XR650R hard to find in the UK or expensive.
They were never really a hit here (as travel bikes)
Got myself a nice XR4 for DZ.

On my tours the novelty of the 701 soon wore off over the cushier Tornados, but we don't ride hard.

I met some Belgian desert pros (690, DR650, 701) doing long, hard days and the guy with the 701 said he really rates his over former DR and X-Ch following an inexpensive fork upgrade (prog' springs; thinner oil, lower-friction seals). Plus a €150 seat and a small screen.

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Morocco Overland 4 (2025) • Trans Morocco Trail

There are road legal (Kitted) XR650R's for sale around here everyday. They go from about $2500 up to about $4500 depending on condition and mods done.

Most guys here using it as dual sport bike with emphasis on Desert work. Tight trails not great on XR650R. It's very tall, bit top heavy. But robust and stable at 70mph powering through rocks. Remember, Honda's XR650R won many many Baja 1000 races for YEARS ... then Honda went to the CRF450 class bikes ... XR650R was put out to pasture.

A great bike overall for dirt riding but takes quite a bit to set it up for travel with luggage and stuff. Only ever seen ONE set up for travel.

XR400R?
Assume you mean the old Honda XR400R? Great bike, wish it had "the button", but if you get your kick starting technique down it's OK, reliable, plenty of power with gearing that allows reasonable highway speeds.

BTW, the XR400R is still, TODAY, one of the favorites of the Baja tour companies for their client bikes. Below pic shows mix of bikes but a LOT of XR400's in there along with a few CRF250's.



Surprised you rate the Tornado over the 701 Husky. For novice riders I get it, but for more experienced guys (like the "pros" you met) in tough conditions, riding at speed, I'm thinking I'd prefer the 701.

I'm sure it needs set up for rider weight/ability but the potential is clearly there to be exploited ... where as the Tornado, as good as it is overall, is limited if the pace picks up and terrain worsens.

As a travel bike for long road sections I would still choose a DR650 over a Husky 701. More comfort, better reliability, very low maintenance vs. Husky.

The DR is rarely set up correctly but if it IS set up right, it's quite surprising how good it can be off road, even loaded up for travel. Bang for Buck is, IMO,
pretty much off the scale.