Honda XR650L: Lightweight Adventurer

[LaOutbackTrail]

That seriously had to suck for that rider. I raced one enduro on my XRL.......

[dwh]

What rocks is the beep beeping of the horn. Funny.

[NothingClever]

Disappointing you didn't go with a klr. Good luck


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Dude, you can't be serious.

[NothingClever]

Those pigs are heavy though... I thought my 600r was heavy, I rode my friends 650L and it was like riding a ... WAY too heavy... So I am interested in how you are going to make this 650L a "lightweight"...

Yep, +1. BRPs are called BRPs for a reason.

[Trail Monkey]

It's a lot lighter than my GSA... just did 2000 miles on my 640 Adventure. a bit of a challenge but doable and the weight was great on the rough stuff.. out a big tank on that scott and lets head for baja..

[juicebox]

This is the ad to my old bike.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=678...&lpid=&cat=236

I am really wanting to buy it back. He put all those upgrades on it, which are the same I'd do anyway... Scott, are you thinking of putting a big desert tank on it like the one in the ad? I'm pretty sure just about everything that fits the 600r will fit the 650L. xr650r parts won't fit the L, but I'm sure you probably know that.

[AFSOC]

I'd like to see a KLR do this...

If this what you bought the XR-L for...you chose the wrong tool. They are nice bikes within their scope of capability but not an MX'er, nor are they able to comfortably eat up a lot of daily mileage. Overstating a bike's span of capability ultimately just brings disappointment in an otherwise enjoyable machine.

From the outside looking in, it appears Scott has come to the realization there is no "one size fits all" in motorcycling. There isn't a moto that is a superior performer on technical trails, slabs, with two up comfort, the carrying capacity of a Sherpa and racing image. The ultimate moto solution is multiple bike ownership but even that is less then ultimate because you can't transition between interstate, tight trail and twisties within the same session or multi-day adventure. DS/adventure motos are compromises. The riders who understand that and stay within the capability confines of their Dual Sports are satisfied owners and end up logging lots of happy miles. The owners that assume headlights, turn signals and license plate means RTW capability and that a 21" front wheel and narrow seat means supercross stardom end up with tanks full of gasoline that smells like varnish.

I own a Dual Sport thumper and really enjoy it. I love this sector of motorcycling. To me they are the Swiss Army Knife of motos. The internet is full of KLRs traveling to the Arctic Circle and TDF but I'm not convinced that it is the best choice for those adventures nor am I under any illusion that I am up to that kind of journey myself. I know my bike is no Goldwing/CBR/CR-X, it's just an appliance but that doesn't mean it doesn't cause me ear to ear grins.

[NothingClever]

There isn't a moto that is a superior performer on technical trails, slabs, with two up comfort, the carrying capacity of a Sherpa and racing image.

It's the painter, not the brush. I think the KTM 950 will do all of that under a skilled rider. While it might require a little more work in the tight stuff, it will handle it without issue, IME. Why Scott went from a KTM 950 to a BRP is somewhat (not completely) a mystery to me given that the KTM carries only a slight weight penalty over the BRP yet has tons of more capability all around. Availability of parts and maintenance simplicity are two reasons I could see a BRP having advantage over a 950.

[sandalscout]

It's the painter, not the brush. I think the KTM 950 will do all of that under a skilled rider. While it might require a little more work in the tight stuff, it will handle it without issue, IME. Why Scott went from a KTM 950 to a BRP is somewhat (not completely) a mystery to me given that the KTM carries only a slight weight penalty over the BRP yet has tons of more capability all around. Availability of parts and maintenance simplicity are two reasons I could see a BRP having advantage over a 950.

While I don't disagree that the rider can make most/all the difference in the world, according to factory weights, the BRP weighs nearly 100 pounds less. When it's nearly 1/4 less than the KTM, that's most than a slight penalty to me, and probably most.



Opps.... Wait a second, are you talking KTM 950 Enduro?

[Mlachica]

Giant loop! :-)