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   XRL Diet Plan and Jetting

The XRL 650 is a big fat pig of a dirt bike, weighing in at more than most NFL linebackers... around 350 pounds full of gas and oil. Add a big rider (or a couple big riders if you have a passenger named Bertha), and you've got at least 750 or 800 pounds all centered over two skinny little tires.

Don't get me wrong... it is still a great bike, but it needs to see Jenny Craig in a big way to be considered seriously. At over 47 lbs heavier than an XR 600 (which is heavy already) the weight of the 650 really makes itself known when the street turns to dirt. Other than removing its gas cap and rolling a CRF450 underneath, following are a few ways to remove excess flab from your XRL.

By replacing the stock headlight with an Acerbis HP headlight, the mirrors with Acerbis plastic mirrors, and replacing the stock bend-0-matic handlebars with Renthals you can remove 3 lbs of highly placed weight. Acerbis HP Headlight: $88.00 Acerbis Mirrors: $15.95 Renthal Handlebars: $71.96

The unsightly smog pump and carbon canisters can be removed for off-road use to save 2 lbs 4 oz. with a block off kit for $19.95.

The TV set that Honda calls a taillight can be replaced with a 2 lb. lighter and much lower profile unit from Acerbis. Mounts to the stock fender and is fully street legal. This will also allow you to remove the rear fender subframe, saving an additional 3 lbs.

Removing the steel tank and wings and replacing them with the IMS 4.0 gallon tank or Acerbis 5 gallon tank saves 7 lbs and gives the bike a much greater fuel range. IMS Tank: $190.00 - Acerbis Tank: $185.00

Remove the buddy pegs, and combined with the above modifications, you have removed 20 pounds of excess pork from your 650L.

Jetting the XRL 650 The CV (constant velocity) carburetor on the 650L is very sensitive to changes in intake and exhaust restrictions. Many people, desiring more power from the mildly tuned 650L motor will remove the airbox snorkel and install a decent air filter and a lower restriction exhaust. The bike will pick up 3 to 6 horsepower with these mods, but will run terribly, bogging horribly anytime you whack the throttle hard. Simply rejetting the carb will not fix the problem. After many hours of testing and experimentation. Baja Designs offers a simple to install kit that includes the proper jetting and necessary modifications to the vacuum piston and pilot circuit to allow the bike to run properly. Also, the flanges of the header pipes can be ground down using a dremel tool or something like it to allow greater air velocity through the engine