Previous | Image 1 of 2 | Next

XR650_home_sml.jpg

In June 2007, while looking into buying a new motorcycle for my son and assisting with the purchase of a new bike for my son-in-law, I also bought a new bike for my self. The '07 Honda CRF450X is an amazing piece of technology: Fast, Powerful, Light, etc... The only problems being, at almost 44, I'm not so fast, and definitely not so 'light' as I once was... And. after a difficult year (two injuries), I decided it was time for a change of pace.

So, out with the '07 CRF450X and in with the '05 Honda XR650R. This may seem like a backwards step for many but I can tell you (after only 100km in the saddle) that it was the right choice for me!

The CRF450X was a race bread fire breathing enduro machine... fast, light and great for corner to corner sprints on a motorcross track, but not much good at cruising down your average fire access road or along the railway lines (the kind of riding I do most of the time), unless you are trying to race the midday express... I don't enjoy going that fast anymore!

The XR650R, on the other hand, is perfect for my kind of riding. It may not be quite as quick and agile. It may not like doing mega jumps or super wheelies but then neither do I. At well over 110KG, I don't belong 3 metres above the ground! I like to keep my wheels fairly close to the old terra-firma. The XR has heaps of grunt. It has torque everywhere and I love the sound of the 650cc single 'thumper' under the tank!

Most importantly, she puts a BIG smile on my face every time I take her for a ride! And that, for me. is what riding is all about.