Rear Tyre
110/100-18
Rake
27.8°
Trail
111 mm / 4.3 in
Dimensions
Length 2255 mm / 88.8 in
Width 825 mm / 32.5 in
Height 1245 mm / 49.0 in
Wheelbase
1425 mm / 56.1 in
Seat Height
939 mm / 37.0 in
Ground Clearance:
305 mm / 12.0 in
Dry Weight
133 kg / 293 lbs
Wet Weight
144.0 kg / 317 lbs
Fuel Capacity
9.8 Liters
/ 2.6 US gal
.
With dozens of championships to its credit, the XR650R is
the undisputed king of the desert thanks to its lightweight aluminum
frame, race-bred suspension and massively powerful liquid-cooled engine.
Engine/Drivetrain
- Liquid-cooled four-valve SOHC 649cc provides maximum power while
maintaining Honda's legendary dependability and simplicity.
- Compact, lightweight engine weighs only 88 pounds.
- Dry-sump oiling system includes an in-chassis oil tank for optimum
cooling and efficiency.
- Unique engine design separates crankshaft and generator rotor from
engine oil that causes windage resistance, allowing for a freer-revving
engine.
- Nikasil cylinder lining is lightweight and provides cooler and
quieter operation for extended engine life.
- 37mm intake valves and 32mm exhaust valves provide maximum engine
efficiency.
- Automatic decompression starting system with handlebar-mounted
compression release for easy starts.
- 40mm carburetor features crisp response and excellent rideability.
- CD ignition with electronic advance.
- Gear-driven counterbalancer for engine smoothness.
- Maintenance-free automatic cam-chain tensioner.
- Dual aluminum radiators for optimum cooling and maximum performance.
- Free-flowing two-into-one stainless steel headpipes are lightweight
and durable.
- Primary kickstarting allows quick start-up in any gear.
- Extended kickstart lever allows a slow, strong kick to spin the
engine quickly for predictable, accurate starts.
- Lightweight magnesium clutch cover provides easy access for
maintenance.
- Easy-shifting five-speed transmission.
SUSPENSION
- New-generation aluminum frame combines optimum rigidity and balance
with maximum strength and durability.
- Removable subframe is also aluminum.
- Main frame incorporates engine oil tank with easy-to-use dipstick.
- Tapered-roller steering head bearings maintain precise steering
action.
- 46mm Kayaba cartridge fork with compression and rebound damping
adjustability.
- Minimal fork protrusion below the axle increases clearance in ruts.
- Tapered aluminum swingarm is lightweight and strong.
- Swingarm pivot is combined with rear engine mount for compactness,
light weight and an overall reduction in the number of7 components.
This was more of an adventure than just a road
test.
We covered around 350 kilometres aboard the new XR through the Snowy
Mountains. The terrain was awesome, at times we were nearly 6000 feet above
sea level and riding through clouds! This was as much of a test for this
journo’ as it was for Honda’s new XR650.
The XR650 was up to the challenge much more than I. The hill climbs were
incredible and seemed to go on forever. The tractor like pull from the new
649cc engine was what got me up to the top of them, not skill, not luck,
just masses of low speed pull in any gear - available everywhere in the rev
range with no pinging or protesting of any kind from the drive train.
That is not to say the 650 lacks
a top end – it doesn’t. It loves to rev and doesn’t tail off like its XR600
predecessor. The de-restricted XR650 with competition baffle is good for
around 50 rear wheel horsepower. Torque is also prodigious. (Dyno charts
will be up later this week).
De-restriction is carried out by removing the air intake snorkel and
additional plate in the rear of the airbox. The rubber manifold between the
carb’ and cylinder head is replaced with the unrestricted manifold that is
supplied with the bike. The standard muffler baffle can then be replaced
with the competition item that is available from Honda dealers for around
$260. The standard jet is a 112. The supplied competition jet is a 175 but
this was thought a little rich for our test bikes so we ran with a 162.
Pilot remained the same and the mixture screw was set 2 turns out.
The starting process is carried out by way of a kick-start lever that has a
built in safety mechanism to prevent any injuries from kickbacks. A
breakaway bush is mounted at the base of the kick-start lever that actually
slips if severe back tension is experienced. The XR650 has a camshaft
actuated de-compression system that works quite well and with the improved
kick-start ratio makes for easier starting than the XR600.
The carburettor looks similar in appearance to the XR600 but is very much a
changed unit. It has a 40mm bore and provided us with perfect carburation,
surprising given the extreme altitude changes we were putting them through.
I never stalled once even with the very low speed manoeuvring that was
needed to overcome some of the obstacles. This speaks volumes for how well
the fuel delivery system worked. The carb’ is fed from a 10-litre fuel tank
which includes a 2-litre reserve. Fuel economy should range between 100
kilometres (going hard) and around 170 kilometres (going slow).
One of the guys managed to dunk a XR650 in one of the 30 or so river
crossings we negotiated. The bike was retrieved and the air-box inspected to
reveal that no water had found it’s way in to the engine whatsoever. A few
kicks with the ignition turned off cleared out the unburned fuel, and then
she fired up quite quickly to everyone’s surprise and relief.
A similar automatic timing chain tensioning system is used as that on the
XR400. The camshaft has 3 lobes, 2 for the pair of inlet valves and one for
the exhaust valves which works by way of a split rocker arm loading both of
the exhaust valves to allow the spent gases to escape. Valve adjustment is
simple and is accessed by way of covers similar to those seen on the ‘83/’84
XR 250.
The dual-radiator liquid cooling system appeared to work very well but it
must be said that the environment we were testing in was far from hot. I did
have the 650 spit some coolant out of the overflow after idling for sometime
but I feel that this was due to the system being slightly over-full as it
never happened again. The 1.4 litre dry-sump lubrication system uses the
frame as the external oil reservoir. A reed-valve type system opens to allow
excess oil from the crankcase to flow through to the gearbox.
The gearbox is a gem; upshifts or downshifts are always smooth and easy. The
clutch material is changed from the 600 and has good feel through the lever.
I stopped with a bad leg cramp halfway up a particularly rocky and steep
hill, the bottom end pull of the donk combined with the good feel from the
clutch made getting going again a bit easier than I had expected. One slip,
and I was faced with a very long tumble back down to the bottom, more than
enough encouragement to ensure I made it. The smooth drive train transfers
very little in the way of vibes to the rider.
On the standard gearing (15/41) a genuine 188kph was seen on the radar gun.
For this test we opted for 15/50 gearing due to the nature of the terrain.
14 teeth front sprockets were not yet available for the new XR in Australia.
Use of the large 50 teeth rear sprocket necessitates either adding links to
the standard chain or replacing the chain with a longer 112-link item
Chain adjustment is no longer by way of snail-cam adjustment but by the
regular road bike system. Hard chargers have been known to bend the snail
cam adjusters on previous XRs. The rear axle nut is now up to 27mm (same as
’99 CR) from the previous models 24mm. The chain guide is also improved to
prevent excessive side movement. This should ensure the chain & sprockets
have improved longevity.
The bikes come with IRC TR8 tyres as standard fitment but we had medium-hard
terrain Dunlop 739s mounted on the fairly robust alloy rims.
The front light, light surround, brake line, master cylinder, caliper and
disc are all lifted straight from the incredibly popular XR400. A headlight
protector is a must. Feel from the 240mm front brake is okay but the
hard-core fraternity will want to fit a stronger brake line. The reinforced
front brake line from the later model XR600s will bolt straight on. The
240mm-rear brake is strong and has quite good feel.
Stephen Greenfield, Australian Safari winner and twice Finke Desert Race
winner, was along during the test and I used his comments to help me judge
the suspension.
He thought the suspension to be much improved over the XR600. The action is
more progressive with much more adjustment available to those riders who
genuinely know how to set up a bike. I thought the 46mm cartridge forks
worked great on the bumps.
The rear suspension has 308mm of travel and works well with a CR derived
linkage ratio that is much improved over the XR600 set-up. Really serious
guys will probably want to firm up both ends for racing but the fast guys we
had along only managed to bottom the XR on a couple of occasions.
I never bottomed it out and had the sag at around 30mm. I did experience
quite a bit of front wheel deflection over the rocky stuff however. This is
probably due to geometry rather than fork action and really fast guys
probably won’t notice it at all. Riders who like to dig the front end in
hard will probably drop the forks 10mm through the clamps.
The frame is of a single backbone semi-double-cradle design and appears to
be ultra strong. It weighs in around 5 kilos heavier than that of the XR600.
Of course the extra weight of the frame is offset by the loss of a lot of
weight from other areas. The bike weighs in around 136 kilograms dry with
all road gear.
The switchgear is standard road/trail fare and works well. Instrumentation
consists of a small speedo with tripmeter and odometer with a light for the
indicator and high beam. We didn’t get a chance to try and prove the
effectiveness of the headlight, but we know the XR400 unit is pretty woeful
and the 650 employs the same unit. This won’t be too much of a problem as
more than half of XRs sold are never ridden on the road.
Front indicator removal is necessitated by removing the top triple clamp
bolts and unplugging the wires from behind the headlight. The sub frame can
be removed with 2 Allen bolts each side and 1 in the rear guard. The rear
indicators unplug from under the seat. It should be noted that 2 holes are
now in the rear guard next to the airbox intake area. These holes should be
sealed to reduce the chance of foreign objects entering the airbox. The
better solution may be to replace the rear guard with a US ‘A Type’ guard.
(P/N 80200-MBN-670ZA). Of course with the indicators etc. no longer fitted
the bike is no longer legal to be ridden on the road. As standard the
taillight on top of the rear guard is not operational. By obtaining the US
‘A-Type’ globe holder and globe this light operates as a taillight that is
suitable for enduro use.
The bike comes with a skidpan constructed of high-impact resin, which proved
to be much stronger than it appeared. Enduro riders will want to add another
piece to the to the top of the pan near the bottom radiator hose as this is
somewhat vulnerable. Of course for ultimate protection the after-market
suppliers will soon have tough aluminium bash plates available.
The seat is reasonably comfortable for this style of bike, it is also easy
to move about on.
The XR was of course nice and easy to mono but it surprised me how easy it
is to keep the front wheel on the deck if you need to, like uphill sections
for example. The bike also hooked up incredibly well.
All considered the XR650 looks to be a fantastic trail or enduro bike for
riders of all skill levels. Unlike some of the more hard-core European
competition it doesn’t demand to be ridden hard in order for it to work.
This means that the XR650 is just as happy tootling along (as I do) or being
thrashed senseless through hard terrain.
The $9,990 + ORC asking price seems quite reasonable when stacked up next to
the competition. The XR600 replacement has been a long time coming but it
seems to have been worth the wait.