Gettin' Down and Dirty on the New Honda

[Jeff Higgins]

Well, I've had the XR650L for just over a week now, and have put just over 500 miles on it - almost entirely on pavement. I did manage about a 60 mile round trip up a fairly good logging road (I saw Priuses parked at the trailheads, if that gives you any idea of how "offroad" that excursion was) on Saturday afternoon, and the bike felt very good under those conditions.

Sunday afternoon, however, was a whole new ballgame. I went riding with one of my buddies on his Husaberg 570. "Real" offroad riding this time, with a mix of abandoned, rutted, washed out logging roads, powerline roads, and pretty technical singletrack through the woods. Surfaces ranged from hardpan to soft loam to slimey mud to sticky mud to gravel to river rock. And I was in over my head on most of it...

My biggest mistake was not leaving my ego at the gate and trying to keep up with Sam. The guy can ride, still participating in the odd desert race every now and then. His bike is 110 pounds lighter than mine, more powerful, and was rolling on Pirelli Scorpions, where I was on the original Trail Wings that came fitted to the bike. Oh, and did I mention Sam can ride?

So, the inevitable finally happened - I crashed. Not very hard, I wound up running out of skill and traction at about the same time climbing a steep, loamy hill in a clearcut. Damn that XR is a heavy bike to stand back up... No harm, no foul though.

Not more than half an hour later, I figured I might need more data points - you know, for comparison's sake. So, I rather uncerimoniously dismounted once again, this time in the slimiest, deepest mud I could find. Another low speed get-off, once again no harm, no foul. At least now it's starting to look like a dirt bike...

Not wanting Sam to think those first two crashes were just flukes, I decided to end the day with a little more pinache, parting company with my (now long-suffering) faithful steed about halfway up a washed out, rock strewn hill on one of the abandoned logging roads. This time I got it "right", after my previous two feeble attempts at a real crash. In third gear, I once again ran out of skill before I ran out of hill, and went down hard. Hard enough to force the upper and lower tiple clamps to twist out of alignment, fold the bars down in front of the tank, and twist both levers and mirrors under. It really looked bad...

Under further investigation, however, it became apparent that nothing was actually broken - everything had simply rotated it their respective mounts. We loosened all of the fasteners and everything was easily rotated back into place - turns out many fasteners were quite loose anyway, which is what probably saved the day.

Anyway, in spite of the mishaps, I had an absolute blast. I learned a few of things as well - don't try to keep up with Sam, "dualsport" tires really suck in serious offroad riding, and don't try to keep up with Sam.

Looking forward to our next outing. I'll have more dirt-worthy rubber on it by then, and I'll do my level best to take it easy and ride at my skill level, not Sam's.

[motion]

Great writeup!

[Seahawk]

Beautiful, Jeff.

[speeder]

I'll never forget the first time I ever got to ride a dirt bike when I was about 15. I vividly remember how much fun I was having, it was at a summer resort on Gull Lake in MN. I remember giving some hot older girl, maybe 17, a ride on it and she was wearing a bikini. Shwing.

I also remember dropping it trying to climb some steep mini-mountain and how impossible it was to stand it back up on a steep hill. Can't remember what I did but it was awkward. Maybe rolled it back down somehow with help? Good times. Your post brought back memories.

[scottmandue]

I had a very similar experience with my XL500 and ridding in the Mojave desert with my semi pro friends on their real dirt bikes.

Sunday afternoon just before we were going to put the bikes on the trucks... I decide to take one last jump... got tangled up with the bike and long story short ended up with four pins in my leg.

Kids...don't try this at home!

Note: This was over twenty years ago.

[dlockhart]

Welcome to off road riding. Falling over often and running into trees are part of the comedy to be replayed over and over with riding buddies over several adult beverages. Even better if it is on video.

Tip. As you discovered, having stuff loose enough to move keeps it from breaking. A bit of teflon tape between the clutch/ brake clamps and bars is a old school trick to let them spin.


Then next stop the Romaniacs

[tharbert]

You need a second set of rims: supermoto tires on one set and full knobbies on the other.

I had Pirelli Scorpion Pro All Terrain knobbies that were loud and wore down quickly especially with 50/50 road use coupled with the torque of a 650cc. But, man, could I climb stuff and plow through the deepest mud? Now, I run Conti Attack SMs for now but I wouldn't hit any serious trails with them.

Edit - Wow, that Romaniacs race: Top bike was a BMW followed by 5 or six small bore KTMs. Thumpers didn't break the top 5. Weight"

[dlockhart]

Originally Posted by tharbert

You need a second set of rims: supermoto tires on one set and full knobbies on the other.

I had Pirelli Scorpion Pro All Terrain knobbies that were loud and wore down quickly especially with 50/50 road use coupled with the torque of a 650cc. But, man, could I climb stuff and plow through the deepest mud? Now, I run Conti Attack SMs for now but I wouldn't hit any serious trails with them.

Edit - Wow, that Romaniacs race: Top bike was a BMW followed by 5 or six small bore KTMs. Thumpers didn't break the top 5. Weight"

I think the KTM 300EXC with a rekluse clutch is the cheater bike of off- road/enduro/ harescrambles


Rekluse Clutch rEvolution

[ODDJOB UNO]

i think with some metzler karoo tires you would be very very happy on/off road.



ask me how i know.


we are in the "decomposing granite vortex" here.



try some renthal dezert bars unless ya got alot of twisties thru trees ala michigan 6 days en-durr-o.


now is the time to shave some weight on that thar moto-sickle.

[LakeCleElum]

Jeff - Sounds like you're leaning quickly. It will be easier with good tires and having the mud drying up soon?

Come on over this way. Can starting riding the lower trails in May, will have snow up high until July this year. I won't hurt you..........Enjoy

[Jeff Higgins]

I'll definitely have to head your way this spring, Bob. I used to ride the old slag piles and the woods up behind them years ago (like, ahem... 30 or so of them...) before I quit riding in the dirt. I guess that's all closed now, though. You'll have to show me around.

I've got to say, it's a lot of fun to be "back". The skills are pretty much gone, I'm 30 years older, much more fragile, and certainly no longer fearless and invincible like I once was, but hey, I'm having fun. I'll keep working on reviving at least some of the old skills, and setting up the bike the way I want it.

I've already yanked the smog pump and put the IMS "Baja kit" block-off plates on it, along with performing "Dave's mods" on the carb (raising the needle by putting a washer underneath, going from 50/150 jetting to 55/158, and drilling out the two air holes in the bottom of the slide). What a difference all of that made; not so much in power, but just in throttle response.

[911boost]

I have the Fastway F.I.T. System hand guards on Cr250r that sees a majority of its times on the trails and I love them.

Don't ask how many handlebars I bent because of the typical bark buster types of set ups......

Bill

[dlockhart]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I'll definitely have to head your way this spring, Bob. I used to ride the old slag piles and the woods up behind them years ago (like, ahem... 30 or so of them...) before I quit riding in the dirt. I guess that's all closed now, though. You'll have to show me around.

I've got to say, it's a lot of fun to be "back". The skills are pretty much gone, I'm 30 years older, much more fragile, and certainly no longer fearless and invincible like I once was, but hey, I'm having fun. I'll keep working on reviving at least some of the old skills, and setting up the bike the way I want it.

I've already yanked the smog pump and put the IMS "Baja kit" block-off plates on it, along with performing "Dave's mods" on the carb (raising the needle by putting a washer underneath, going from 50/150 jetting to 55/158, and drilling out the two air holes in the bottom of the slide). What a difference all of that made; not so much in power, but just in throttle response.

Important Mods
Some good rubber for you and a GoPro to capture your awsomenes

( But mostly for our entertainment )

Then engage the FUN gear and get after it

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I guess that's all closed now, though. You'll have to show me around.

Not closed if you know when/where to go....

All good Mod's....Next one when time/money allow: Exhaust

I had one for many yrs with a higher compression piston it put in. I really came alive.......

[Jeff Higgins]

Next will be a Clark desert tank; that stocker is just too damn small. After that, exhaust. Any recommendations? It seems there are no shortage of full systems or slip-on mufflers for these things. That big, heavy, ugly stocker has got to go.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Next will be a Clark desert tank; that stocker is just too damn small. After that, exhaust. Any recommendations? It seems there are no shortage of full systems or slip-on mufflers for these things. That big, heavy, ugly stocker has got to go.

I was about to say you can easily loose a coupe pounds by changing out the exhaust. I had a super trapp pipe/muffler.

[ODDJOB UNO]

tiz better to have MORE GAS CAPACITY than too little.



look at IMS tanks. my 5.1 gallon on my 85 xr-350rf from hell will go 177miles before i run out. thats full armor gear/water/beer/tools/spares/spare tubes/beer/ co2inflator kit/beer.


im 6'3" 215# so lets say 260# with all gear, day pack etc.


5 gallons when full is NOT KOOL for hi speed cornering. i let it go to about 3.5gallons and the fun really begins.


especially with ktm 500xc upside forks stuffed onto the front with custom triple clamps.


hell unless we are going to the "ends of the earth" i dont fill the tank full.



get either moose HD tubes or HD metzler tubes and a pair of moose tyre irons.



or if ya wanna splurge some michelin bib moussesez.

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by dlockhart

Welcome to off road riding. Falling over often and running into trees are part of the comedy to be replayed over and over with riding buddies over several adult beverages. Even better if it is on video.

Tip. As you discovered, having stuff loose enough to move keeps it from breaking. A bit of teflon tape between the clutch/ brake clamps and bars is a old school trick to let them spin.


Then next stop the Romaniacs

that damn video shows FREEKING CLEARLY that the S&M FREAK COURSE DIRECTORS(HERR DI-WRECK-TOR) have been released on parole or ESCAPED THE ENDURO ASYLUM!


gawd help those poor poor souls.



dont think many hit their checkpoints on time.

[Tim Hancock]

The terrain in that Romania enduro looks like a blast to me. (except the mud/water which I can ride through, but do not like)

[LakeCleElum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Next will be a Clark desert tank; that stocker is just too damn small. After that, exhaust. Any recommendations? It seems there are no shortage of full systems or slip-on mufflers for these things. That big, heavy, ugly stocker has got to go.

Slip on is all you need, think mine is a SuperTrapp? I have an extra Clark tank ($100?). Painted white primer, rattle can any color you want, keep the stock one for Parades and resale.....