RIDING THE 2025 HONDA XR650L: THE WRAP

This week we were visited by a ghost from the past. Honda delivered an XR650L dual-sport bike. It’s actually no ghost at all–it’s a 2025 model, but it very much seems like an apparition from another time. We asked for the test bike because it has the distinction of having the longest run of any Honda in the current line. It was first introduced in 1993 and carried a price of $4399. Now the 2025 model is $6999. In real money, it’s actually gone down in price. In 1993, you could buy a house in Southern California for $200,000. Now it’s $900,000.

It’s the exact same bike, too. Same carburetor, same motor, same frame. Okay, it’s a different color and there were reportedly some minor changes in 1994. Interesting fact: It’s still made in Japan. Most other bikes in this price range have been relocated to Southeast Asia. That’s what happened to the Kawasaki KLR650, and that’s how it carries an MSRP of $6899. That’s also where the Honda CRF300R and the XR150 are made. Honda hasn’t altered the XR’s tooling in 32 years, and that apparently saves a lot of money.

In 1993 we were so impressed by this bike that we decided to race it in the Baja 1000 with nothing more than a steering damper and an IMS fuel tank. For the night portion, we used a big halogen light but didn’t need to modify the ignition at all. It was doing great, but one big weakness was eventually revealed. The electrical box that held the battery, fuses and about 10 pounds of wiring broke away from its mounts behind the left rear number plate at mile 320. Without all that stuff, the bike would not run. 

That was a lesson for us. We then accepted the bike for what it was: a great dual-sport bike–not a racer. It was actually the best dual-sport bike in the world for the next 7 years. Then it was superseded by the Suzuki DR-Z400. It wasn’t until around 2007 that KTM, Husqvarna and Beta all got serious about dual-sport bikes and the Honda was truly left behind.

So what’s the Honda XR650L like in 2025? At first, it’s super weird. The riding position is nothing like a modern bike. The seat height is tall and the saddle is wide. The steel handlebar is low and the footpegs are high. The seat itself is super deep and cushy. In front it climbs up rapidly over the tank–very much in the style of the ‘90s.

 

I got used to all that stuff in about a minute. I have about a zillion hours on bikes just like this, and all that muscle memory is still there, just below the surface. Riding the bike is great. It has a ton of torque, and the power delivery is super smooth. It isn’t real fast. Even among the other old-school Japanese 650s like the Kawasaki and the Suzuki, the Honda was never the strongest. It was, however, far and away the best handling. It still handles well, even compared to modern bikes. It’s very stable and the suspension is downright awesome. The XR is a plush, comfortable ride. There’s probably a bunch of reasons for this. Part is probably due to the fact that the bike is 320 pounds dry. It has a Cadillac effect, with a huge difference between sprung weight and unsprung weight. Another is the modern trend toward more rigid frames. The Honda’s steel frame looks downright spindly. So does the fork. If you remember, there was a huge controversy in the ‘90s as motocross bikes switched to upside down forks. Off-road riders still preferred the older design because the flex offered more comfort. That’s still true today, and the fork on the XR represents the most advanced example of a conventional fork.

Some aspects of the bike are so alien that it’s hard to imagine that’s really the way things were in 1993. The carburetor seems archaic. There’s a little choke lever on the left side and you have to use it until the motor warms up. That takes forever. The footpegs are about an inch wide and you can feel them right through your boots. There are also passenger footpegs. I kinda like that.

In the big picture, though, the most significant factor that limits the XR650 is its weight. It’s a big, heavy motorcycle, just like it was in 1993. That affects everything. It’s hard to manhandle, it takes time and distance to slow down and it’s even hard to load in the truck. A modern, state of the art dual-sport bike is legitimately 80 pounds lighter. Is that worth paying twice as much? Like always, it depends on where you ride and who you ride with. For the full test of the Honda XR650L, check out the April, 2025 print edition of Dirt Bike.