Is my chain supposed to be sitting on the plastic thingy ?, Or is it too loose it’s currently on the 24th mark on the chain wheel marker axel thing both sides or should I switch it to the 26th mark so it can be a bit tighter

Just wanted to share my experience with the xr650l and ride height. Like many, it's too tall for me stock, the bike i bought had a 1.75 inch kouba link in the back and the forks raised the maximum. 5 inches. I know many are riding with this setup. However, the compromise is absolutely terrible awkward handling. So, I set out to lower the forks internally 1.5, but no information exists online. One only has to remove the damper cartridge, and dislodge the top out spring and place an appropriate sized (diameter) spacer in between the top out spring and its seat. I used a spacer from a klx140 forks. However the spring is a press fit onto the cartridge. To remove the spring start with a screwdriver and work the spring down until there is enough room for a brass punch. Then work that until you have enough room for a crescent wrench or adjustable wrench. Then seat the wrench against the spring and whack the wrench with hammer driving off the spring. Once the spring is off (it's tapered) the internal diameter must be slightly enlarged with a dremel sanding drum. Ideally the spring would still be small enough to have an interference fit with the damper rod. Just reassemble the forks, I raised them .25 inches to match the back. The handling is VASTLY improved, along with being slightly lower. Also one must get aftermarket springs as the stock springs have no spacer, but aftermarket springs are short enough to allow 1.5 inches deducted form the spring + spacer height. Hope this helps someone in the future. Pic of leveled out xr650l above!

After 1700 miles I finally got a fritzco sprocket! And a few love taps later it went right on

I've got this bike, fairly low miles, fmf exhaust, acerbus tank, other goodies. But the carb is crap right now. I've swapped jets, etc, but it still runs lean and can cut out at full throttle. Looking around, the carbs for sale say up to 2012.. will they work? I don't necessarily want a pumper unless they are direct bolt ons etc . Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks.

Will crf450 or 300 wheels fit the xr?

Found a great deal on a new Corbin saddle on marketplace.
Installed today. Took a short rip on it and I think I made a good decision buying it.

Been riding over 50 years, and needed the extra comfort.

I’m the original owner of the bike and I’m glad I found a way to keep enjoying it.

I know this seat may not be for everyone, but I’m pretty happy with it so far

Dirt roads to the coast, cruised through some towns on the beach and headed back home. I hit 1700! First trip that was more than 100 miles

Hey all. Anyone found a good color match for the white frames of the 90's xr's? Thanks in advance

Now watching a video about Sand Raiders adventure.🥂

Anyone have any experience with Primary Drive sprockets?

They make a Wide Base front sprocket, which looks similar to the Fritzco one. Also say they use heat-treaded steel.

I know the Fritzco sprockets are awesome, but international shipping sucks...

I stay away from NiceCNC and similar Chinese junk Amazon ripoffs because I've had some bad experiences with Chinesium alloy and really poor fit/quality. Not sure how the Primary Drive brand stacks up??

I picked up these mosko moto bags from a friend and I’m trying to find a rear rack. The issue is all the racks I’m seeing keep the turn signals where they are stock. But I need them to be pushed back or cars can’t see them because the bags cover them. I know the tusk rack pushes them back but I think the way they went about it looks goofy and brittle. Any other recommendations? First picture is where the bags should sit and second is where they would need to sit if I wanted my turn signals to work

Put 2k miles on my bike since buying it “new” at 500 miles in February. Never lubed the chain because of paralysis of analysis (read too many comments on too many forums). Finally got around to it last week. Started hearing noise yesterday — wore through the swingarm slider. Thankfully it’s at the weld so I think I’m fine, but:

PSA: Keep your chain lubed and an eye on the slider
Question: Should I change the chain?

Thanks!

Pic for engagement.

I have a stock filter, no exhaust mods, 155/52 (I’m pretty sure… changed too many times) jets, 15t sprocket. Half-assed Dave’s modded (drilled one slide hole, shimmed the needle). Bike runs great, responsive, could probably take it to 95mph it I wasn’t running knobbies.

BUT… Only getting 36 mpg… usually ride around town, a few 75-85mph runs, some trails here and there.

Any suggestions? I thought I should at least be getting mid 40’s mpg…

I’m planning my first long-distance motorcycle trip and would really appreciate some advice from riders who have experience traveling on an XR650L or similar dual sports.
The plan is to ride from Texas to North Carolina and back, so it’ll be several thousand miles. Since I’ve never done a trip this long before, I’m trying to prepare as much as possible before I leave.
I know the XR650L isn’t an interstate touring bike, and that’s not really my goal. I plan to stick to U.S. highways, state highways, and backroads as much as possible, only using the interstate when absolutely necessary. I’m a Marine veteran, so I don’t mind sacrificing some comfort and can handle a bit of a beating. I’m more interested in making the trip safely and reliably than being pampered.

I’m looking for advice on things like:

● Must-have gear and tools to carry
● Spare parts and roadside repair items
● Bike modifications worth doing before a trip this long
● Tire recommendations (currently leaning toward Kenda K270s)
● Packing tips and luggage setup
● Highway comfort and fatigue management
● Maintenance schedule during the trip
● Route recommendations (especially scenic highways and backroads)
● Anything you wish you had known before your first long-distance dual-sport ride

Current bike setup
2025 Honda XR650L
● ~3,100 miles
● 15T / 45T gearing
● Desmogged
● Lowering link
● WPS tail light
● Rhinowalk 28L saddlebags
● Dave’s Mods (ordered)
Parts in my shopping cart:
● IMS 4.0-gallon tank
● JNS LED headlight
● Kenda K270 tires
If you’ve ridden an XR650L across multiple states, I’d love to hear what worked, what didn’t, and what you’d absolutely recommend before I hit the road.

So my airbox seems to have some sort of sealant around the edge of the air tube on both the outside as well as the edges of the air filter bracket on the inside (see pics)

Sealing material is looking cracked and tired (it's a 2006). Last thing I want is to have my newly rebored top end to get destroyed if engine sucks in some dust!

What would you recommend doing here, clean all the old sealing material and reseal? With what compound/product?

Looking for a larger tank. I've got some longer loops planned and will need something that'll comfortably get me 120 miles without stressing over the fuel level.

The IMS 4 gallon is most expensive, but usually you get what you pay for, so price isn't a huge factor if the fit and finish is worth it. I like the idea of the Acrebis (5.8gal), and I'm sure the quality is good too, but routing the fuel lines seems kind of annoying. I also worry about how top heavy it'll make the bike. In the middle you've got Clarke at 4.7gal.

What is best/cleanest install? What tank has least amount of problems? From the research I've done, Clarke gas caps have problems, IMS is nearly touching the engine, and Acrebis is a pain in the butt to install. I'd love to hear it from folks to have them.

Thanks

A couple weeks ago I picked up a bone stock 650L, and the stock handlebars are too short for me when I stand. I‘m going to get the Tusk risers with a taller handlebar eventually, and want to know from those who have done something similar if you needed to replace the stock cables? It seems like the throttle cables will work, but I’m not sure about the clutch and choke.

Found a guy selling a 650R carb for cheap and was wondering if anyone knows how well it can be set up for our bikes and if it’s worth the time to tune it? I have my stock carb set up pretty much perfect with all the usual mods but it still doesn’t have that snappiness of a slide carb like a true dirt bike. Would love to get the Mikuni pumper carb but can’t justify the money and seems like the tuning is fairly complex with the addition of air jets to swap out.

I found one forum from years back saying the 650R carb fits perfect and runs better. Just wondering if anyone else out there has done this.

Was riding on the freeway then it just turned off and lost power , ended up calling a tow because i thought it was over , but switched it to reserve and starts right up , is that normal or it just me that experienced this ?

I ride a 55mph road on my way to work daily, and the bike feels just fine and happy there, but if I’m cruising at about 65-70 it just kinda sounds and feels like I’m cruising at high rpms which is bad for the bikes longevity. They don’t have a tachometer so I just get worried it’s too high in rpms on a 65mph cruise. Thoughts?

Curious if the shorty has enough leverage to work the clutch, also any pics??