DR650S vs XR650L | Dual Sport Duel - Cycle News

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:37 - Background
1:21 - Specs
4:34 - Winner?
6:45 - Wrap up
#DR650 #XR650 #DualSport

[Dukenevr]

I had an XL600 back in the late 80s, and I was a 5 gear long distance wheelie king on that bike. It was the perfect confluence of easy to use power, a relatively light front end and the exuberance of youth!

61 years old now, recently bought a new Husky 701 Enduro and thoroughly "Rottweilered" it with dongles, PC6 with their map, Yosh can, etc. The 701 has a truly stupid amount of power but even with the quickshifter helping me, I am lucky to get a paltry 2 gear eighth mile long wheelie out of it.

I may have nicer things now, but getting old sucks. It can't be me getting old though, I blame the Enduro's low and forward engine placement, which does enhance steering but hinders wheelies. Too much weight on the front end, not my old age, ya, that is my problem 😆

[michaeldavison]

As a shorter rider who bought an XR650L new in 1994 and rode it until 2019 i can attest to its often mentioned high center of gravity. That being said the supple, plush suspension is truly wonderful.

[franciscolopez]

These bike are almost indestructable if well taken cared of. That is why their engine design lasted so long to this day. Thanks for sharing this video.

[michaelbarnes]

I've been blessed to own a new 2013 Suzuki dr650 which I kept for 5yrs. Loved the bike! Sold, missed. Bought a like new 2021 Honda xr650l. After owning the both dualsports. Hands down!! Honda xr650l. Just all round better bike. Low pulling torque. Xr650l sounds like a tractor when pulling. 😊

[JDeezle]

Inches away from over extending myself and seeking help on a loan on an Africa Twin decided to go XR650L and and mods overtime. Now my old school garage is a XR650L & a 99 CBR600F4 😊

[deepbludude]

Ive got an 83 XR650 things still thumping along its just a joy to ride! Ive had many thumpers and street bikes starting with Yamaha 2 stroke enduros in the earlys 80s, moving up to big bore bikes XR's, DR's, KLR and even have a 76 TT500 in my garage all of em are epic. Im 62 and I wouldnt say I rip any more but pretty experienced at riding these old thumpers and not opposed to popping a wheelie every now and then.

[BillySBC]

I chose the DR650 because it's more street oriented than the XR650, and most of your time on these bikes is going to be spent there, still the DR is capable and fun offroad as well. Also the DR has an oil cooler, which can be added to the XR but it doesn't come with one. I found the stock height of the DR to be annoying even at 6 feet tall, it was easy to lower though. Both bikes will need their carb mixture screws turned out and their needle shimmed, simple to do though. Also the DR has a cush drive in the rear and the XR doesn't, which puts a lot of strain on your front output shaft spines if you don't have it. I took off the stock muffler on my DR which was a ridiculously large thing and it weighed a ton, bike sounds great with aftermarket exhaust, fantastic exhaust note during run-up. All in all both are fantastic bikes, the Honda is more offroad oriented, the Suzuki more on-road. Either choice is a valid one.

[StoopidSmith]

I have had 2 Dr's and put about 50k miles on them between the two. Never once have I ever thought there was anything wrong with the pegs. One of mine is bent up and it still doesn't bother me. I ride lots of woods and I ride the bike hard. Full suspension, pumper carb, full exhaust it's not being ridden lightly and I've never lost my footing at all. My xr650r and yz250x both have similar pegs and they seem fine to me too. Maybe I'm just old school. Good review.

[johnfish]

Owned both. 1993 XR650L w/4, 000 miles and currently my 2005 DR650 I bought with 10, 000 miles. Between the two the Honda is better offroad (helps if your tall 6 foot or more) but the Suzuki makes up for its lack of offroad ability with its smoother motor on the highway. They both have their trade offs. The DR is a little easier to handle in my opinion simply because it's lower to the ground and carries its weight lower. The XRL has more ground clearance and more suspension travel which makes jumping big logs and other obstacles easier. Both bikes are super reliable and have huge aftermarket support (see Procycle). The DR gets the nod for a little better longevity because of the oil cooler. You can add one to the Honda. For an adventure bike I'd pick the DR. In my opinion the XRL is a 75/25 bike and the DR is a 50/50 off road on road bike.

[artful_dodger]

Some bikes are more than the spec sheet. The mighty DR650 is one of those. My DR was possibly the funnest bike I've ever had. Just an old friend that never let me down. I ran sanctioned dual sport events on the weekend -- asphalt-tracked the muddy beast to work Monday morning. Beaten like a pinata, never once complained. I rode with a bunch of older guys who also had them and we would rate our rides by how many "KTM Kids" we were able to pass on a section, lol, obviously even one was a good day 😅 Loved my DR!

[jackheinemann]

These were the two bikes I considered. I probably would have 'tried' to find the honda, but here in australia DRs are literally everywhere. There are much more DRs around down here, and along with that, aftermarket parts can be bought from a cafe down here, XR parts are abit harder to come by. In the short time Ive had my DR Ive dropped a bunch of weight and sorted nearly all the issues. Im going to put a set of upside mx forks on mine and play with the shock valving until its perfect. Best bike ever made

[Re-Booter]

I have an original -83 XL600R with 5800 miles, bought it with 4800 miles two months ago :) Runs like a champ, PERFECT dual sport, OOODLES of torque to lump along on forest service roads.

[timothydrake]

I trimmed off an inch and half on the XR650L seat, and its still the most comfortable stock seat I've ever owned. I owned both bikes at once for several years.The XR650L has a lower 1st gear. Once I did the 2nd-5th gear swap, the XR650L became the keeper, and the DR650 was traded off. I also cut and rewelded the foot peg mounts in, down, and back on the XR650L.

[simonktmwong]

I had the DR650 10 years ago, with few common mods it was a very capable bike. Dead freaking reliable and cheap to run. One of two bikes I really missed.

[aussiefarmer]

You hit the nail on the head man. Us old school blokes don't go for the newer stuff because we can fix it easy and these will be going for many yrs due to the simplicity. No sensors, ABS ect. Good vid.

[joecavoto]

Never ever getting rid of my DR! Cheap, fun, 80 mph all day long. Like others have said, with the right mods makes it a capable bike. 👍🏻

[ljmiller]

Great review. The only thing that I would add is, as a XR650L owner, the one thing that I envy on the DR650 is the oil cooler …one-off my projects I’m looking at is desmogging and putting on an aftermarket cooler. As for the seat height, I got a “low comfort” Seat Concepts seat … it dropped the seat height by an inch and that has helped me immensely. The gas tank is small, but I am learning to like that in case of dropping the bike -the height of it offers a little more torque to overcome when lifting. Still, I love my bike warts and all, and I like the “Apocalypse Bikes” that are the XR650L and DR650. (Extra shout-out to my bike for starring in a movie with a mullet-haired JCVD … I guess it is an old design.)

[badgerbait]

I have two Beta 300s (RR and Xtrainer), a Triumph Scrambler XE 1200, and now my second XR650L. The XRL is the last bike I'd get rid of! Yes, it's a pig with very long legs, but it's remarkably reliable with a huge accessory market! It really is a dooms-day bike! Also about the closest thing to a dirt bike that works well with a passenger. Perfect for my wife and I on back roads and trails.

Must mods for the XRL: air pump delete kit; FMF Q4 (or at least uncork the muffler); Dynojet carb kit; bigger foot pegs; IMS 3.5 gal fuel tank; Ricky Carmicle high rise bars with 2" risers; and for what I do, I dropped a tooth on the front sprocket (which is also a wider sprocket) which makes it so much more fun on trails and fire roads. Only likes to cruise at a max of about 50-55 mph though; foam air filter; and I went to Sutton oil cooler kit. Not a huge difference on the temp, but it helps!

[bbaz]

I've owned XR's and DR's and for reliability and suspension, the Honda wins hands down for me. That said, you can't be 5'7 and comfortable ride one. The suspension alone makes the XR.

[toddbankes]

Enjoyed ur video. I got an 07 DR, I bought new. No issues with it, in 15 yes I've owned it. Put skid plate, and a magnetic oil drain plug. Otherwise totally stock. Ride to work, weekends hit woods. Great bike