xr 650 questions

[yogist]

I want a new bike for Running the forest roads here in az.

I have a cr 250 I use for singletracking, I wanted something big and fast for wide open forest roads and to be dual sported for crossing sections of highway in between dirt..I was considering the wr 450 or ktm 525 but 7000.00

to 8500.00 for a dirt bike to me is just a bit un reasonable..I can pick up a near new xr 650 out of the trader and dump a grand into it and still be under 5500.00.

The longevity of the 650 motor is also attractive..The higher revving bikes just dont last that long..The xrs are

basically bullet proof..The weight concerns me but if Im not in the tight twisties it shouldnt be an issue..

How many miles are you guys getting out of a bike before

rebuilding ??

Is a cooling fan neccasary,Do they overheat much??

I wanted a ds kit with an electric start,How much, and has anyone put one on??

How often are valve adjustments neccasary on these bikes??

Im 6'0 around 215 lbs , Is the suspension adequate or do

I need to swap springs out??

I read a post elsewhere where someone put an e start with a pumper carb and it supposed to hot start a lot easier, any info on that??

Thanx in advance for any replies.. ?

[big t]

I guess you are talking about the xr650r. It would be great for forest roads and the weight would not be an issue at all for that kind of riding. I put an Edelbrock on mine and have no issues of overheating and starts 1st or 2nd kick every time no matter what. I would think the suspension would be fine for the kind of riding your talking about. There are some pictures of the e start by Baja Designs that a couple of guys have put on. It's expensive, I think around $800 just for the e start and around $400 for DS kit. Valves are easy to adjust and the book says every 700 miles. I would think you could get at least 10,000-15,000 without rebuilding anything on the engine depending on how hard you ride it. Now the xr650l comes with an e start and is street legal from the factory but the bike is heavier and does not have the power of the 650r.

[AzMtnThumper]

Yogist,

I don't know about the DMV in the valley, but when I took my 600 in to get a plate all the "inspection" consisted of was checking the numbers on the bike and comparing to the title. On my next bike I'll just have a brake switch, floating bulb socket on the rear fender for a dual filament bulb and a mirror. Just my .02. A XR650R would be king of the forest raods.

FWIW, last week I was quoted $6700 OTD for an 05 WR450F by Four seasons motorsports in Rye,AZ. Sounds like availability is gonna be pretty limited (at least initially - they told me they're only getting one a month for the next 2-3 months). I have to agree $7000-$8500 for a bike I'm going to ride maybe twice a month (if I'm lucky) is pretty steep. Makes a used 650R look pretty appealing, but I'm still trying to decide.

[big t]

Just wait til the 450x comes out. I bet you will be able to pick up a 650 cheap.

[Old_Man_Time]

I want a new bike for Running the forest roads here in az.

I have a cr 250 I use for singletracking, I wanted something big and fast for wide open forest roads and to be dual sported for crossing sections of highway in between dirt..I was considering the wr 450 or ktm 525 but 7000.00

to 8500.00 for a dirt bike to me is just a bit un reasonable..I can pick up a near new xr 650 out of the trader and dump a grand into it and still be under 5500.00.

The longevity of the 650 motor is also attractive..The higher revving bikes just dont last that long..The xrs are

basically bullet proof..The weight concerns me but if Im not in the tight twisties it shouldnt be an issue..

How many miles are you guys getting out of a bike before

rebuilding ??

Is a cooling fan neccasary,Do they overheat much??

I wanted a ds kit with an electric start,How much, and has anyone put one on??

How often are valve adjustments neccasary on these bikes??

Im 6'0 around 215 lbs , Is the suspension adequate or do

I need to swap springs out??

I read a post elsewhere where someone put an e start with a pumper carb and it supposed to hot start a lot easier, any info on that??

Thanx in advance for any replies.. ?

These are pretty bullet proof bikes. And there is alot you can do to them in after market parts. The power up kit is the only must have the rest is preference.

The valve adjustments are easy too and I would say every 700 to 1000 miles depending on how hard you ride it.

Longevity? Well I know a fellow who races it hard and has 27000 miles without a rebuild on his personal bike. It still was running strong. That may not be the norm but it is what XRs are noted for.