Blog

We've been seeing an increasing number of side panel replacements at ProCycle, and the cause is consistently the same: damage from rear-mounted soft luggage forcing the side panels against the exhaust. Riders often install soft luggage systems that initially appear to have enough clearance, but heat from the exhaust cause the plastic side panels to soften and bumps and road vibrations cause the bags to overcome the lessened stiffness of the side panels. The result is melted plastic panels, damaged luggage, and potentially ruined contents.

The Honda XR150L is a capable dual-sport motorcycle that offers excellent value for adventure riders and commuters alike. However, like any machine, it has its share of known issues that can impact your riding experience. Based on extensive rider feedback, here are some of the most common problems you'll encounter with your XR150L and the proven solutions to address them.

In this month's Tech Talk, Carl discusses aftermarket tank options and accessories to give you more riding range.

The limited capacities of stock fuel tanks are often a huge limiting factor for your dual-sport. Most riders travel 40-50 miles just to reach trailheads where off-road adventures begin, consuming significant fuel before the fun starts. Aftermarket tanks solve this problem by providing substantially more capacity.

This month, Carl discusses how to properly maintain your motorcycle forks to ensure top performance during adventure riding.

Most dual-sport bikes do not have bottom drain plugs, so they require removing the forks from the triple clamps before servicing. Remove the top cap and spring carefully, then turn the fork upside down to drain the old oil completely.

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The Honda XR650L's CDI unit is well-known as one of the bike's m

This month, we're riding along with Clint Kieffer, a seasoned motorcyclist with an impressive collection of ten bikes and nearly 25 years of riding experience that spans across North America.

In this month's tech talk, Carl discusses motor oil and oil filters for your dual-sport.

We wanted to share something cool we just got in the shop that we're pretty excited about: Motion foot pegs made right here in Oregon!

The main difference between these pegs and the Pivot Pegz you might be familiar with is the rubber bushing system. These bushings control how much the pegs flex under your feet and also help dampen those annoying vibrations. They come standard with medium hardness bushings, but you can swap them out for softer or firmer ones depending on how you like your ride to feel.

This month, we're riding along with Tom Bonamici, who owns two very distinct motorcycles: a 1973 BMW R60/5 with a family history and a 2006 Honda XR650L that represents a return to his motorcycling roots.

The BMW comes with a special story -- Tom's uncle put an impressive 91,000 miles on it before hanging up his helmet and selling it to Tom for just a dollar. Tom acknowledges he still has 88,000 miles to go before catching up to his uncle's legacy. This passing of the torch represents the kind of two-wheel heritage that many riders dream about.

In this tech talk, Carl explains how to set up your bike to reduce fatigue on longer rides.

When fatigue sets in, mistakes happen more frequently, making your ride less enjoyable and potentially unsafe.

A good place to start is by upgrade your handlebars to aluminum alloy. Aluminum handlebars are better at absorbing vibration, even without bar-end weights. These bars are thicker in the middle than standard steel bars, but taper down at the tips to fit standard levers and switchgear.