fullchoke

That is a lot of valuable information and when I get some time to spend on the XR350R, I'll know what to do. Thank You. In normal riding I had no problem with the left/right orientation, but in an emergency, which bike I was on went out the window, so to speak. Especially when they were still new to me. I remember having a poster on my bedroom wall of a 350-Four. I have an interest(irrational) in engines and that engine, I felt was the most interesting Honda 4. Greg

I think I got my endorsement on a Honda Trail 90. It was my Dads and the only bike with lights on it. I seem to remember a few cones to ride through, nothing stands out like your unique, interesting experience. You mention left side brake, I do remember losing control of my BSA on a forest road once and coming to a stop under the front bumper of a pickup. That right side gear shift does not double as a brake no matter how hard you stand on it. Talk about embarrassing!! I'm still embarrassed about that today almost 40 years later. About ten years ago I got on my sons little Kawasaki 110, auto clutch, and I had to hit the brake and I hit the shifter on that bike making me stop late once I figured out what I had done. At the time I had the BSA out in the dirt, I was riding a Yamaha on the street. I certainly didn't like that right hand shift. Greg PS. Do you remember what Kawasaki jets you crossed over to in your XR350R? Thanks

Keeping the front wheel down was the goal when we were hill climbing back in the day. There was one hill called Back to Back out in the Burn that would gather a crowd watching us attempt it. In fact the first time I found that place there were 2 BSA Victors and a Yamaha SC500 there, running the hill. I was 1 of the many spectators. I was riding a 73 XL250 Honda. I was BSA shopping the following week. My best friend and I were at that hill that day and we both bought new BSA B50MX's. We bought the last 2 from a Yamaha dealer, looking back, I would bet that he was well aware of the new Yamaha TT500 coming soon that would make those BSA's dinosaurs in his showroom.... I still remember those BSA's roaring up that hill, open exhaust, impressive, I had to have one . I also remember that SC500 wailing on that hill, it would go from all out screaming to a dead bonk. When it fell off the pipe it was done instantly. I remember the BSA owners telling him to give it up, but he wouldn't, and he really trashed that bike. I had toyed with the thought of making a BSA A-10 650 into a dirt bike just for riding fire roads. I would ride it, but very carefully. There is a beautiful restored 1962 or 3 Catalina in the Beaverton Motorcycle showroom where I bought these last Honda parts for the xr650r. Your reminiscing of your Cushman made me remember this story of the first real riding away from the sand pit near home. You know we didn't even wear helmets back then, just a stocking cap to keep the ears warm. I think we were the minority and not very smart. I was the first one of our group to start wearing a helmet, because that hill was pretty extreme and the best way to turn the bike around was to let it come over the top, don't let go of the bars and jump back on. You won't see me doing that today. Thanks for the link, thats what I'm planning to do. Get a new seat cover and some molded aftermarket foam that is much softer. Whatever distance I sink into the foam will help with the inseam problem too. Yes, the restricters are out of the airbox now. The rubber inlet boot was still in there when I bought the bike, the plastic was not. I'm looking forward to seeing your ride in the High Rock Canyon area. Sounds like alotta fun. What I like most about riding now is exploring new country and remote trails. Greg

I put in the uncorking set that seems to be recommended everywhere. 175 main, 68s slow and the 3E needle. The needle was in there already, but I put in the new one and the holder anyway. I'm not a wheelie kind of guy, when I unload my bike at a riding area, it is common to see someone else making dust, noise, and throwing rocks in the parking area. That is not me. I've got to do something about the seat. If it had seat foam like our XR350R's, I would be happy. I could sink into the seat and lose a little seat height at the same time. Because the seat had to be thin Honda made it hard, so heavy riders wouldn't bottom out. I weigh about 150# and a 2x4 provides about the same cushion. The 1 size fits all isn't working for me. My inseam is 30 to 31, and it came into play last night. I was riding around my place and getting dark so I stopped to get off the bike and put it away. I reached out my foot but it went in a depression in the grass that I didn't see and over we went. I've never done anything like that before, but this is the tallest bike I've ever rode and for me to reach the ground I must lean it over. When it is on the ground it is a BRP and a heavy one at that. My old BSA was 300# but the weight was low. I didn't have to lift it as far. The XR650R is much more top heavy. I've heard of 3 ways to lower the seat. Soft foam so you sit into the seat. Cut down the seat(still hard) Drill some holes in the foam so the seat can collapse. I heard there is a rear linkage kit too that can lower the seat but I don't want that. I need to do something. Greg

Hi Moses, My parts order from the Honda dealer came in Friday. I found a picture online of the stock exhaust tip. The tip in my bike is different and by description I think it is the HRC tip. The main jet in my XR650R was 145rd, the slow jet was 65s, the needle was the same as in the power up kit and in the 3rd slot. I put in a new stock air filter, fired it up, and it runs very strong. I only ran it around a parking lot when I bought the bike so I can't compare very well, except to say the power feels awesome now. I would recommend to anyone that has purchased an XR650R to check what they have in their carb, no matter what they were told by the seller. If for nothing else than piece of mind. The only problem I have now is the seat is too hard. Are you living with yours? Greg

Thanks Moses for the comprehensive post. Leaving stale gas in the carb is so easy to let happen even though we know the bad it will do. I know that I've drained the gas from the tank after forgetting to drain it and letting it sit over the winter, put in fresh fuel and was relieved that it started up and seemingly ran ok. The danger here is that the jets could be partially plugged in essence acting like a smaller jet and when you have 2 main jets that are partially clogged... well you see the problem. Some engines may be more susceptible to this than others and fall victim to a bad reputation when poor maintenance is the real problem. The early Honda RFVC head design may have been one of these engines. Moses also mentioned how 4 stroke engines don't like to idle for long periods, because of the heat buildup. Possibly the RFVC design tolerates even less of an idle period than the head designs before it. Once the oil gets cooked, the valve train is damaged. The valve seals go 1st and the engine smokes on startup but then clears up, with more wear it can smoke all the time, with more heat, the valve train fails completely. When I 1st got my XR350R it smoked a cloud on startup. I didn't know it but the end of the dipstick was broke off and I was overfilling the engine with oil. Eventually I found a picture of a good dipstick and reduced the amount of oil. No more smoke. That dipstick is metal and that missing piece has concerned me. I need to find another dipstick, but not from Honda, they are obsolete. Greg

The Hot Cams Stage 1 cam for our Honda XR650R motorcycles sounds to be exactly what I'm after in power. In the past more power equaled more fun. That still holds true today, but to a lesser extent for me. I definitely will have to put in the Stage 1 cam if the bike shows wear in the top end anything near what yours had. It's good to know there is still more good power to be had even if I don't really need it. As far as that auto-decompressor, I only use it because that is all there is on my xr500r. It is a real pain trying to use to bump start the 500 even when it is on top of a good hill. I've been an Oregonian my entire life. I've barely moved a mile from where I grew up, but the change in population, traffic and rat race in general is extreme to the point of looking to move when I retire. I love Eastern Oregon, friendly people, beautiful country, you live in the outdoors. There are drawbacks of course or everyone would be moving there. All of my riding in Eastern Oregon is in conjunction with camping, which was in the vicinity of the Strawberry Mtns this year. I look forward to doing more exploring of the Steens and even the more remote Trout Creek Mountains someday. We generally ride out there on the remains of old jeep trails, roads that are no longer on any modern maps and sometimes I use Google earth to look for ways in and out of certain areas. My son led us into one area last year where we didn't get our bikes out for 3 days. We had to hike out cross country (I have a good sense of direction) for over 12 miles much of it as the crow flies, getting back after midnight. That was a bit reckless and won't happen again. I used the remaining bike at camp to explore an alternate route coupled with quite a bit of hiking to get the bikes out. Western Oregon as you know is a completely different climate and very different riding. We rode in the 70's out in the Burn, now the Tillamook Forest. Where we used to run in the Trask is now gated since Weyerhauser bought out Willamette Ind holdings there. We ran a lot where the Trask Mt ISDT was held, and would seldom see another rider. The best riding I ever experienced. I'm not sure where to go now. I'm trying to get 2 of my old riding buddies to ride again, One of them has an 80's TT600 and still rides occasionally, and may know of some good areas and the other still has his TT500, but hasn't started it in a very long time. Interests often change, but I will keep trying until I hear a no answer. I have never ridden the dunes, but my stepson who is into quads has been asking me to come. It is not close and finding that much travel time has not been easy. I'm interested in what you find when you dig into the 84 XR500R. It has a totally different engine than my 82 model. Did you know the 82 xr500R has a reed valve? I have been experimenting with the rear suspension on my XR500R. I've given it more sag and in doing so lowered it quite a bit. It was sprung too stiff for my weight and while much smoother than the ol BSA, I think I can make it fit me better with some tuning, but I will sacrifice some comfort for good trail riding ability. The reason I went with the 82 xr500r over the 84 XR350r was the over heating factor. I was afraid I could burn it up on slow trails in the summer heat. It has adequate power and a much better front brake, but I thought better suited to running fire roads to keep air moving around the engine. I should look into jetting but it does run smooth. I don't remember if I ever checked the plug. I'll have to do that. You can smell the heat coming off the engine when every other bike with us is normal. Greg

Hi Moses, I'm going to attach a picture of my exhaust screen. I should have shown the end, but it is empty and looks like yours from the rear. Please let me know how it compares to yours or one from HRC if you know. It's frustrating having a new bike with all this potential and be waiting on parts, even if I can only ride it around my back yard for now. Do you remember the handlebars on your BSA 441. I took them off my old B50MX and put them on my 82 xr500r. I don't think anyone makes bars for dirt bikes like these anymore. I'm not sure how I like them on the Honda yet, but I do like a narrow bar for tight trails or cross country, making my own trails in Eastern Oregon. One thing it does is keep my boys off my bike... they hate them. The Stage one kit you put in your bike, was it from Honda or Hot Cams? The Carb in my XR650R is a PE 78ABOA with the B enclosed in a square and a mark of some kind after the last A that is not a number or letter. This bike supposedly had only 3 rear tires since new, but I take that talk with a grain of salt. I think it could have been used much more, but I got it for a good price. The down side is the seat height, I'm 5'8" and shrinking. I have read about lowering that seat height but in doing so it changes the geometry to the detriment of the bike so I don't plan on doing anything except possibly finding a softer seat. I bought my BSA new in 1974 and rode it into the 80's. My buddies all bought TT500's, after I got the BSA, but the BSA lead the way most of the time with the guys I rode with. The TT500 came out right after I bought the BSA and I would have gotten one too, if I didn't already have the BSA. Other than that right side shifter, I loved that bike, limited suspension and all. Once I started riding again a couple years ago when I got the xr500r I couldn't believe how smooth the old 82XR was by comparison. Now when I get on the XR650 I think I'll find an additional improvement. I watched Dust to Glory last night for the 1st time. That is a great movie! I bought my 1982 XR500, 1984 XR350 and a 1982 XR250r surplus from the State of Oregon as a lot.(My oldest son rides an 1986 XR200R we got separately). I never did know where they came from but I think they were all from the same place. The front ends of the 82's were bleached out from the sun and the seat from the 250 was sun rotted. The 250 was in the worst shape with missing teeth on the sprocket and a solid chain. I think it spent a lot of time on it's side. All three had their gas turned to tar. I don't know how long that takes, but I think it is a very long time. All bikes(I Believe) had their original tires but the 250's were sun rotted off the rims. All three bikes started after a carb cleaning and of course their tanks cleaned and new lines. I love Honda reliability. Thanks, Greg

Hi David, I very recently purchased my XR650R. I have not installed anything on the bike. I've been trying to figure out what has been done to my bike by the prior 2 owners. I have ordered the proper jets for the carb and they should arrive Wednesday at the local dealer. The 145rd main jet that is in my XR may have come from the Moose kit, I only know from Moses that it is not a stock main jet. The elevation where I live is under 500' and where I will predominately ride in Western Oregon is around 1000'. We also ride in Eastern Oregon where the elevation runs between 3-5k. Temps very greatly between morning and afternoon and probably won't be a concern. They also vary considerably between the seasons. I plan to jet rich enough to cover my near sea level riding and only change if I encounter problems. I have ridden my 1982 XR500R in all these areas with not much noticeable change except starting when hot can take an extra few kicks at higher elevations. The odd thing that has happened more than once with my XR500R, is at high elevations in Eastern Oregon on a cold start is that it starts when I first push the kick starter trying to find TDC. The 82' XR only has a kick starter activated compression release. The slow lazy push can start the bike and has startled me more than once. I ride trails with my sons and seldom reach WOT so good low to mid range power with crisp throttle response is what I want. Like you I don't plan a cam change because I want smooth power throughout the RPM range and hotter cams tend to produce power in more of a sudden rush at a certain RPM. I wanted to ask Moses about how the Stage 1 cam preforms, but I don't know if he is familiar with a bike that has not been modified to compare. If my XR650R at some point needs a rebuild like his did, I probably would try out the same upgrade. Please tell us a little about Burundi and what the riding is like in your country. Thanks, Greg

Hi Moses, I subscribed once I read your posts in this thread. I'm sorry to read about your misfortune with your xr650r. I just bought an 2000 XR650r a couple of days ago, I have no prior experience with them. I'm an old rider, I too used to ride a BSA B50 and have a 1982 XR500r and a 1984 XR350R. I've been trying to figure out if my bike has been "uncorked" as they call it. The prior owner knew nothing about any mods. The exhaust is not restricted. I pulled the main jet and it is a 145RD. The prior owner was satisfied with the performance, none of his friends could keep up with him. The rear sprocket was changed to lower the gearing for trails, so it probably was not ridden at WOT too much. That is what I'm hoping. Before I started the bike when I got it home I found the air filter leaking dust, so I have not ridden it yet. The rubber boot was still in the airbox but the plastic is not. While the filter is being shipped I have delved into the uncorking of my bike or lack thereof. Until I read your post I could not find anything definite about the stock jetting. The Moose kit has raised my brow as to the 145RD jet in mine. I just pulled the carb and there is no restriction in the manifold. This bike was sold new in Seattle. When my jets arrive I'll disassemble the carb and see what else is in there. Thanks for your informative post. I hope other xr650r owners will post what they found in their bikes before they "uncorked" their BRP. Greg