I have an 09 XR650L. Will the uncorking procedure used on the XR650R work on my XR650L?
Hi Ghost –
The XR650L is also a bit anemic from the factory, particularly if you are in California where they come with the emission control cannisters and whatnot.
The procedure is not exactly the same, but the principles are. The goal of ‘uncorking’ any bike is to reduce airflow restrictions so the motor can breath better. On the XR650L you can remove the rubber baffle on the top of the airbox, replace the air filter with an aftermarket unit, you can drill out the slide a little bit too (for the XR650L carb mods do a search for Dave Closs, he has all the details written out). I know on the earlier models the exhaust mounts where the pipes meet the motor have welds that can be ground down with a grinder. This was common on XR600’s, 650L’s, and XR400’s, but I’m not sure off hand if it has been fixed over the years. You can pull of your headers and take a look to see if there are welds bulging out a little on the inside.
I think you’re better off replacing the stock muffler rather than modifying it.