I like the new Honda CB500X with the Rally Raid Adventure kit.

That being said, with all the "Adventure" add-ons a TT or XR is still much better offroad. The CB excels as a all-round overlander though I imagine.

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/...5c3d4tdodb.jpg

Both options have been done on the XR-L. A California company called Baja Designs used to produce (may still produce?) various things for the XR-L. One of the "kits" was a new, stronger battery box. But I also heard of owners re-locating the battery as well but never saw this in person. It would be a BIG JOB as so much of the key electronics are based around the current battery box location.

Best to simply reinforce it. Not a big deal. But the rear sub frame is more a concern if running panniers or a tail bag. Mine bent, but did not break and I carried at most a 15 lbs. bag on the rear rack. But DID ride in HORRENDOUS terrain at full speed. (I was much younger and braver then!)

Many other guys I rode with broke sub frames but not much else broke on the bike. A few did wear out top ends from running low on oil. That Honda radial valve head is NOT one of Honda's better designs. But with a cooler and good oil I'm betting it would hold up to tough use.

bier

Thanks molly. It's a little concerning regarding the sub frames. How much bracing do you think is required to make it up to the job. I did see some no welding bolt on kit to reinforce it - anyone know if these are any good?

Where did you take your bike molly? Sounds like it did some serious adventure. What sort of mileage range did you get out of a tank if ridden hard offroad?

Me and my XR-L did limited "adventures". Only one 1500 mile Baja trip and several organized dual sport rides here in California and Nevada and some street riding and commuting.

I struggled with Carb jetting on my XR-L so fuel economy was never great, around 42 to 45 MPG (US gallon). This was my fault, not the Honda's.

The bike was VERY TALL for me as well. (38" seat height I believe) It was a pretty good road bike and one of the best of 650's off road if set up correctly. (mine was not)

Somehow I fell out of love with it ... sold it after just a year from new. I was still racing two strokes then ... so the XR-L felt heavy by comparison, and I fell down a lot riding it. I rarely fall, even on race bikes. So never did any extended travels on the bike beyond Baja and local riding, never "bonded" with the bike, but MANY DO ... and many get them going really well. Remember, my experience was back in 1993 or so.

Reinforcing sub frame is quite basic and most good welders/fabricators can do the job in a few hours work. Search for threads on ADV Rider on XRL 650 builds. Some have documented this.

bier

It needs this because the standard tank is designed for enduro = 10 litre capacity (and the bigger carb must have a worse fuel consumption but I con't recall what I managed to get out of mine).

Yes, then later, Yam fitted a lesser suspension on the TT600RE to pay for the electric starter.

I bought my 2001 model secondhand and it definitely didn't come with a temp gauge - maybe some earlier owner removed it.

I also seem to remember using a dip stick for the oil level in the dry sump tank - a typical Yam black plastic thingy but it was a few years, and a few bikes, ago.

just to recap regarding the question, if you could take either the Honda Xr650L or Yamaha Xt 600 what would be people choose and why?

Personally I'd take the Yamaha. Even though I've done many trips on my XR600 and therefore feel "connected to the XR-L the seat height makes it a non starter. That's because I've got short (29") legs and although you can do as Mollydog says and slide off to one side, balance on tiptoe, wear platform boots etc it does become mentally tiring on a long trip. I know the XT isn't that much lower but, as in other walks of life, those few extra inches can make all the difference.

If that's not an issue that affects you then it would depend on what turned up and what condition it was in as I'd be happy with either. These days both bikes are going to have had previous "careful' owners (probably a number of them) so condition will be everything. In the UK at least the XR-L is a bit of a rare beast so the Yamaha parts situation is likely to be better.

There's a bit on bike selection here from the book "Africa Overland". Both Yamaha and Honda are mentioned.

https://books.google.dk/books?id=iE6...africa&f=false

I can second that. My XT is great and touch wood is doing a good job dragging me round the Balkans fully loaded

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5778/...c0517986_c.jpgIMG_2362 by Wayne 66, on Flickr

Wayne

Thanks for your opinion. You seem to insinuate that the main reason was because of the seat height, but aside for that which one do people feel is better mechanically? Which has the better engine / transmission that will stand up to daily abuse in the desert heat?

I dont think there's a general consensus on one that is generally considered a better bike than the other. Both the XR and XT have many years behind them, and have proven themselves as tough and reliable bikes.

The internet is bursting with info on both models, so troubleshooting won't be an issue either. Neither will parts, as long as you have a parts fiche, there are several internet shops that can provide everything you need for them.

Choose the one you like and don't look back.

Thanks for your good advice. If both are good bikes and it comes down to personal preference rather than objective criteria, there is the other issue of parts. Are both equally good for sourcing local parts in Africa, or am I more likely to have parts issues with one than the other when on the road?

I doubt you'll get parts for either of them in the majority of Africa - as you won't for most vehicles that Europeans travel down there in /on. So no crankshafts or camshafts or gearbox bits or anything specific like CDIs etc. But if something's mendable (a bent subframe for example) you'll find people on every street corner who can fix it or even remake it. I once had a new kickstart fabricated in about two hours (and then refabricated another three times but that's another story).

As I said, I'd go with the XT because of a combination of the XR-L's dimensions and my lack of them, but other than that either of them would do. Both of them would need pre trip preparation (as would just about any bike) but neither of them have any huge inherent weak points that would be trip ending if ignored (not that I'm aware of anyway).

For me, pre trip preparation falls into two main areas. Firstly I want to know whether the core of the bike is up to the task. That means putting miles on the bike and getting to know it - are there any knocking noises, clunks, rumbles etc that indicate things are worn out, does it leak oil or smoke like a two stroke etc. That's going to come down to buying a decent one in the first place.

Secondly you need to look closely at what is going to to be vulnerable on the trip you're planning. Things wear out - chains, sprockets, tyres, tubes, brake pads, oil, filters, bulbs and possibly, cables, so how are you going to deal with that. Taking spare everythings with you is possible - and some people do - but one of the laws of overlanding states that no matter what you take it'll be the part you don't have that you need. Some bikes do have known weak points - DRZ400 cam chain adjusters / engine cases for example but neither of the two bikes under discussion to the best of my knowledge need more than the "usual" stuff (XR-L subframe possibly excepted. Here's a link to what someone else did with theirs - www.GABE-RTW.co.uk )

I've heard some people say that XR style radial valve engines don't deal with overheating well but I've not had an issue with mine and Honda produced variants of that engine for many years. It can be hard to tell sometimes when an air cooled engine is overheating which is one area where water cooled stuff scores. When steam starts to come out and you can't see where you're going it's probably time for a coffee break.

The "usual" stuff is a combination of what's needed for the terrain you anticipate riding over (bigger fuel tank, bash plate, luggage system etc) and what's desirable (decent seat, electronic gadgets, fluffy dice etc). You'll be doing some of this irrespective of which bike you go with.

Do you know if there is any consensus on which bike uses more oil? I read one post about the Yamaha burning through oil, but I suspect that was more of a problem with that particular bike.

Ahh, that brings back memories!

Sounds like you have yours sorted - I never did because I never quite gelled with the bike and then I went abroad to work so it was sold (no point in such a machine sitting around doing nothing for long periods).

It seemed to me that there was a bigger following for the TTR600 in Germany compared with the UK.
(I got a large second hand tank from German ebay, years ago)