Honda XR650L – Best Used Bikes Best Dual-Purpose Bike, 1992 & 1993 Ten Best Awards.

Years sold: 1992-2009, 2012

MSRP new: $4349 (1992-93), $6690 (2012)

Blue Book retail value: $1550 (1992-93), $5646 (2012)

Basic specs: A dual-purpose bike that weighs 345 lb. with its 2.5-gallon gas tank filled to the brim. It’s powered by a 644cc, air-cooled, counterbalanced, sohc, four-valve four-stroke Single producing 33.3 hp at 5750 rpm and 32.4 ft.-lb. of torque at 4250.

Why it won: When introduced in 1992 (technically, it was an early-release ’93 model), the XR650L was considered the best dual-purpose bike ever built. Honda combined the basic chassis of its off-road-only XR600R with the electric-start Single from the discontinued 1998-99 NX650. The outcome was a motorcycle that had a strong off-road bias but was no slouch on the pavement, either, with enough oomph to reach a top speed of 96 mph. Its long-travel suspension (11.6 in. up front, 11.0 at the rear) allowed the 650 to soak up the punishment of some pretty aggressive off-road riding, even if it did present the bike with a seat high enough (37.0 in.) to induce nosebleeds. Still, as an all-around mount that could have you roosting rocks one minute and rocking down the pavement the next, the XR650L was the ride of choice.

Aside from paint and graphics, the XR650L has gone unchanged since 1992, so it’s not competitive with today’s d-p bikes. But it’s still a very practical and versatile machine, many of which can be bought for little more than pocket change.

From the 1992 Ten Best story: “It’s this year’s Best Dual-Purpose Bike and may be the most fun you can have on two wheels.”

Useful resources: The XR650L isn’t the kind of motorcycle that prompts the fervid buzz that many others generate. There are a few forums that contain discussions regarding this particular Honda, but most of their posts are dated as far back as four or five years—though much of what you will read remains valid today. Besides, you still can find quite a bit of information about the bike on the Internet—reviews, bikes for sale, aftermarket accessories, photo galleries, hop-up tips—if you simply type “Honda XR650L” in your browser.

First Ride: 2010 BMW S1000RR

ormally, pinning the throttle wide-open on a liter-class supersport machine while at or near full lean in a corner would spell certain disaster. Common sense rules out grabbing even half a handful of gas while at the apex of a tight bend. Yet despite survival instincts honed through nearly 30 years of riding and racing experience, I found myself at full throttle with my knee skimming the tarmac and wanting even more from the fuel-injected, dohc, four-cylinder engine that powers BMW’s new-for-2010S1000RR.

Okay, that’s an extreme example of the Bavarian bike maker’s race-developed Dynamic Traction Control in action. But it was nevertheless my experience aboard a production S1000RR during the first of several 20-minute sessions at the world press introduction staged this past November at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal.

Per BMW’s direction, I spent my initial on-track stint in “rain mode,” the tamest of the RR’s four selectable power-delivery modes that can be toggled on the fly via a handlebar-mounted switch. With a full day of warm, sunny track time ahead, I felt no sense of urgency to explore the more potent Sport, Race or Slick settings. I haven’t spent that much time at full twist on a road course since I raced a Kawasaki Ninja 250 back in the day!

A particularly interesting aspect of the DTC strategy is the use of an onboard lean-angle sensor that restricts the ride-by-wire throttle from opening farther when lean angle exceeds a mode-specific maximum bank angle. The lean threshold for rain mode is 38 degrees, which meant it was quite easy to dip into the dead power-delivery zone in dry, grippy conditions. It was a rather odd sensation to experience such a pronounced delay in acceleration until the bike was once again relatively upright at the exit of a corner. I’m anxious to try this mode in actual wet conditions.

Switching to any of the higher-performing modes unleashed in full the engine’s claimed 181 rear-wheel horsepower. Sport tempers initial throttle response, provides greater DTC intervention and a 45-degree max angle for acceleration compared to the one-to-one response and even deeper electronic lean limits of the Race and Slick modes.

The Metzeler RaceTec K3 radials had barely broken a sweat until I put in a series of hard laps in Race. With DTC watching my back, I was able to execute controlled slip-’n'-grip drives out of nearly every corner of the 13-turn circuit with remarkable ease. Apparently, the throttle control and sense for available traction that I’ve carefully honed during the past three decades has been rendered obsolete. Button-mashing video gamers should feel right at home on this new Beemer. And I haven’t even discussed the Race ABS brake system!

One thing is certain: The S1000RR is the real deal. BMW has finally produced a sportbike that performs on par with the current competition from Austria, Italy and Japan. Look for a full riding impression of the S1000RR in an upcoming issue of Cycle World.

Tech Analysis: Aprilia RSV4 Factory Engine

Racing has always played a major role in the life of Aprilia. The relatively small factory in Noale started its adventure in the mid-1970s and quickly became a major competitor in motocross. Passionate (and wealthy) founder and owner Ivano Beggio then turned his attention to roadracing, where Aprilia dominated the 125cc and 250cc classes until last year, when the FIM outlawed two-stroke engines.

But the 125 and 250 classes were not enough for Beggio, who extended his challenge into the realm of Superbike, giving life to the RSV1000 built around a 1000cc Rotax 60-degree V-Twin. In the very capable hands of Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, the RSV1000 failed to achieve the top laurels only by inches.

The 1000cc four-stroke MotoGP class also looked very attractive to Beggio, who poured bushels of euros into the ill-fated Aprilia Cube project. The bike was powered by a three-cylinder engine designed by Claudio Lombardi, a former Ferrari technician hired to manage all Aprilia four-stroke racing programs. Not only did the 1000cc inline-Three MotoGP racer prove inconsistent, Aprilia’s racing activity was fragmented on too many fronts at the same time money was running low. That combination of negative factors finally led Beggio to sell all of his motorcycling operations—Aprilia and Moto Guzzi—to scooter giant Piaggio.

To replace the no-longer-competitive RSV1000 and give Aprilia a second chance to reach the top of the SBK class, Piaggio launched a new project. After the first round of preliminary evaluations, three engine configurations remained on the table. Surprisingly, despite the Aprilia Cube failure, Claudio Lombardi again came up with an “inline-Three” concept. But he also submitted a narrow-angle V-Four design, along with a more conventional inline-Four.

In the end, the V-Four came out on top by offering the best compromise. It had the potential to be narrower than both the inline-Three and Four, and much more compact, lengthwise, than the 90-degree V-Four that was proposed only as a theoretical comparison but never considered a viable option by Aprilia’s technical team.

In reality, a narrow V-Four would be more balanced than an inline-Three in both primary and secondary order; and though it would be less balanced than an inline-Four in primary order, a very small balancing shaft could cancel any resultant vibrations. A narrow V-Four also is slightly less balanced than an inline-Four in secondary order, but only by a negligible factor; besides, the perceived vibrations would not be any more disturbing than those of an inline-Four.

Another major advantage of the narrow-angle V-Four concept was that it could be harnessed in a frame dimensionally similar to that of the world-championship-winning Aprilia 250 GP racer. This was a very positive point on which to capitalize, since the Aprilia 250 was always regarded as the best-handling bike in its class.

Based on their experience with the RSV1000 V-Twin, the Aprilia technicians started with a 60-degree Vee angle, then enlarged it to 65 degrees for practical accessibility and the best configuration of the intake system’s variable-length velocity stacks. (As a side note, let me point out that all the legendary Ferrari V12s have had their Vee angle set at 65 degrees rather than the customary 60 degrees for such engines. Is there any meaning in that? Hard to say.)

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Aprilia’s narrow-angle V-Four demonstrated superb performance potential in all forms. The SBK racer delivered in excess of 220 horsepower, as well as absolute rationality in terms of overall dimensions and layout, giving life to a super-compact bike. To ride it, Aprilia hired its never-failing sweetheart, Max Biaggi, who won the SBK title in 2010. He had a less-positive 2011 season but currently is in this year’s championship points lead. And Aprilia’s V-Four now is even trying its hand in MotoGP, powering a couple of CRT racers ridden by Randy dePuniet and Aleix Espargaró.

Apparently, Aprilia’s chief of the Race Department, Luigi Dall’Igna, has got a lot more in reserve. According to credible rumors, there are modifications ready to push the V-Four’s output past 230 horsepower. Further evolution will take advantage of the standard 81mm bore rule established by the FIM, thus bumping the bore from 78mm to 81 and consequently cutting the stroke from 52.3mm down to 48.5 for larger valves and safe higher rpm.