650L in Dakar?

[crwmac]

Take a look at this website. These are pictures of bikes in the 2004 Dakar race. It looks to me like some of the bikes are XR650L’s. Can it be????

http://www.pbase.com/ximog57/dakar_motos

On another subject: These three Aussie’s who traveled across Australia on XR650L’s used "Acerbis 22 liter tanks." Does anyone know of a source for these tanks? The Acerbis website doesn’t list them when I do a search for tanks for the L.

http://www.aussie2006.webset.co.nz/bikes.htm

Mac

[Owyhee]

Here's another reference to the 22L tanks:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/honda-tech/xr650l-acerbis-22l-tank-woes-8590

It may have been a Europe-only item but I've seen references to the 22L on US bikes too.

Maybe Acerbis no longer makes them? Acerbis also used to make a 40L (10.5 gallon) tank too but only for Europe.

http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com/desert-riders/xrlprep.htm

"O"

[XR650L_Dave]

More likely an XR600R, but could be.

Almost imposs. to tell without seeing the kicker or starter, and even then, it could be one or the other with the kicker or starter transplanted.

Dave

[SniperTeamBravo]

Its an R, no ele start, to heavy! On the tank, I have one on my XR630R desertsled.

http://desertsled.com/pictures/pages/image/imagepage6.html

my website on my project Desertsled.

It is approximately 6.6 gallons without reserve.

[crwmac]

I guess I'm not so famoiliar with the R. I thought the pictures were of L's because I didn't see radiators.

[Jeff@TheQuadShop]

The XR600R looks almost identical to the XR650L, they are nearly the same bike. The 600R is the race bike and the 650L is a tamed down version with e-start and all the street goodies.

The Dakar pics are the 600R.

These are different years but you get the idea.

XR650L

XR600R

The 22L Acerbis tanks are still available here in the US. Look for them listed for the 600, they are basically the same and will work on the 650L easily.

[goblin127]

There were no good pics of the left side to be able to see the electric starter. I did however see plenty of kickstarters.

[ThunderChicken]

Does anyone know how I can get the front light/fairing kit on the bike below?

It looks like it would work on a 650R with the IMS 4 gal. tank.

I like it because it looks like it gives the best gadget coverage without that "planet of the apes helmet" effect some of the other non-fual tank integrated fairings seem to have.

[eastreich]

The XR600R looks almost identical to the XR650L. The ones in the pics are XR600R's.

The 22L Acerbis tanks are still available here in the US. Look for them listed for the 600, they are basically the same and will work on the 650L easily.

Look a little more closely at the side panels. You are looking at XR400's in the air cooled Honda pics.

http://www.pbase.com/ximog57/image/24764443,

http://www.pbase.com/ximog57/image/24764541,

http://www.pbase.com/ximog57/image/24764555

You can identify this XR400 from the front by checking the side panel by the riders left leg. Note the black spot for the external air box door to get to the air filter whose shape is unique to the XR250/400 as opposed to the 600/650L.

http://www.pbase.com/ximog57/image/24764509

The 400 is a very popular bike for some of the French privateers in the Dakar race. My dad sent a bunch of his old XR400 parts to a guy in France (he sold 'em on ebay) who wanted them as spares for his race bike.

The other Honda's are all 650R's. Notice the lack of cooling fins on cylinders and the distinct side panel shape. They all have the Acerbis underseat auxilary fuel tanks (with the corresponding Acerbis seat) and the Acerbis Dakar fuel tank.

No offense to you 650L riders out there, but why would you race a 650L in Dakar when you can do it on a much more powerful 650R? (Of course, why ride a 400!!!) Anyway, most, if not all, of the guys riding the 650R's are on rented bikes. The last time I checked, it cost around 55,000 British pounds to "rent" a 650R for the Dakar race. You get the bike, along with a chase crew and spares to follow you across Africa. They also take care of all of the bivouac requirements. All you have to do is get to France for the start, have your tickets to get home afterwards, along with all of the necessary passports and medical documents to get you into the race. It also helps to tell everyone that you are Canadian. You are more likely to be kidnapped and help for ransom if you are American.

[eastreich]

Does anyone know how I can get the front light/fairing kit on the bike below?

It looks like it would work on a 650R with the IMS 4 gal. tank.

I like it because it looks like it gives the best gadget coverage without that "planet of the apes helmet" effect some of the other non-fual tank integrated fairings seem to have.

This setup is meant to be used with the Acerbis 24l tank for the 650R. You may be able to adapt it to an IMS if you try hard enough!!!!

http://www.dirtbike.at/honda/xr650/xr65verkl.html

[zwxetlp]

This setup is meant to be used with the Acerbis 24l tank for the 650R. You may be able to adapt it to an IMS if you try hard enough!!!!

http://www.dirtbike.at/honda/xr650/xr65verkl.html

895 Euro (1,137.55 U.S. dollars) for a fairing/light kit?!?! Does anybody make an affordable fairing for the xr650(l)? It seems that there would be a small market for more than a few of these.

[pigryder]

where can I get a fairing like that for the L fellas or are they hand made?

[eastreich]

Looking at the construction of that fairing, I'm 95% certain that it is hand laid fiberglass. If sure that someone could make up a mold and put out a piece if there was enough interest; design it to even use the stock headlight and bolt up to where the stock "air shrouds" attach on a 650L. You could really spice it up and make it out of carbon fiber as well. I would attempt something like that for myself, but I just don't have the spare time to deal with an item like that. I'll make a carbon/kevlar skidplate for my 650R first. I've got to many other projects on the back burner that I need to get done first, like the EFI wiring harness and roll cage for my old Bronco!

In the end, if you really like that fairing, find an NX650!!! I would love to have one of those (I loved the blue and the twin silencers) for commuting!

[ThunderChicken]

This is the one I like:

But a grand is too much. Plus you risk it getting stuck in customs.

I would love to see that closed design applied to a 4 gallon IMS tank.

[eastreich]

This is the one I like:

But a grand is too much. Plus you risk it getting stuck in customs.

I would love to see that closed design applied to a 4 gallon IMS tank.

It is pretty sexy! I'm sure that if you wanted it bad enough, you could find a way. I may be going to Switzerland next fall for training...

Plus remember that it is not quite a grand. I think that those prices are listed in Swiss Francs (at least that is the symbol I see on all of my corporate work documents, and I work for a Swiss company); 1,056 CHF is equavalent to $844. It is still spendy, but how bad do you want it?

[ThunderChicken]

Not that bad.

I believe those symbols are EU Euros as the site is Austrian and language is German...but I could be wrong.

Figure it's a grand to get that piece to the States by the time all is said and done. And at the end of the day it is for the big Acerbis tank and I want to use it with a 4 gallon IMS tank.

I'd spend $400 tops on something like that and I would want it to work with the 4 gallon tank I have on my 03.

I bet 4 years ago, if enough people clammored for something like that, we could have got IMS or Acerbis or some smaller shop like lightspeed or carbon fiber works to design and sell something like that for the 650R.

Now there's no way that's going to happen.

[eastreich]

Not that bad.

I bet 4 years ago, if enough people clammored for something like that, we could have got IMS or Acerbis or some smaller shop like lightspeed or carbon fiber works to design and sell something like that for the 650R.

Now there's no way that's going to happen.

You never know, if enough people wanted it, it could happen. In reality, I'm sure that there is more of a market for a fairing like that in the States than in Europe. I'm sure that there are WAY more 650Rs running around SoCal alone than on the entire European continent (and most of those are motards... Monnier.ch makes a cool tank/shroud kit ala the old A-Loop setup for the 650R).

[wcorbett]

i see 3 or 4 650R's with the acerbis sahara main and underseat tanks. here are a couple pics of mine witht he same tank.

http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r174/XR650Rider/?action=view&current=IMG_1064.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch2

http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r174/XR650Rider/?action=view&current=IMG_1061.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1

[joemac_kint]

Anyone knows anybody on how to get hold of the 40l tank? been so much in love with it for so many years.. but guess its destiny, we are not meant to be together..Hope not too long...? :busted:

Bet for sure some of us here would love to have one at least just hanging it in storeroom...perhaps looks better in the garage.