Year 2000 Honda

Honda 2000 XR650R
Is this the bike you expected from Honda?
- 649cc, 277 lbs., liquid cooled, 2.6 gal. -

The four-stroke king of the desert and Grand National Cross Country racing returns in new form - better than ever! The all-new, lightweight aluminum-frame and liquid-cooled XR650R is claimed by Honda to be ready to dominate big-bore four-stroke competition right out of the box.

Features & Benefits
- The most powerful engine ever in a Honda XR, the liquid-cooled 649cc SOHC four-valve dry-sump engine pumps out an incredible amount of race winning power.
- The unique single-backbone aluminum frame represents the next evolution in off-road aluminum chassis technology.
- Kayaba suspension components provide the ultimate combination of comfort and plushness with maximum control and performance. A 46mm front fork is perfectly matched to the 44mm fully adjustable long-stroke piggyback rear shock absorber for superior performance.
- Optional Power-Up competition parts increase horsepower and torque an incredible 27 percent!

Engine
- All-new liquid-cooled four-valve SOHC 649cc provides maximum power while maintaining Honda's legendary dependability and simplicity.
- Compact, lightweight engine weighs only 88 pounds.
- Dry-sump oiling system includes an in-chassis oil tank for optimum cooling and efficiency.
- Unique engine design separates crankshaft and generator rotor from engine oil that causes windage resistance, allowing for a freer-revving engine.
- Nikasil cylinder lining is lightweight and provides cooler and quieter operation for extended engine life.
- 37mm intake valves and 32mm exhaust valves provide maximum engine efficiency.
- Automatic decompression starting system with handlebar-mounted compression-release for easy starts.
- All-new 40mm carburetor features crisp response and excellent rideability.
- Solid-state CD ignition with electronic advance.
- Gear-driven counterbalancer for engine smoothness.
- Maintenance-free XR400-type automatic cam-chain tensioner.
- Dual aluminum radiators for optimum cooling and maximum performance.
- Free-flowing two-into-one stainless steel headpipes are lightweight and durable.
- Primary kickstarting allows quick start-up in any gear.
- Extended kickstart lever allows for a slow, strong kick to spin the engine quickly for predictable, accurate starts.
- Lightweight magnesium clutch cover provides easy access for maintenance.
- Slick shifting five-speed transmission.

Chassis/Suspension
- New-generation aluminum frame combines optimum rigidity and balance with maximum strength and durability.
- Removable subframe is also aluminum.
- Main frame incorporates engine oil tank with easy-to-use dipstick.
- Tapered-roller steering head bearings maintain precise steering action.
- 46mm Kayaba cartridge fork with compression and rebound damping adjustability.

- Minimal fork protrusion below the axle increases clearance in ruts.
- Aluminum tapered swingarm is lightweight and strong.
- Swingarm pivot is combined with rear engine mount for compactness, light weight and an overall reduction in the number of components.
- Pro-Link¨ long-travel Kayaba shock is fully adjustable.
- Twin-piston front and single-piston rear calipers squeeze large, 240mm stainless steel rotors for excellent stopping power.
- CR250R front master cylinder ensures excellent brake feel and stopping power.
- Lightweight hubs, aluminum rims and straight-pull spokes.
- Large-diameter rear axle for improved rear wheel tracking.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
- Comfortable seat allows easy rider movement.
- Large, durable fenders provide excellent protection from the elements.
- Enduro-style headlight and taillight.
- Compact, lightweight integrated headlight/number-plate.
- One-piece high-impact plastic skidplate protects underside of engine cases, water pump and hoses.
- Resettable, easy-to-read three-digit competition odometer.
- High-quality controls include comfortable grips and dogleg levers with brush guards.
- Unique manual compression-release lever is mounted on top of clutch lever.
- Light-effort throttle and clutch pull reduce rider fatigue.
- Wide-section folding, cleated footpegs are comfortable and self-cleaning.
- Aluminum shift lever with folding tip.
- Aluminum rear brake pedal.
- Easy access to the reusable large foam air filter.
- Large-volume USDA-qualified spark arrestor/muffler for maximum power.
- Transferable six-month limited warranty.
- Ownership includes one-year complimentary Membership in the Honda Rider's Club of America. Benefits include discounts, travel benefits, roadside assistance and much more. For HRCA details, call 1-800-847-HRCA.

Available Accessories
- Optional Power-Up kit includes intake manifold, carburetor jets, muffler insert, and more.

Editors Note: The XR600R is still available as a year 2000 model for $5,199 (US)

XR650R DEVELOPMENT
(Added 12-4-99)

THE PROCESS
The development of the XR650R began with Honda's commitment to better the mighty XR600R in every area-power, speed, handling, comfort. Engineers called on two decades of unrivaled off-road experience everywhere from the Baja 1000 to the International Six Days Enduro. They integrated the most innovative off-road tech nologies available. Refined the engine so it will survive 120 wide-open hours on the dyno, and bolted it into the most sophisticated aluminum alloy chassis ever in an off-road motorcycle. Then they subjected it to hundreds of development hours in the hands of riders such as Bruce Ogilvie, Johnny Campbell and Scott Summers.

After more than three years of development, the XR650R made its debut at the Honda dealer convention in New Orleans in early September 1999. In short order, XR650Rs were sold out to dealers across the country.

POWER
From the beginning, a huge part of the XR600Rs appeal has been the quality and quantity of its power: a smooth, abundant rush of all-purpose power that lets riders cover miles of rough ground in a hurry without getting worn out or left stranded. Still, XR owners have always figured more is better when it comes to horsepower. So when the XR650R design process began, more horsepower was at the top of Honda R&D's shopping list.

To meet Honda's power and durability goals, more displacement was a given. But how much more? Testing various intermediary engine sizes revealed a 649cc single-overhead-cam four-valve single delivered the perfect balance of power, torque and toughness. Since more power means more heat, liquid cooling was a given as well, opening the door for all-new engine architecture from the cam cover down.

Gone is Honda's familiar Radial Four Valve Combustion (RFVC) system, with valves splayed radially around the bore axis. The XR650R uses a lighter, simpler, more effective overhead camshaft system above a uniquely flat combustion chamber that is fired by a single spark plug. Mixture from the 40mm Keihine carburetor enters via a pair of 37mm intake valves (up 1mrn from the 600), and exits through 32mm exhaust valves (also 1 mm over XR600R spec). These valves are controlled by a cam with more lift, overlap and duration than an XR600Rs.

Just below, the 650's Nikasil-Iined aluminum cylinder moves closer to vertical than its precursor, creating more space for the twin aluminum radiators. This more upright engine position also shifts the crankshaft center closer to the front wheel to help optimize weight distribution.

Both the 100mm bore and the 82.6mm stroke are markedly enlarged from the XR600R specification. Despite a 3 millimeter increase in diameter, the XR650's three-ring piston is 10.6 grams lighter than an XR600 slug. An automatic XR400R type adjuster makes sure there's never slack in the cam chain. A new closed-deck head construction creates a significantly stiffer cylinder and an improved head gasket seal, shaving 230 grams by using four cylinder studs instead of the XR600's six. Cast from an innovative new corrosion-resistant alloy that is 10 times stronger than previous alloys, a new CR-style magnesium cover provides easy access to the XR clutch.

Various examples of elegant engineering make the newest XR's bottom end tougher and more efficient. A gear-driven counterbalancer squelches the big single's endemic shaking and drives the engine's water pump from the right end of its shaft. Like the previous XR, the 650 engine is dry-sump, carrying its engine oil inside the frame in a space at the juncture of the cast-aluminum steering head and extruded- aluminum main downtube.

Strategically placed partitions in the crankcases minimize power-robbing windage by keeping excess engine oil away from the crankshaft. Ignition componentry runs dry rather than in an oil bath as in the XR600 engine for the same reason. Also, the crankshaft cavity features a Honda first - a one-way reed valve that allows piston pressure to force excess oil into the transmission area.

Working with Honda's cam-actuated automatic decompression system, a new reduction ratio in the kick start gear makes lighting the big XR's fire easier as well by spinning the engine faster with each stroke of the kick lever.

Pumping out a full 25 percent more power than the XR600R, the most powerful engine in XR history generates more performance than even the factory XR628R raced by Johnny Campbell. In stock trim, the 650 makes 43 horsepower at 6750 rpm. Peak torque arrives 1250 revs earlier at 5500 rpm. Honda also offers simple intake, exhaust and carburetor parts to boost the XR650R's peak to 55 horsepower.

CHASSIS
More than 20 years of XR design experience combined with four years of aluminum CR motocross chassis design create the XR650R's unique alloy frame. Precisely tuned to provide optimal rigidity exactly where it's needed, aluminum is the key to a chassis that tracks straight through fifth-gear Baja sand whoops as readily as it carves up greasy, root-infested trails in a Georgia GNCC round. But adapting aluminum to XR duty meant rethinking chassis architecture from the steering head to the drive chain adjusters.

Wrapped around the 650 single, a twin-spar frame layout similar to the CR's frame would have made the XR too wide between the rider's knees, and leave too little room to accommodate the 2.6-gallon plastic fuel tank. Instead, XR engineers created a single- backbone design to keep the bike slim between the rider's knees for a roomy ergonomic profile and ample maintenance access.

In designing the XR650R chassis, Honda engineers exploited aluminum's inherent tunability-varying the size and shape of key frame components to build an incredibly rigid structure that puts precise amounts of bump-absorbing flex exactly where it's needed. Look closely, and you can see even more innovation. Convex outer faces on the main backbone build in extra rigidity. Running the swingarm pivot through the crankcase rather than behind it reduces flex and delivers more precise response to any given rider input. The tapered, CR-style closed-end aluminum swingarm mirrors the rest of the tuned-flex chassis character, continuously varying wall thickness throughout its length to optimize every aspect of the handling equation.

SUSPENSION
Though the changes are less conspicuous than a liquid-cooled engine or aluminum frame, the newest XR rides on suspension components that are every bit as sophisticated. Armed with a 25-percent-greater cartridge diameter than the XR600R unit, the XR650's 46mm Kayaba (KYB) fork is adjustable for compression and rebound damping, providing 11.2 inches of compliant front wheel travel. Less slider below the axle means less metal to get hung up on unfriendly obstacles. Beyond that, increasing slider diameter above and below the new 17mm front axle delivers enough extra rigidity to make things such as steering out of a rut much easier.

Things are just as sophisticated out back. Working through a new, more rigid Delta-type Pro-Link system, the KYB shock carries a piggyback-style remote reservoir on its left side to make adjustments easier. Shock shaft diameter is increased 2mm beyond XR600R specs, and greater shock stroke increases rear wheel travel to 12.1 inches. Tough, lightweight aluminum rims at both ends are laced to smaller, lighter hubs via Honda's proven tangentially located, straight-pull spokes. The net result is a stronger wheel, less unsprung weight and less time spent tightening spokes.

Sharing not a single component with the XR600R, the all-new XR650R revolutionizes the off-road world with technology designed to lead Honda's legendary line of XRs into the next millennium.

Price: (MSRP) $5,699
Color: Red
Availability: February 2000

XR600R / XR650R Comparison Chart
ITEM	XR600R	XR650R	NOTES
Cylinder Angle	15 degrees	13 degrees	More vertical cylinder allows space for radiators and hoses, while maintaining front wheel clearance.
Ignition	oil bath	dry	Reduced parasitic drag. Larger main bearings with left side seal keeps oil out of ignition cavity.
Clutch access cover	none	yes	Magnesium CR-type cover for easier clutch access. Cover is sealed with an 0-ring gasket.
Cylinder head	RFVC	4-valve	Liquid-cooled
Intake valve size	36 mm	37mm	Increased valve area.
Exhaust valve size	31 mm	32mm	Increased valve area.
Valve cover caps	4	2	Less weight, easier valve adjustment.
Bore & Stroke	97 x 80mm	100 x 82.6mm	XR650R piston is 10.6 grams lighter.
Connecting rod length	134mm	140mm	Rod is carbon-nitride treated.
Intake valve lift	8.8mm	9.2mm	Increased valve lift.
Exhaust valve lift	8.5 mm	9.2 mm	Increased valve lift.
Intake cam timing: open closed	5 degrees btdc 40 degrees atdc	15 degrees btdc 45 degrees atdc	XR650R cam uses one intake lobe to operate two intake valves via a forked rocker arm.
Exhaust cam timing: open closed	45 degrees bbdc 5 degrees atdc	45 degrees bbdc 15 degrees atdc	Two exhaust cam lobes operate two exhaust valves via rocker arms.
Cam chain	118 links	122 links	New cam chain is stronger, lighter and quieter.
Cam chain tensioner	1 -way ratchet-type	XR 400-type (spiral spring)
Throttle bore diameter	38 mm	40 mm
Carburetor body material	Zinc	Aluminum	First XR application
Clutch gear teeth	70	71
Primary ratio	2.188	1.651
Clutch springs	4	5	Setting load: XR600R:120 kg XR650R: 108 kg
Primary drive gear	32 teeth	43 teeth
Main shaft	13-tooth	12-tooth	For easier shifting
Countershaft	straight-spline	involute-spline	For easier shifting
C-1 gear	31 teeth	37 teeth
M-2 gear	17t	16t
C-2 gear	28t	34t
M-3 gear	20t	19t
C-3 gear	25t	31t
M-4 gear	23t	21t
C-4 gear	23t	28t
M-5 gear	25t	26t
C-5 gear	21t	29t
Final drive	14/48	14/48	Rear sprocket material is stronger
Shift fork guide shaft diameter	7.4 mm	9.0 mm	For less flex, allowing smoother shifts with less effort
Rear disc brake diameter	220 mm	240 mm	Increased stopping power
Rear axle diameter	17 mm	20 mm	Increased rigidity
Chain adjuster	Snail-type	CR-type	Swingarm end is closed
Front brake hose	2-ply vinylon chloride	Kevlar braided
Front fork	Showa 43mm	Kayaba 46mm	Increased rigidity
Front fork cartridge diameter	20 mm	25 mm
Front fork underhang	116 mm	75 mm
Front fork adjustment	Preload, compression	Compression and rebound damping
Shock/stroke	Showa/83mm	Kayaba/110mm	Increased travel
Upper shock bearing	Helical	Needle
Exhaust head-pipe material	Steel	Stainless-steel
Radiator core size	None	105 x 285 x 24 mm
Fuel tank capacity	2.7 gallons	2.6 gallons
Shift lever	Steel	Aluminum
Rear brake pedal	Steel	Aluminum
Throttle effort	10.0 kg/cm	7.8 kg/cm	22 percent less effort
Clutch effort	6.4 kg	5.8 kg	10 percent less effort
Warranty period	6 months	6 months
Engine guard	Aluminum tube	1-piece high-impact plastic
Cylinder	Steel liner	Nikasil	Lighter, cooler-running structure using gravity die cast aluminum construction
Case screws	5mm Allen	8mm hex-head	Easier maintenance
Removable subframe	No	Yes	Three-bolt removal
Decompression lever	Separate	Integrated on top of clutch lever
Rake/trail	27.0 degrees/ 105mm	27.8 degrees/ 111mm
Wheelbase	57.3 inches	58.3 inches
Engine weight	98 pounds	88 pounds
Information provided by Honda

Specifications: 2000 XR650R

Engine Type: 649cc liquid-cooled dry-sump single-cylinder four-stroke
Bore and Stroke: 100mm x 82.6mm
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Valve Train: SOHC; four valve
Carburetion: Keihin 40mm piston-valves
Ignition: Solid-state CD with electronic advance
Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive: #520 O-ring-sealed endless chain; 14T/48T
Suspension Front: 46mm leading-axle Kayaba cartridge fork with
compression and rebound damping adjustability;
11.2 inches travel
Rear: Pro-Link Kayaba single shock with
spring preload, compression and
rebound damping adjustability;
12.1 inches travel
Brakes Front: Single 240mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Rear: Single 240mm disc with single-piston caliper
Tires Front: 80/100-21
Rear: 110/100-18
Wheelbase: 58.3 inches
Rake: (Caster Angle) 27.8 degrees
Trail: 111mm (4.3 inches)
Seat Height: 36.8 inches
Dry Weight: 277 pounds
Fuel Capacity: 2.6 gallons, including 0.5 gallon reserve
Color: Red
Price US: $5,699
Available: December 1999

California version differs slightly due to emissions equipment.