I recently bought a 2006 XR650L with the intent of modifying it to make it a better adventure bike.  However, I wanted to establish a baseline performance for it before the modifications begin.  So today my buddy JT and I drag raced it against my DR-Z440w.  The XRL has been desmogged, rejetted with a Dynojet kit, air box opened, and has an Supertrapp slip-on muffler.

It wasn’t even close – the DRZ easily walked away from the XRL, beating it by 20 or more bike lengths in a drag race to about 70 mph.  The XR is going to need some work before it’s in the same class as the mighty DR-Z440w.