This old Honda XR650L didn’t just need a windscreen, lowered seat and suspension, vibration-damped everything, and multiple luggage racks… this bike needed a trip to the gym, a facelift and a diet! The end goal was a trail-focused, middleweight dual-sport with motor improvements, serious lighting upgrades and weight reduction, to create a machine that wouldn’t shy away from fun trails but can go the extra mile between distant gas stations. It’s important to understand the utilitarian goals, because the bike is probably getting flogged on a trail ride or camping trip as you’re reading this. And, as they say, form follows function….

•Electronics

Four indicator lights, a trip/odometer and speedometer are all you get on a stock 650L. To enter the 21st century, we also wanted to keep track of RPMs, engine hours, and cylinder head temperatures. Trail Tech makes the lightweight, fully programmable Vapor speedometer that we coupled with their Vapor Dashboard to get indicator lights for things like hi-beam and neutral position. The cylinder head temperature is another worthy condition to monitor on an air-cooled bike, and Trail Tech’s sensor hooks right up.

One of the first things I did upon buying this bike was make a quick but dramatic 10-lb. weight reduction. The stock 650L battery and mounting box weigh over 10 pounds and was mounted up high under the left rear fender. I removed the entire assembly and relocated it. The CDI now lives inside the airbox and the starter solenoid and fuses are inside the right-side panel. I also swapped the wet battery for a much lighter solid-state Shorai Lithium LFX19A4-BS12 unit.

•Protection

Enduro Engineering has been protecting dirt bikes since 1987, building all sorts of private label parts for MSR, Moose Racing and KTM PowerParts. Based on past experience, I knew their Evolution Debris Deflectors for Renthal TwinWall bars along with their Roost Deflectors would be the right call for this bike. For added safety, I also installed the pedal anchor kit they sell.

My XRs ONLY oil temp gauge sometimes read as high as 280°F, so because oil and air are the only cooling sources on the XR, something had to be done. I bought an automotive transmission cooler and hooked it up under the left side panel where the battery used to be. Now, even with a hotter piston, oil can reach a slightly more reasonable peak of 250°F under most riding conditions.

Even with over a foot of ground clearance, the XRs ONLY skid plate is already bashed up enough to prove its worthiness in protecting the engine. Protecting the insides of the engine are a magnetic oil drain plug and a UNI foam air filter. Often riding in dusty sandy conditions, I typically run filter skins for added protection and to extend cleaning intervals.

•Lighting

A stock headlight design from the early 1990s left a lot to be desired, even with an HID bulb. Trail Tech’s new 7-inch LED Headlight was the perfect waterproof, high-output light cannon this bike needed. It’s backing plate perfectly hides the wiring, but also mounts the new DENALI DR1 2.0 auxiliary lights from Twisted Throttle for even more visibility. The DR1 2.0s and 7-inch LEDs work great together, because they offer a total of five different lighting combinations, and the optional DR1 amber lenses are more eye-catching for oncoming drivers. The DR1 2.0 driving lights have an optional dimmer switch that wires into your hi/low beam to toggle between off, half and full brightness. Together there’s almost 7,000 lumens streaming out of the front of this bike, making almost every other bike I’ve owned feel unsafe at night.

On the rear, I lopped off the clumsy rubber tail light assembly and replaced it with a smaller, lighter WPS tail/brake light. Rearward visibility still wasn’t great, so I used the flashing LED WOW! Tail Light kit from Happy Trails. You can set it to flash for two seconds before staying steady while braking, and it draws a fraction of the power of a stock bulb. It’s meant for KLR 650s, but the plug is the same, so a zip-tie gives XRs an incredibly bright and eye-catching rear light, too.

•Power

When I began this project bike, it smoked like a two-stroke on cold starts and burned a third of a quart of oil every 100 miles, so valve stem seals and a new top end were long overdue. This was an opportunity for more power, so I turned to JE Pistons for an XR600R 102mm 10.8:1 compression forged piston, aiming for somewhere between 9:5 and 10:1 compression for the 650L engine. PowerSeal USA was the go-to choice for boring and honing the cylinder because they’ve been working with engine builders, tuners, racers and regular powersports customers for long time.

To feed the bigger beast, a Mikuni TM-40 flatslide pumper carb with extended throttle cables and pre-installed XR-specific adapters from ProCycle did the job. More tolerant to temperature and altitude changes than an FCR carb, this was a good improvement over the stock CV unit. ProCycle ships the carb with multiple slow and main jets, and tuning guides to aid setup.

I kept the old, beat-up FMF PowerCore exhaust from the late 1990s because I haven’t found anything quieter. Honda XL600R headers from 1983+ are slightly larger than the stock 650L headers, so I picked up a cheap used set on eBay to help the engine breathe.

•Usability

The stock upper triple clamps push the handlebars back uncomfortably, leaving you to roll them forward or to buy pivoting risers to keep them out of your lap. ProCycle and Warp9 teamed up to build a drop-in machined aluminum replacement for the lackluster stock upper clamp. It’s even got all the mounts to reinstall your OEM dashboard and key cylinder. And, important outside dimensions are the same as OEM, so no clearance issues arise. With asymmetrical taller clamps and three mounting holes, you get six total bar positions for 1-1/8-inch bars, which ProCycle also stocks if needed. At 6'2", I found that no additional risers were needed when coupled with Renthal TwinWall 922 1-1/8-inch bars.

I picked up a Ceet Racing seat cover to replace the almost orange-looking cover that had been with the bike since who knows when. Keeping the trail-friendly stock seat shape was important to me, so this was one of the few cosmetically driven changes, even if a Seat Concepts saddle might have been more comfortable.

During aggressive riding, my XR could completely drain the stock 2.8-gallon in 90 miles. My 4-gallon tank was a nice improvement for trail riding, but still hit reserve sooner than was ideal. Acerbis makes a big 5.8-gallon tank that’s needed to get adequate fuel range out of the big thumper on longer rides. Plus, the big wings direct more air downwards onto the engine to help cool it.

As if we didn’t need help running through tanks of gas, the ODI Emig V2 Lock-On Grips with a more aggressive throttle cam make it easier to go WFO. The throttle cam reduced pull length by roughly 25%, making the long travel of the TM40 pumper carb much more manageable.

•Old School Cool

There’s something fun about riding what is essentially technology from the late 1980s with a few modern touches. I value the ability to ride north on Friday nights after work, hit some trails, find a secluded camp spot, and trail ride all weekend from there. The larger gas tank eliminates excessive fuel stops and without the gigantic headlights, my pace would slow to a crawl after sundown. Without an oil cooler, the hotter piston would have cooked engine oil right away, too. And, without a new piston, bore and hone, I’d be filling up with oil as often as fuel.

What I’ve got now is a lighter, more dirt capable dual-sport than stock DR650s or KLR650s, with better lighting, and a fuel range just like the KLR. Considering what I paid for the bike, plus the upgrades, we’re still looking at lower cost than a brand new KLR or DR650. This project wasn’t intended to be a full overhaul. Instead, I taught this old dog a few new tricks enhancing it for what it was meant to do.

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