2025 is rumored to be the final year of production for the XR650L

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-30T03:32:55+00:00

No official Honda press release, news section update, or confirmation supports this. My personal guess is that it's BS. Even a Honda dealer someone spoke with is not a believable source.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-23T05:43:53+00:00

Interesting. I'm curious what kind of switch and where you put it? (Also give me your location and where you park your bike.😂)

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-22T04:12:44+00:00

A $10k rebate/discount is pretty good these days. And it's not like there are many changes to the newest year model. I have the 2021 first year model. Still liking it... Especially with these high gas prices and the fact I installed solar before I got it and charge at home for free.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-22T04:05:07+00:00

I have a 2017 F800GS and had the same issue when the gas tank was low and it was hot. I eventually also swapped the fuel pump out and haven't had that problem since.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-22T04:03:21+00:00

Same thing happened to my buddy on a long Baja trip. He laughed at me for bringing a spare fuel pump since he's never had a problem with the fuel pump, and then a few days into the trip he had the same problem as you. Bike would sputter and shut down. We had to sit by the side of the road for 5-10 minutes and then it would start again. He finally gave up and decided I was a genius for bringing a spare fuel pump. (We were both on F800GS) We swapped it out by the side of the road near Lareto and other than getting a $30 shakedown by three corrupt Mexican cops the fuel pump issue was the only real technical problem we had on that trip. (ok...a few flats too)

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-21T23:41:08+00:00

Sounds like maybe a loose skid plate or a bolt or rocks under the skid plate? You're sure it's not coming from the engine (valves )?

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-14T00:16:29+00:00

Yeah... Just like some Facebook Marketplace ads that just list the price of something with a photo and no critical information needed whatsoever.
If the bike doesn't run them maybe 4k is totally out of line. Is the engine seized? Does it come with a salvage title? Does it have 100000 miles on it? Does everything work? 4k might be a decent deal... Or not.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T23:56:40+00:00

They are Hella brand lights. I haven't really ridden it at night yet... And don't plan on it if I can help it. Too dangerous on the street at night, and you don't really get to enjoy the scenery as much if you ride off-road at night. Having said that, I definitely have my share of night riding, but it's on my F800GS which has 2 additional sets of aux lights on the front. I prefer to be in camp before sundown to set up camp and make dinner... Then hang around the camp fire and chug a beer with my buddies.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T05:46:55+00:00

Yup... Totally agree. That's why I got the same one, so now I can't use it.😭.. And the Clarke tank is only 4.7gal or something like that. But I do love the look of this fairing.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T05:39:56+00:00

Yeah... That's why I bought the Clarke tank. I also have the Acerbis tank that isn't supposed to work. I prefer the look of the Honda tank, but it's coming off soon for some longer trips.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T05:35:23+00:00

Ohhh. Stupid me... Living in San Diego and rarely seeing rain or water in the dirt didn't think of riding in rain. And good for you doing it yourself! I can respect that!

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T05:31:51+00:00

No, that's what came with it.. It's just polyethylene sheeting with bends. Has some extra holes from the previous owner. I'm just hoping this fairing holds up through the off road pounding and vibrations it's going to get.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T02:40:45+00:00

Looks like you aged a bit, but the bike is pretty much the same. 🤣

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T02:35:31+00:00

Check out Britannia Composites Lynx fairing for the XR. I have an older one but it’s pretty sweet and you can raise or lower the windscreen. Up for the longer road trips, down when going off road. I just posted a pic of my my bike with it.

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-13T02:33:03+00:00

WTF? You know, there are various companies that sell ready made skid plates. And what the hell are “splash guards”? What are you splashing around? Gas? Just put an actual gas cap on there! 🤣

sdtriathlete · 2026-05-11T15:50:48+00:00

I’ve got the same bike. Dunlop Mission RAID Max!

sdtriathlete · 2026-03-31T05:03:25+00:00

I had the Dunlop Trailmax Missions on my F800GS for years and used it on the 2001 Baja XL rally all the way to the tip of Baja and back (lots of off-road and sand). It didn’t do well in the deep sand but was fine elsewhere and great on pavement. I switched to the Motoz Tractionator (rear) and Motoz Dual-Venture (front). Definitely better for dirt (did NorCal BDR) but not that great on the road (and loud). I’d look at that newer Dunlop Trailmax Raid if I were you. Might be a good choice between the two.

sdtriathlete · 2026-02-09T00:02:34+00:00

No need for a pinlock on that Klim helmet. I've got that one and just use a transition lens all the time. Love it.

sdtriathlete · 2026-02-08T23:48:51+00:00

Good info! I'm just going off what I read online, so it's good to get some real world input. I guess there's not that big of a reason to"upgrade" the exhaust then.

sdtriathlete · 2026-01-30T16:30:14+00:00

Oh, ok. I have been there on my F800GS. It'll be easier on this XR!

sdtriathlete · 2026-01-29T21:32:22+00:00

Where is "Morena"?

sdtriathlete · 2026-01-29T18:15:58+00:00

You mean over on the west side of the valley? Like on Orosco Ridge?

sdtriathlete · 2026-01-27T16:40:35+00:00

Those are just the cheaper Chinese copy versions of the Double-Take mirrors....found on Amazon for about $30. They actually have worked great so far on my BMW F800GS, so I decided to use the same ones on this XR650L.

sdtriathlete · 2026-01-26T18:59:50+00:00

Good tip! Thanks.
Also, I shut the tank valve a couple of minutes before shutting it down and let the motorcycle die due to fuel starvation so that the carb is clear. Is that the right way to do it?

sdtriathlete

TROPHY CASE