advice re Honda XR650R
- Thread starter Jeremy
- Start date
Hew has one, drop him a PM, he is very approachable....... most of the time....
Timpo.
Timpo.
I've got one
I've got one and you do seem to get a lot of bike for not much cash.
at the mo, £2k gets a low mileage 03 that had never previously been off road, well at least it did for me
you can buy all the bling in the world for them, pumper carbs, big tanks, sump guards, frame guards, cams, ignitions, pipes, everything but a bog standard one is very very very fast straight out of the box once the airbox block had been removed (and they all have)
i've had 2 and to my utter amazement, I've never dropped it while out offroading and I think therein lies the only problem. Mine have always started first or second kick, hot or cold and it is absolutely not an issue for me that it doesn't have an electric start - that said I have never been lying upsidedown, on the side on a sodden muddy bank, with the bike on top of me and then tried to restart it with a flooded carb which is apparently when the fun really begins
i use mine for the rallys (Red Kite/Cambrian) and I'm not really that fast and suspect I might actually be faster on a KTM250 exc or similar. But I find a deep spiritual joy in accelerating out of gravel bends with the bike absolutely sideways, the rear wheel searching desperately for an inch of grip, then getting the bike to hook up and all of a sudden you are doing 80 mph and desperately whacking on the brakes trying to stop for the next corner.
it is addictively brilliant - miantenance wise they are a lot less than KTMs and boringly reliable as the old Hinda cliche goes. They are of course a bit heavy, maybe around 130kg when full on 450 enduro bikes are 110kg and lighter
the only thing i think you might consider instead is a wr450f because it has an electric start and is a bit lighter. but £2k will buy you a pile of cack and you will have to go over £3k for anything reasonably decent
xr650rs are rediculously cheap, primarily because they are a bit lardy and don't have an electric start. if that doesn't bother you then you get a massive amount of grins for your money
I've got one and you do seem to get a lot of bike for not much cash.
at the mo, £2k gets a low mileage 03 that had never previously been off road, well at least it did for me
you can buy all the bling in the world for them, pumper carbs, big tanks, sump guards, frame guards, cams, ignitions, pipes, everything but a bog standard one is very very very fast straight out of the box once the airbox block had been removed (and they all have)
i've had 2 and to my utter amazement, I've never dropped it while out offroading and I think therein lies the only problem. Mine have always started first or second kick, hot or cold and it is absolutely not an issue for me that it doesn't have an electric start - that said I have never been lying upsidedown, on the side on a sodden muddy bank, with the bike on top of me and then tried to restart it with a flooded carb which is apparently when the fun really begins
i use mine for the rallys (Red Kite/Cambrian) and I'm not really that fast and suspect I might actually be faster on a KTM250 exc or similar. But I find a deep spiritual joy in accelerating out of gravel bends with the bike absolutely sideways, the rear wheel searching desperately for an inch of grip, then getting the bike to hook up and all of a sudden you are doing 80 mph and desperately whacking on the brakes trying to stop for the next corner.
it is addictively brilliant - miantenance wise they are a lot less than KTMs and boringly reliable as the old Hinda cliche goes. They are of course a bit heavy, maybe around 130kg when full on 450 enduro bikes are 110kg and lighter
the only thing i think you might consider instead is a wr450f because it has an electric start and is a bit lighter. but £2k will buy you a pile of cack and you will have to go over £3k for anything reasonably decent
xr650rs are rediculously cheap, primarily because they are a bit lardy and don't have an electric start. if that doesn't bother you then you get a massive amount of grins for your money
Thanks for that. Saw this on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=180298990767&Category=9806null&_trksid=p3907.m29
2005 with 950 miles c £3500 which seems high given what you've said
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=180298990767&Category=9806null&_trksid=p3907.m29
2005 with 950 miles c £3500 which seems high given what you've said
you could get an XR650L that is slightly watered down - but has an electric starter.
worth 30hp in my book
http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/tabID__5760/ArticleID__118292/DesktopDefault.aspx
worth 30hp in my book
http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/tabID__5760/ArticleID__118292/DesktopDefault.aspx
DaveGSCymro
Registered user
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2005
- Messages
- 1,504
- Reaction score
- 0
Check www.autotrader.co.uk , few on there
anything as long as its got an electric start
richie
Registered user
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2003
- Messages
- 9,437
- Reaction score
- 439
hard to come buy...you could get an XR650L that is slightly watered down - but has an electric starter.
worth 30hp in my book
http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/tabID__5760/ArticleID__118292/DesktopDefault.aspx
trev
Registered user
Seriously good bikes, but not a bike for the novice off roader. Tougher than an anvil really, swap the oil & filter regularly & pump some grease through the suspension linkages (it has grease nipples) tappets etc are easy to do. Expect it to use brake pads, wheel bearings & chains & sprockets & rear tyres if you trail it,(no cush drive) swap the front sprocket before it gets too worn & the chain will last longer. Most of em have been derestricted (baffle removed & air box mod) & jetted up but before you modify the airbox read up cos you can hurt the bottom & midrange power. Never had any problems starting it (I was brought up on Velocettes ), but they do require that you know the drill with the valve lifter, Main problem hacking about on em is having no ignition key, & the fact that they work far better off road than on. Mine was trailed in the lakes, dales, peak district, Wales & the Borders, a bit heavy but it went everywhere the newer stuff went. I can honestly say I regreted selling mine & I'd buy another tomorrow if I could get it past the treasurer.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2002
- Messages
- 12,650
- Reaction score
- 1,233
Out playing with a XR650 today 
Best engine on a 650...this one has had some fire breathing mods done...we just don't know what !!!
Carb marked for race use etc etc..twat to start though...big guy in the pic is the owner/kicker..and we two other wimps couldn't kick it over even if our livers depended on it !!!
Bala lake is on a slope !!!
Cough...none of these number plates actually exist !!
Best engine on a 650...this one has had some fire breathing mods done...we just don't know what !!!
Carb marked for race use etc etc..twat to start though...big guy in the pic is the owner/kicker..and we two other wimps couldn't kick it over even if our livers depended on it !!!Bala lake is on a slope !!!
Cough...none of these number plates actually exist !!
Attachments
LiquidLAN
Registered user
I've got a XR250 Baja, great engine, great bike all very capable.
Richard (HondaMan) has a XR450R (or maybe its a 400), again seems to be a great bike.
Both seem to have come out of the factory in need of a bit of fine tuning - have a look on the ThumperTalk website. They've got loads of mods you can do to these bikes, really basic stuff, but £15-20 really transformed my 250
I've just picked up a WR450F for under 3k, as I'm finding that the 250 lacks a little bit in power, the 450 seems to have more than enough without being too much heavier
got to ask, why are you looking at a 650? to me is seems over kill for green laning - just my opinion though.
Richard (HondaMan) has a XR450R (or maybe its a 400), again seems to be a great bike.
Both seem to have come out of the factory in need of a bit of fine tuning - have a look on the ThumperTalk website. They've got loads of mods you can do to these bikes, really basic stuff, but £15-20 really transformed my 250
I've just picked up a WR450F for under 3k, as I'm finding that the 250 lacks a little bit in power, the 450 seems to have more than enough without being too much heavier
got to ask, why are you looking at a 650? to me is seems over kill for green laning - just my opinion though.
Kenny, that's the old XR650, not the XR650R liquid cooled ally frame jobby that our man is on about.......
I will have an XR600R for sale in a few weeks, it's just having a new liner and piston fitted.
Timpo.
Out playing with a XR650 today
Best engine on a 650...this one has had some fire breathing mods done...we just don't know what !!!
Bala lake is on a slope !!!
Cough...none of these number plates actually exist !!
3 wise men.................
XR 650 is the mutts nutz. Do anything road distance narly tracks etc. Normally easy to start its just learning the knack. Even after its been upside down with petrol pouring out, just stand it up, knock off kill switch turn off petrol 15 to 20 kicks with throttle open and decomp lever pulled, kill swith on no throttle TDC and good boot gets it on my mates everytime.
I've only just seen this thread but you should have had an answer to your PM Jeremy.
The other way to start it when it is flooded is to bring it to TDC, fully open the throttle and kick, it should then start.
There is no doubt that the lack of electric start has put countless people off this
bike but then that is also the reason for their relatively low price second hand.
The other way to start it when it is flooded is to bring it to TDC, fully open the throttle and kick, it should then start.
There is no doubt that the lack of electric start has put countless people off this
bike but then that is also the reason for their relatively low price second hand.
Tartan Terror
Registered user
Another vote for the mighty XR650R. Had mine since new (2001) and love it. Raced it in supermoto trim for years, enduro's offroad and road work and all it asks for is regular oil/filter changes and some lube/grease here and there. Fitted a smaller tank to mine and uprated springs front & rear, upjetted and opened the airbox and it rips!! Never getting rid of it, ever!!
Tartan Terror
Registered user
Similar threads
