2006 Precision Concepts Honda XR650R - Dirt Rider Magazine

When speeding across the Mexican desert at 100 mph for a thousand miles, your bike better do certain things very well. First, it has to have a motor that can outpace 800-horsepower trophy trucks; it should also deliver that power in a way that lets you keep up your pace for hundreds of miles and hours at a time. This bike does just that. You know this XR was built for speed from the first crack of the throttle. It lunges forward at a startling rate while the revs build slowly and smoothly.Second, the bike absolutely must track straight at speed. This bike does it very well, indeed. The Precision Concepts suspension paired with a Scotts steering stabilizer ensures that the 650 flies as straight as an arrow over the roughest ground. It never even hinted that it wanted to get out of line or swap the rear end. Whoops were no problem; it ate them for lunch, then had rocky roads for dessert. Just turn the throttle and watch the shrubbery whiz by at warp speed.My personal preference is for lightweight two-strokes, the polar opposite of the Precision Concepts bike, but I was completely impressed with how well this XR worked in its element. No wonder Johnny Campbell isn't scared to blaze down Baja as fast as he does-his bike is built for it.