I'm from AZ but now live in MT. My 650R isn't at home up here. Lots of single tracks and 75% of forest roads are well maintained. Its a chore finding new fresh areas to ride where I can open the 650 up. I went to AZ last winter and ran B.C. to Yuma on my Pig then hit Wickenberg to Kingman on the way back. I was in BRP heaven. I did pick up a EXC for the MT single tracks but man I miss those desert rides. Its an itch you need to scratch.
Interesting comparison vid. Love the XRR in the desert... where she was born and bred! A joy if you're moving... a challenge when the going gets tough, but like you say: they will tractor up anything (the rider is always the weakest link)! FWIW, we have mounted fans on ours, but it's never really been critical. Even if she bubbles a bit, she's still not unhappy. I gather you are running the light on the XRR straight from the Stator with no battery in between?
Yes, on that bike the stator has been rewound so it has a dedicated lighting circuit and the light with regulator/rectifier runs directly off that. It flickers on idle because its a squadron pro but you can just needle the idle up if it starts to give you epilepsy while trying to map out the trail :O other wise just punch it!
I run 16/45 with a 6 speed gearbox on my Husaberg 650 when I race down there. There is no such thing as a larger fuel tank, so I keep the rpm’s low for fuel efficiency.
Yep fuel plan is key! I like the Giant Loop bags, I used them to get to Cabo and back on my KTM 950SE. There are also handlebar mounted solutions for the trials guys, that attach with velcro; you fill it, take it off at the rocks, then pick it back up to refill for the return trip.
JCR Speed Shop had them and I bought a bunch before they forgot about their website. There are copies (maybe even the same ones) on ebay but they've been hit and miss with the internals. They are great, I love them.
Nice video good info! I do have a question for you I noticed you had an Excursion is it a 7.3? If so have you done anything to it to improve towing your toy hauler?
How are you liking the 450rx? I have a 2019 crf450r and the bike is great other than the gearbox and i believe the rx has the same or similar. I'm thinking about either selling the bike or tearing it down this winter to drop in the 450L or 450x six speed. I mean the crf450r gearbox is so close ratio it is insane. You can barely crack the throttle between shifts. If I'm riding hard I get less than a second in between shifts. That gets old, not to mention I had to gear it to the moon to be able to ride it down the road without it screaming.
Yea, I was just going to say gear it up to stretch it out. There is alot more different between the r/rx & x/l platform. The X is plush and has a flatter torque curve (L is even more so) where the r/rx is a dang rocket in the band but has zero grunt. I find the X challenging to ride single track on, I always want to keep shifting but I need to remember that it has the rrr's to wind up between curves without clicking around. I've settled on the X, I love it for what I do, It's a good all around bike. Especially with that engine build, its like the XR650R with all the torque now, and has 6 gears!!!
Good point. Dono, I've been flogging them but need to deal with them soon. I don't even know if those battered rims will hold tubes. Actually the biggest concern is If you leave the bike parked on them they deflate on that spot and its like riding with a square tire. Racers either get a new set every tire change or the tire & rim sit on a rack between pits - Say you get a deal and pay $125 each for tires and mousses, imagine spending $500+ every time you smoke a tire 😮. Bro they are amazing, I'm not going to lie, but I'm hungry and happy with my Maxxis Deserts & HD tubes.
Don’t run mousses on anything other than a track. They aren’t designed for anything else, no what what someone says about running nitromousses that last a little bit longer. It’s not designed for the speed or for what you’re doing off a MX track. Just get a heavy duty tube.
The og' X is a versatile platform, if you have to spend the day, or a week, on a bike I'd choose a mild setup - rocks, sand, waterfalls, some roads. But if you had only 4 hours to cover the distance and it was 50+ mph tracks then the XRR is going to absolutely dominate the higher speed stuff.
Stock is 100 MPH easy; 20% up gives you less top end actually (that's the 96 mph video) but cruises much better down the highway and still gets up the hills with a tad more clutch.
I don't but that's because the BRP is the wrong bike for the tight stuff. It has plenty of mass (and fluid volume) to stay cool while walking up even the biggest hills but it likes to be to opened up after to get some air. As for trying to sit idling at street lights or whatever, I forgot to say, even if you keep the cylinder & oil temps down with a fan, the header pipe will be glowing red hot in pretty short time - I wonder how the L's get away with it, maybe that emissions thing bypassed a bunch of cooling air into the exhaust?
I'm from AZ but now live in MT. My 650R isn't at home up here. Lots of single tracks and 75% of forest roads are well maintained. Its a chore finding new fresh areas to ride where I can open the 650 up. I went to AZ last winter and ran B.C. to Yuma on my Pig then hit Wickenberg to Kingman on the way back. I was in BRP heaven. I did pick up a EXC for the MT single tracks but man I miss those desert rides. Its an itch you need to scratch.
That’s an itch I know well, the 650r was built for that!
So glad my xr650r has an electric start.
I bet its a game changer!!
@@owlclaw absolutely, luckily it came with one when I bought it because otherwise they cost a fortune to install.
Excellent video. A huge amount of important data, in a video only 12:14 long. Amazing.
Much appreciated!
Nice bikes bro thanks for the video
Time to get out there! Braaapppp 😄
Interesting comparison vid. Love the XRR in the desert... where she was born and bred! A joy if you're moving... a challenge when the going gets tough, but like you say: they will tractor up anything (the rider is always the weakest link)! FWIW, we have mounted fans on ours, but it's never really been critical. Even if she bubbles a bit, she's still not unhappy. I gather you are running the light on the XRR straight from the Stator with no battery in between?
Yes, on that bike the stator has been rewound so it has a dedicated lighting circuit and the light with regulator/rectifier runs directly off that. It flickers on idle because its a squadron pro but you can just needle the idle up if it starts to give you epilepsy while trying to map out the trail :O other wise just punch it!
I run 16/45 with a 6 speed gearbox on my Husaberg 650 when I race down there. There is no such thing as a larger fuel tank, so I keep the rpm’s low for fuel efficiency.
Yep fuel plan is key! I like the Giant Loop bags, I used them to get to Cabo and back on my KTM 950SE. There are also handlebar mounted solutions for the trials guys, that attach with velcro; you fill it, take it off at the rocks, then pick it back up to refill for the return trip.
Where did you get your on/off buttons. Those are clever
JCR Speed Shop had them and I bought a bunch before they forgot about their website. There are copies (maybe even the same ones) on ebay but they've been hit and miss with the internals. They are great, I love them.
Nice video good info! I do have a question for you I noticed you had an Excursion is it a 7.3? If so have you done anything to it to improve towing your toy hauler?
Yea its completely rebuilt, maybe cuz its a 6.0 😂
Well that makes sense lol. I have one with a 7.3
Attempting to make a 650l into a desert capable bike. Will need to aftermarket an oil cooler. What suggestions might you have
Justin from @bajaeveryday8673 is your guy with the 650L in the desert. You'll even be able to jump on a ride at the Oasis!
How are you liking the 450rx? I have a 2019 crf450r and the bike is great other than the gearbox and i believe the rx has the same or similar. I'm thinking about either selling the bike or tearing it down this winter to drop in the 450L or 450x six speed. I mean the crf450r gearbox is so close ratio it is insane. You can barely crack the throttle between shifts. If I'm riding hard I get less than a second in between shifts. That gets old, not to mention I had to gear it to the moon to be able to ride it down the road without it screaming.
Yea, I was just going to say gear it up to stretch it out. There is alot more different between the r/rx & x/l platform. The X is plush and has a flatter torque curve (L is even more so) where the r/rx is a dang rocket in the band but has zero grunt. I find the X challenging to ride single track on, I always want to keep shifting but I need to remember that it has the rrr's to wind up between curves without clicking around. I've settled on the X, I love it for what I do, It's a good all around bike. Especially with that engine build, its like the XR650R with all the torque now, and has 6 gears!!!
Well yeah... The R is a dedicated track bike
Great video! Where are you based out of?
Phoenix AZ
Don’t the mouses overheat? I thought they were only good for slower off-road wouldn’t imagine desert riding/dual sport with longer open speeds
Good point. Dono, I've been flogging them but need to deal with them soon. I don't even know if those battered rims will hold tubes. Actually the biggest concern is If you leave the bike parked on them they deflate on that spot and its like riding with a square tire. Racers either get a new set every tire change or the tire & rim sit on a rack between pits - Say you get a deal and pay $125 each for tires and mousses, imagine spending $500+ every time you smoke a tire 😮. Bro they are amazing, I'm not going to lie, but I'm hungry and happy with my Maxxis Deserts & HD tubes.
I run Nitromousses and they last awhile. It is important to keep wedging them so that they don't get overly loose as they wear.
Don’t run mousses on anything other than a track. They aren’t designed for anything else, no what what someone says about running nitromousses that last a little bit longer. It’s not designed for the speed or for what you’re doing off a MX track. Just get a heavy duty tube.
In your opinion. If only one bike could be had for desert racing. R or X?
The og' X is a versatile platform, if you have to spend the day, or a week, on a bike I'd choose a mild setup - rocks, sand, waterfalls, some roads. But if you had only 4 hours to cover the distance and it was 50+ mph tracks then the XRR is going to absolutely dominate the higher speed stuff.
Gearing on the XRR?
Stock is 100 MPH easy; 20% up gives you less top end actually (that's the 96 mph video) but cruises much better down the highway and still gets up the hills with a tad more clutch.
great video! do you run any fans on the ol xr650r or have you ever felt the need to?
I don't but that's because the BRP is the wrong bike for the tight stuff. It has plenty of mass (and fluid volume) to stay cool while walking up even the biggest hills but it likes to be to opened up after to get some air. As for trying to sit idling at street lights or whatever, I forgot to say, even if you keep the cylinder & oil temps down with a fan, the header pipe will be glowing red hot in pretty short time - I wonder how the L's get away with it, maybe that emissions thing bypassed a bunch of cooling air into the exhaust?
"find a level spot"... to kick start. jajajajaja, i have one.. i know the felling.
😎 lol, its not even that bad but it is a breaker 😂