XR650L - Pitkin to Buena Vista - Hancock Pass COBDR

This was one of my favorite parts of the COBDR. This was the second half of the day because I only turned the camera on when we were at Tincup. I think it was the more entertaining half of the day anyways. I remember really enjoying the rocky section due to its difficulty. There are a few more videos from the COBDR I have to share. Then I will probably move on to the UTBDR if I still have the video.

[@ThePhotofred]

Cool vid and ride. Just a bit of info for you. The town you went through at the beginning was Pitkin. Had you stayed left you would have went over Cumberland Pass to Tincup. You actually took the funner route up the old Alpine Tunnel RR grade to Hancock Pass then over to the St. Elmo side.

[@Megakoolguy357]

Thanks for the clarification!

[@ThePhotofred]

@@Megakoolguy357 You're welcome. I ride the area quite a bit, since it's only about aa 2 hour drive for me.

[@Solo_adv]

I just bought my first dual sport a 2008 XR650L The guy who built it put all the right mods on it, did a excellent! job. CRF 450x forks. luv! this bike. I bought the bike when I was 55 years old couple weeks ago now I'm 35.

[@Megakoolguy357]

I have thought about the forks, but I just can't bring myself to abandon the old style forks. They are too reliable, cheap, simple and work well enough

[@kernered15]

Nice Video, definitely interested in your jet combination. I presume you have Dave's Mod and a Uni filter, curious to what you'd recommend vs what you used.

[@earlgray4333]

This is why you should throw a lectron generation 4 carburetor on that bike I have a XR650R L and I put that carburetor on there for the sole purpose of not have to worry about any jetting the carburetor uses a metering device system which is very unique and works beautiful do your research on the carburetor get to know it see if it’s something you would like there is no jetting. But there is a few adjustments to make and once it’s dialed in it will be good for all elevations and temperatures. Check out their KZbin videos. The only thing you may not like is it switches your throttle to a single throttle cable which they supply everything to do. My throttle response is so much better.

[@Megakoolguy357]

Lectrons are stupid expensive. I have read several posts where people say they can hurt the powerband on 4 stroke engines. I imagine that is because they are designed for use on 2 stroke dirtbikes or MX 4 strokes. The stock carb does well enough for my taste. I think a grand misconception is that bikes with a miracle carb or fuel injected bikes are immune to elevation changes. That is not the case. For a more detailed explanation, check out Fortnine's video on carburetors and fuel injection. In short, all engines are affected by elevation changes. To what degree that affects the ride is dependent upon a huge variety of factors, but the fuel system is definitely an important one. If I could get a Lectron for $400, I would certainly try it out. I just don't think that it would ever be worth $800. My XR runs well from sea level to 6 or 7 thousand feet. After that its performance is drastically decreased, but you can absolutely jet for bias, or pick an ethanol fuel if you plan on riding in an environment with less air. I can reliably ride to over 10,000 feet with the stock carb. Is the bike a speed demon at that height? Nope. All that said, I would love to find an XR with the Lectron already installed that would prove me all wrong. I want to be wrong so I can install something that will make a 10% improvement on my machine. It would also be interesting to see if I could modify the stock carb or needle to improve performance. Modifying the stock carb beyond Dave's mods seems like a lost art. It sounds like something a guy would have done in the 1970s. I find that there are many times where the old ways can work just fine, though. Thanks for watching!

[@gaon2wheels]

Cool video man!

[@Megakoolguy357]

Thank you!

[@teamground0229]

So how big a tank did you have for the trip? What tires you run?

[@Megakoolguy357]

I have a Clarke 4.7 gallon tank, but I think the COBDR could be done with a 4.0 gallon tank as well. The stock tank probably isn't enough. I run IRC GP1 trials-type tires as they are still reliably made in Japan. They are just a tiny bit better than the Kenda k270.

[@verbalwidget0919]

Cool Ride Britt, The Honda did well on the Mountain trails. I would say the stock Honda Cartridge forks are better than DR650 with Emulators & springs, but both would work well enough on this type of rocky terrain. What month did you do this ride and the UTBDR? I'm not sure where to go this year but it's not going to be in the Summer like I have hoped it would be. I dug out my XR if you can believe that and went for a 60 mile cruise the other day. It felt good to be on the XR again. Good footage for the ride. Thank you for posting, Very Cool.

[@Megakoolguy357]

Thanks! I found out later that the kit I used for my rear shock was missing the top bushing and my bike was lowered with an aftermarket link. I can't believe how well it did considering that lol. I fixed it for the UTBDR. We rode the COBDR in early August and the UTBDR in early July. We got extremely lucky with the weather both times. You can ride around Moab during more of the year, but pretty much all the BDR routes have passes you will want to ride in the summer. It sucks that you won't be able to get out for a trip this summer! Glad you got the XR out! I am thinking about trying to get mine out of the shed this weekend, but we'll see what the weather does.

[@verbalwidget0919]

@@Megakoolguy357 Yes, not enough seniority, so looking like March or April ? No idea where I’m going but I will follow the warmer weather for sure. Honda was so cool to ride, I messed up the video?? Oh well try again. 🤣😂 I will get the Lexx exhaust on this week and hopefully have a quieter XR650. I enjoyed the ride, lots of side by sides, they are everywhere out here too. Great to see you posting again.

[@mrsmel269]

nice views !!! wish i was out with you guys !!! #livetoride

[@Swimfinz]

...I've been through this territory many times. Cut to the chase---give this mess a big skip. Torrential rains in the afternoon in the Rockies suck the big one. I'll never even consider these routes again. Knock yourself out. When you get stuck, consider this---you've been warned. Might as well watch those stupid Johnny Knoxville "JackAss" movies. This is what you'll be doing to yourself.

[@Megakoolguy357]

I don't appreciate the attitude in your comment, but I'll answer it anyway. The BDR routes are quite well established at this point, and there are many places you can jump onto and off of difficult sections based on weather. My group has been quite lucky with the weather each year, but we have all been in it before. Everyone has his threshold for difficulty and danger. We had a great time in Colorado, and I remember this as one of my favorite days.

[@Swimfinz]

@@Megakoolguy357 hahahaha.... Enjoy yourself out there!