[Jeff Higgins]

Dang, sorry to hear about Al Baker. I had no idea. I actually thought I was talking to him the couple of times I called XRs Only.

"The most reliable bike i have ever owned" is pretty much the consensus on the Honda XRs. That's what more or less sold me on them when I was shopping and researching big bore thumpers.

In the spirit of keeping it that way, I'm avoiding the big cam, high compression, and other internal mods. The 650L, for whatever reason, has a real reputation for running very hot as it is, even when jetted properly (they are quite lean right out of the box). Guys on the thumper forums report oil temps running into the 280+ range under "normal" operating conditions. There is an oil cooler in my future (a guy on ADV Riders has a very cool XR650L specific mount for the Jagg cooler) but, even at their oil-cooled best, these things still run in the 230-240 range. More power, of course, means more BTU's, making matters worse. I don't need a race bike. Like I said, this thing has more power than I can use in the dirt right now. No reason to compromise longevity for something I don't need. Besides, I could have just bought a 'Berg like Sam's, or a KTM, or a Husqvarna, or any number of much more powerful bikes, if that was what I wanted. I just wanted the big, lazy thumper for moseying around the woods. Right now, this "Big Red Pig" (as they are affectionately known), fills the bill perfectly.