If you wanna dependable, serviceable, rideable fun ride ? Then you've bought a winner... Yeah tons of tons of Atfer market supplies to meet your individual needs/wants...Honda XR650L has it.
It ain’t much of a looker but everything else about it is kool! I love first gear wheelies on this baby. I had a husq 701sm too and while it’s way more fancier and snappy I still went back to my big pig. So that tells ya
Just picked up a '23 a couple months ago, god damn I love this thing. Nice and easy to work on, fun on the trail, not even that bad as a commuter as long as I stay off the interstate. Not to mention the great 90s look Honda stuck with all this time
I bought a new 2013 dr650. Great bike! Sold and missed my dualsport. Never had xr650l. Bought a 2021. Absolutely love it! Seats way better than dr650. Pulls stronger than dr650. Fuel capacity stinks. Purchased a IMS 4.0gal tank white color. Totally transformed appearance and over 160miles per tank and reserve hasn't come on yet.
@@GVMotoring the seat is waaay better on xr650l. The height seat wise, it is much higher than Dr650. Personally I like the height going down road. Stopping, yes I can touch ground. Most of the time. I balance on one foot. OK, pull and torque. The xr650l is stronger. Put it this way. Just pulling off throttling, the front will come up on xr650l easily. The dr650. Never could! I'm 56yrs old. I don't ride wild. I'm slow, mythological and enjoy country roads. Just that the xr650l seems smoother. Dr650 is very smooth also. Equal to a point. Both bikes have that certain rpm that they start vibration slightly. Xr650l is around 50mph. I removed the stock tank from xr650l and put the Ims white. 4.0gal tank. Much, much better looking and 160miles before refill. Decals won't stay on the plastic tanks for long. They'll bubble up! Put 2 xr decals on. Both bubbled up. Which are you leaning towards?
Thanks for the reply@@michaelbarnes7086 !! I am leaning towards the DR as I plan to do international travel on it and I hear the highway riding is better but something about the XR is really calling my name. I've ridden the DR but never even sat on an XR, I'll try and find one at a dealer nearby and see how I like it! Your experience makes me even more interested. Can't go wrong with any of the big 4 japanese manufacturers but Honda is Honda
@@GVMotoringthe XR has a very large gap between first and second gear, not sure if they made second gear higher or first gear way lower, but First Gears like a granny gear then the RPM drops a lot to second. This is a common complaint It also feels very tall and bigger compared to the dr. I have a stock Dr and then one with the jetting air box and pipe mods that everybody does. I think they're both pretty powerful. But it's been so long since I've owned and written the xr650l, I can't tell you back to back which is more powerful But they're all pretty close to each other, I had 3 Yamaha XT 600 back then and they were a little more powerful and faster in a drag race the Honda Excel 600, and the 650l was not much different plus it gained a lot of weight by going electric start only with the big battery, about 40 or 50 lb heavier than the old ones, but still lighter than the dr650 if I recall The Dr seems to be a better all around bike put the XR a better off-road bike
love my 2023 650l. Had to do the smog delete, jet the carb, get some handlebar risers, get a wider front sprocket to lessen countershaft wear and put some more dirt worthy DOT tires on and change out that awful looking tail light lol but at 6'4 210lbs it's a super fun bike. It did really good on technical single tracks with deep sand, woops, and fallen trees over the track. Feels great on the street also. Only thing I don't like is the space between 1st and 2nd gear when you are on a slower technical trail and the throttle tube, there is a lot of friction and it feels weird, so that is the next upgrade.
Yes, that first to Second Gap is so wide and annoying, I can't understand why they designed it that way. If it had an evenly spaced five speed wide ratio, or better get a 6-speed, I can't think of many other complaints, except the heavy battery mounted High in the rear next to the seat but maybe there's no other place to put it Oh.... and this is a very tall bike even for a 6-footer
@@7x779 I saw guys putting the battery under their seat and putting the cdi in the air box. I might do that to mine. I chose to set mine up for mostly dirt/single track trail riding with a 4 gallon IMS tank. And yes, very tall bike, that is actually the biggest reason I got it haha. Just don't listen to the haters on the L. The only people talking down on the L read to many forum posts from basement dwellers who are insecure and a lot of them are from Australia because the only bike they are left to get is the L and they lack variety unfortunately. A lot of guys on trails are not very good riders but they are rocking these brand new ktm/husky bikes and you'll pass em up on your L all day.... but yet these guys get online and dog on everything... Would I race mine seriously? No, but it's got plenty of power and reliability for what I want it to do. And it really is a fast bike regardless of what anyone says, you lay into that throttle and it's doing wheelies and getting squirrely quick. Btw, 14 tooth front and 48 rear sprocket is a night and day difference, a must have if you do trails. No more high revving 1st all day and you can still street it if that's your thing.
This bike is the best adventure bike or dual sport bike out there,nothing fancy, just a great reliable motorcycle that you can fix up to your liking, anyone that had or has one loves it, ride and enjoy
It really is the lightest in its class, only lighter dualsports are significantly smaller like crf300l and such. Xr650s really out stat all large dualsport
the 450rl seems lower, it's much thinner so that helps feet touching, maybe it sags more too ,need to check seat height on both with 200 to 230 pound rider, wish honda would keep it air cooled but add fuel injection,both are great bikes,think I would get 450 as long as the flame out at low rpm is sorted out, they should not flame out for 10000 bucks
I’ve owned many bikes in my almost 40 years of riding. I had more fun on my 1994 XR650L than any bike I’ve ever owned. This is coming from a guy who currently owns a 2018 Africa Twin AS.
I love my 2018 red pig Fist thing i did was get seat jelled. It was like sitting on 2×4. But i ride it more than my Harley's. They collecting rust n dust 😮
I've had many bikes over the years I'm 63 years old I recently purchased the xr650 switching over to street tires don't like the Nobbies on the road makes it feel too squirrely it's going to be a pavement princess😂
It’s a shame Honda never kept up the xr650r liquid cooled race built 61bhp endless torque and aluminium frame . It makes mince meat of the cr650l . It has the most baja wins from 1999-2007
I have a 2016. I love this motorcycle! Very reliable, more so after a few easy mods, bulletproof, economical, extremely capable in the right hands, fun to ride AFTER you get used to the seat height, powerful, especially after you “uncork” it, customizable to your specific needs. But that 2.8 gallon tank will not “get you there”. Carry more fuel RIDE RED! RIDE SAFE!
@@daveco1st man I’m with you, it looks great and is dead Honda reliable but I’m 5’8ish and it’s just too tall for everyday use. You can hop on and ride no problem but forget about touching the ground on anything off camber. For that reason I couldn’t get it.
@@daveco1st I'm about 5'7" with my boots on. I got the adjustable lowering kit and I was able to adjust it pretty low but you want to be careful how low you go with it because the linkage can strip out if you go too low. I've had that happen already.
Everything he said is true, except the stupid 2.8gal tank will barely get you from one gas station to the next. Biggest defect on the bike. Hits reserve at 85 miles, which is pathetic. (Other than that I love it)
Just bought a 1997 it has all kinds of mods, it needs a front tire, fork boots and I’m going to do a complete service on it but it looks really nice and runs strong and no black rims or seat😖it’s not a dam Yamaha, think Honda red!! I’ll be in it for less than 4k and it will outlast me.
My yamaha ttr225 had a 2.6 gallon tank and it was so good on gas with the 72mph sprockets I ran 😂 fill it half way for weight savings and too keep fresh gas in it. The 2.2gallon on these 650’s seems perfect.. if your gonna be out in the woods longer you bought the wrong bike.
Did you ever check what miles per gallon you got on the 225, or how many miles you can get out of a full tank? Is it able to cruise on the highway at 70 or 75 mph? Or Are you saying the top speed 72 mph?
@@7x779 yeah 72 pinned It was happy too cruise at that but you’d be looking at a glowing header after. Ttr would need work too be road legal anyways lighting/horn/speedo/mirror they did make the xt225 though & currently have a tw200 & xt250
I dig the ole affectionately known big red pig. That said the only place it out dual sports the KTM 690 is price. The 2019+ 690 is hands down as better bike in every category.
If you're going to keep it long term, SWAP out the front forks and triple clamps for some 48mm inverted forks. It will COMPLETELY change the bike for greatness!
Does anyone know if new ones are fuel injected? I can ride at ocean level and mt level all in the same day and carb just cant handle that elevation change.
I never got why they build it the way they do. The XR650L is in my opinion a downgrade from the XR600, it has less power, the suspension is worse both and off road and it's heavier.
Because the xr600 was an off-road only bike, I had two or three of them and one or two of the 650s and the 650 is way better on road and on the freeway. I also had a couple of the old Kickstart only XL 600, they were pretty good for the day but Yamaha XT 600 was a bit better
They made a huge change from 23 to the 24! The tank has a blue stripe instead of a red stripe😉😄 I’m loving my 23, takes me pack to pure riding without all the electronics.
@@tripacer8259the Suzuki is better all around, feels smaller lower and better on road, but the Honda is Tyler has more suspension travel better suspension way more ground clearance and quite a bit better off-road especially if you're comparing both of them stock The seat is also more comfortable in the Honda Powers pretty close to the same, and the Suzuki has a evenly spaced transmission put the Honda has a very low first and then a big jump to second
It's not really meant for that is it? But if you're healthy strong and in your twenties, you can handle a lot and you don't have to take your pick up with you and leave it out in the desert for the illegals and drug cartels in meth addicts to vandalize and steel while you're out trying to enjoy yourself
If you wanna dependable, serviceable, rideable fun ride ? Then you've bought a winner... Yeah tons of tons of Atfer market supplies to meet your individual needs/wants...Honda XR650L has it.
Better than 99% of modern crap, and it will still be going long after your modern bike isn't worth fixing.
It ain’t much of a looker but everything else about it is kool! I love first gear wheelies on this baby. I had a husq 701sm too and while it’s way more fancier and snappy I still went back to my big pig. So that tells ya
Just picked up a '23 a couple months ago, god damn I love this thing. Nice and easy to work on, fun on the trail, not even that bad as a commuter as long as I stay off the interstate. Not to mention the great 90s look Honda stuck with all this time
Just pray God doesn't cast some bad juju on you.
@@yukonjack. the fuck are you yapping about?
@@BonsaiRaygun21I know a man. I was thinking the same thing 🤣🤣 some people take too much acid
@@threewheelerdonuts8284 for real 😂
Why no highway? I would think that could easily do 90.
I bought a new 2013 dr650. Great bike! Sold and missed my dualsport. Never had xr650l. Bought a 2021. Absolutely love it! Seats way better than dr650. Pulls stronger than dr650. Fuel capacity stinks. Purchased a IMS 4.0gal tank white color. Totally transformed appearance and over 160miles per tank and reserve hasn't come on yet.
With your experience, Would you recommend the XR over the DR?
@@GVMotoring the seat is waaay better on xr650l. The height seat wise, it is much higher than Dr650. Personally I like the height going down road. Stopping, yes I can touch ground. Most of the time. I balance on one foot. OK, pull and torque. The xr650l is stronger. Put it this way. Just pulling off throttling, the front will come up on xr650l easily. The dr650. Never could! I'm 56yrs old. I don't ride wild. I'm slow, mythological and enjoy country roads. Just that the xr650l seems smoother. Dr650 is very smooth also. Equal to a point. Both bikes have that certain rpm that they start vibration slightly. Xr650l is around 50mph. I removed the stock tank from xr650l and put the Ims white. 4.0gal tank. Much, much better looking and 160miles before refill. Decals won't stay on the plastic tanks for long. They'll bubble up! Put 2 xr decals on. Both bubbled up. Which are you leaning towards?
Thanks for the reply@@michaelbarnes7086 !! I am leaning towards the DR as I plan to do international travel on it and I hear the highway riding is better but something about the XR is really calling my name. I've ridden the DR but never even sat on an XR, I'll try and find one at a dealer nearby and see how I like it! Your experience makes me even more interested. Can't go wrong with any of the big 4 japanese manufacturers but Honda is Honda
@@GVMotoringthe XR has a very large gap between first and second gear, not sure if they made second gear higher or first gear way lower, but First Gears like a granny gear then the RPM drops a lot to second. This is a common complaint
It also feels very tall and bigger compared to the dr. I have a stock Dr and then one with the jetting air box and pipe mods that everybody does. I think they're both pretty powerful. But it's been so long since I've owned and written the xr650l, I can't tell you back to back which is more powerful
But they're all pretty close to each other, I had 3 Yamaha XT 600 back then and they were a little more powerful and faster in a drag race the Honda Excel 600, and the 650l was not much different plus it gained a lot of weight by going electric start only with the big battery, about 40 or 50 lb heavier than the old ones, but still lighter than the dr650 if I recall
The Dr seems to be a better all around bike put the XR a better off-road bike
I had a ‘94 had to get rid of it about 5 years ago. Had nowhere to put it. It still ran perfectly.
I'm sorry, but there's never an excuse to get rid of this kind of bike. You can put it anywere. Peace.
love my 2023 650l. Had to do the smog delete, jet the carb, get some handlebar risers, get a wider front sprocket to lessen countershaft wear and put some more dirt worthy DOT tires on and change out that awful looking tail light lol but at 6'4 210lbs it's a super fun bike. It did really good on technical single tracks with deep sand, woops, and fallen trees over the track. Feels great on the street also. Only thing I don't like is the space between 1st and 2nd gear when you are on a slower technical trail and the throttle tube, there is a lot of friction and it feels weird, so that is the next upgrade.
Yes, that first to Second Gap is so wide and annoying, I can't understand why they designed it that way.
If it had an evenly spaced five speed wide ratio, or better get a 6-speed, I can't think of many other complaints, except the heavy battery mounted High in the rear next to the seat but maybe there's no other place to put it
Oh.... and this is a very tall bike even for a 6-footer
@@7x779 I saw guys putting the battery under their seat and putting the cdi in the air box. I might do that to mine. I chose to set mine up for mostly dirt/single track trail riding with a 4 gallon IMS tank. And yes, very tall bike, that is actually the biggest reason I got it haha. Just don't listen to the haters on the L. The only people talking down on the L read to many forum posts from basement dwellers who are insecure and a lot of them are from Australia because the only bike they are left to get is the L and they lack variety unfortunately. A lot of guys on trails are not very good riders but they are rocking these brand new ktm/husky bikes and you'll pass em up on your L all day.... but yet these guys get online and dog on everything... Would I race mine seriously? No, but it's got plenty of power and reliability for what I want it to do. And it really is a fast bike regardless of what anyone says, you lay into that throttle and it's doing wheelies and getting squirrely quick. Btw, 14 tooth front and 48 rear sprocket is a night and day difference, a must have if you do trails. No more high revving 1st all day and you can still street it if that's your thing.
Yep. Best and an historical item.
Had one liked it a lot used to blast down the arroyos here in NM 😊
This bike is the best adventure bike or dual sport bike out there,nothing fancy, just a great reliable motorcycle that you can fix up to your liking, anyone that had or has one loves it, ride and enjoy
One of the best dual sports ever made. Gets the job done.
On my 3rd build now
I had an 86 xl600r super fun bikes
Tank, Sprocket, Fender,Tail light, Headlight, Jetting, smog, Epipe _ Someone should just make a XR650L Upgrade Kit! _ 💪🌐👍
I have a 2023 just like this. Acerbis 5.8 gl tank, tusk rack/support. But now my trail riding skills have progressed, now I need to strip parts. LOL
I'm on my 2nd one. 😘👍
Beautiful!
Yeah! The epitome of classic Honda.
It really is the lightest in its class, only lighter dualsports are significantly smaller like crf300l and such. Xr650s really out stat all large dualsport
KTM 690r....😍💯💯
the 450rl seems lower, it's much thinner so that helps feet touching, maybe it sags more too ,need to check seat height on both with 200 to 230 pound rider, wish honda would keep it air cooled but add fuel injection,both are great bikes,think I would get 450 as long as the flame out at low rpm is sorted out, they should not flame out for 10000 bucks
I’ve owned many bikes in my almost 40 years of riding. I had more fun on my 1994 XR650L than any bike I’ve ever owned. This is coming from a guy who currently owns a 2018 Africa Twin AS.
I love my 2018 red pig Fist thing i did was get seat jelled. It was like sitting on 2×4. But i ride it more than my Harley's. They collecting rust n dust 😮
i built one in 05 man i miss that bike
In 1984, bought one at Bob Jo cycle Sycamore IL, $2000 dollars brand new!
Good to see Justin Bieber found bikes as a passion
I just bought one!
The 600 Xr is also a great bile
I've had many bikes over the years I'm 63 years old I recently purchased the xr650 switching over to street tires don't like the Nobbies on the road makes it feel too squirrely it's going to be a pavement princess😂
At 6 1/2 feet tall it is perfect sized
You ever rode the Suzuki 650? Im almost 6’3 dont know which one to get
@@clorerosa4204 Same here! I'm stuck on which one to buy!
x2 this looks taller tough, susuki-s suspention is softer so you go lower on the bike.@@clorerosa4204
Honda has suspension Suzuki has motor.@@clorerosa4204
@@clorerosa4204get the XR, you’re too tall for the DR unless you raise it
I really love this bike" hoping this will be available here in the philippines"
Doubt it, but probably the 250L or definitely the 150L.
It’s a shame Honda never kept up the xr650r liquid cooled race built 61bhp endless torque and aluminium frame . It makes mince meat of the cr650l . It has the most baja wins from 1999-2007
I had one...My XR650R ran circles around this heavy pig.....
What a beauty
Unfortunately for me, I'm too short for bikes like that.
The stock dr650 feels real small and the soft suspension sinks down even more with your weight on it, and the power is about the same as the Honda 650
I have a 2016. I love this motorcycle! Very reliable, more so after a few easy mods, bulletproof, economical, extremely capable in the right hands, fun to ride AFTER you get used to the seat height, powerful, especially after you “uncork” it, customizable to your specific needs. But that 2.8 gallon tank will not “get you there”. Carry more fuel
RIDE RED! RIDE SAFE!
Hell Yeah Boss. Good Work. You cant fly with out wings.
Bro the bike is a skyscraper😭 one of the best bikes for big dudes
They are pretty tall stock. I'm a pretty short guy and I was able to get a lowering kit for it and I'm good to go 👍
@threewheelerdonuts8284 how short are you? I'm 5'5" i want to get one but I'm worried about it.
@@daveco1st man I’m with you, it looks great and is dead Honda reliable but I’m 5’8ish and it’s just too tall for everyday use. You can hop on and ride no problem but forget about touching the ground on anything off camber. For that reason I couldn’t get it.
@romanstravels6390 it sucks, there's no fast dual sport options for short guys. At last I can flat foot a hayabusa I guess😭
@@daveco1st I'm about 5'7" with my boots on. I got the adjustable lowering kit and I was able to adjust it pretty low but you want to be careful how low you go with it because the linkage can strip out if you go too low. I've had that happen already.
Tengo una, vivo orgulloso😅
Have a 1998 XR650L. It's a bit tall for me but that only matters when i have to stop riding.
How tall are you? I am also short but im tired of slow dual sports.
Everything he said is true, except the stupid 2.8gal tank will barely get you from one gas station to the next. Biggest defect on the bike. Hits reserve at 85 miles, which is pathetic. (Other than that I love it)
If i wasn't 5'4. This would be my go to bike.
Just bought a 1997 it has all kinds of mods, it needs a front tire, fork boots and I’m going to do a complete service on it but it looks really nice and runs strong and no black rims or seat😖it’s not a dam Yamaha, think Honda red!! I’ll be in it for less than 4k and it will outlast me.
A 2.8 gal tank for a 650 dualsport is tiny. My crf300 Rally has a 3.3 gal tank, and I still carry auxiliary fuel for longer sojourns.
My yamaha ttr225 had a 2.6 gallon tank and it was so good on gas with the 72mph sprockets I ran 😂 fill it half way for weight savings and too keep fresh gas in it. The 2.2gallon on these 650’s seems perfect.. if your gonna be out in the woods longer you bought the wrong bike.
Did you ever check what miles per gallon you got on the 225, or how many miles you can get out of a full tank?
Is it able to cruise on the highway at 70 or 75 mph?
Or Are you saying the top speed 72 mph?
@@7x779 yeah 72 pinned It was happy too cruise at that but you’d be looking at a glowing header after. Ttr would need work too be road legal anyways lighting/horn/speedo/mirror they did make the xt225 though & currently have a tw200 & xt250
I am thinking about getting one and retire my touring bike, getting too old to handle the weight!
I understand. Keep in mind it's pretty tall though, especially compared to a stock dr650
Really want one tbh. Think it's my goal 🙏🏽
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I own a XR650L and it is a great bike. The worst thing Honda could do is change this bike.
I dig the ole affectionately known big red pig. That said the only place it out dual sports the KTM 690 is price. The 2019+ 690 is hands down as better bike in every category.
I have one
They made 650’s in the mid 80’s
If you're going to keep it long term, SWAP out the front forks and triple clamps for some 48mm inverted forks. It will COMPLETELY change the bike for greatness!
I'd like to see 1 supermoto'd out!
Does anyone know if new ones are fuel injected? I can ride at ocean level and mt level all in the same day and carb just cant handle that elevation change.
I got a 98 with over 20k still riding
I never got why they build it the way they do. The XR650L is in my opinion a downgrade from the XR600, it has less power, the suspension is worse both and off road and it's heavier.
Because the xr600 was an off-road only bike, I had two or three of them and one or two of the 650s and the 650 is way better on road and on the freeway. I also had a couple of the old Kickstart only XL 600, they were pretty good for the day but Yamaha XT 600 was a bit better
That thing is the height of the north twin tower lmao
I have a 2006 with all baker mods
SOLD !
had a 1998 650l...
kick myself everyday for selling it...hoping to get a 2024
They made a huge change from 23 to the 24! The tank has a blue stripe instead of a red stripe😉😄
I’m loving my 23, takes me pack to pure riding without all the electronics.
Wish my dad never sold his
So is 7k overpriced?
Love the bike but it's too tall for me
5ft6in and up is fine for this bike, I'm 5,11 not a problem. my brother is 5.5 and it fits him better
Try sitting on a Suzuki dr650 in the showroom, they feel way smaller and soft suspension sinks it down even lower when you sit on it
Ditch the front fender.
Name a dual sport that is lighter than the XR650L that is equal in displacement or more.
I'll never sell my 93.
Seat hurts the ass and that gas tank will have you on reserve in 70 miles. Lol
You have to be 7 ft tall to saddle it.
Too small of a gas tank 2.Whatever gallons
What kinda psychopath brings the 650l on a motocross track 😂
Only 1 problem, dr650 is wayyyyy better
😂😂😂 in your dreams
PLEASE tell me why?
@@tripacer8259the Suzuki is better all around, feels smaller lower and better on road, but the Honda is Tyler has more suspension travel better suspension way more ground clearance and quite a bit better off-road especially if you're comparing both of them stock
The seat is also more comfortable in the Honda
Powers pretty close to the same, and the Suzuki has a evenly spaced transmission put the Honda has a very low first and then a big jump to second
This thing is terrible for long rides and highway use
It's not really meant for that is it? But if you're healthy strong and in your twenties, you can handle a lot and you don't have to take your pick up with you and leave it out in the desert for the illegals and drug cartels in meth addicts to vandalize and steel while you're out trying to enjoy yourself
KLR650 better
junk
Yeah so junk that it has been continuously in production sold by Honda new every year for the last 30 years...😂