It was around 1990 when an employee from the R&D department of American Honda showed up at the Cycle World Trek – an annual industry ride organized by the magazine’s advertising department – aboard a Frankenstein bike with some familiar hardware. It had an off-road XR600 motorcycle frame that had been equipped with the electric starter motor from Honda’s “pre-ADV” NX650. After the CW staff put it together, they were convinced it was not just a weekend passion project of a Honda employee; they were sure it was nothing less than a prototype of a future production model.
Two years later, Honda officially introduced the XR650L as a 1993 model, currently one of the oldest and least changed models in the world of motorcycling. Thirty-one years of production have made the XR650L an air-cooled, carbureted anachronism. For some, the XR-L is a nostalgic trip – they can’t look at it without remembering the XR600R, which achieved unlikely success in racing in the hands of the great Scott Summers. For others, it has a timeless appeal. As a simple, utilitarian, and reliable bike, it’s the bike they want to use to travel around the world. Who can blame them? If you break down in the Nyainqêntanglha mountains of Tibet, you probably prefer it to happen on an XR-L that you can fix with a push, a tube of J-B Weld, and a few spins of a nearby prayer wheel.
The XR650L uses a 644cc air-cooled SOHC single-cylinder engine that produced 34.5 hp at 6,120 rpm and 42.5 Nm of torque at 5,320 rpm when tested on CW’s dynamometer. Derived from the long-discontinued NX650, the engine uses a different cam to increase torque. It is fed by a 42.5mm constant velocity (CV) carburetor and has a five-speed transmission. A dry sump lubrication system uses the frame tubes to store oil; the fill cap is located on the backbone, in front of the fuel tank.
Last year marked 30 years of production for the faithful XR650L. It probably went by with very little fanfare. As long as there are those who value simplicity over technical innovation, durability over precision, and functionality over details, there will always be a need for a bike like the XR650L.
So far, there is no official information on whether the Japanese model will be produced again in Europe. We will keep an eye out for any updates.
