Honda XR600R - what to look for?

[Tim in Belgium]

After my continuous dilly-dallying I'm getting my finger out and going to look at some big off road machines tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow is a trip to a dealer who has 5-7 Honda XR600Rs in stock from the late eighties through the nineties. I quite fancy one of these as my second bike for fire trails, the odd bit of beach, small gravelly roads etc.

I've worked out that I'll be wanting at least a post '91 model with the disc rear brake. Now being enduro bikes they will no doubt have seen some use/abuse, what points should I look for when buying such an example?

I've heard the old 600 air cooled motor is pretty tough, anything specific to check here?

And chassis/suspension/brake checks, what am I looking for with an off roader?

Any advice/help is appreciated!

[hovis]

have you rode one?

i found it big and heavy,and hard to turn when going slow.....plus it was a bitch to kick, although im used to a left side kick start on the beta

i prefered the xr 400.

[Tim in Belgium]

Nope haven't ridden one, but don't want i for super tight and twisty stuff, fire trails in the Ardennes and Eifel are my hopeful hunting ground, along with the odd beach blast (incredibly something that I believe is legal over here in certain areas!).

With the kick start I've heard there's a certain knack... I'll probably take a while to learn it. Looking forward to tomorrow, off on the 750, should be amusing to compare!

[Red Herring]

Tim if you can find the extra dosh the XR650R is a much better bike all round. Just awesome and unbreakable.

[Tim in Belgium]

But it's watercooled, what happens if I hole the rad?

[Tim in Belgium]

And probably way out of my price range in rip off clogland!


Thanks for the suggestion though.

[lukemillar]

But it's watercooled, what happens if I hole the rad?

Get some rad guards!

[rob13]

Why not a DR350 or XR400?

[speedplay]

But it's watercooled, what happens if I hole the rad?

Get some rad guards!

How are you intending on holing the rad anyway?!

I've been green laning and racing in enduros for a few years now and have never worried about it myself.

More worried about breaking limbs!

[Red Herring]

But it's watercooled, what happens if I hole the rad?

I've done Enduro, Trail riding, trials, track days, Supermoto (three seasons) and rallied my XR650 and I don't think there was a single day when I didn't come off it one way or another. Total repair bill so far has been a clutch lever and a set of handlebars. Like i said, they're unbreakable.

ps: apart from changing the oil/filter I've put in one new spark plug and checked (not adjusted) the valve clearances a couple of times so they're not exactly high maintenance either.

[Tim in Belgium]

Well I rode up north on the GSXR to an off road dealer who had ten XR600Rs in stock, he talked me through them all, their good and bad points which was quite good I thought, he was very open on any bad points.

After picking out a likely specimen I took it for a quick test ride, quite a gigggle and a lot different to the GSXR.

I then bit the bullet and handed over a deposit for this 1993 air cooled beauty (ok may be I'm exagerating a little) :

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/16975/2872221330084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2872221330084392296waDMhR)

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/43299/2331363010084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2331363010084392296syooMM)

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/42938/2609837520084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2609837520084392296TbZDmk)

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/42550/2584774910084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2584774910084392296nyJjkj)

http://inlinethumb12.webshots.com/42443/2877562690084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2877562690084392296eqzbHT)

The pictures make it look a little cleaner than it is, but it appears to be a nice bike.

It's got road biased tyres which will need changing soon after getting used to the bike on back roads. The bike started second kick with no smoke, although when I tried I was less successful, there is definitely a knack to starting a 600 thumper! The brakes aren't quite GSXR sharp but it seemed great fun around the industrial estate, I had a huge grin :D It's like a two wheeled tractor :thumb:

I can't wait to get it picked up this week, I know what I'm doing next Saturday!

[the_lone_wolf]

You're going to be riding that to Bavaria in January???

[Tim in Belgium]

That what the road tyres are for, go hard or go home!

Just got to learn how to kick the bu9ger now :grin:

[the_lone_wolf]

Just got to learn how to kick the bu9ger now :grin:

Does it have a manual decompression lever?

[Tim in Belgium]

Yep.

[Tim in Belgium]

Is that good, bad or indifferent?

[the_lone_wolf]

Is that good, bad or indifferent?

Switch the fuel tap on (if it has one)
Pull decomp in and kick it a few times to get the fuel moving
Release decomp and push the kick start slowly lever until you get solid resistance at TDC
Pull in decomp and juuuuuust push the kick start lever past TDC
Release decomp, allow kick start to return to top and give one full stroke

Or see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ftGHfl_PQs


Never failed on my 560, you know your valves are going south when the bike won't start

[Tim in Belgium]

Yep, the dealer filled me in on all that, just a little practice required/manning up on the kick front.

He started it from stone cold on 2nd kick, then started on first kick when warm, so I think it's me not the bike!

[rob13]

You'll have to get out on it a bit more before I ask you what you think of the upright experience. I'd love a dirtbike just to take out on the NYM during the cold months

[Tim in Belgium]

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Alpinestarhero]

I could never kickstart a 4-stroke. My dad used to havea big trailie (before i was born) and has told me he got kick-back once when firing up outside a bank. there were loads of people standing nearby, so he rode around the corner before getting off and crying with the pain...

[Tim in Belgium]

Got it going pretty easily first time this evening, left it idling, started suiting up and it died. Struggled to start it second time but I think that was because I used too much choke. Sweated a lot, but finally got it going.

Went for a hilarious waggle round the little lanes, it gets up to 75 mph pretty quick, and yo can ignore speed bumps on it :D

The front brake is useful for dipping the front headlight and compressing the forks, the rear handy for lighting the brake light.

Ace fun, just what I was looking for, something for short fun blasts, squidgy, noisey, definite wheelie potential.

And when I got it back I turned it off, opened the garage then started it second kick, no fears there then. Taking it to work tomorrow and coming back the long way via some sandy wasteland, going to test the road tyres grip!

A brilliant contrast to the GSXR :)

[Tim in Belgium]

Started to get a few extras:

20l Acerbis tank for long range

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/43936/2438479210084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2438479210084392296OlNCml)

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/18481/2935418150084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2935418150084392296WqWbIX)

A pad for the renthal bars

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/43748/2941239220084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2941239220084392296vEGifQ)

And the new helmet goggle combo

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/45034/2701814230084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2701814230084392296zuYprx)

[speedplay]

Looks like your turning into an offroad tart...;)

[the_lone_wolf]

And the new helmet goggle combo

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/45034/2701814230084392296S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2701814230084392296zuYprx)

I can't promise I won't laugh when your eyelids freeze shut in Bavaria dude;)

[Tim in Belgium]

Wel the acerbis tank isn't pretty, and I'll use my road helmet for any German shennanigans. Tart indeed!

[speedplay]

I'm guessing youll be sticking more orange on the back of the bike to balance out the colours...;)

Wait till you get it offroad..happy trailing!

[Tim in Belgium]

Just ordered some Pirelli MT21 tyres, should I consider fitting these myself, or take them to a shop to get done for an extravagant 30 quid?

And I presume it's fine to reuse inner tubes?

[punyXpress]

[QUOTE=Tim in Belgium;2057979]
Ace fun, just what I was looking for, something for short fun blasts,

Like Soll at the end of January, Tim ?

And I presume it's fine to reuse inner tubes?
Depends how many patches are on the tube already.

[Tim in Belgium]

Just cleaned the air filter, it's of the "Twin Air" brand, is this more hidden bling I've discovered? It didn't look too dirty, but I gave it a clean all the same, only left a bit of sand and grit in the kitchen sink.