Honda XR650L

Straight after my "world record" attempt (see page 40) at the Honda Australia Rider Training (HART) complex in Tullamarine (Vic), I was feeling pretty damn exhausted.

But the day also coincided with me picking up the new Honda XR650L, which in my dazed stupor I had forgotten was electric start - the thought of kicking the big mother over after riding 19 bikes in a row had me dreading the thought.

It was with great relief, therefore, that I spotted that little red button - which fireth up the beast with little effort. Praise be.

Just looking at the bike had the memory kicking into overdrive - where had I seen that before? Almost all of the bike is donated from either the XR600 or the NX650 Dominator.

The frame is all XR600, a steel semi-double-cradle, with the addition of a battery box attached to the sub-frame to fire up the electric starter motor.

Standing Tall
The starting equipment goes part of the way to explaining the 147kg (claimed) dry weight, 9kg more than the XR650R. And with a 950mm (measured) seat height, the 650L isn't a bike for those shorter of leg.

The weight isn't noticeable on the road, though, and the seat height puts the rider head and shoulders above the traffic - literally. Spotting a gap or the best route is made considerably easier thanks to this.

The front suspension is a 43mm Showa fork with compression adjustment, and the rear a fully adjustable Pro-Link Showa single shock. There is plenty of travel available, at 295mm and 280mm respectively, however valving and spring rates are on the plush side of the scale.

The suspension is suited more to open fire-trails than tight, bumpy tracks - though this is what the bike is aimed at, leaving the tighter stuff to the likes of the XR250, XR400 and its harder-edged, capacity-sharing brother.

There is a lot of fork dive under brakes on the bitumen, as to be expected on this style of bike, but despite that the twin-piston front caliper works well enough, as does the single-piston rear, on both the dirt and bitumen.

Dominant Force
The engine itself isn't the liquid-cooled XR650R powerplant, but the 644cc air-cooled single from the now defunct (in Australia, at least) Dominator, still an honest, reliable grunter, but beginning to show its age in a world where compact, light-weight four-strokes are becoming the norm in all manner of machines.

Power is smooth, with respectable torque, though the 650R's donk would eat it for breakfast. The big benefit is of course the electric leg which, being a Honda, works faultlessly. There is no back-up kick starter however, so it has to.

Sitting on the bike feels much the same as sitting on an XR600, with a similar view as well - the speedo is lifted from the XR range, the easy-to-read needle and clock arrangement complemented with a trip and odometer, as well as a full range of idiot lights.

The choke lever is mounted on the handlebars, which is handy - and speaking of hands, the bike comes equipped with plastic hand guards, and there's a tool bag perched on the rear guard.

Styling-wise, the bike is unmistakably Honda XR, but is beginning to look aged in my opinion. The muffler and rear brake light/number plate set-up look ungainly and heavy, and as for the fake plastic shrouds tacked onto the metal tank, well, I'm a bit lost for words...

But the build quality itself is signature Honda - with a fit and finish any manufacturer would be proud of, and includes nice touches to make the bike more "roadable", such as the lockable fuel cap and a helmet lock.

Wheelie Good
This bike is a comfortable commuter, cruising at 110kmh is easy enough, even with 'just' a five-speed gearbox. I never really felt the bike could have used an extra ratio. The gearbox itself felt bulletproof, and shifted positively.

The fuel economy worked out at 16.9 km/lt on the bitumen, which includes some freeway riding and traffic dodging. From the 10.6lt tank, this equates to a range of over 170km; not bad for what is essentially a dirtbike.

The thin, soft seat will most likely curtail any aspirations of much longer stints at the 'bars though - my butt was crying enough after an hour at the helm.

I only had a short stint on the dirt, where the predictable nature of the engine's power delivery made open dirt roads a joy and rear-wheel antics almost compulsory. The XR600 of old was always a wheelie bike of note, and the XR650L continues in this vein.

The weight and sheer height of the thing means open dirt trails is where it should remain, and as long as it is dry the standard Dunlop K850A road/trail tyres do a decent job - they ain't no knobbies though.

On the bitumen they performed well, without the excessive noise of some road/trail tyres. The rims don't include rimlocks, but there are pre-drilled holes for those who want to fit them; a good idea on the dirt.

Where's it Targetted?
While the bike is well-built and felt bullet-proof, I'm confused as to what, or who, the bike is actually aimed at. An adventure bike? Dirtbike? Commuter? A little bit of all three?

And the components, while undoubtedly proven in their reliability by previous models, are dated in today's marketplace, where the $9,990 (plus ORC) XR650L is similar in price to the likes of Husqvarna's 610TE-E ($10,395 plus ORC) and KTM's 640 LC-4E ($10,795 plus ORC) - both electric start and using higher-spec componentry.

Other bikes in this market niche include Suzuki's DR650SE and Kawasaki's KLR650, with both considerably cheaper at $8663 (plus ORC) and $7790 (plus ORC) respectively.

Make no mistake, Honda's XR650L is a thoroughly competent machine, but faces some pretty stiff opposition whichever way you look. Will it make its mark Down Under - we'll have to wait and see...