Honda XR650L Bike Build Parts & Accessories: rmatvmc.link/honda-xr650l-bike-build

I like the simplicity of the bike not having a radiator and just being simple for more survivability. I think I want to build one just like this.

Funny, I bought a 2017 XR about two months ago, put on an Acerbis 5.8 gal. tank, racks, subframe supports, and bags, and did 1400 miles of CDR - Montana/Wyoming. I then rode 1350 miles of two lane back-roads home with everything else bone stock. The stock pegs did not hurt my feet, my stock battery did not fail, my stock lighting was more than adequate, the stock bars worked fine and neither my turn signals nor my mirrors were damaged. The mentality that all of this is something we have to do to make the bike work properly is silliness. Yes, some of these changes would improve the bike's cosmetics or comfort, but functionality is not really affected. This is just trying to make a silk purse out of a perfectly good pig's ear.

the most badass bike... Have one here in India, I think the Air cooled, Carburetored, steel framed, 'lightweight' and easy to self-service/repair adventure bike is a dying breed. Lots might disagree, But.. Lets say, someone wants to do a 5 year RTW and doesn't want to ride a bike that they don't have to plug in every few months to keep running or needs a NASA qualified technician to diagnose; or spend ridiculous amounts of cash on parts, then it's these bikes they will be looking to. Back in the days, being a motorcycle traveler used to be about using your creativity to take a basket case old hag and using only grit and ingenuity, turning it into a "one of a kind eye dazzler", then risking your life on the asphalt on a bike you made yourself out of pride... You can do this still with the XR series. This bike is a time capsule! once the CDI is swapped with an Ignitech one, and oil cooler installed, there is no stopping the PIG...

Wow! Your bike is a custom model based on an XR650L. I had no idea so many custom parts were available for the bike. You had a clear idea what you wanted and made the bike to work for you. Well done!

Highly recommend the USD fork conversion. Major upgrade for this bike. The seat concepts seat, because it is wider in the back, gives you better grip for your knees during standup riding. Shoutout to DirtBikeAfrica, they're doing a lot of good work for the XR650L. I have their "Adventure Kit" which gives you a rally tower and fairing as well as an oil cooler.

Now that's a bike build to be proud of.

Excellent build! Ticked off all the boxes! My old 93 is about 75% there. You didnt mention it, but it is obvious that those hand guards have built in turn signals...an excellent way to get rid of the front OEM signals (you have to relocate them anyway if you use the big Accerbis tank). I used LED tape on mine, but this is a cleaner, tidier way to do it.

Great stuff!650L rider here across the globe in Pakistan

Great video! You’ve got it dialed. The only thing you missed is a fork brace. You’d be surprised at how much those things flex.

These bikes are MAD! I just got a chance to test one yesterday and WOW! Freakin punchy thing! Roll on and INSTANT torque! Thinking of it as my next tourer after my romance with my DRZ is over.

I think the huge OEM fender actually looks awesome, along with the stock small square headlight.

2017 XR650L. All I need is re jetting, 4.7 gallon tank and jns lights and auxiliary light mount. Oh and bar buster lever saver things.

Really appreciate this. I won't do all these mods but it's still helpful to see them.

Honda XR 650 L = The queen of the Baja 1000 is the best bike for any adventure, and this one in the video is a beast !! congrats for the modifications and thanks for sharing. Awesome ride.

THAT my friends is a REAL adventure bike. I'd like to see these 1,200cc low-slung Highway hog "Adv" bikes compete off road with this thing. A real adventure bike is a dual sport with soft bags.

One of the best builds i have come across...gonna consider this for my 2018 xr650l

Awesome in-depth but super straight forward breakdown, good job! Would love to know what you paid for the bike and what all the described mods cost you.

Add a fork brace and an oil cooler too. Im glad I now run a denso iridium plug too. Run 1 range colder tho.

Fantastic review and narration. Very detailed and comprehensive. Makes me want to run out and get a XR650L and do it up like yours. I've had a '93/'03 DR 650s in the past and rode my brother's XR650L. Very tall bike, so it's a good thing I'm 6'3"..

Absolutely love this bike. Great set up. Be the way I would want mine. Totally awesome!!

Definitely should have done the gear box mods. Lots of work but worth it

Based on experience, run away from the foam air filters and stick with the paper ones...when I worked at a Honda motorcycle dealership, we had many many piston replacements due to sand and dust making it past the foam filter. It's not worth it.

I used to race this bikes in the Philippines and I will buy another one to use here in Pacific Northwest 😀

You really kicked it up a notch! Fantastic job!

Thanks so much for doing this video. I plan to get this bike and I want to do most of the upgrades you did. This was very good on upgrades and review

My XR650L build; 2008 model Beefed up fork & rear shock springs Gold Valves all around TKC 80’s Sutton oil cooler Skid plate Magnetic drain bolt Primary Drive 15T front, 42T rear by Protaper JNS light plate Moose fender bag Foam air filter (TwinAir) Desmogged & rejetted Stock exhaust Subframe stays Side racks & top rack Rear disk fin protection LED aux lights (ADVmonster 60’s) Buckin’ roll tank bag by Giant loop Risers Hand guards Aux USB power Double take mirrors Windscreen Clarke 4.7 gal tank And... A Sherpax trailer by Kipmoto !!!

Very nice build. I’d like to add a few of ur ideas to mine so thx for showing us what it’s all like in a package.

Love the XR mine is set up for adventure riding also . I'm 6ft 3 it goes anywhere I want and still light enough .Mine was lowered front and rear I wasn't sure being tall that was going to work but it actually did only 1inch but wow it put weight down lower. It handles way better. I've been riding Xr's since 1984 XR250r .For the money they cost and to upgrade .You can't beat them. Great Vid ""RIDE ON""

I tried the tank graphics on mine with the Acerbis 5.8 gallon tank. Unfortunately it didn't work very well. After it started bubbling (a few days after applying it) I did some research and it seems you need to apply it and let it set up when the tank is new. Last problem I've had was the Polisport fender cracking my first ride with a fender bag (Wolfman, carrying a standard front tube and two tire levers.) I ride my bike all week then ask it to either carve twisties or bomb trails on the weekends. The XR does it all pretty well for what it is! Mine only has 22,000 miles on it. I have a friend who has 60,000+ on his and I'm sure there are many more out there with much more than that. I'm looking forward trying your rear rack, the subframe brace was the selling point for me. Nice to see you guys putting out some new parts for these old girls!

Damn finally a bike for tall people!

ive had mine for 10 year never a problem ,,awesome power..all i did was buy a lowering link,,perfect

Really nice build. Not much left of the stock bike though. Pretty much everything needs to be fixed except the frame and brakes. It is good to start the project on a used one to make sure you don't exceed the price of a more equipped stock adventure bike. Nice video guys.

I miss my XR650L

Thats a monster!! And honda xlr 200..love the 90s and 2000s xr models...

Thanks for adding them all in the description. I just bought an 2003 and will probably do some of the same mods to it.

Heidenau k60s are a much better adventure tire on this bike. They hooked up in the dirt better for me than the 606s did, they are smoother on road, better in the rain, and they last MUCH longer.

I envy you that you have DR-Z400S or XR650L still available in the USA brand new. We have nothing like that in the EU because of emissions. Wanting DR-Z I had to buy 2007 last year and 2008 was the last year available in Europe. We never had XR650L in here. I really miss not so heavy dual sports / adventure enduros on the market so popular in the 80s 'n' 90s. For me T700 is to big and way too heavy and CRF450L too pro and service demanding especially when one want to travel. Great built BTW. I also upgraded my DR-Z400S by doing 3x3 mod, and installed Sargent XT seat for longer trips.

Great video!! Lots of cool stuff. Don't forget to remove the header pipe first before you wrap it and grind the welds down on the flange. Some of these XR's have big globs of weld inhibiting the flow, others not too obvious. Mine were bad- short work for a die grinder tho and careful smoothing of the surface for un-obstructed flow. Does not yield huge horsepower gains but does help!!

And now you have a $12,000 adventure bike

Good job Chance! On the build and the video. I've enjoyed the RMATVMC ADV bike builds, and had been waiting for this one. Wasn't disappointed...

Great setup on a solid adventure bike option. Well Done!

Great video and a very nice build. The bike looks awesome. I got rid of my 650L a few years ago. I mostly went riding by myself and wasn't comfortable with the thought of lying wounded in some remote area for days until someone found me. I also didn't feel comfortable riding it at highway speeds (60mph+) with 18-wheelers flying by me. I found the upright riding position to be very tiring at high speeds. And it didn't help that my a$$ hurt like crazy after 30 minutes on the bike. Miss the bike though. Looking at your build makes me want to get another bike.

You should get together with everide adv

Nice bike. 1 billion dollars later. I’m torn between this and a DRZ400

That's pretty much what I'm looking forward mine will look like.

No gpr or Scott that's the upgrade End some precision concepts for you my large friend

Super clean and most of all reliable. Gotta love it. :)

I'm with you on all of this stuff... I have one question though... if you had it to do again, would you stay with the standard Seat Concepts seat or would you go with the lower option that is 1" less than stock given the high seat height of the XR650L? I'm 6'-0" and the stock height is fine until you get into some serious trail systems... I can almost flat foot the bike on level ground, but I'm wondering how the bike would feel with a lower seat height.

Well done buddy! Nice job on the bike and nice riding. Very well thought out upgrades.

AWESOME RIG...you are giving me alot of inspiration on my personal set up!

excellent video and we can also buy the parts that you use so i will save this video as i can afford to upgrade my bike

Fritzco for the win on the sprocket.

Missed the suspension, just look how soft it is with a little off road. Heavier springs are needed.

I want this bike..

Bro, please add a kickstarter!!! Soooo important!

You did a great job on your bike. I have one also but it’s not tricked out as nice as yours.

Awesome machine, no oil cooler upgrade for hot desert Operations?

What do you think of the Honda NX650 Dominator with a few changes to make it more suitable for off-road use, such as a new front fender, different tires, a shorter gear ratio and weight savings by changing the fairing?

Very well done video. Any bike owner looking to upgrade their bike is served well by this type of video. I am interested in the 650. But I am concerned about an air-cooled bike in the deep South. Is this bike designed to handle low speed, high rev.s, in 95 degree weather? How will it do in stop and go traffic for an hour on 120 degree road surfaces? Will it stand up to 6 hours of riding in 95 degrees? Better yet, two hours of riding, 30 minutes of break, then two mores hours of riding? Those are the conditions it will be ridden in.

Thanks! Great content. Picking up mine today.. 2022. Looking forward to added some items to it based on your input. Would enjoy an itemized list of the upgrades if possible. Or direct me to where you have it. Best to you, Cheers from AZ!!

Dream bike!

Wish Honda looked at this video and made these mods standard.

I like how your foot is closed during the entire video. :D

All of your bike builds are awesome! Thanks guys!

Would this setup fit someone thats 5'10"? 178lbs. Seems like a pretty high bike!

That bike looks like a lot of fun, nice work!

Excellent build, and equally well done video. You guys will get my business based on this no b/s video.

I just bought a xr650l that someone modified..the took off the stock tail light. I reinstalled it because I found out that it's not legal to modify. I also removed the exhaust from two brothers. Bought a stock exhaust. Now the bike is street legal again. Cost of my meds 1400.00 and some change returning bike to stock.

How much did all that stuff cost? How much better is the new suspension? Does anyone make a bigger beefier fork for the bike?

Great looking bike, i would like to test it against my Transalp 650Vtwin, with many mods. So if you ever tour 🇪🇺...

I need to setup my xr600r this way.

you could just buy a JT XR650R front sprocket. they are thicker and use up the whole spline on the countershaft and are superrrr cheap. they have the same countershaft spline pattern and slip right on.

I upgraded mine by using premium gas. You should have just bought a frame and started from there.

I'm going to do my own dual-sport build, but it will be in 2020. I love what you've done with your XR650L, but I'm thinking about finding a XR650R. l had a 2001 model, and that's the only bike I have ever sold where I had to wipe a tear from my eye when I seen it leaving the driveway. Loved that damn motorcycle. Wish so much that I would have kept it and made a true dual sport out of it. Thanks for the awesome video man!

Wow great build 👏

I wish they still sold those in Canada

DR650 stock exhaust weighs 18lb guess how i know this? Just took mine off and replaced it with a FMF Q4

Could you do a crf450l build next?

Holy Smoke Chance, what is that about a 40k bike? I can appreciate everything on it for sure! I wonder, would everything fit on a XR650R? I'm entering back into riding after 40 years away. I'm deciding if I want to ride a XR650R or an L. Basically do I want and electric starter or do I want to Kickstart my bike. Can I get an electric starter for the R? I'm very smitten with the XR650R unless I can be persuaded the other way...

That’s the best XR650L I have seen, what tank is that IMS or Acerbis ? Also I’ve noticed you’ve gone from the Doubletake enduro to the adventure mirrors any reason why ? As I’m looking at getting a set but can’t make my mind up which ones.

F A N T A S T I C . Great review.

Are you guys doing the battle born ride this year? If so, and you are taking the same route as before, you gotta stop by Midas, Nevada. You guys were within 5 or 6 miles of here last year. I can show you guys around, some excellent possible alternate routes and scenery. Can offer a place to take a shower, fix your bikes and camp out if ya want. You can get a drink at the Midas Bighorn bar and see some pretty cool old mining stuff.

I'm rocking a bone stock '98. So many upgrades lol. I'm just joking! Love the video! I haven't even done the smog delete yet. I just beat on the bike like an idiot. *edit - I WILL do the gas tank. Need more distance.

Great looking bike...

why arent you using the highland x2 rackless? on the xr? i bought the set for my vstrom, but after using them think they are better suited on the xr.. i have them mounted and they look great! on the XR650L cant wait to pack em up and hit the trail..

Great Video You gave everyone, good ideas... Thanks

Nice build can you post a list of all the stuff you put on the bike? Thanks

4:06 "brake lever saver" aka - brake snake

Mines still better ;)

hey could you guys do an adventure build for the honda crf250l rally, Thanks!!

thats a kick ass bike...nice work brother!! sweet ride

I want one, awesome review ;-)

How did you get your decals to stay on the tank? Every plastic tank I ever had off gases and delaminates/bubbles stickers from the tank..

Waaay over the top.

Nice job, Chance! 👍👏🍻

I'm enjoying the video but I got to say sounds to me like somebody's got a sponsorship from tusk.... Just saying

Nice video. When are we going to see it in motion to get an idea of how well the additions work?

you are grate doing this build am from united Arab emirate's id like to have one of these bikes with a complete upgrading how much you think it will cost me in total

That’s my dream bike getting to old for the rm 250